Trail designs SideWinder

[Lynn Tramper]

I have been using this cook system for the last few months, and it is by far the best offering that the folks at Trail Designs has yet come up with.

My system is designed to fit around, AND in the Anti Gravity Gear 2 qt anodised aluminum pot. First of all, the nitty gritty:

Component weights

Outer cone 44g (1.55oz)
Inner cone 25g (0.9oz)
Grate 17g (0.6oz)
Grate support 5g (0.17oz)
2 Ti stakes 17g (0.17oz)
Fuel bottle 18 g (0.18oz)
Measuring cup 2g
Esbit holder (Gram Cracker) 3g (0.1oz) with 'wings', 1g without wings
12-10 alcohol stove 15g (0.5oz)
Ground protector 18g (0.6oz)

There are also some Tyvek sleeves, one to keep the components rolled, the other to keep the grate from scratching your pot.

This is total kit weight, not including fuel, and is for two people, so figure half this much per person.

Complete kit (minus the tyvek and fuel bottle which I forgot to put in the photo)

The first thing I tried was wood-burning with the complete set up. This created a fabulously large and quick boiling flame:

When i removed the pot, I had the perfect self-contained fire to sit around and roast marshmallows on:

I then tried the same experiment with just the outer cone (no inner cone, grate, grate support or ground protector, and the results were very similar. In fact, without the inner cone, the SideWinder can hold even more wood, for hotter cooking and longer time between refills. From this second experiment, I determined that, for my uses, the inner stuff, though maybe making it slightly more efficient and less ground scorching, was not really needed. So that cuts another 47g, or 1.7oz from the kit. I also found that I didn't really need the tyvek sleeves, though I didn't weigh them, I think their weight is negligible…

I also tried the SideWinder wth a smaller, AGG 3 cup pot, and this worked just as well.

Now onto Esbit mode:

I forgot to remove the two Ti stakes in this photo, which is kinda dumb as they are not only not needed, but reduce the efficiency of the stove in Esbit mode. Needless to say, the wind protection offered from using a windscreen such as this in Esbit mode, as well as having all the heat channeled into the bottom and sides of the pot, makes this the bees knees for esbit officianados (of which I am one).

I found I could also insert the titanium stakes in the holes half-way down the cone and place the smaller pot on them to use it in either Esbit or alcohol mode with a smaller pot, the main difference being that I couldn't pack the complete kit into the smaller pot. For me this is not an issue, as I always carry a Caldera Caddy anyway as my bowl/cup/extra protected storage.

And of course, you can also use the supplied alcohol stove instead, but as I prefer esbit, I did not try this out (I have tried it on various other Caldera cones and can attest to it's superb efficiency).

All of this packs into my pot, along with matches, bic, pot holder, etc…which is the real beauty of this system:

I then tried it with my MSR WindPro remote canister stove, and you can see why this is such a versatile system!

the SideWinder lends it's un-equalled wind shedding and pot stability to even the best canister stove operation, for a mere 44 grams! Note, I have since also used the SideWinder with a top canister (SnowPeak Giga) and found it works almost as well For safety reasons, neither Trail Designs nor I recommend this set up as there is a real risk of causing you canister to over heat, but in the field I have used this successfully on winter-ish trips by keeping the dovetail staked slightly open. This allows me to monitor the canister temperature as well as reach the flame control valve, but you must use caution and good judgement if you try it with a top-canister stove. With both canister stoves, the pot supports cause the pot to sit above the rim of the cone, which may be slightly less efficient, but this is outweighed by the increased wind protection and stability offered.

So much for backyard testing. What really matters is how it performs in the field, and this was beyond my expectations even based on my back yard tests. The outer cone and Ti stakes have been with us on every trip we've done since we got the stove. Since I don't use the alcohol option, this means a weight of 44g for the cone, 17g for the stakes (even this I don't really count as the stakes double as extra tent pegs I would be carrying anyway) and 3 grams for the Esbit holder. That's it! With this I can cook on fire, sit around the fire and roast marshmallows, have a pot of water on the boil after dinner for as many brews or hot water bottles as we desire, cook with a canister stove, or with Esbit. For less than 50 g (1.8oz) I have a kit that can do it all while shedding wind and keeping my dinner from tipping over, all nestled in my pot. That's less than 1oz per person!!! frankly, I would give this a 10 out of 5 if it were in my power. I can only really try to compare it to the BushBuddy Ultra (the only other wood-burning stove I've tried), and well, there's no comparison. The BushBuddy can be very unstable, especially with a larger pot, performs poorly in wind, is a fiddle to use Esbit or alcohol with, can't be used at all to shield a canister stove, and weighs more than twice as much. Even worse, the BushBuddy needs constant feeding of very short and small diameter wood, and doesn't give off enough heat to comfortably sit around and keep warm after cooking. The SideWinder (at least the 2qt version) can be loaded up with lots of wood, of much longer and thicker diameter for a nice small campfire feel. You don't have to constantly stay focused to feed it and break wood small enough.

