Just curious what everybody uses. I'm a bit of a gear guy, so i have a ton of stoves. I've found i prefer to use an alcohol stove when solo hiking/a short outing, but if we have a few people(or the trip is longer than 3 days), i'll bring a Jetboil or another canister stove.

I am really happy with the jet boil and generally did really cold weather high altitude trips.

I voted canister stove, but I have an old Peak 1 multi fuel stove from Coleman. It will burn unleaded gas in a pinch if canisters become unobtanium.

Alcohol is by backup. Have a couple made .com soda cans and a fancy one from amazon.

I own a pocket rocket and it’s okay. Really prefer my whisperlite on long trips or cold trips.

Find dry wood.  Burn.

Depends on my mood/weather.
Alcohol stove - need to bring enough fuel.
Wood gasification stove - don't have to bring fuel but if it's wet and raining it can be a pita.
Canister - have to make sure cyllinder has enough fuel or bring a spare.
Lately it's been my pocket rocket for its simplicity.

Jet Boil for short trips where I'm within 15-20 miles of accessible resources.

MSR Whisperlite International for extended trips, significant altitude changes, extreme weather variation, or questionable availability to resources.

Very similar.  I’ve been using alcohol the most, but went back to canisters for the shorter 4-5 day trips without resupply as they’re so darn convenient.  While we don’t necessarily have any elevations in the southeast like I did out west, still, nothing beats liquid fuel for a sub-freezing temperature stove.

I still use alcohol for longer, lightweight, distant backpacking trips.  If I want versatility, I will pack along a twig burner like an Emberlit Fire Ant or Firebox Nano. I don’t backpack from sunup to sundown anymore, so I usually have 4-6 hours of light after trekking and if the weather is nice, I can use the twig stoves to save my alcohol fuel.  

Alcohol is the easiest fuel to measure for my needs (usually reserved for backpacking when it’s above 40 degrees).  My preference for backpacking has been the Zelph Fancy Feast type; just works for me.  While alcohol does take longer to boil water, the system of stove and fuel are lighter.  Cost isn’t a huge factor, but when backpacking, it’s much cheaper to buy alcohol by the ounce (most shops offer this) vice a buying a fuel canister.

Much depends on the trip.  There are times I want a shorter trip with less fuss, I’ll go with a canister stove.  I usually don’t worry or measure fuel consumption and can enjoy a couple cups of coffee each morning.  Short term trips, no hassle, fast cook/boil times? Canisters all the way.  

I usually doing more static camping or shorter legs if trekking if I’m considering a biomass-type stove.  I have some good combinations of biomass/twig and alcohol stoves for more leisurely stove use.  

I just pulled out a couple of options to show the versatility and weights.  The Primus Optifuel stove uses both white gas (it has multi-liquid fuel capability) and isobutane fuel canisters.  With a bottle and 110gm. canister, it’s 2.5lb.  It’s been a while, but that’s probably enough fuel for 10-12 days if all you’re cooking is just boiling water.

Another 2.5lb option is pretty versatile.  A Firebox Nano biomass/twig stove that will hold a Trangia alcohol stove with about 15oz of alcohol (that’s quite a bit), and a Trangia gas-stove with 110gm. canister.  Without even using the natural fuel function, that’s easily 12-14 days of fuel:








Options are good, but much depends on the type of backpacking, distance, time, elevation, season/weather, environmental conditions, weight considerations, etc.

ROCK6

BRS Ultralight stove stuck in a 750ml TOAKS titanium pot with a 3.35oz fuel canister.  Toss a small Bic and a little rag inside and you have a great cook set.  Total cost is about $63, and it barely weighs anything.  I keep the mini Bics even after they run out, the flint lasts forever and will still light kindling.

All of the above, depending on the trip and time of year.

This is a really popular option among the ultralight crowd. I have one but usually reach for my SOTO Windmaster on backcountry hunts out of state. Alcohol is too temperamental at altitude and canisters after a long day glassing or side hilling is just easier to get going.

