Modernizing My Gaz Globetrotter Stove Because Old Gear is Just Better

[Nick Gatel]

In the ’80s I bought two Gaz Globetrotter canister stove kits. By far my favorite canister stove. The built-in in windscreen works well — it works better than a Snow Peak GigaPower with the optional windscreen. Notice how the wind is affecting the Snow Peak (left) versus the Globetrotter.

 

I bought the second one because I figured all good gear will soon be discontinued. What I didn’t consider is the canisters would become obsolete too. So I rebuilt mine to accept standard Lindal IsoPro canisters.

Full details and instructions here.

[Jerry Adams]

My brother had one of those.  He gave it up because he couldn’t find the canisters.

[Dave Heiss]

I had one too, but when son #2 was in Boy Scouts I loaned it to him for an outing and it came with all the plastic parts melted.

[Jerry Adams]

Boy Scouts are the ultimate test of equipment robustness : )

[BlackHatGuy]

I used that stove for all of my bicycle trips in Europe while I was stationed there. Used it again back in the states for a couple of bike trips since I still had canisters, but stopped using it because once you connected a gas canister there was no disconnecting it until the canister was empty.

It was a great stove though.

[Gary Dunckel]

I bought a case of those canisters decades ago, and I still have ~15 of them. And no, you can’t have them. Roger’s V-1 stove works with them, as well as all other Lindel canisters. Way to go Roger C.!

And like old gear being just better, how about old hikers being better? Like my brother once said, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.”

 

[Nick Gatel]

I used that stove for all of my bicycle trips in Europe while I was stationed there. Used it again back in the states for a couple of bike trips since I still had canisters, but stopped using it because once you connected a gas canister there was no disconnecting it until the canister was empty.

True. But the stove would fit into the cook set with the canister attached. So it never was an issue for me. I still have 3 or 4 canisters. Waiting for the time when I can sell them on eBay for $50 each ;)

[David Thomas]

Nick is so old school, I don’t know why he has any pack weight at all – just find a stick and rock at the next campsite and do it all with that!

[Nick Gatel]

LOL.

I went through a lot of survival training in the military. It is a lot of work! Finding and capturing food is even more difficult. I need gear, no matter when it was made. I do have a couple modern packs and shelters that are my main gear choices most of the time.

[Kimberly Wersal]

I had that same “bleuet” stove circa 1980. Very reliable.  I used it until the late 80’s.  Wonder what ever happened to it…?

[BlackHatGuy]

“Wonder what ever happened to it…?”

I didn’t take it!!

[bradmacmt]

I used the same Bluet for two summers in 1975 and 1976. Mostly I preferred the Svea 123.

I did make a DIY windscreen over 10 years ago for the Snowpeak Giga out of a Snowpeak Ti bowl. Works quite well, far better than the silly windscreen SP sells for it.

[bradmacmt]

Here’s a couple of shots… 1.8 oz for the screen, 5.4 oz for the stove and screen.

 

[bradmacmt]

[Jerry Adams]

Nice weight

It looks like the hot exhaust would be directed next to the pot where the heat can be absorbed increasing efficiency

[bradmacmt]

Jerry, I’ve not done any empirical testing, but I suspect your observation about efficiency is correct.

[Roger Caffin]

The Bleuet canister has been responsible for so many serious burns cases in hospitals in France that it has become VERY discouraged, and will eventually cease production (if it has not yet reached that state).

The problem is that the stove or appliance can not be disconnected from the canister, and the junction can leak. I had that happen inside my pack once, very long ago. Gas going everywhere.

Yes, they were popular once, but so was smoking.

Cheers

[Nick Gatel]

The piercing is problematic. But I solved it, didn’t I?

Anyway, there is a rubber seal around the piercing point. They get hard and cracked, which is why they leak. Even when the stoves were still being sold here in the US, I was unable to get replacement seals.

At the time we were still using R-12 for car air conditioners often using 12 ounce cans to recharge systems (we usually used 30 lb tanks though). These cans had to be pierced, just like the Gaz canisters, and the method was similar. Usually we pierced at the top of these cans with a special tool. But I had tools to pierce the sides or bottom of the cans. One of these tools had the same exact size and shaped rubber seal as the Gaz stove and they were cheap and easy to obtain, which is what I did. Now those tools are probably obsolete too, although I’m fairly certain I still have them in my toolbox.

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