Fire Maple Petrel Ultralight Pot

Their Ramen pot?

Eric, are you talking about the 750 ml G2 Pot or the 800 ml Ramen Pot?

The G2 only has 3 slots.

The G2 only has 3 slots.

Ah, yes indeed. I’d forgotten lol – I have two of them.

Looking at all the FM heat exchanger pots I now prefer the 800 ml. pot for its wider-than-tall profile and the heat efficiency that ratio adds to the heat exchanger bottom.

My current 3 cup (700 ml?) Open Country pot is also wider-than-tall for efficiency. It is mated to my Trail Designs ti cone stove so it stays. BUT I’m thinking of winter camping fuel efficiency while also using my rollup MSR wind screen to help cut heat loss. That’s where the 800 ml. Fire Maple pot looks good. And it’s also large enough for snow melting duty.

All my stoves and likely most everyone elses’ have 3 stand support so teh G2 750 ml. pot is fine for my uses.

Their Petrel Summit remote canister stove looks like a cool, commercially available and light (under 4oz) option compared to most of the currently available offerings.

I have the Petrel Ultralight remote titanium stove and am interested in the Summit  which is the same thing but with a preheater tube for cannister inversion. Love the stove, the line is a little too beefy but it rotates around for ease of cannister positioning and ease of packing away.

I bought it as a package on Ali with the Petrel Ramen Pot which I liked for form factor but it was a huge PIA to get the thing to line up with the stove legs so it would “set”. Almost impossible in the dark, and lighting it blindly sucked from underneath. One of those rare cases where I think the stove really needs a Peizo. I tried to open up the slots on the pot a bit and destroyed the pot basically. Maybe I got a lemon that wasn’t cut right, not sure.

I really like the stove but it is set pretty low to the pot supports compared to my Blade 2 titanium (with heating loop), so really needs the Petrel pots to be efficient. It’s a really loud little sucker but it’s my go to now. I use a 1.2l titanium pot and windscreen and can boil 500ml with 6g of fuel. It’s fully 2 oz lighter than the Blade 2.

I’m done with the tippy cannister top stoves with no windscreens. Also I think it’s about time to acknowledge that Fire Maple is one of the best, or maybe event the best, stove company for cannister stoves. Constantly evolving and tweaking and I’ve found customer service to be above and beyond any western brand. Instant replacement for the few issues I’ve experienced.

FYI there is a new Petrel Summit remote stove with a pre-heat tube now being offered.  It probably puts it on par with the Kovea Spider.

It probably puts it on par with the Kovea Spider.

I thought so too. Different burner head.

Received on 05/07/2013. It’s been a tough little stove.

I used the G2 (600mL) on a number of trips and thru-hikes and it’s perfect even for 2-3 people. It’s very light and efficient with the heat exchanger fins. I used it with a Soto Windmaster + Triflex.

The G3 is a bit wider and more pot like, a little better suited for cooking. The 750mL it advertises is actually a “max fill line” number but it can hold 1L if you fill it up to the brim.

I’ve played around with a lot of different HX pots. I doubt any of those currently made are ideally matched to any stove for optimum fuel efficiency – at least none that I’ve yet found to this point.

Typically an HX pot will use around 1.5 g less fuel per 500ml boil over a conventional (and equal dimension) pot. So roughly 20 – 30% better fuel efficiency.

The “best” I’ve found is still the Jetboil, because the burner size, burner head shape, pot bottom size, and burner head to pot bottom spacing ratio are all carefully designed to work together for optimum efficiency.

But even the lightest Jetboils (I have a Sol Ti) still aren’t light.

With no wind, all the stoves I’ve played with are most fuel efficient on their low setting. Kick up the wind, and you’ve got to go up from the Low setting (often to full High) in order to use the least amount of fuel per 500ml H2O boiled.

Data from some recent testing:

Jetboil Sol Ti on Low setting can bring 500ML of water to a boil (5,020′ elev / 56*F H2O / 74*F Air Temp) in 6:22 @ 4.7 g fuel used.

