cold weather stove

coleman xtreme is what I would use.

I also use a Coleman Xtreme. Alchohol is out. Esbit takes forever to melt snow. Standard canisters drop pressure. White gas needs priming. But the Xtreme is a melting machine, requires no priming, and is super simple to use.

I have a pile of stoves of all types (minus the bushbuddy) and this is my top choice for winter/mountaineering hands down.

In Washington, our wet winters and deep snow would make a Bushbuddy very dodgy…

Doug,

Why is alcohol “out” for cold weather? Last January we endured a couple of cold nights with early morning temps at 0° F in the Grand Canyon causing our canister stoves to become useless. The backup, homemade V-8 can, alcohol stove boiled our water without difficulty and with no appreciable difference in boiling times from what we experienced at warmer temps. I can see some problems in using it to melt snow but I am otherwise interested in what other factors cause you to rule out an alcohol stove in cold temps. With best regards,

John

Another Xtreme fan here. It's hot, fast, reliable, and very easy to use. One caveat is that the Powermax canisters may be difficult to find in smaller towns. I'm in a major metro area (Denver), and can find the canisters at my local surplus store, at Sports Authority, or at REI. If you can't find the Powermax canisters locally, you can always buy the optional adapter Coleman sells to convert standard canisters to liquid feed by holding them upside down.

I own the Bushbuddy UL and it is already my all-time favorite. I've used it down to 30 F, under a tarp in sloppy weather, with no problems.

Fritz Handel makes these gems and he replied to my inquiry as follows:

"I'm glad that you like the stove, and thanks for the feedback. I have used the Ultra, and its predecessors, in the winter down to 0 F, and have not had any problem with cold temperatures adversely affecting the secondary combustion. The pot will take a little longer to heat, due to increased radiation losses to its cold surroundings. The best pot shape for efficient heating without a windscreen is a broad and low shape. At home, a large diameter frying pan with an aluminum or copper bottom, and a lid to keep in the steam, are awesome performers."

He goes on to recommend a windscreen in very cold weather for narrower pots like the Trek 900 and Firelight. Sounds like the Bushbuddyl UL performance is no more affected by extreme cold than other good options. In fact, if you need to melt a lot of snow, and wood is plentiful, there may not be the same concerns about conserving fuel. Maybe even for throwing an hour or two of in-camp heat (under a tarp?). You would not want to use this in a tent of course but it sounds to me like the BB UL could be a good cold weather performer.

The Bushbuddy Ultra does indeed operate very well in cold weather and is fun to use. The temps were in the teens with nasty weather the last week in April in the southern Sierra and it’s performance was outstanding. See:
http://homepage.mac.com/johnkaysrx6/iMovieTheater4.html

This stove would be my favorite if it were not for the “no-fire” zones that a typical High Sierra hike travels in and out of. I would sure like to see a windscreen if you have put one together Paul?

It may not be the lightest option, but you may also want to consider the MSR XGK, which I've used in the U.S, including Pennsylvania, and overseas for winter camping and camping at altitude. This stove is tried and tested for many years and has never let me down. You could pick up an XGK II for not much $ on ebay. It's a multi-fuel stove and burns hot. A titanium bottle & being precise about amount of fuel to carry will help to keep weight down. Also excellent at altitude. Disadvantage: weight and a noisy burner. Another stove for you to consider anyway.

Thanks for posting that web site of that movie. I really enjoyed that!

Might I add a tad dramatic… but you apparently really love this stove!