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I'm intrigued by solid fuel tablet and alcohol stoves to the extent that they can save weight and bulk in your kit, and, especially with solid fuel stoves, provide a measure of simplicity in form and operation.

To that end, I'm not so enamored by stoves with lots of little parts and pieces that the user must fiddle with to create something resembling a whole "stove" - in addition to the stove itself, there may be some type of windscreen, pot stand, base, etc. and by the time you arrange the little bits, you realize that some of the simplicity that you were seeking has been lost.

Thus, there is some degree of benefit with a stove that functions as a single unit, with the windscreen and pot stand integrated into a stable support structure.

The Vertex stove achieves this - sort of. It consists of three metal sheets that fit together with tab-and-slot connections. On the trail, then, some assembly is required - not much, but the fact that I have to "assemble" and "disassemble" my stove takes away some of the aesthetic appeal for me.

Once assembled, however, the stove is structurally rock-solid, and assuming the ground surface is reasonably level, it can easily support a big dutch oven full of water (it's just an illustration...).

ARTICLE OUTLINE

  • Introduction
  • Highlights
  • What to Consider
  • Performance
  • My Take

# WORDS: 1000
# PHOTOS: 2

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