Soto Windmaster w/ Triflex using the Fire Maple G3 Pot (sitting in the slots) on Low setting can bring 500ML of water to a boil (5,020′ elev / 56*F H2O / 74*F Air Temp) in 6:05 @ 6.3 g fuel used.

The MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe using the Fire Maple G3 Pot (sitting in the slots) on Low setting can bring 500ML of water to a boil (5,020′ elev / 56*F H2O / 74*F Air Temp) in 6:22 @ 6.5 g fuel used.

So both the Soto WM and MSR PRDLX are essentially the same.

Weirdly, the closest I have come to the Jetboil Sol Al & Ti’s efficiency is a highly modified FM Quickboil Pro with modified BRS stove, but the boil time was looong.

Modified BRS 3000 using a modified Fire Maple QB Pro Pot (sitting in the slots) on Low setting can bring 500ML of water to a boil (5,020′ elev / 56*F H2O / 74*F Air Temp) in 8:40 @ 5.1 g fuel used.

Bottom line, on a typical backpack trip under 7 days, or a thru hike of the AT or PCT, I wouldn’t bother with an HX pot – they are heavier. On an unsupported, true wilderness trip over 10 days I definitely would consider one. Then the fuel savings would start adding up, and offset the additional HX pot weight.

Some random Saturday thoughts…

Bottom line, on a typical backpack trip under 7 days, or a thru hike of the AT or PCT, I wouldn’t bother with an HX pot

Well, maybe better message is that in “fair weather” conditions a good system using a 110 g cartridge would deliver about fifteen 500ml boils of tap water (assuming about 7 g to boil 500 ml).   Approximately two 2 cups boil/day for 7 days.  You can then scale it for number of people and water volume as well as water temperature.

The biggest danger is defining “fair weather” conditions.  IMO, winds over 2 mph will impact some stoves.  Obviously, YMMV.

As an interesting note, two of the most fuel-efficient stoves that I have tested in dead calm weather are the BRS 3000t and the Fire Maple Hornet II.  Both have tiny burner heads.  This makes sense as it has been proven that pot diameter makes a difference.  Well, that is basically the flame spread to pot diameter ratio.  When using a petrel G3 with those stoves, I can get 500 ml boils with 5 g of fuel and less.  On mugs like the TOAKS  95 mm series, the BRS always outperforms the Pocket Rocket Deluxe as well as the Soto WindMaster.  That being said, both of those stoves are horrible in the slightest of winds.  My 2 cents.

Jon, the biggest surprise with the BRS 3000 and the modified FM Quick Boil Pot was when I tested it in a 5 mph wind. The QB pot protected the flame and allowed it a decent fuel usage (as you know an unprotected BRS will usually flame-out in a 3mph wind).  Of course, the BRS had to be on high to function. The fuel usage to boil 500ml was 8.6 g, which isn’t bad. This is exactly the fuel usage of the Soto Windmaster and Petrel G3 pot in a 5mph wind (which also had to be run on high).

Still I kinda detest the BRS. It’s a janky little creation…

Here’s a pic of the wind test with the unmodified Fire Maple Quickboil Pro w/ its factory stove – 5.2 mph to be precise :)

Brad, I’m seeing a bit better performance with the Stash pot.

My Pocket Rocket Deluxe and Stash combo best case is 4g fuel/500mL, worst 6g/500mL (using a 10g wind shield), data collected over more than 20 multiday trips and various conditions from ice out to summer.  Most common is 5.3g/500mL.

BPL and GearSkeptic tests found Stash pot uses~ 60% the fuel compared to a Toaks pot.  My field experience is about the same.  It was nice to see the confirmation IRL

I boil up to 6 cups a day.  Even with the Hx pot, a 4oz cannister won’t be enough for my upcoming 6 day leg before resupply.  I started replacing my morning 2cup tea with a caffeine pill to stretch out the fuel.  This has the bonus of getting me out of camp earlier.