Is there a down side?? You bet :( The SideWinder can only be made to fit pots that are relatively wider than many pots. Tall, skinny pots, though they won't hold the cone itself, can still be used with it either in wood-burning mode, or by placing the staked halfway down the pot to support them for Esbit/alcohol mode. An over-sized SideWinder will also work as a windscreen with a canister stove. I can't speak about smaller versions of the SideWinder in terms of wood capacity, etc…, but I'll bet they are still better than the BushBuddy. FYI, everything I have to say about the SideWinder is also true of the original Ti-Tri Caldera Cone, except the cone can't be packed into the pot. So if you have a taller style of pot, it's worth thinking about getting a Ti-Tri for all of the above reasons. But you might want to get the Caddy to go with it…

[John Chong]

Fantastic product. I bought only the bare minimum. No inferno, no titanium floors.

In the field, I've only done esbit and wood-burning mode.

In esbit mode, I love how the gram cracker really makes the esbit last longer. I've used it in the rain up in the redwoods with some wind, and the water boiled before the tab was even finished.

In wood burning mode, when you put the cone over the fire you started, it really heats it up and makes the fire stronger. In this mode I averaged a 5 minute boiling time. After my first wood burning mode use, my pot and cone got black with soot. So carry a separate bag if you don't want things to get dirty.

I can fit all my things inside the pot. In alcohol mode, I wouldn't be able to put the stove inside the 600ml pot.

Very efficient system, and felxibility is the main selling for me.

[John Chong]

Fantastic product. I bought only the bare minimum. No inferno, no titanium floors.

In the field, I've only done esbit and wood-burning mode.

In esbit mode, I love how the gram cracker really makes the esbit last longer. I've used it in the rain up in the redwoods with some wind, and the water boiled before the tab was even finished.

In wood burning mode, when you put the cone over the fire you started, it really heats it up and makes the fire stronger. In this mode I averaged a 5 minute boiling time. After my first wood burning mode use, my pot and cone got black with soot. So carry a separate bag if you don't want things to get dirty.

I can fit all my things inside the pot. In alcohol mode, I wouldn't be able to put the stove inside the 600ml pot.

Very efficient system, and felxibility is the main selling for me.

[Joe L]

Trail Designs offers two models of Open Country two liter pots with an aluminum Sidewinder cone. Pay attention to the pot weight. The bail handle pot is heavy due to the handle and the non-stick coating. The UL one with anodized aluminum and no handle weighs 167 grams, not the 242 grams for the handle and coating. Tip: That material is easy to drill, not like titanium, so install your own bail handle made from picture hanging wire or wire leader for fishing line, leaving the pot gripper at home. Full to the brim, the pot would weigh 8+ pounds so the thin, strong fishing wire would hold it easily.

Rated 4 for the UL pot and price, 3 for the heavy, car camping pot due to its carry weight.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

The Trail Designs Sidewinder is an "alternative" fuel stove that is a 3 fuel stove. I.e. it can burn alcohol, ESBIT tablets or wood.

What's more it is highly efficient at all of these fuels.
Caldera Cones (the style of this stove) made their name as the most efficient alcohol stoves with several different burners. Now, with titanium sheet to withstand the intense heat of gassifier wood stoves, the Sidewinder (and Tri Ti) stove is even better than the early Caldera Cones.

As an ESBIt fuel stove it is THE most efficient I have found including my own attempts to improve on ESBIt fuel efficiency. Combine the Sidewinder with a modified tablet holder, known as the Brian Green version of the Gram Cracker holder to extend burn time to 15 minutes and you have "ESBIT Stove Nirvana".

And when used with the optional "Inferno" wood burning insert you have a highly efficient gassifier type wood stove, probably the most fuel efficient because, once again, it is a Caldera Cone and retains heat very well. Plus this stove will burn unattended for at least 5 minute, unlike other gassifier stoves. This is because it will accommodate larger sticks of wood than the other stoves.

I chose the 3 cup pot/stove combo because I feel it is the most efficient size for ESBIT cooking, the fuel I most often use in it. The Open Country hard anodized aluminum pot that the stove is made for has the best height to diameter ratio for thermal efficiency and the maximum capacity for efficient ESBIT cooking. A titanium pot is not as thermally conductive as aluminum and I'm aiming for max efficiency if you haven't figured that out by now.

And finally, this stove is very light and very compact, qualities backpackers love in their gear.

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