Recommend a canister stove? Group cooking…

I suspect they are all pretty good. I have used a Pocket Rocket with great satisfaction for more than a decade. If I replaced it, I would take a close look at the Micro Rocket.

Not sure how large the pot has to be for 9 people. But I would look at stoves that stand on the ground and are not mounted on the canister. If you get one where you can invert the canister you also get a nice winter stove.

MSR Windpro. Solid ground base, ability to invert the canister, good for larger pots and winter time as a plus. Well proven stove for your intended purpose.

See This:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=74184

and you can always go to Hiking JIms blog for more in depth reviews

Fred and James have the right idea. For a group, a remote canister stove is a good bet. It’s got a lot wider spread to its pot supports which will support a larger pot well. I really like the Kovea Spider which can be purchased through eBay or TheGearHouse.com (yes, Kovea is now selling some stoves directly in the US).

Even though I really like the Kovea, I might actually go with the MSR Windpro in this case. The Windpro is only slightly heavier but has a bit bigger span to it’s pot supports.

I usually figure about 500 to 700 ml per person in my pot size. For 9 people, that’s like a 4.5L pot which is a really unwieldy pot. If I were taking a group that size, I might actually consider two stoves and two 2.5L pots.

I know one of the REI stores near me rents WindPros. That might be a good bet if there’s an REI near you.

If you decide to buy, you can get 2 Kovea Spiders for the price of one WindPro.

I have info on both the Spider and the WindPro on my blog. The info on the Windpro is slightly outdated in that the WindPro has been upgraded with a rotating coupler at the canister so you can use the canister upside down for easier cold weather operation.

If that’s not enough info, just say so. I have both stoves handy and can check whatever info you might need to know.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving

Worry about the pot.

Sure, short stove, wide stable base. But most canister stoves are very close to each other on burner output.

Pot(s), on the other hand, especially for a large group, should have a heat exchanger to boil faster with less fuel. That small additional mass of the metal – the HX fins – gets leveraged by the large number of people-meals into more fuel savings (and time savings).

STP often has them at a discount.

I deal with groups cooking on canister stoves, all the time. I agree that you'll want a remote-canister and one that can support a wide pot or skillet. Some of the remote-canister stoves mentioned above might be great. Another to consider for lightweight and utility is the Fire Maple 117t / Olicamp Accellerator stove. This is the same stove under two names, weighs 98 grams and works great.

It's reviewed and discussed by BPL and co, here: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=70781

It's also featured in Ryan Jordan's film short, "Boys in the Wild", or seen at least, as it's what his groups of boys use for cooking in the outback, here: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/boys_in_the_wild_movie.html

The Olicamp version is available via eBay, easily. I picked up four of the sets with 1 liter heat exchanger pots also, for 80 bucks each, and these are used by my Boy Scouts for their group stove when backpacking.

Well, I don’t know that I’d go so far as to say “screw the stove,” but you will notice I was thinking in terms of weight and the span of the pot supports not the burner itself. The major stove companies have got the tuning fairly well down. I’m thinking remote canister for a larger pot, but that’s me… :)

STP (Sierra Trading Post) is a good bet. The trick with STP is to sign up for their email and/or Facebook. They give out 30% or even 35% coupons every week or two on average. I never pay the full price on STP. If you get their credit card, shipping is $2.50. I’ve done a lot of shopping at STP in case you couldn’t tell. :) They just got bought out. Let’s hope they stay as good.

A HX (heat exchanger) pot is a nice thing for group cooking. It is some extra weight, but it’s probably worth it when you’re cooking for a group.

STP has a 2.1L Primus HX pot for $45 which isn’t cheap, but if you get the aforementioned coupons…
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/primus-etapower-pot-with-lid-21l~p~5032k/?filterString=s~primus%2F&colorFamily=99

They also have a three piece Primus non HX set (1.7L pot, 2.1L pot, fry pan) for $45 which is a pretty good deal. The description says something about titanium which I think refers to their non-stick coating. The cookware itself is aluminum.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/primus-litech-super-cook-set-3-piece-titanium-non-stick-coating~p~1962t/?filterString=s~primus%2F&colorFamily=99

The 2.1L pot, if you got two would be slightly small for a group of nine. You might see what rentals are available in your area. I have a 2.1L Hx pot, but I hardly use it except for groups or for snow melting.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

I used an Optimus Nova for group cooking on two trips this week and it was perfect.

In inverted canister mode I was able to milk every last drop of gas in cold temps.

You’ve got your Nova set up for gas? Interesting. Got photos?

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

I got my Nova set up on gas.

I used an adapter made by Bluewater Stove Restoration.

Works well.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

hikermor wrote > I suspect they are all pretty good. I have used a Pocket Rocket with great satisfaction for more than a decade. If I replaced it, I would take a close look at the Micro Rocket.

Oh, hi, Don. I just noticed it was you. When did you start posting here? Welcome.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving

Wow, great responses.

The pots I was planning on taking were a 3L, 2L, and 1.4L. None of the pots have heat exchangers, though…so I may need to rethink the entire situation. (The two larger pots came from REI, so could easily be returned).

I was planning on taking 2 stoves.

Honestly, I wasn't even aware that there were inverted stoves. I have seen a lot of Jetboils and such on the trail, but no inverted. Then again, I am rarely around groups.

Sorry Jim, I meant the Vega.

The pots I was planning on taking were a 3L, 2L, and 1.4L. None of the pots have heat exchangers, though…so I may need to rethink the entire situation. (The two larger pots came from REI, so could easily be returned).

Brian,

The pots you’ve got will probably be fine. The majority of the backpacking world uses “plain” pots. HX pots are great for groups because they speed things up (and are more efficient), but they are more expensive and are heavier. But if you take “plain” pots, it’s not like you’d be making some huge mistake or something.

Honestly, I wasn’t even aware that there were inverted stoves. I have seen a lot of Jetboils and such on the trail, but no inverted. Then again, I am rarely around groups.

Remote canister stoves are in my mind the way to go for pots over about 1.5L in size. They tend to have a wider pot support span and are more stable.

A remote canister stove that has the ability to run with the canister upside down (inverted) is a nice thing for cold weather (generally freezing and below). You probably don’t need inverted capability unless you’re planning a trip where things will be down around freezing or colder, but a lot of remote canister stoves have the inverted capability built in. It doesn’t hurt to have the inverted capability although I suppose there’s some weight penalty.

If money were no object, then maybe I’d get two stoves: a remote canister stove without inverted canister capability for big pots for “three season” use and another remote canister stove for cold weather. As a practical matter though, it’s more convenient to have one remote canister stove that will do both.

There are upright canister stoves that will be fine with pots larger than 1.5L, but I sure feel more comfortable having a remote canister stove with a larger pot. Spilled dinner is no fun.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving