Litehiker
Well-Known Member
These days we have several options for light backpacking stoves. Here are the types I know of. Some are much easier to use than others.
But for hunting we are already loaded down with scoped rifle, ammo and butchering gear. So we want light but reliable. At the end of a hard day of hunting we want to hit the "EASY BUTTON" when it comes to boiling water or actually cooking (as in frying elk liver or deer back straps ;o)
So... ya gotta choose which you need, light or easy. If you are sure the temps will stay in the 40s F. or above use the canister stove with a tiny burner on top like the MSR Pocket Rocket. (Both light and easy.)
Below freezing wood burning stoves are light (especially the ti cone stoves like the Trail Designs Tri-Ti). And the only fuel you carry are Vaseline coated cotton balls to start the fire. But wood stoves take more time and are messier. With a base camp you only need to clean the outside of the pots on the last day. (The insides must be cleaned after every meal, regardless of the stove, unless you want to get sick.)
I'll divide stoves into two temperature categories, ABOVE FREEZING and BELOW FREEZING.
STOVES FOR ABOVE FREEZING:
1. alcohol burners (Many styles exist, choose wisely)
2. ESBIT burners (lighter fuel weight than alcohol when going more than 3 days and a bit hotter than alcohol but leave a residue on pot bottoms)
3. burner-on-top canister stoves (very light but easily affected by cold. They burn much hotter than either alcohol or ESBIT tablets.)
STOVES FOR BELOW FREEZING:
1. inverted canister stoves (These stoves vaporize the liquid iso-butane but require remote canister placement W/ fuel hose & canister stand. **Much below 10 F. and they become difficult to keep burning.)
2. White gas and kerosene liquid fuel stoves
3. wood burning "gassifier" stoves (Canadian made Bush Buddy, American madeTrail Designs Tri-Ti and smaller Sidewinder titanium cone stoves W/ "Inferno" insert. Gassifier stoves burn very hot! Neither brand are inexpensive.
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->White gas and kerosene stoves are the very most reliable stoves in my experience. They are also the most potentially dangerous if they overheat the fuel supply and explode or have a huge "flame ball" off the burner.
->Inverted canister stoves work well to about 10 F. but take some practice B/C each model is a bit different. It's best to keep them in your sleeping bag overnight to keep them warm for an easy AM start.
->Gassifier wood stoves work great on finger sized twigs, which are usually easy to find but can get wet fast in wet snow and rain. These stoves work best with Vaseline-soaked cotton balls to start them. This kind of stove smokes up your tent, bag and clothes but are great when you can't carry enough fuel for a week-long stay. They are also great for melting snow due to their high heat and abundant fuel supply.
Obviously BELOW FREEZING stoves are fine for above freeing temps and should be taken when it is possible temps will dip well below freezing, such as in the mornings.
** If you plan to cook ON snow remember you need a base for any stove to keep it from sinking into the snow and tipping your meal over. I use a 3/16" plywood disc painted with hi temp exhaust paint for my MSR Whisperlite Universal and also under a sheet of titanium for my Trail Designs Sidewinder wood burning stove. It has 3 rotating tabs to hold the Whisperlite stove legs on the wood disc.
Eric B.
But for hunting we are already loaded down with scoped rifle, ammo and butchering gear. So we want light but reliable. At the end of a hard day of hunting we want to hit the "EASY BUTTON" when it comes to boiling water or actually cooking (as in frying elk liver or deer back straps ;o)
So... ya gotta choose which you need, light or easy. If you are sure the temps will stay in the 40s F. or above use the canister stove with a tiny burner on top like the MSR Pocket Rocket. (Both light and easy.)
Below freezing wood burning stoves are light (especially the ti cone stoves like the Trail Designs Tri-Ti). And the only fuel you carry are Vaseline coated cotton balls to start the fire. But wood stoves take more time and are messier. With a base camp you only need to clean the outside of the pots on the last day. (The insides must be cleaned after every meal, regardless of the stove, unless you want to get sick.)
I'll divide stoves into two temperature categories, ABOVE FREEZING and BELOW FREEZING.
STOVES FOR ABOVE FREEZING:
1. alcohol burners (Many styles exist, choose wisely)
2. ESBIT burners (lighter fuel weight than alcohol when going more than 3 days and a bit hotter than alcohol but leave a residue on pot bottoms)
3. burner-on-top canister stoves (very light but easily affected by cold. They burn much hotter than either alcohol or ESBIT tablets.)
STOVES FOR BELOW FREEZING:
1. inverted canister stoves (These stoves vaporize the liquid iso-butane but require remote canister placement W/ fuel hose & canister stand. **Much below 10 F. and they become difficult to keep burning.)
2. White gas and kerosene liquid fuel stoves
3. wood burning "gassifier" stoves (Canadian made Bush Buddy, American madeTrail Designs Tri-Ti and smaller Sidewinder titanium cone stoves W/ "Inferno" insert. Gassifier stoves burn very hot! Neither brand are inexpensive.
(->White gas and kerosene stoves are the very most reliable stoves in my experience. They are also the most potentially dangerous if they overheat the fuel supply and explode or have a huge "flame ball" off the burner.
->Inverted canister stoves work well to about 10 F. but take some practice B/C each model is a bit different. It's best to keep them in your sleeping bag overnight to keep them warm for an easy AM start.
->Gassifier wood stoves work great on finger sized twigs, which are usually easy to find but can get wet fast in wet snow and rain. These stoves work best with Vaseline-soaked cotton balls to start them. This kind of stove smokes up your tent, bag and clothes but are great when you can't carry enough fuel for a week-long stay. They are also great for melting snow due to their high heat and abundant fuel supply.
Obviously BELOW FREEZING stoves are fine for above freeing temps and should be taken when it is possible temps will dip well below freezing, such as in the mornings.
** If you plan to cook ON snow remember you need a base for any stove to keep it from sinking into the snow and tipping your meal over. I use a 3/16" plywood disc painted with hi temp exhaust paint for my MSR Whisperlite Universal and also under a sheet of titanium for my Trail Designs Sidewinder wood burning stove. It has 3 rotating tabs to hold the Whisperlite stove legs on the wood disc.
Eric B.
