Need suggestions for lighter stove

Or maybe ???
http://www.amazon.com/Olicamp-Kinetic-Ultra-Titanium-Stove/dp/B007OJKI0M/ref=sr_1_23?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8

or

I guess you know that the MSR Superfly is not a propane stove. It's a butane or butane blend canister stove.

–B.G.–

Get a BRS-3000 Titanium stove for about $20. Its about the perfect size for a small mug like the Imusa.

At 25 grams it would be my first choice for a solo cannister stove.

Both esbit and alcohol would be lighter than a canister stove, and the right set ups will serve for two people. You can go as light as 3-5 oz, maybe even lighter, for a 900 ml two person set up, which includes the pot, windscreen, stove, fuel container and cozy.

I sell such a kit that will burn alcohol, esbits and wood. 4.3 oz.

http://www.goldgear.co/cook-kits.html

This year the California drought may be forcing more stove decisions on more backpackers. So many places are unusually dry, so the wildfire risk is unusually high. As a result, we are expecting some of the national forests to again impose bans on any source of fire that has no On/Off switch or valve.

Right away that will knock out the Esbit, wood, and alcohol burners. It would seem to allow butane and white gas. But, each jurisdiction sets its own rules, so we will just have to wait and see.

Last summer I had one trip planned into the Sierra National Forest, and I had my Esbit system packed. Just to be on the safe side, I had brought along a butane stove in the car. Sure enough, when I got the permit, they informed me of the On/Off requirement. Luckily, I could just dump out my Esbit stuff and take butane instead. You almost have to be prepared for anything.

–B.G.–

I agree with Bob. In many areas on the west coast, alcohol, esbit, and wood are not allowed or have impossible constraints on usage. An on/off control on an esbit stove? Really?

I really dislike canister stoves because of the waste. You have to carry the damnable can. But the stoves are light. This gives them about the same fuel efficiency as an alky stove. The stoves themselves have few moving parts, but the pressurized canisters have a built in problem: they ARE pressurized. I have had about 7% fail. Bad lindal valve, poor stove to can connection, leaks, they can plug up valves & jets with waxes/dirt, etc. They have, to me, only fair reliability due to the pressurized nature of the canisters. In many areas, canisters are difficult to find on a thru hike, hence you often bring an extra can or two, anyway.

But, White Gas (WG) stoves are heavy. The fuel, when carried in a plastic water bottle, is about the highest fuel density commonly available, but, the stoves are often around 8-20oz. (The lighter stoves giving poor fuel efficiency and the heavier ones among the best.) Most of these have some sort of pump system and subject to similar problems with canisters. A few don't and are very reliable without all the moving parts to fail (Svea series is still available or Hunter series.) All require some sort of priming which can be construed as dangerous if done improperly. Less experienced people often prefer canisters for this reason.

Over the course of a couple weeks, I find that all the stoves break about even, weight wise. A few ounces one way or the other doesn't really matter to me, anymore. So, I look at size, or, overall volume my cook kit will take in my pack. I look at usage and what I like to eat on the trail. I look at reliability when I want it to work. A hot cup of cocoa with a shot of scotch at night while listening to the sounds of the forest, is much better than a sleeping pill.

Does the simmer closure on a Trangia or similar alky set up qualify as an on/off switch?

Joe, not that I'm aware of. Like I stated, each individual jurisdiction can set the rules the way it wants. Plus, individuals like backcountry rangers can interpret the rules to suit the situation.

In some jurisdictions like Yosemite National Park, one backcountry permit office worker may have one understanding, and another person working in the backroom may have a different understanding. Therefore, you as the permit holder might want to get the permit writer to write a clarification on the permit.

Of course, the water gets muddied when you cross from one jurisdiction to another, and now there is a new set of rules, despite your permit based on the old set of rules.

Now, if you were a thru-hiker and you started a thousand miles away about three months earlier, a backcountry ranger probably would not try to issue you a citation based on the new/current rules in some different national forest. But, they might.

I would sure hate to be a lawyer.

–B.G.–

I have a Trail Designs Sidewinder and use ESBIT (unless fire regs say no). It is made for my 3 cup Open Country pot and is VERY light when I only have to carry the ti cone, my modded ESBIT "BGET" tab holder and small aluminum base plate.

With this setup I can cook with one tablet or less per meal and thus carry a light fuel load compared to canister fuel and my Brunton Crux burner and windscreen system.

Yeah, I sometimes bring my castrated (handle cut off) Wal Mart ceramic coated aluminum skillet and 2 ti stakes to support it.
But that does not seem heavy at all and when I'm eating delicious pancakes or omelet. It is totally worth the little extra weight for the break from eating instant cereal.

