[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Stoves for bugging in (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/2/2016 12:14:22 PM EDT
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Let's talk this through. I'm trying to help my brother build his wife a "oh shit kit" because he's out of the country on a fairly regular basis. If something were to happen, she'd be "bugging in" at their home outside of Dallas. We've got food and water covered, and he's having a generator installed soon (not a whole house generator, but about 10KW slow diesel).
What we haven't figured out is what to go with for a stove. He likes to hike and camp, so he already has a couple canister stoves (an MSR WindPro II and a JetBoil). What's missing is a multi-fuel stove. She wants one that has some decent flame control too, as they'll probably end up taking it car camping a few times to familiarize themselves with it. The options are as follows: MSR Dragonfly Primus Omnifuel/Omnilite (whatever's cheaper when he buys) Optimus Polairis Optifuel (damn, that's a mouthful) And lastly, a milsurp Coleman 550B The Dragonfly, of course, is an American product, with the ease of support that entails, and MSR is rather well known for their stellar customer service. Primus and Optimus are both Swedish, but have better fuel selections than the MSR since they can use canisters, too. I'm aware that MSR has the Whisperlite Universal, but I understand that the flame control leaves something to be desired when using liquid fuels. If this is incorrect, someone please let me know. Lastly, with have the Coleman. Yes, it will only run off white gas, unleaded, and kero, but the fact that you don't have to prime it is a plus (you'd think so too if you knew my sister in law). It seems that for "ease of use", the 550B would be the winner. It's also cheaper than the other options ($80-$90 on eBay), and there's no way to disconnect and lose the pump. The only "loose" part of it is the kero generator tube, as opposed to the pump and fuel bottle for the other stoves. The downside seems to be that the taller stove would be less stable, and I've read that the aluminum pot rest/windscreen aren't the thoughest. So, what are your thoughts? Considerations are durability, reliability, and ease of use. If you have any other stoves he whould consider, feel free to post about them. Thanks! |
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Any two or three burner Coleman stove can be had for peanuts. A vintage Coleman will need a little cleaning, a new gas cap gasket, and a little oil on the pump leather. Recommended spare parts are a generator.
The old school Colemans are indestructible. Wouldn't want to hike it, but I'll take it for home bug in any day. |
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When we were without power for a week after Hurricane Sandy, we cooked foir the whole extended family on a butane stove. They are rated for indoor use (which most camp stoves are not). They are cheap and available along with the fuel at most Asian supermarket. My wife, a nonprepper was so impressed that she had me buy a second to be able to cook 2 things at the same time. Super easy to use too.
Butane stove 
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I saw this system demonstrated on TV the other night.
Interesting possibilities with "dual fuel!" Cancooker multi fuel cooktop Attached File |
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I would stay away from those cheap little butane stoves. My dad has had a couple of those and each one was a disaster waiting to happen. I kid you not, he was cooking steaks in a frying pan on his boat with one of those things and it blew up and shot overboard leaving just the frying pan sitting right there.
If you are bugging in it seems silly to be looking at little backpacking stoves. I'd be looking at some kind of little propane burner that you can hook up to a bbq sized tank. Or get a gas range... A BBQ is a very versatile cooking device and some have burners as well. You can even bake in a BBQ. Of course the smell of BBQ steaks might not be quite covert.. |
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If they are near North Dallas, put them in touch with me if you want. I have about 20 Coleman 2 and 3 burner stoves and about a dozen single burner Colemans. I pick them up cheap at estate sales and thrift shops and could probably part with one for my costs.
I have canister stoves which work fine, and we generally don't get super cold weather here near Dallas so their issues of not working when it is super cold probably wouldn't apply here. Even so, I prefer the Colemans. |
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if you get a multi fuel Coleman (for Coleman fuel and unleaded gasoline) camp stove, and then a propane adapter (for #1 canisters) you have a pretty good start...I had switched to all propane many years ago for my hurricane cooking, but a year or so ago added a single burner Coleman multi fuel just in case... for the 2004 9day outage, though, most of my cooking was done on a small tailgate type grill using bamboo skewers and traditional grilling to cut down on hot water needed for cleaning dishes...
this worked a lot better than I had hoped... I have a 20# bottle hooked up with a hose + adapter to fill the 1# bottles 
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Quoted:
Any two or three burner Coleman stove can be had for peanuts. A vintage Coleman will need a little cleaning, a new gas cap gasket, and a little oil on the pump leather. Recommended spare parts are a generator. The old school Colemans are indestructible. Wouldn't want to hike it, but I'll take it for home bug in any day. You can also get a propane kit for them. It is a tube that goes in place of the gas generator and fuel tank and you screw a propane bottle to it. Installation is the same as using the tank and generator setup so you can easily switch back and forth from propane to white gas. Already answered one post above. |
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Given OP's original question, I suggest going to Miles Stair, and looking at the Butterfly #2412 pressure Kero stove. Same indoor-safe fuel as for many lamps and heaters. Kero is relatively safe to store compared to gasoline, and lasts forever. Possibly OP could use diesel fuel for stove/lamps/heaters, and kero for diesel genny.