Most common is 5.3g/500mL.  Good news for field results.

Still need to have the start and ending temperatures to make an apples to apples comparision of data.  My 2 cents.

@David D – does the PRDLX fit in the Stash pot with the lid on and a 110g cartridge?

Jon, 6g/500mL with 35F to 40F water, and high wind gusts (don’t have an anemometer but nothing small  stays on a table) using the screen and a tree,  ~ 4.5 with  water in the low 70s and light gusts.  Always to a boil cutting off the stove as soon as it starts.  Stove is always set to the lowest possible for the wind conditions.

Brad, no, it doesn’t unless cheating.  A rubber band would hold the lid in place with a minor bend.  The original Ti stove fits but its a lesser stove, probably in line with the BRS.  In pot I put the PRD, wind screen, lip saver and sometimes a tiny cutting board.  110 cartridge is always external, that’s never been a problem for me. I’ve never been tempted by the BRS.  What do you hate about it?

“Janky”. I picked up a Camping Moon ti. Good output, fast boil. I was looking for a word to describe it. It’s not junk. It doesn’t inspire confidence either. Janky.

I prefer a remote stove with legs for pot support anyway.

In this video, the poster claims that the Soto 3 Flex works with the Camping Moon and that it outperforms the Soto WindMaster with the 3 Flex while using the Petrel G3.

He does a lot of testing and claims that the Camping Moon /3Flex / Petrel outperforms other stoves combinations.  I would take it with a big grain of salt myself.  Go to the 16:22 mark to see his discussion on the Camping Moon 3 Flex.

I’ve never been tempted by the BRS. What do you hate about it?

“Hate” is a bit too strong a sentiment for how I feel about the BRS. As I said, I just find it “janky” – ie, it feels cheap, it’s unregulated, it’s the most useless stove in wind I’ve ever used, the build quality varies stove to stove from the same maker (sometimes the arms are tight, sometimes they’re loose), etc.

You kind of have to experience it to know what I mean :)

Having said all that, it IS light! And with the modified Quickboil Pro pot, it certainly performs quite well. The undercarriage surrounding the HX fins acts as a surprisingly effective windscreen.

I have made a little Ti windscreen for the BRS and need to do a bit more testing with it. Jon Fong has inspired me to test it with the Petrel G3 pot (as he has with so much of the testing I’ve done).

I find all this fiddling with pots and stoves fun and games. A cheap hobby. Something to do in the winter while thinking about backpacking – or as is my own case currently, sitting out backpacking this summer due to surgeries!

Thanks for the video Jon. I’ve seen similar reviews. Not so thorough.

Comparing it to a Kovea Spyder, the quality isn’t the same. The burner head is riveted in place. The generator tube on the Spyder gives a little extra support. The pot might be a little sturdier with the 3 Flex.

I do use the Ramen pot. I’m not totally convinced that it’s better than a ti pot. Using less fuel is a good thing. It is a little tricky setting it on the supports. With 4 supports, I can line up the handle which helps. It gets easier with time. Bending the bottom down can increase wind resistance though it makes it a little funky ( using a term from my generation) when setting it on a flat surface.

While the Petrel pots are great at fuel efficiency for boiling water, getting the alignment right can be a PITA.  The Rmaen pots is probably the hardest due to it’s large diameter and the 3/4 support arm options.

The Petrel can be OK for some cooking (basically watery stuff), but they still generate hot spots where the fins are bonded to teh pot.   I generally do real cooking on the trail so it is a standard Ti pot for me.

I have given up with the Petrel pots, due to the fiddle factor of aligning them with the burner head.

Currently using a Primus Lite Ultra 800 – 250g (pot plus lid is 132g).  Very efficient, wind resistant and solid locking of pot to burner, so that the whole assembly can be lifted to pour.

Only disadvantage is that it not a regulated burner.