Camp Stove

[dancingcyclist]

What works best for a camp stove for self contained touring with mostly camping? I currently have an old Wisperlite (gas only) purchased '92 that still works and have used on local overnight trips. My concern is finding small quantities of fuel while on longer trips (cross-country).

I'm was thinking a Wisperlite International as it can burn just about anything but I'm always worried about leaks.
With all these canister type stoves out now I'm wondering if they might be better as I wouldn't have to worry about packing liquid fuel.

I also don't want to pack any more weight then necessary and gas is heavy. Nor do I want to spend a lot of time and energy riding around an unknown city looking for fuel.

Any suggestions / recommendations?

[bluemootwo]

I've always used a trangia with meths in a sigg bottle in a spare cage. Any diy store has meths and a bottle lasts me a camping week.


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[John Nelson]

Depends on how elaborate you are with your cooking. I use a simple alcohol stove, but you can only prepare simple meals with it. The stove itself weighs only an ounce, and I buy fuel in 12-ounce bottles sold in gas stations, auto parts stores, and even grocery stores.

[bikemig]

I've always used a trangia with meths in a sigg bottle in a spare cage. Any diy store has meths and a bottle lasts me a camping week.


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Trangia is awesome. Not the lightest but it's righteously light. It deals well with wind (it was designed to work in Scandinavia) and, unlike some other alcohol stoves, you can cook on it with the simmer ring (not just boil water). If all you want to do is boil water and keep it as light as possible, check out trail design caldera stoves.

Adventures in stoving blogspot is a good place to read about stoves, https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com

https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2011/11/stove-of-week-trangia-27.html

[dkoloko]

You don't need to ride all around town looking for fuel. Coleman Fuel or its equivalent is widely available. What to do about having to buy a gallon? Two solutions worked for me: Carry two fuel bottles. Fill them. Offer to sell other half gallon with the can back to seller for half price. Fill the two bottles. Drop can off at bike shop, gift for next touring cyclist. Leaking has not been a problem for me. Weight of second bottle: same as a filled water bottle.

I have had trouble finding replacement gas canisters when traveling.

If you just boil up, an alcohol stove can do.

[DanE]

If you are having problems with your Whisperlite stove leaking then perhaps it is time for some maintenance before you head out. There is a kit that contains the O-rings and some lubricant to go over your stove with. It is not hard to do and can be done easily with all the tools needed included in the kit. It is not expensive to buy the kit and probably worth doing before any major expedition.

[jargo432]

I use the MSR Pocket Rocket.  You can pick up the fuel canisters in most sporting goods or walmart type stores and they last for a good while. 

If however you plan to visit less developed countries this won't be the best option.

[dancingcyclist]

Thanks for all the input guys.
Most my cooking is boiling for fixing dry food for dinner and clean water. Plus I have no intention of traveling out of the country at this time.

Looked into the Trangia as mentioned by some of you but I'm a bit leery about using alcohol as it burns so clean you can't always see the flame and it sounds like the bottom of the burner gets hot enough to burn any surface (picnic tables) it sits on. I don't know what you're referring to with "meths", methanol maybe, don't know where to buy it. The only meth I know is the drug which I want nothing to do with.

Having to but a gallon of fuel is the biggest problem with my Whisperlite, I'd light to only have to carry one large fuel bottle due to weight if possible. I always carry two full water bottles and I want to keep the weight down as best I can. I'm not as young nor in as good of shape as I use to be, those hills are worse then ever. As far as leakage goes I guess it more about vibrations while riding the ruff roads/rail trails. Plus theres always gas spillage when disconnecting and releasing pressure.

This is why I had hoped to do some riding with experienced tourers while getting started but have had no luck so its trial by error.

Still have to look into the pocket rocket

Thanks again

By the way, is there anyway to respond to people individually on these posts.


 

[staehpj1]

I use my pop can alcohol stove the majority of the time.  It is very light and uses readily available fuel (yellow bottle HEET).  I have never seen it get hot enough on the bottom to scorch a table.  The fact that the flame is hard to see is no big deal once you know that is the case.

Despite folks saying it is available at any walmart, I have not found canister fuel to be quite as widely available as claimed and have at times had trouble finding it.

I typically want to carry only a small amount of fuel so Coleman fuel is out since a gallon is about 10 times as much as I want to carry.  The 12 ounce bottle of Heet is about right.

If I wanted a liquid fuel stove other than alcohol I'd go with one that can burn gasoline.  You can dribble enough out of the hoses at a closed gas station to cook a few meals.  That or just carefully pump a few ounces.  It is a bit touchy but possible to fill a bottle with no spillage.

