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Ultralight/backpacking stove?
- Thread starter lampern
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Tight Lines
Senior Member
MSR or Jetboil
GeorgiaGlockMan
Senior Member
Big7
The Oracle
Collapsible aluminum Sterno Stove and a few cans of fuel. The fuel can will last a long time and you could use it over a small wood fire in a pinch. Folds up to just about nothing and just weighs a few ounces.
Gaswamp
Senior Member
Jetboil
menhadenman
Senior Member
I’ve used more expensive models like MSR and jet boil but if you’re an occasional user you could get by just fine with a knock off. I just picked up one of these for a backup and it’s pretty slick.
I backpack hunt and really like heating up a coffee and hot lunch in the middle of the day. Especially when it’s cold out.
I backpack hunt and really like heating up a coffee and hot lunch in the middle of the day. Especially when it’s cold out.
RedHills
Self Banned after losing a Noles bet.
Or the Bluu Gemini, jetboil wannabe at almost 1/3 the cost. Got one, works fine.
Tight Lines
Senior Member
It really depends a bit on what you are doing. If you are backpacking lower altitudes, and have a pot set or want a separate pot set, it's hard to beat the MSR Whisperlight. I like it for most of my backpacking, and it's been in my backpack since 1994. It cost me $59 back then...its universal model will burn most anything. You can use any pots you have in your house, or backpack with.
If you are doing more high altitude and want a little less bulk and are boiling water for coffee, tea, dehydrated meals (one pot method) and don't mind the dedicated fuel then I will also use the MSR Windburner with the integrated pot.
For car camping base camp I like the Jetboil Genesis set with the side burner...3 burners gets the job done for the most part for a family of 4.
I appreciate folks want to save money, and I do too, but I don't buy the knock-offs. There are not that many of these US based companies that still design and innovate, and MSR is one that I have always supported. Just my $0.02.
If you are doing more high altitude and want a little less bulk and are boiling water for coffee, tea, dehydrated meals (one pot method) and don't mind the dedicated fuel then I will also use the MSR Windburner with the integrated pot.
For car camping base camp I like the Jetboil Genesis set with the side burner...3 burners gets the job done for the most part for a family of 4.
I appreciate folks want to save money, and I do too, but I don't buy the knock-offs. There are not that many of these US based companies that still design and innovate, and MSR is one that I have always supported. Just my $0.02.
Tight Lines
Senior Member
Here is a pretty thorough review...I don't necessarily agree with it, as the Whisperlite is not ranked highly, but it has been a great stove and is the best selling backpacking stove of all time. I like that I can carry different bottles of different sizes to match the number of days I'll be out...and I can use white gas, kerosene, gasoline, and canisters with it...YMMV
www.outdoorgearlab.com
The 6 Best Backpacking Stoves of 2023
Over the last 12 years, we've tested 38 unique backpacking stoves in our quest to find the best, with the top 21 in this review. We surveyed the stove...
www.outdoorgearlab.com
I have a Soto Amicus that I really like. It's worked great for me for several years so far.
Tight Lines
Senior Member
I think that's an old Japanese company that recently started making stoves...never had one, or been with someone who has, but they get good reviews...
dixiecutter
Eye Devour ReeB
From experience- get the name brand of whichever you like. Those cheap chinese valves dont fail at home. Theyll fail when you it.
Mine has done me right. 1.5 oz.
BeerThirty
Senior Member
I've had the good fortune of seeing several varieties of backpacking stoves due to my recent experience in scouting. The Jetboils are amazing if all you do is boil water, so they're hands-down the fastest stove for freeze-dried meals or hot water for coffee, etc... You can cook with Jetboils, using them as a frying pan, but the way they are manufactured to boil water quickly tends to focus the flame in one direct spot and can be prone to burning. They are also the most expensive, too. These do pack up nice, you can fit the burner and a small fuel cannister inside the main pot. Just FYI, the knock-offs seem to perform well too.
The Pocket Rockets, even the knock-off varieties, are going to be your best bet if you want versatility or you're on a budget. A frying pan works better with this unit and it will boil water, but not as fast as the JB. These don't handle the wind as well as a JB, either. However, these units are also smaller and lighter than a Jetboil which is a major benefit if space is a concern. If I've seen 12-yr old scouts cook a meal on these, anyone can handle it..
If I were you, i'd go with the pocket-rocket style for starters. It will work for whatever you need. If it turns out you want a JB later on, you're only out $35-50 on the other one..
The Pocket Rockets, even the knock-off varieties, are going to be your best bet if you want versatility or you're on a budget. A frying pan works better with this unit and it will boil water, but not as fast as the JB. These don't handle the wind as well as a JB, either. However, these units are also smaller and lighter than a Jetboil which is a major benefit if space is a concern. If I've seen 12-yr old scouts cook a meal on these, anyone can handle it..
If I were you, i'd go with the pocket-rocket style for starters. It will work for whatever you need. If it turns out you want a JB later on, you're only out $35-50 on the other one..
1eyefishing
...just joking, seriously.
Dr. Strangelove
Senior Member
Out of the backpacking game now, but I used an MSR Whisperlite International for years. About $160 right now. Burns about any flammable liquid you can find.
jbogg
Senior Member
Went camping with an old buddy of mine in January on top of Tray Mountain. It was around 16 degrees without the windchill when we woke up the next morning. My cheap stove has served me well for 10 years, but I was amazed how fast my buddies jet boil brought water to boil. Spring or fall camping and that’s no big deal, but when your water bottles are freezing fast due to super low temps it requires a lot of fuel to get that water to boil with some of the cheaper stoves. For someone that does a lot of winter camping I would think the fuel savings alone would probably pay for one of the nicer stoves fairly quickly, not to mention the convenience of being able to enjoy your freeze dried meal or coffee much faster, and you won’t have the need to carry extra fuel canisters, adding weight to your pack.
Tight Lines
Senior Member
The downside to the Whisperlite is the weight, and the liquid fuel. But that's what also make it indestructible and versatile. So it's a trade off. It's field repairable, stainless steel, and will run on multi-fuel. The newer aluminum, cast, and titanium models that run off the canisters are far lighter. But again it's trade offs. For me, after who knows how many nights under the stars, and cooking for up to 5, it never once let me down and is fairly fuel efficient. If you also have the heat exchanger it boils much faster. MSR used to make a stainless pot kit which I also have, with the heat exchanger and the stove that fit inside, and the frying pan is the lid. Way heavier than the aluminum and titanium pots, but they will all last a lifetime. I plan to give it to my son when I'm done with it...
RedHills
Self Banned after losing a Noles bet.
KS is spot on about intended use and dependence on it. If my stove won't fire, there's never a waffle house over a few miles walk and a couple gallons of truck gas away. Titanium mini less than an ounce.
Tight Lines
Senior Member
Micro!
