DIY canister stove windscreen

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Here's my version of a windscreen for my Brunton/Crux canister top stove.

The base unfolds and is sandwiched between the stove and the canister. It is made from a disposable pie pan cut in half and re-jioned with Gorilla duct tape so I can fold it for storage. This has proven to be a stable base for the vertical screen.

This setup will work with my 3 cup Open Country pot and a 1.5 liter JetBoil pot (barely).

The base protects the canister from heat and supports the windscreen. It's worked well for three years.

[royo royo]

Looks good. I imagine a similar setup would work well to replace the factory screen on my snow peak gigapower.

[Roger Caffin]

But in cold weather you don't WANT to protect the canister from the warmth from the flames. You NEED the heat input to keep it going.

Cheers

[jimmer ultralight]

Unless you apply the heat in a controlled fashion, the effect on the cannister is inconsistent at best.

Ambient airflow is almost always an issue with any stove efficiency in an season. Cold airtemps are not. And a good windscreen acts not only as a wind deflector but as a reflective heat shield. Unless a design is too heavy,it always increases a stove's efficiency even in calm conditions.

Eric's bottom screen protects the pot from being robbed of heat by updraft around the pot sides. This is a net plus for most folks using an upright cannister stove.

For cold weather use, the ultimate setup might be a combination of Eric's rig above with a slot cut in the base for the insertion of Bob Moulder's heat exchange strip.

The everyone is happy. Even in cold weather.

Then,we can discuss more weighty issues like- can you cook with it inside your tent with out burning it down or dying of Carbon Monoxide poisoning ?..:)

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Jimmer,

What is Bob Moulder's heat exchanger strip? Sounds interesting for cold weather canister cooking. (However I do have the new MSR Whisperlite Universal with the "upside-down" canister support thingy for cold weather. Heavier but effective.)

Is there a photo of Bob's heat exchanger strip on this site or elsewhere?

[Bob Moulder]

Eric, if you read the first and last page of this thread you'll have all the necessary information:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/98947/index.html

I have tested this a bunch and it obliterates the cold-weather canister conundrum.

[USA Duane Hall]

Thanks Eric, I was trying to rig up some short pieces of wire, too fiddly. Your setup holds the windscreen up, not too much a concern for me to protect the canister though.
Duane

[Roger Caffin]

> Unless you apply the heat in a controlled fashion, the effect on the cannister is
> inconsistent at best.
Your mileage may vary. I have no trouble getting a consistent warming of the canister.

> Eric's bottom screen protects the pot from being robbed of heat by updraft around the
> pot sides. This is a net plus for most folks using an upright cannister stove.
I simply disagree.
In my experience the amount of heat lost through a small amount of air going past the canister is only a fraction of the amount of heat to be gained from radiation.

For really cold weather I use an inverted canister stove, which solves all problems.

Cheers

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Roger,

I bought the MSR Whisperlite Universal so I could have both a petrol stove and an inverted canister stove. It's my winter stove "system".

So I now have this new canister stove, an MSR Simmerlite and a Brunton hose connector to convert my Brunton Crux into a remote canister stove. So that makes three remote canister stoves in my gear closet. Guess I should sell the Simmerlite. The other two will be good for car camping.

BTW, The Brunton/Crux stove in the photos is for 3 season use.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Eric

As you doubtless know, I am a fan of remote canister stoves. :-) I often use mine in the shoulder seasons as well, just because it is so light.

For summer use – I have never used a reflector above the canister in the last 10+ years. Never any problems. But I DO use a 3/4 wrap windscreen ALL the time.

Cheers

[Dihnekis]

Awesome, just copied this in 5 minutes with a cake pan I had laying around. Thanks! I never actually use my microrocket anymore but it's still nice to have a better windscreen for it.

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