How do you pack a Caldera

Terms like "monstrosity" are as legitimate as terms like "great" — at least the former is not as overused as the latter. IMO anyway, both are fine — so long as they are explained. What I really can't stand are short responses that say a piece of gear is either "POS" or "great" — and then just stops without explaining why!

You'll notice that I took out "UL" in my post above — that was before you posted your response — but obviously after you've already read the earlier version. I don't see the Caldera as heavy per se — but it certainly isn't compact.

BTW, your wig is just fine! It stands out without being offensive. :)

Not to interrupt the two of you but. . . .

I use the Caldera system with the MSR titan pot. In order to pack my system I use two 4 cup zip lock screw top containers. Two? Huh?

Well the wind screen is just a bit too tall to fit inside of a zip lock container so I cut the bottom out of one container and then slide in into the other. I can then fit the stove, fuel, spork, soap, scrubby, and small towel inside with the lid screwed closed. I then nest the zip lock container inside my titan pot and put the whole thing in a stuff sack.

I know I could simply just use a stuff sack but I like having a screw top container to use as a cup around camp. Not to mention I like having a strong, light cooling package that I can pack almost anywhere without having to worry about crushing anything.

The entire package is less than 8” tall and weighs in around 6 oz.

Ben & Jason,

I drink a pint hot beverage at breakfast and dinner as well as real cooking and the occasional water to wash my hair. Alcohol stoves fit my style, but when the trip is longer than two nights I have always switched to canister stoves. The Caldera has changed that. It is efficient enough that I am planning a six night trip with the stove.

The 4 cup Ziplock container that works with the AGG 3 cup pot has other uses also. I found that I needed to carry the bleach, tabasco, olive oil, etc. squirt bottles in a hard sided container because they would leak when squeezed in the food bag.

I have made dozens of alcohol stoves, I own Brasslite stoves, some mini-bull stoves, Sgt Rocks Ion stove and even an OES heat and simmer stove combination. My "go to" stove is the Caldera. The other stoves work fine, but I was always searching for something better. I am now satisfied with my kitchen kit.

The stoves that I find do not fit my style are:

The Beeer Can ESBIT stove, and

BushBuddy Ultra.

The cost was high and I made it worse by paying $20 to trade in my old tab Caldera for the new design and a cozy. However, I am a happy customer.

Richard:

How many cups of water do you boil (for cooking) versus heat up (for washing hair, etc.)? How much alcohol do you plan to carry for your 6-day trip? Thanks.

As I am in Europe, I have not been able to find Ziplock containers. Thus my original question. Once again thanks for all the tips, I will look for similar containers to the Zip Lock

I guess Ben and I are like a quarreling old couple, haha! All is well in the land of UL.
Cheers guys.
S.

Ben,

At home with tap water .5 oz. will boil 2 cups. I find that it takes .75 oz. in the field with colder water, etc. 1.0 oz. will generally boil enough to rehydrate the meal and make a pint of hot beverage.

After dinner I use .5 oz to boil a cup then cut it to cool it to take a bandana bath and clean the pot.

Every other day I like to boil a pint (.75) and pour into a Platy then mix with cold water to touch to wash my hair.

For the six nights I will have two 12 oz. bottles of HEET. I expect to have left over, but I will burn off the excess fuel on the last night. Hot tub anyone?

Thanks, Richard. Knowing this is useful for determining our individual options.

Just to CMA, I do believe in HYOH. So, go ahead and use it if you want. And if you read my original post, you'll see that I didn't make any universal claims. I presented my opinion of the CC from MY point of view and MY packing style:

"I'm going to be far less diplomatic and more irreverent than Ben and go as far as to say that the CC is the LEAST compact system for an alcohol stove that I've ever seen. While I don't consider myself a hardcore ultra lighter, I can't see how it would even fit into my packing style in any practical way. I would never carry it and can't see what all the buzz is about. There, I've said it! ;)"

Also, as already stated above, this forum is all about public, anal-retentive scrutiny so all is fair game. Some just happen to be fairer game than others; like the Caldera Cone. ;)

P.S. I also hate the Walmart Grease Pot, so there!

Do you have any strong feelings about the JetBoil? Or anything else? :)

Ben, I'm glad you asked. Yes, I also don't like the Jetboil. But that's another post for another time. Don't egg me on here! After all, we're supposed to be trashing the Caldera Cone! Let's stay focused now. One thing at a time.

"Choose your first stove wisely. It is easier to get a man to change his religion than it is to change stoves." Colin Fletcher

Packing flat seems to be the easiest and most compact, and least likely to slice into other gear or get bent edges.

I slide it in between my foam mat ('frame') and the outside of my pack (Jam2). Perhaps if I had really fragile pack material I'd put it on the inside of the mat.

I have tried numerous ways to pack the cone (flat against the inside of my pack, wrapped around my SP Trek 900 cookpot in a stuff sack) but have found my preferred method is to wrap the cone tightly around my 8 oz. plastic fuel bottle, with a small 30 ml measuring cup on top and put both in a gallon zip-loc bag (from the grocery store, not from the Calder Kitchen set), carried in an outside pocket of my pack in case of fuel leaks and so that it is easily accessible. This is not one of the smaller cones, but it does fit inside the zip-loc with room for my alcohol stove. I realize not everyone prefers to carry their cookpot separate, but I fill mine with food so that I'm employing the empty space inside. And my cookpot has measuring marks so that I don't have to carry an additional container to measure water.

I second the notion about preferring the CC for use on longer trips. I no longer worry about carrying heavy fuel canisters since the equivalent amount of alcohol fuel weighs significantly less, and I can re-fuel at any local hardware store.

I'm all thumbs when it comes to making gear. I end up butchering the material and wasting time and money. I'd rather pay somebody with the time and tools to do the job right.

So far, the Caldera performs better in the wind than any other alcohol system I've used. My experience is that the stove, pot and windscreen must be designed as a system, not a collection of parts for maximum efficiency. The Caldera fits the bill for me.