Lightweight stoves for cold weather backpacking

When I hunt, I leave early and come back about dark. If the weather is bad or I'm just sore and cranky, dithering around with fuel and stoves can make a person crazy. I've used a number of white gas stoves and they were heavy, sometimes difficult to start and due to flare-ups, sometimes dangerous. I've messed with trioxane and they work for boiling water but are very slow. I haven't used alcohol and would give it a try. I currently use a Jet Boil (currently on sale at LL Bean). I just got back from a 9 day backpack solo hunt. My water filter gave out so I had to boil everything. I got some weather the first half of the trip so I cooked in the tent. My breakfasts and dinners were freeze dried so I was boiling about 1-3/4 liters a day. I was getting 2-1/2 days out of a canister of fuel. The Jet Boil was nice because of the igniter, it was fast and safe(er) in a tent. It seemed worth the weight to me.
 
Mike, you sound like a good candidate for an inverted canister stove like the multi-fuel MSR Whisperlite Universal. (canister fuel, white gas or kerosene)

As I mentioned in my 1st post inverted canisters work well below freezing (down to 0 F.) without much warming of the canister before use.

Eric B.
 
Mike, you sound like a good candidate for an inverted canister stove like the multi-fuel MSR Whisperlite Universal. (canister fuel, white gas or kerosene)

As I mentioned in my 1st post inverted canisters work well below freezing (down to 0 F.) without much warming of the canister before use.

Eric B.

Ha ha, it's been so long since I've researched cold weather stoves that I just plain forgot canister stoves didn't do well extreme cold. Glad we're talking about it now though because I plan to get some trips in this winter. I can see myself going with a liquid fuel stove in cold weather. Some fire is better than no fire.
 
I dug out the old Coleman Feather 400 stove and fired it up. Works as well as it ever did. A bit heavy though with the integrated fuel tank plus any spares I carry.
 
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