Stoves?

[DonNewcomb]

I'm wondering why my 40 year-old Svea 123 and SIGG Tourist cookset with one pot weighs 31 oz and my brand new Primus Gravity MF stove and ETA Power cookpot weigh 32 oz? I would have thought that 40 years of technological advances would bring some weight savings.

[Keweenaw]

MSR Pocket Rocket = 4.2 oz. 4 oz fuel canister = 8 oz; total 12.4 oz. Features add weight; this stove has no features - it's basically on full blast or off, which is great for boiling water.

Oh, yeah - titanium cookpot = 3 oz.

Bob

[DonNewcomb]

When I think about it, the old Svea 123 was the super light-weight stove (e.g. Pocket Rocket) of its day and the Primus MF was designed as an "expedition" stove for melting snow at high altitude. I should probably not be comparing the two.

[PatrickBDunlap]

Thinking I will either take my 123 or my alcohol stove I made from a cat food can when I go in Sept. The 123 is extra weight but after 20 years the thing just keeps working and does the job. But with a tight wind screen I have had a lot of good success in testing my alcohol stove. Couple this with a home made pot snuggie, I can cook just about anything as long as I am not in a hurry (the cat will boil water in about 6 minutes and the snuggie will keep it extremely hot for about 40 minutes).

http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html

[DonNewcomb]

Thinking I will either take my 123 or my alcohol stove I made from a cat food can when I go in Sept. The 123 is extra weight but after 20 years the thing just keeps working and does the job. But with a tight wind screen I have had a lot of good success in testing my alcohol stove. Couple this with a home made pot snuggie, I can cook just about anything as long as I am not in a hurry (the cat will boil water in about 6 minutes and the snuggie will keep it extremely hot for about 40 minutes).

http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html

Be aware that in 2009 there was no fuel alcohol available on Isle Royale. If you were absolutely desperate you could buy isopropyl fuel line dryer, at about 50c/oz but that was it. White gas was sold by the oz, as much or little as you need, and they had several types of LP canisters, but no alcohol. Check before you go.

[PatrickBDunlap]

Be aware that in 2009 there was no fuel alcohol available on Isle Royale. If you were absolutely desperate you could buy isopropyl fuel line dryer, at about 50c/oz but that was it. White gas was sold by the oz, as much or little as you need, and they had several types of LP canisters, but no alcohol. Check before you go.

Thanks for the info. Thinking I will take the 123 and the super cat as a backup since I plan to use my squirt bottle of alcohol as primer for the 123 anyway and an empty cat food can weights almost nothing. I like alcohol for a lot of reasons and one being that it is far better for the environment in case of spills then white gas. You can also spill it on your equipment without damage. At this time I need to find a container to carry my 123 in case of spill and such.

The more I see those fan powered twig burners, the more I like those but then you are dealing with the mess of black pots.

[DonNewcomb]

I have a Zip Ztove twig burner and my brother owns a Markill Wilderness Stove, which is probably the ultimate twig burner (solar cells, SCR fan speed control, etc). They are great for reducing the charcoal that others leave in fire pits to a fine white ash. However, they do have two big disadvantages: 1) messy black pots and 2) you could never cook, even to make tea, in the tent. This is why when we carry one, it is always as a 2nd stove for a group; the other stove being LP or white gas.

[PatrickBDunlap]

2) you could never cook, even to make tea, in the tent. This is why when we carry one, it is always as a 2nd stove for a group; the other stove being LP or white gas.

Wow, I have never used a stove in a tent other then an overhead tarp but then I am from Florida and it is not very cold there even in winter. Other then ensuring that you do not spill flaming fluid everywhere, I think the alcohol stove would have the least fumes in a tent since it almost the same stuff that is in those sterno cans they use to warm food trays. Still freaks me out a bit. If we have any money left over when we stock up for the trip in September, we plan to get a JetBoil system with two cups which would allow us to cook even in the rain. They also have a hanging setup that might work well with a hammock system.

[nellnightrider]

HI everyone
I was given a new jet boil for christmas and I have to say I am excited to use it on our 3rd trip to the island. I do have a question for anyone who has one, how long does the fuel last? Planning on using it for dehydrated food for 3 and coffee and tea each day.
thanks

[DonNewcomb]

Wow, I have never used a stove in a tent other then an overhead tarp but then I am from Florida and it is not very cold there even in winter.

It is not anyone's first choice of where to cook but when the snow is blowing and there is no other shelter, there is no other option.

[sgerbs]

I have a jetboil group cooking system, and used it on my trip to IR last June. I brought two 8 oz. MSR IsoPro fuel canisters (for another stove) and only used one of them. We primarily used our stove for dinner, but did use it on two mornings for oatmeal. We were there for six days. Great stove, works wonders.

[PatrickBDunlap]

Well, as I have said before, I am taking my wife to IR this year (yeah, I know). After I was talking to her about our water purification needs she has told me that even with the filter and the treatment that she still wants to boil all the water. She is a bit of a germaphobe (YES, I KNOW!). So considering getting a Jetboil for the fast and covenant boil times and just plan to take a lot of big MSR gas cartridges.

[Backpacker534]

Patrick, when my buddy and I did our first Isle Royale trip back in 1999 we hiked the loop from Rock Harbor to Daisy Farm to Lakes Richie and Chickenbone and then back around to Rock Harbor. On the last day of hiking it was very warm and we had burned through all of our water before we hit the Mount Franklin Trail down from the Greenstone Ridge. We were becoming very thirsty and, not quite knowing how long it would take us to finish the hike, we stopped at what I have always referred to as a swamp. It was small, stagnant pool and the water had a very deep rust-colored appearance (kinda like root beer) and the surface was covered with green slime. We weren't exactly in danger of dropping over from dehydration, but we were, nonetheless, very thirsty. My buddy unpacked his Pur Hiker water filter while I used a leafy branch to clear the slime away from a small area. We thew the pre-filter into the water and began to pump the water into our bottles. It came out with a rusty tint, but surprisingly, no odor. We reluctantly took a small sip of the water. To our surprise there was almost no aftertaste to speak of. We drank the water and never had any ill-effects. Although, I must admit I tried not to look at the swamp while drinking the water because I wanted to put out of my mind the thought of where the water had just come from.

So, maybe if you relay our story to your wife she may not feel so strongly about boiling the water after using a filter and water treatment. On second thought, my wife is quite the germaphobe as well so, yes, I KNOW too.....

[DonNewcomb]

It was small, stagnant pool and the water had a very deep rust-colored appearance (kinda like root beer) and the surface was covered with green slime.

If you just add, "and somewhat brackish" you would describe my normal water source when backpacking on most southern barrier islands. When using brackish water you end up distinguishing between "sipping water" and "cooking water". You also prepare your meals using almost no salt, there's more than enough in the water.

[kfinnguy]

I just found a really light Snow Peak LiteMax stove at REI:

http://www.rei.com/product/768603

From the reviews I read, it out performs the Pocket Rocket.