New Stove Stuff direct from Japan

Bill, may I ask where you bought this from? I’d like to go take a look at it.

Thanks.

Check out Vaude (Markhill) for a nearly
identical product.

http://www.vaude.de/hps/client/vaude/public/hxfront/index.hbs

Then click thru the following menu:

Products/Catalogue/MountainSports/Stoves/Stoves/StoveBase/Adaptor

Weighs 6.85 oz

While both the remote canister adapters and the new Optimus Stella stove solve one problem (i.e., the easy use of metal windscreens with canister stoves), they still don’t allow canisters to be used upside down in cold weather since there is no preheat tube. Seems like a significant oversight for a brand new product like the Stella (obviously, it would be more difficult, though perhaps not impossible, to retrofit a preheat tube onto a top-mounted canister stove used with an adapter).

I’d probably pass on both and go with the MSR WindPro, the Snow Peak Gigapower BF, or similar remote models from other manufacturers.

First to answer Miguel’s question so the rest of you know that I did answer his question. I sent him a direct email.

I have sent an email to the company in Japan to ask them if I can list their web address for US Sales. When I get an answer from them I will post their information.

As for Jim’s comments I agree that I would not use a sit-on canister stove in cold weather. I would not use a sit-on canister stove in any weather. I don’t think that a large percentage of backpackers go out in really low temp’s where a stove without a pre-heat tube is really necessary. Those that do I am sure can figure out a way to make their stove work for them or they would change stoves.

The value of the remote adapter for me is to be able to use a good wind screen and the parts to use for other things.

When I think the temp will be so low I need a stove with a pre-heat on it I have 5 to pick from. 3-Xtreme’s w/PowerMax canisters, 1-WindPro that will work with the PowerMax canister, 1-older Rapid Fire that also will work with a PowerMax canister, and 1 NOVA that will burn liquid or canister gas and will also soon be able to work with a PowerMax canister.

The heat exchanger looks interesting, although perhaps overdesigned. I have been thinking about trying to make a heatexchanger comparable to the fluxring on the Jetboil but seperated from the cup so that it could be used on any kind of stove and with any kind of cup. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the right materials.
Bill, isn’t that something for you ?

Hi Tom, What I am looking for is a small heater that can be used to dry me or dry gear out a little.

I haven’t had a chance to try this small heater out in any kind of real test. I will try it in a large box of some type and take a temp. reading every few minutes and see how warm it gets inside the box.

I also have looked at the Flex Ring on the Jet-Boil ever since they came out. One idea I haven’t tried yet is a coil (spring looking) made out of aluminum rod. I have several ideas draw out but no time yet to make a prototype. I have a bunch of 1/8″ aluminum rod that I will try first. I am saving my gold rod for a rainy day.

I wish there was a product that I could heat up with a few minutes on “high”, and then leave in my tent to “glow” warm for the next half an hour.

I imagined a piece of ceramic, although I don’t know what is simultaneously light-weight and heat-absorbing. It would be a nice way to knock the chill off the tent at bedtime for my GF without having to have an open flame or 2-lb Catalytic heater…

Does such a product exist? should I just put a rock on my stove?

A Japanese hiking friend has a neat “heat exchanger” (from Optimus I think). It is for stoves that sit on top of the cannister. It attaches on to the cannister with a magnet and has a brass arm that extends up into the flame. It brings heat down to keep the cannister flowing. I have always wanted to get one, but didn’t know how. Any suggestions?

Brian, Heat some water, dump it into your water bottles or water bladders, wrap them in bandanas, microfiber towels, or spare clothes and put them in your bag(s).

“Brian, Heat some water, dump it into your water bottles or water bladders, wrap them in bandanas, microfiber towels, or spare clothes and put them in your bag(s).”

Yup, High (relatively) Thermal Mass for ZERO additional carried weight (as long as you camp near a random water source)

Some people have said they like the ‘flask’ shaped bottles for this as they ‘carry’ easier in the bag / inside a jacket.

Hi Brian,
One of my cousin-in-laws (actually cousin-out-law as my “wife” and I are happily unmarried for twenty years as of today!) works for Corning Glassworks in Corning, NY. While visiting him last summer, he showed us these lightweight briquettes he was using to increase the fuel efficiency of his gas grill. They we about three inches cubed, very light, and stayed warm enough to cook on for about forty-five minutes after the gas was turned off!
I don’t know what material they are made from, but perhaps you could contact Corning Glassworks.
Personally, I’d go with the hot water idea or build a fire over a stone-lined small pit. Bury with a layer of soil and setup your shelter over the area for a warm night. Be careful about flammable substances in the cover soil.
Hope this helps.
Eric

Thanks Paul, Joshua, and Eric. In the end I am thinking that a very-hot briquette loose in a very-small and very-melty tent in the dark with two people dancing around each other would be a bad idea in the long term — no matter how cool the idea is!

At least liquid water is guaranteed to be below the melting temperature of quilts/mats/tent/people! I will try that out for my girlfriend… ironically, for me keeping cool is usually the issue.

Thanks for the tip about those briquettes: it sounds like there could be lots of applications. I’m thinking of a pot cozy supplement in the winter.

I wonder if one could be made food-grade and actually dropped into my pot of tea to keep it warm… such a dreamer I am.

I have been following several Japan Stove maker’s BLOG’s over the past several months. One of the frequent posters (Hajime Kaneko) turned out to own an Outdoor Gear Store. His English is very good so we didn’t have to play the computer translation game. I looked at his
web site
(click on the small tent with 2 stars) and sent him an email to ask if he would/could ship to the USA. He replied back that he was setup with PayPal but had never been asked to ship here. He said there was no reason why he couldn’t. What was I interested in. I sent a short list of things from his web site that we don’t seem to get here and he sent back cost and shipping information. I decided on slow -air mail – that is something called Surface-Air. He thought it would take about 2 weeks and the shipping cost was under $9. One week -Fast Air would have been about 5 or 6 days at a cost of about $19. It was sent on 11 Mar and I got on 24 March.

For now he has asked what I thought we (backpackers here in the US) might want that is now only sold in Japan? I asked about Camp.it garments but he can’t get them in Japan.

A couple of pictures for Roger:

This is a the Optimus NOVA Liquid Fuel stove converted to use a canister. The small fitting that connects to the canister is a small production home made fitting.

Bill,

I have a Tatonka knockoff of the Nova; i.e. roarer-style burner. I’ve been thinking of converting it to canister, but one of the things I hate about that stove design is the noise so I’m not sure if it’s worth the effort.

Do you find that your Nova is as noisy under canister power as under white gas?

Thanks,
Brian

The NOVA on canister is about the same noise level as the WindPro and Coleman Xtreme. I never owned a liquid fuel stove before the NOVA mostly also because of the noise.

The NOVA is slated to be converted also to the PowerMax canister. I want to make a snow/ice melting stove system out of my NOVA. Turn it into the “mother of all snow melters”, Balrog’s Mother.