If you haven't done so already, Please DO have a look at the site linked above. TONS of good info there about stoves, lamps, and heaters. I believe it is a Must-Read for any prepper. ETA: I have, or have used almost all the stoves mentioned in OP's post, and others as well. Given his diesel Genny rig, I would definitely go with some sort of Kero-fueled stove, as the fuels are almost identical, and easily and safely stored in bulk. The camping-type stoves are highly questionable for indoor use, as they emit toxic CO gas. They have their place, but not, I think, indoors. Propane fueled stoves are easy to use, but Propane does NOT like cold temps, and so the camping stoves using gas canisters (as opposed to liquid fuels) which employ a different, and more expensive blend of fuel that will work at lower temps than will simple propane. I cannot recommend Propane-fueled stoves if very cold temps are to be encountered. Note that I did not say expected. Prepping is all about the unexpected.  Again, take a look at Miles Stairs site. It's a virtual gold mine of info about stoves, lamps, and heaters. |
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What about upgrading the kitchen stove and oven to natural gas? We did that here and my wife loves it. Much nicer to cook on and the stove will work with zero power as money as you match light it. The oven requires power for the computer regulated valves but it's only a little. An inverter or small generator could easily run it.
It's a prep that is a part of everyday living so it's almost seamless. |
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Coleman stoves can be found pretty cheap at flea markets.Over the years I've bought 3 and didn't pay more than $15 dollars
for any of them 2 just needed cleaning and the other needed a new generator.I gave each of my 2 kids one when they moved out on their own along with lanterns so they had light and food in an emergency. |
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If something were to happen, she'd be "bugging in" at their home outside of Dallas. So, what are your thoughts? Thanks! if looking at natural disaster, get a 100lb propane canister, 25' hose, a coleman stove- done don't dick around with lightweight camping crap when at home unless you have to. a Coleman stove and gas grill will get you through any disaster. Hell its get a lot of people through normal life. ETA all the people recommending fancy camping/one off brands are forgetting how much pita it can be to get parts. You can find coleman parts at local stores as well as nearly any mobile home/camper supply place. |
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I saw this system demonstrated on TV the other night. Interesting possibilities with "dual fuel!" Cancooker multi fuel cooktop http://AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/220317/WebGraphic-MultiFuel2--47411-97865.JPG butane doesn't work worth a damn in the cold, better off with a strait propane stove like this 
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I saw this system demonstrated on TV the other night. Interesting possibilities with "dual fuel!" Cancooker multi fuel cooktop http://AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/220317/WebGraphic-MultiFuel2--47411-97865.JPG Interesting. Amazon has them for $20 less. Â My parents use a regular butane burner for power-out situations at their farm house. (There is a wood stove useful for some kinds of cooking too.) |
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I would stay away from those cheap little butane stoves. My dad has had a couple of those and each one was a disaster waiting to happen. I kid you not, he was cooking steaks in a frying pan on his boat with one of those things and it blew up and shot overboard leaving just the frying pan sitting right there. They have pan size restrictions to prevent overheating. Says so right in the instructions. (Odd place for that I know). Most of the good ones have a couple different safety devices thermocouples, etc. And the good fuel has a vent function if the can expands due to heat. You get a jet of flame but no exploding cylinder. We have two with about 20 fuel cans each. |
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if looking at natural disaster, get a 100lb propane canister, 25' hose, a coleman stove- done don't dick around with lightweight camping crap when at home unless you have to. a Coleman stove and gas grill will get you through any disaster. Hell its get a lot of people through normal life. ETA all the people recommending fancy camping/one off brands are forgetting how much pita it can be to get parts. You can find coleman parts at local stores as well as nearly any mobile home/camper supply place. My thoughts exactly. If transporting the thing around is not an issue, I'd go Coleman stove and large propane tank. Propane stores forever. Another thing I have used when camping and it's a little different is a Turkey Fryer/Fish Cooker. I made an expanded metal grill for mine to cook directly over the flames and a large cast iron pan makes a hell of a griddle on one....Single fuel source, propane, but if you have a 100 lb tank on hand- you're going to be cooking in a pit in the front yard with the contents of the neighbors home for fuel after you run out of propane...it goes on that long and we're Medieval again....... |
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Short Term: Coleman propane stove Long Term: Kelly Kettle I also have the understanding that I will be doing any cooking (assuming electricity is out) outdoors so as to prevent a house fire. Rocket stove. Gives you so many more options than just boiling water essentially..... Heck, I cook bacon and eggs on mine about once a month in the back yard just to do it. I grab up all the bark and twigs in the yard and have at it. Works great. |
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Rocket stove. Gives you so many more options than just boiling water essentially..... Heck, I cook bacon and eggs on mine about once a month in the back yard just to do it. I grab up all the bark and twigs in the yard and have at it. Works great. Quoted:
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Short Term: Coleman propane stove Long Term: Kelly Kettle I also have the understanding that I will be doing any cooking (assuming electricity is out) outdoors so as to prevent a house fire. Rocket stove. Gives you so many more options than just boiling water essentially..... Heck, I cook bacon and eggs on mine about once a month in the back yard just to do it. I grab up all the bark and twigs in the yard and have at it. Works great. Some of the newer attachments for the KK have made it much more useful than it used to be. I've done several pretty good meals on mine. Pine cones work pretty good with the enormous pine tree we have in our yard. |
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Do they have a gas grill? Just asking. Because when we moved back here we had no stove for about three weeks. Did all the cooking on the grill.
