Cooking Stove - high altitude / cold weather

[Deleted member 107666]

Was about to pull the trigger on an Optimus Crux stove to serve dual purpose for coffee on summer trips with my wife, as well as high altitude/cold weather for fall hunts.

Multiple reviews I found said the stove does not handle cold weather well? Anybody have any real world experience or suggestions for a similar weight/size/price stove?

Be used at 10-11k ft and temps ranging from 10-50 deg or so.

MSR Whisperlight seems to fit the bill for a liquid fuel type...anyone had success with a canister setup in the cold? Isobutane and throw it in the sleeping bag overnight?

 

[Tikkablk]

I use a primus omnifuel running on white spirits it's not the lightest but very reliable, can melt snow fast, simmering a meal or fry a steak.

 

[Jjeffhunter]

I have the same stove you just need to make sure to buy a fuel that is cold weather rated the regular fuel will freeze up with any stove

 

[Mike 338]

Butane/propane mix canister stoves tend to crap out early in cold weather. I've found myself needing to melt snow for water and I went through canister fuel pretty fast. White gas in cold weather won't leave you hang'in unless your stove breaks or you get a flare up and die in a tent fire.

The Primus Omnilite Ti is a nice gas stove although it's storage sack resembles a suitcase (absurdly bulky), which for me is a major turn off. Odd how you can engineer a compact stove but not a form fitting plastic box.

 

[dmj]

Would one of the titanium wood stoves be something to consider?

 

[Deleted member 107666]

Wood seems like more trouble than it's worth for coffee. Would like to be able to cook from my tent/bag. Really considering the MSR whisperlight with detached bottle for white gas, although it seems fairly bulky too.

Aside from sleeping with an iso/butane canister to keep it warm, I havent seen anything else that gets better reviews. I will look at the primus stuff too, thanks for the inputs fellas!

I eat MREs but dont pack the heater or extra stuff, I mainly want the stove for coffee/oatmeal in AM and a way to melt snow in an emergency.

 

[Mike 338]

Would one of the titanium wood stoves be something to consider?

If your hanging around camp all day they might be o.k. For me, most of my cooking and personal hygiene requires hot water and quite a bit of it. Fiddle diddling around with acquiring and processing wood after I've stumped into camp hours after sundown and soaking wet from rain and/or sweat and needing to start and maintain a fire is to much of a bother. Then again, I never build a fire unless it's in a tent stove.

 

[Mike 338]

Wood seems like more trouble than it's worth for coffee. Would like to be able to cook from my tent/bag. Really considering the MSR whisperlight with detached bottle for white gas, although it seems fairly bulky too.

Aside from sleeping with an iso/butane canister to keep it warm, I havent seen anything else that gets better reviews. I will look at the primus stuff too, thanks for the inputs fellas!

I eat MREs but dont pack the heater or extra stuff, I mainly want the stove for coffee/oatmeal in AM and a way to melt snow in an emergency.

Everybody I know who has used a Whisper Lite really likes them.

 

[jebel]

I'd suggest looking at stoves that include regulators, which help with cold-temperature burning by regulating the gas flow. I use the MicroMo by Jetboil. They also have a model similar to the Optimus Crux, but with a regulator, called the MightyMo.

I would agree with others that for extreme cold, liquid fuels will work better. The general range I keep in mind is that an unregulated gas stove will work fine down to about the mid-30 degrees F, the regulated gas stoves will get you down to about the mid-20s, and liquid fuel stoves are likely best below that.

 

[huntsman22]

optimus 99 is all i've used for years. Bombproof and has never failed....

 

[slv hunter]

I've had a whisper lite for years and really like it. Only problem I've had is pump o ring dried out.

 

[ZG47]

Recently bought a Muka stove but have been too busy to try it out. Multiple reviews on line to give you an idea on its efficiency. The fuel/air mixing is done back at the bottle (so no burned-out needles if you buy your stove-fuel at the pump) and it can safely use a windshield like the other separate bottle stoves.
Worth a few minutes net-surfing, and video watching; at the very least.

 

[PNWGator]

Jump on "adventures in stoving" as its a great resource to learn about all kinds of stoves and how they perform.

 

[Deleted member 107666]

I bought an MSR Whisperlite a few days ago. Will see how it works in the single digits temps we've been having here recently. If no issues, I think I'm set.

Edited: autocorrect fails