[pct-l] canister stoves.

[david_tibor at yahoo.com (David Tibor)]

Hey y'all,

I don't know about old stoves, but the new ones are
sure made to disconnect the canister from the stove
after cooking (once it cools). I used an Optimus Crux
stove on my 2004 thru-hike, and I loved it. The stove
portion is small and lightweight, and fits in a
neoprene sleve that fits over a canister (it hides
under the concave underside of a canister).

http://www.backpacker.com/article/1,2646,6530,00.html

The good things:

1. Fast to cook. It roars water to a boil, and also
simmers incredibly well. I would get things boiling,
get the food in, turn it to a tiny simmer, and then
chow down. Use an aluminum foil windscreen.

2. Fuel longevity. I swear I used the same (8 oz?)
canister of fuel from Tahoe to Ashland, though perhaps
it didn't last that long and that's just my memory. At
least for how a thru-hiker cooks (heat water, simmer
for a few minutes while your liptons/ramen cooks), it
lasted a very long time. I started out carrying a
couple of small canisters, and seemed to never get
around to using the second one I carried before I got
somewhere where I could get another one. The tiny
simmer (with a lid on the pot) just makes fuel last
forever!

3. Convenient. I loved having it while cooking in the
rain in the vestibule of my tarptent. Easy and no
fuss. Nice to get in your sleeping bag in dry clothes
and quickly have a dinner cooked up in the vestibule.
I just stored it with a canister inside my Evernew
0.9L pot.

4. "Easy" to get more fuel. Not as easy as getting
HEET at a gas station, but I had no problem on my
thru-hike. It was easy to either buy them in select
places, or mail one (with the proper notation on your
GROUND mail) in a bounce box or resupply box.
Seriously, it was no big deal.

The bad things:

1. Even when you are out of fuel, you are still
carrying the weight of the canister. For me, I didn't
care too much. But it's much heavier empty (along with
the stove) than a pepsi can stove and empty plastic
fuel bottle.

2. The canisters are non-recyclable (basically). And
you tend to end up with lots of half-full canisters,
waiting for use on a car camping trip (which I don't
do much of). That's one big reason I will start using
an alcohol stove where feasible.


Although I am going to try using a pepsi-can stove
this summer for solo 3-5 day trips, I do still love my
Crux stove, and would use it if cooking for more than
one, on a week long trip or more, or in lousy weather.

Dave T. 
PCT 2004

p.s. Add my vote to the informal tally for posts ONLY
relating to hiking, hiking gear, hiking the PCT, and
the PCT itself. And if anyone else doesn't like
getting an email box full of rants about politics and
religion and everything else non-PCT, do what I do...
just check into the Archives posting from the list
every now and then. it's up-to-date, and you can
quickly skim it for hiking relevant-sounding posts
(sometimes a rarity!).
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/


	
		
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