The new Fire Maple Petrel HX pot: a replacement for the Sterno Inferno?
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Here is a first look at the Fire Maple Petrel HX pot. It cost about $22, weighs 5.7 oz and has a capacity of a little over 899 ml.
The pot did have a quality issue. The slots and the HX fins were not aligned in one section. A quick fix was to saw off the offending fine. More data soon.
Good Slot
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Here are the updates:
The complete Fire Maple Petrel system performs almost identical to the JetBoil Stash: weight, efficiency, size. But, cost half as much. Adding a windscreen jacks up the performance in the wind by a lot.
Now, I think that the ideal system is the Petrel HX mug and the Soto WindMaster 3-Flex. Performance in calm conditions is ok at 6.5 g to boil 500 ml of water. But, in the wind with no windscreen at all it can boil the same amount using less than 9 g of fuel.
I’m delighted with Petrel pot & MSR PRD combo for balance of convenience and weight. Adding a 7 g Ti windscreen and a Moulder strip winterproofs the system, when not melting lots of ice.
However, the Petrel lid is heavy at 27 g, AND even worse, mine binds in my pot when boiling water, making removal a cautious task to avoid scalding burns.
Happily, the Petrel is a nominal 95 mm pot, and this is a standard size for the top of many “large”, ~32 oz soft drink cups. 3 options are shown in the photo attached, and all 3 lids fit the Petrel. I’ve settled on the heaviest of the 3, still only 5.5 g, for more wind resistance, on the pot and off.
I may add a bit of Dyneema repair tape to top for a lifting grab.
(A Toaks Ti 95 mm lid also fits, but it was heavier than listed on-line, about 22 g; and so I returned.)
Yes, the Petrel handle is overkill also. I’m still thinking on that, but easy and securely safe are worth something as is.
I ordered a BRS 61 and it just arrive.
BRS 61
Total Weight – 12 ozStove – 5.1 ox
Stuff sack – 0.3 oz
Pot (complete) – 6.6 oz
– Lid -0.8 oz
– Sleave/handle – 1.0 oz
– Bare pot – 4.7 ozThe stove is a tank, I bought it for just the HX pot. The pot itself looks identical in size/volume as the Fire Maple Petrel. The Petrel with the metal handles are the same weight as the bare BRS 61 pot. The interesting thing is that the bottom of the pot has a rounded triangular openning that helps it lock into the stove.
Looks like a copy of the Primus Lite +https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/backpacking-stove/primus-lite-plus
It does. I paid just under $28, shipping extra. I see that the price increased to ~$80: not a deal at that price. The stove is a boat anchor, it weighs over 5 oz. I haven’t done any wind tunnel testing yet. I think that there are lighter, better options out there like the Soto/Petrel combo. My 2 cents.
Preface: I never boil water, my goal is 180 degrees F. I am a three season backpacker at best. I rarely use more than a cup and a half of filtered water to rehydrate my freeze dried/dehydrated meals, oatmeal breakfast and instant coffee mix. I run my Soto windmaster at the lowest setting. Here is my system in its present state. Shout out to John Fong and followers for their desire to innovate and share ideas, all of which I have liberally borrowed. The Petrel pot has been cut down and “de-handled”. The HX ring protector/wind deflector has been removed. I sanded the top edge and it feels smooth and safe. My hand is just big enough to get around the pot to pour hot water into my meal bag.The pot did get hot to the touch after firing up some water, so I added insulation in the form of 1/8″ thick by 1 ” wide high density closed cell foam adhesive weather strip insulation .
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RWT4RXY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)
This was then covered with a 2 inch wide silicone band (grafiti bands 2×5″) and a black silicone band at the top. My initial thought was to keep my hand (in lieu of the handle) from contacting the hot pot, but I have placed it in a way that insulates below the water level and I feel this will make my fuel use more efficient. My only innovation is the lid (3/16″ rigid pink insulation foam board (Owens Corning) carefully covered with HVAC foil duct tape) The lid floats on the water and leaves little room for evaporative heat loss. I should add that I don’t cook food in my pot other than my crappy coffee. I carry a small fuel canister with three legged support and the Soto Windmaster triflex. The photos do not show a small bic mini lighter which I carry for back-up. My present windscreen is a cut down MSR aluminum foil sheet (1.3 ounces). I am working on changing that to a thinner foil. Finally I am adding a reversible temperature indicating strip to the lid that will tell me when 180F is reached. Not sure how that will work out. My initial worries about the silicone bands getting too near/hot from the flame from the stove have been eased by about twenty tests. The key is to NEVER run at high throttle. I’ll have to watch my pot with focus. Photos attached and comment/constructive criticism is always welcomed. Again, thanks John Fong.
Greg AT04 GA>ME
Looks like a copy of the Primus Lite +
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