I like canister stoves except that it's really hard to ballpark how much is left in a partially used canister, so I end up carrying more than I need.

I have about 10 stoves that take different fuels.  The Jet Boil is the cats ass, but I still like to carry my Svea 123.  There is something about that old technology that first conquered Everest.

Jetboil is all I use now

My MSR white gas is for emergencies

@cayman_shen

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SZLM17Y?tag=arfcom00-20



ROCK6

I tried an Esbit but it never seemed to put out  enough heat. Next I tried a wood gas stove. It was a bit tempermental and still a bit low on heat. Tried a jetboil and finally got the heat I wanted but all the screwing around to get there taught me I didn't need to cook anything so I finally gave up on stoves and now I carry a lot pop-tarts and beef jerky.
And a few more foods that require no cooking.

Oh, almost forgot. I made a few coke can alcohol stoves too. Fun to make and test out but still not very good to cook on.

You don't want to be in a hurry either. Kind of a ritual.

sub out the TOAKS for a Snowpeak and that is what I am rocking.  I leave the lid at home and have a silicone collapsible cup that I use as a lit.  It friction fits so I don't need a storage bag for it.  I am looking heavily at swapping out for the Jetboil Stash, a couple extra ounces but the wind performance and speed should make up for it, I would prefer the flame to be more spread out than on the BRS.

Favorite is wood fire, but depending where you go this is often not an option.

I’ve done canister and alcohol plenty - boiling water is boiling water.  Trying to be creative with an alcohol or canister stove is often diminishing returns. A canister is more flexible than alcohol, IMO, but a can stove and a bottle of alcohol packs crazy light.

Didn’t like jetboil… boils fast, but too topheavy.

On my 2nd one.  I bought my first when I was in 8th grade and eventually wore it out (a.k.a plugged it up solid using the old leaded gasoline ... because I didn't know any better )

It only sees Coleman type fuel now.

thats why I am interested in the jetboil stash, its advertised at 7.1 oz and from reports its correct.  My current set up is 5 oz not counting the lid.

Thanks for posting that - when/if my BRS dies I'll probably try out the Stash.  The improved performance in windy conditions would be nice.

I decided to bite the bullet and get one...using gift cards it was only $20  I will get some pics and stuff up later.

I’ve used the Jetboil Flash on a number of trips now and I like it. I may replace it with a nicer model one day, but I like the Jetboil (and MSR Windburner) style of stove.

As just about everyone else has said,  the trip will dictate the fuel needs.

99% of what I'll ever need will be canisters.

Just MHO they're the best mix of weight vs volume and can be had in several sizes depending on how long you'll be out in the field.  Liquid fuel definitely has a place but a canister can be warmed up with body heat.

The pocket rockets can boil water pretty fast too so once you get your routine down they're great if you don't have a fire.

Except for Winter weather or high altitude, my preference is popcan alcohol stoves.

After watching various videos and looking at the different types, I learned to make a double walled stove from 1 can with nothing but my SAK (literally needs nothing else. No staples, no additional parts or tools, no penny). Actually a pretty fun activity with tween - teenager kids who like crafts and backpacking. Teach them to make the stoves, then they get to use them.

Aside from being really light, what's great about these is that the thin aluminum both heats up and primes really fast (from lighting the flame in the middle, to all the jets igniting is usually ~15 seconds with the stove filled 1/3 full), AND cools down really fast once the flame is out (the Trangia stove weighs ~4x AND takes a while to cool down). I use it with a collapsible triangular pot stand/windscreen. Yellow HEET is a cheap and easy to find fuel source around here (methanol. Red HEET is isopropanol. Not as good).

Oh, and I like how quiet alcohol stoves are. Buddy's MSR Dragonfly sounds like a damned jet engine.

Winter or altitude = OmniFuel with white gas.

Haven't tried a Jetboil yet.

For an alcohol stove, I like the "fancy feast" style.
This first video from PaleohikerMD is pretty good. He probably has a hundred stove videos of all kinds, worth looking into.

