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What is the right choice of gear for you?

  Many people have asked me for advice on the best and lightest equipment to carry on a hike.   I have come to the understanding that you have to decide  for yourself what equipment is the most comfortable for your hike.  I can only review what I have found to be the best for me.  This blog is dedicated to evaluating some available hiking equipment so you can make a better choice.
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7/12/2017

Wood-burning  Stoves

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​SOLID FUEL/WOOD BURNING BACKPACKING STOVES

The Bushbuddy wood burning stove is a double-walled heat-shielded backpacking stove.  There are several other stoves that look very similar and perform in the same way as this stove.  There is even a do-it-yourself version that you can make at home.  The concept is simple in that there are holes at the bottom of the cylinder to let in needed air for combustion and the heat and gasses excape out the top heating the container on top.  A wind shield is needed to contain the burning action and to keep an even flow of warm air up the can.  I have found that the average time to boil a liter of water is about ten minutes. The stove weighs around five ounces or 141.7 grams.  With the addition of a solid fuel container, when wood is wet, you may burn an esbit tablet to heat your water.
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You may use wood or solid fuel blocks for fuel.
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Internal grate allows ashes to fall to the bottom of the stove.
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Esbit solid fuel container.

Four Dog Wood burning Stove

The Four Dog wood burning stove is a very small one pieced self contained stove.  It has four metal wedges welded onto the top of the rim to hold a small pot of less than one liter.  The air supply enters from the side holes and crosses over a twisted pie shaped disk to the pot.  The stove is made stainless steel but is also available in titanium metal.  The time to boil a pot of water is approximately eight to ten minutes.  The stove weighs 62 grams or 2.2 ounces.
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Fresh air intake holes are drilled in the sides of the stove for clean burning.
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A built-in turbine helps direct the heat up to your pot.
Kelly kettle with pot support.
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Kelly kettle wood burning stove with outside water jacket.
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Components of a typical esbit stove.
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Esbit solid fuel blocks.
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Esbit solid fuel burning stove video.
I use dryer lint and a composite stick to start my wood.
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Pictured below are a few of the ways I start my kindling.
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7/12/2017

Canister Stoves

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Gear Review of Some of My Backpacking Canister Stoves
There are many canister backpacking stoves on the market today.  All of them claim to be the best stove available today.  There are many factors that go into selecting the best stove for you. You have to consider the hiking temperature, wind speed, your hiking elevation, and whether the stove will be used just to boil water or to cook a full meal.  Most manufacturers are going to rate boil/cook times under ideal conditions.  All canister backpacking stoves are much heavier and require  a fuel canister .
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The Gnat is one of the lightest stoves on the market.  But remember the lighter the stove, the more costly and less efficient it may be.  When evaluating gear I almost always use the metric system.  The metric system is based on the ten's scale, and you do not have to use mixed calibrations.  Measuring the weight in grams works best for me.  Most scales have both ounces and grams conversions.  I use a Weight Watchers' scale for lighter measurements and a postal scale for heavier gear.

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 The Gnat has no wind screen or built-in igniter.  The Gnat by Monsanto is one of the lightest canister stoves I have found.  You simply unfold the arms and screw it onto a fuel canister.
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The pocket rocket is a step up from the Gnat. It weighs slightly more than the Gnat, but it is more efficient and has a shorter boiling time.  It comes in a plastic container built for protection. It does have an ignitor for an easy start.
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The Pocket Rocket comes with a canister stabilizer to keep it from tipping during use.
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The Jet Boil Canister Stove comes with a pot and top combined with a baffled heat exchanger.   The pot sits on top of a burner connected to a gas canister.  It has an Pizeo ignitor to eliminate the need for matches.   An orange stabilizer makes the canister more stable on the ground.  A metal ring attachment allows you to use the stove with a frypan.  You can get a one liter or an .8 liter pot.  
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Jet Boil with a one liter pot.  Canister stabilizer and cup also come with the stove.
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At the top of the picture is an adaptor, which when placed on top of the burner will allow you use a fry pan or larger pot. 
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Jet Boil burner with ignitor.
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MSR makes a canister stove similar to the Jet Boil.  Boiling times are very similar.
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The major difference is that the heat exchanger gets very hot and you can get burned if you are not careful.  The MSR also is very noisy and sould like a freight train.
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The Jet Boil Titanium  was one of the lightest canister stoves manufactured, but it was taken off the market because of design flaws.  The titanium baffles used for the heat exchanger melted under extreme heat from the burner, creating uneven heating hot spots in the pot.  
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Jet Boil makes a larger canister stove for used when cooking for larger groups.  The inverted canister improves the stove's efficiency.
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The fuel is also preheated for better efficiency.
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A larger pot, carrying curtain and top with flip lid come with the larger stove.
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 The liquid fuel stove is an alternative to the Jet Boil for use in extreme cold weather conditions.  It is much heavier, but it functions well in freezing temperatures.  Canister stoves have a tendency to freeze up and be less efficient.

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  • Topic Overview
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  • Backpacking/Hiking
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