@ James M.,
Alky fuel & stove will outweigh a canister & stove after 3 days B/C the alky fuel volume needed is so much greater. The same is true with an alky /ESBIT comparison. Actully, I feel that the right sized (small) Caldera Cone stove, pot combo and a BGET ESBIT tab holder is the optimum low weight stove/fuel system (IF you are not using a CC ti Sidwinder stove with found wood).

I use the Soto Wind master canister stove. I like the igniter and use the larger pot support. This has become my one stove for backpacking, car and kayak camping.

What other alternatives are there, that preferably have a built-in ignitor as well? I would love to get the BRS-3000T but with only a couple of weeks until my trip, I don't think it will get here on time.

@ James M.,
Alky fuel & stove will outweigh a canister & stove after 3 days B/C the alky fuel volume needed is so much greater. The same is true with an alky /ESBIT comparison. Actully, I feel that the right sized (small) Caldera Cone stove, pot combo and a BGET ESBIT tab holder is the optimum low weight stove/fuel system (IF you are not using a CC ti Sidwinder stove with found wood).

Pretty much. It will actually take me about 4 days, before canisters start showing any gain. That drops back to alky again when you have to get a new canister after 5-6 days. After about a week or so both fall off to esbits. After about two-three weeks(at about 2L per day) all three fall off to a WG stove. Fuel density seems to be the key. Alky: ~12000BTU/lb, Esbit/Canisters ~13000BTU/lb, WG ~17000BTU/lb after calculating full carry weight (bottle, packaging, can, and bottle) of just the fuel. But, alky and esbit are not generally allowed during a fire ban. And, most people don't bother with two/tree weeks worth of travel at a time.

None of the super-lightweight stoves such as the BRS-3000T have a built-in piezo lighter — a big part of why they’re so light…

Something like THIS should suffice and might possibly arrive in time. If all else fails, get something like a Snowpeak Gigapower.

That looks like a BRS-3000T Bob.

Similar, but this one is a "hefty" 41g. :^)

However, I would definitely check out the ship time/postage rates before ordering it.

Not that I need another stove, for crying out loud!

Oops. Double post.

>"I would love to get the BRS-3000T but with only a couple of weeks until my trip, I don't think it will get here on time."

Kenneth:

I'm enough of a BRS-3000T evangelist that I keep a few around as stocking-stuffers for Great-White-Hunter-style campers that I'm trying to convert to UL principles. New, on the hang-card. I could throw one in the mail when I get back home on Monday if that solves your problems. First Class mail from Alaska is about 2-3 days and $3 or so. You could pay me for it or order a new one to be delivered to me.

I'm a big fan of my Starlyte stove and foster's can. The foster's can weighs about a ounce and the stove weighs about 17 grams. i use a small amount of aluminum foil as a wind screen, and another small piece as a heatshield for the bottom. Boils two cups of water pretty quickly using 3/4oz of fuel. Pretty amazing, I think the whole setup weighs under 3 oz and I carry a 4oz nalgene for fuel. Lasts five nights easily. (I actually use less than the 3/4oz most of the time as I don't need my water to actually boil, just get hot).

If it's raining or snowing hard I'm going to want to be in my Moment DW or Scarp 2 vestibule for cooking.

And I DON'T want to be in a vestibule with an alky or ESBIT stove (or WG stove, though I've done it). That leaves canister stoves and for that my folding Brunton /Crux stove is nice, if not the lightest.

So God bless the advancements in canister stoves. We've come a long way since Bluet – but not far since Gerry stoves.

Now if someone could invent an aluminum canister of sufficient strength..

…or double the fuel in a standard canister…

…or both.

Hey, I recall once suggesting "de-tuned" solid rocket fuel to replace ESBIT. Can't wait. Might be better than C4. ("There are few problems in life that cannot be solved with the proper application of explosives".)

"Might be better than C4."

As I recall, C4 burns with a nice blue glow.

–B.G.–

Hot, quick and hard to handle. Sound familiar???

Yuri,

Were I in your shoes,I would take David Thomas up on his generous offer to send you a BRS-3000 from AK;)

He's no dummy, the fact that he likes that stove well enough to put back a stash of them speaks volumes.

Since you mentioned that you're looking for "other options" — for short-to-moderate trips and certainly for situations where fire or fire regulations are an issue I like to just eat cold food and leave home the (a) stove, (b) fuel, (c) fuel container(s), (c) windscreen, (d) pot & lid, (e) cozy. Easier, faster, and for trips of just a week or two I'm happy with this option.

I'm sure there are previous threads on this topic; if you've not tried it before, perhaps give it a shot on a short trip and see if it works for you.

Particularly when fire risk is high.

A ounce one way or the other doesn't seem to make much difference with a propane-butane cartridge stove, since those metal cartridges are so darn heavy. But the lower energy density of alcohol tends to cause a break-even point for the trips I typically do (5 or 6 nights with two people). So I've considered Esbit, but hear it stinks badly and it makes your pot black and nasty; how significant are those concerns ?