This guy uses fiberglass cloth for a wick, and it works great too. I find the tomato paste can works great, I do not have access to the aluminum bottles here. The tomato can is sturdier, in my opinion.

Gas cannister
I don't want to take any extra time gathering bio fuel when I come to camp at night

WhisperLite in the cold, Soto Amicus w/igniter or 20+ y/o Primus without in the not-cold. Picked up a Coleman 413E a few years back for if I ever get into all-out car camping, it works but needs a tune-up.

I have a small alcohol stove I made using a prune juice can. I used the bottom of a full size soda can to as a base it acts like a bowl I fill it with fuel to preheat the stove.  I will get a pic of it later.

Light is great, but the whole jetboil system seems too top heavy and unstable to me, even more so than other canister systems

If going in with vehicle or horse Jet boil.
If backpacking in MSR whisper stove is my go to.

cool, i take it you have looked at the jetboil stash and understand that it is totally different than other jetboil units?

It appears the Stash is about the same as a 750ml cup with a doodad on the bottom to help it heat faster. Dies that ring tie you to one particular stove?

All of my experience with JB is with older units.  I didn’t like them for the reasons stated. It’s entirely possible that the newer stuff is better.

It did boil water hella fast, though.

I used to use a pocket rocket, but just recently made the jump to a JetBoil. Uses less fuel and boils faster.

Been wanting to build a small alcohol stove and grab a Ti fire box, so I may mess around with those for a while.

Definitely no one size fits all. I used to use an alcohol stove but got tired of the wait when I was tired and hungry. Solo or with a buddy I'll bring a Ti canister stove with a small canister. I love my Snow Peak but I'm a stove whore and have dozens to choose from. When we have our guys' trip I love my Whisperlite Simmerlite. I get a lot of mileage out of white gas and being able to simmer is great for actual cooking and not just boiling water for "instant" meals. We fly fish the backcountry so we'll whip up dishes to go with the trout. It's also good for things like pancakes and other stuff.

Same here. Especially since there are so many fire restrictions these days the canister-type stoves are nice.

Pocket rocket 2 and a Dragonfly by msr...


Nice find Rock6 on Campingmoon Gas Canister Refill Adapter, Portable Outdoor Gas Saver Lindal Valve Canister Shifter, Camping Canister Vent Valve, Z15

I switch between an original msr pocket rocket and a trangia alcohol stove. I also keep an esbit stove with my canteen cup if I'm rocking my old alice gear.

All my stoves are alcohol burners (3 fancy feast, 3 penny soda can, 1 Trangia) but I am looking into getting an inexpensive canister stove.

I'm considering one of those "Etekcity" type stoves with the integrated piezo ignitor. I've read lots of good reviews on these even though they're super cheap:



I like the idea of a four-point pot stand.

@skindroid

@Downtheroad

When you purchased your respective BRS stoves did they come with extra valve gaskets?

ETA: according to a number of unboxing videos they do not. The same stove sold by the pathfinder school branded as such does include extra gaskets which is the stove's supposed weak spot.

I did watch a video by an AT through hiker who said he ditched his after repeated issues. He said that the replacement gasket is a size/number 10 which is commonly available at any hardware store.

Old standby....Whisperlite Internationale from 1998.  Jetboil is the best and fastest but MSR Pocket Rocket 2 is the lightest and works great with the MSR Titanium cook pots.

jet boil or something like it.  boil water, eat Mt House.  boom.

I ordered mine through Amazon, and it came with an additional gasket, which I lost almost immediately

Ordered some more gaskets, but so far the one in there has held up.  

While in the hardware store I found the bin where No. 10 O-rings are kept. $0.59 each. If that's indeed the size that the BRS stoves use then I'll know where to get some once the stove is purchased.

When it’s not going to be really cold (which is most of the time) I prefer canister stoves.  Hoping to pick up a Soto like this one in the near future. I’ve heard great things about them.