[jargo432]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzmY6HsX6Gc

[DanE]

It sounds like your main concern is availability of fuel and the size of the container fuel can be purchased.

Alcohol fuel stoves have almost universal availability as it can be purchased as a 12 oz. bottle of Heet in the yellow bottle as referenced by staehpj. This is an alcohol fuel additive for automobiles and is available in almost all gas stations, auto parts stores and big box stores. This meets your concern about availability as well as quantity needing to be purchased.

The next best option is to use your Whisperlite white gas stove and carry fuel bottles to hold a quart of fuel. I do this by carrying two of the medium sized MSR bottles which I think are 18 oz. Fuel for these is sold in quart or gallon sizes at camping stores, hunting supply stores, marinas, and big box stores. If I can find it as a quart I will purchase that. The gallon is problematic. Often a camping backpacking store understands the problem and sells small volumes out of the big gallon can. In the past it was often possible to walk around the campground and find someone with a big two burner Coleman stove and the gallon can sitting beside it. They will almost always fill your MSR fuel bottle if you ask and more likely than not will not charge you for it. Unfortunately, people no longer use the white gas two burner stoves anymore so you see less of this in the campgrounds. The last resort is to purchase gasoline out of the pump. This burns dirtier than Coleman fuel and will clog up the stove a bit over time. However, it is not that dirty and will only require you to take apart and clean your stove a few more times more than you would be anyhow.

The butane/propane cartridge stoves are more difficult to find canisters for. It seems that Walmart usually carries them now in many areas, this is not universal. When they are hard to find and you run out there is not another option with these stoves.

[mapster127]

Well my circa mid-80's Whisperlite International is still my "go to" stove for significant trips and has burnt a variety of fuel around the world. If you need fast boil and some slower burn it covers most bases. I've replaced two o rings using the field service kit and stripped it down to clean a few times. Never leaked fuel.  On shorter trips I've used various canisters - my soto is really light but don't rely on them for longer trips where purchase may be hard or I would need to carry several bulky canisters. Recently on slower paced and non-winter trips I've been using a penny stove/beer can stove or Vargo Ti version. The fuel is easy to carry in small quantities and pretty cost effective. Usually easy to get too. Packs way smaller than the trangia setup unless you just carry the burner. Can be designed to boil pretty fast too.


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[paddleboy17]

The soda pop stoves might get hot enough to damage the top of a picnic table.  Most Trangia set ups elevate the burner a little, and it will not damage the picnic table.  An alcohol flame can be hard to see in bright sunlight, but it is not invisible, and the flame will be easily visible for breakfast or dinner.  A  Trangia setup is an excellent stove for cooking but it may not be the best choice if all you want to do is boil water.  A full Trangia holds 3oz of fuel, and that has come to a boil in order to bloom (pressurize those little jets).  A partially filled Trangia is harder to start. 

I would suggest that you look at other alcohol stoves.  One of the Vargo titanium stoves is probably perfect.  A stove with a 1oz capacity should easily bring 16oz/0.5L of water to a boil in 7 or 8 minutes, and will be a lot more miserly with the amount of fuel used.  The alcohol stoves are tiny, and alcohol is easy to find.  Alcohol stoves are harder to start below 40F so factor that into your selection.

I have a Whisperlite International.  I find alcohol stoves to be a lot less trouble to use. 

[John Nelson]

A partially filled Trangia is harder to start.

One of the Vargo titanium stoves is probably perfect.

I use a Vargo titanium stove. I love it. It weighs 1.4 ounces and is indestructible. But you do have to know how to follow instructions. The instructions say to fill it--it doesn't matter whether or not you need that much fuel to cook tonight's dinner. Fill it anyway. A partially filled stove will not reliably bloom. If you don't need that much fuel, pour back what's left when you're done.

[gplhl]

What works best for a camp stove for self contained touring with mostly camping? I currently have an old Wisperlite (gas only) purchased '92 that still works and have used on local overnight trips. My concern is finding small quantities of fuel while on longer trips (cross-country).

I'm was thinking a Wisperlite International as it can burn just about anything but I'm always worried about leaks.
With all these canister type stoves out now I'm wondering if they might be better as I wouldn't have to worry about packing liquid fuel.

I also don't want to pack any more weight then necessary and gas is heavy. Nor do I want to spend a lot of time and energy riding around an unknown city looking for fuel.

Any suggestions / recommendations?

I'd recommend a Primus Omnifuel, runs on anything. I run mine in Petrol most of the time, which is available anywhere in the world.

It isn't cheap, but mines over 12 years old now and certainly had my money's worth.

Also boils a kettle in no time, ideal for making a coffee anywhere, especially when touring in France and you've just bought a load of pain au chocolat..