Mostly on the side burner! Now they have that hybrid grill. Half is gas, the other half is charcoal/wood! I'm looking to get one of them! Just my 1/2 cent worth!!! PITA45 
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Coleman stove for the win! Two gallons of sealed Coleman fuel will solve any bug in issue she will face and they are stupid simple to use. I have a multi fuel gasoline/Coleman fuel version that I break out and cook on outside just to do it.
For buggin in, it can't be beat. |
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What about upgrading the kitchen stove and oven to natural gas? We did that here and my wife loves it. Much nicer to cook on and the stove will work with zero power as money as you match light it. The oven requires power for the computer regulated valves but it's only a little. An inverter or small generator could easily run it. It's a prep that is a part of everyday living so it's almost seamless. Most natural gas gets to homes via electric pumping stations so if its more than a local issue you will be SOL. I like the coleman single burner duel fuel camp stove personally but my best friend picked up a used full size propane kitchen stove and has it connected to 20 gal propane tank in his garage. He is a city boy through and through and i'm old backpacking outfitter so it's all prospective. ETA our power goes out all the time at the ranch and for our day to day needs we crank up one of the honda 2000s and make coffee and breakfast on a hotplate etc. It may be the best way duo to all the things the generator can power. |
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I've been a whisperlight user for about 15 years now, it's a great stove. I found it's not a great backpacking stove most of the time though. It's a lot of stove to take when most of the time you are boiling 2 cups of water at a time-burns a lot of fuel for that kind of work. I would imagine as a bug in stove it would be a lot the same but having the ability to run light (gas) or heavy (kerosene) based fuels gives it a huge advantage over stoves that burn only one type or worse yet, those propane or butane stoves. In a SHTF, you use whatever fuel you can find-diesel stores forever with a mold preservative in it and is cheap.
Speaking of multifuel stoves, I don't have any experience with them, but a Petromax stove or lamp with stove attachment might be worth your time to look into. You can get a heater to for them as well. |
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When we were without power for a week after Hurricane Sandy, we cooked foir the whole extended family on a butane stove. They are rated for indoor use (which most camp stoves are not). They are cheap and available along with the fuel at most Asian supermarket. My wife, a nonprepper was so impressed that she had me buy a second to be able to cook 2 things at the same time. Super easy to use too. Butane stove https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511tmgfr1ML._SY300_.jpg I also have a butane powered Coleman stove as a primary stove when there is no power, and I have an adapter to a one of those conventional BBQ butane tanks. That can last a long time if you are bugging in. As a backup, I also a multi-fuel Dragonfly that I use with camping gasoline. I would avoid using automotive fuel if possible, because that stuff doesn't burn all that clean, and could clog the jet. Camping gasoline is not really gasoline per se, it is naptha. This is incase I have to evacuate you can more or less carry it, since it was designed for camping. |
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When we were without power for a week after Hurricane Sandy, we cooked foir the whole extended family on a butane stove. They are rated for indoor use (which most camp stoves are not). They are cheap and available along with the fuel at most Asian supermarket. My wife, a nonprepper was so impressed that she had me buy a second to be able to cook 2 things at the same time. Super easy to use too. Butane stove https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511tmgfr1ML._SY300_.jpg These are not big in America but are very popular in the rest of the world |
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Something else to consider if you have backup power: "Smokeless indoor bbq grill" from Philips
I saw one of these on clearance at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The only drawback is that it can draw up to 1660W. Yikes. But, if you have a whole-house standby generator or even a big portable, this would be very cool to not have to leave the house to grill a steak. 
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Something else to consider if you have backup power: "Smokeless indoor bbq grill" from Philips I saw one of these on clearance at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The only drawback is that it can draw up to 1660W. Yikes. But, if you have a whole-house standby generator or even a big portable, this would be very cool to not have to leave the house to grill a steak. I got one of theses for my youngest to grill out on his balconey in college and ended up with it and use it all the time its great. 
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At home?
Wood powered fire pit outside in the yard or one of many available propane options. The green 1LB canisters are dirt cheap compared to other "backpacking" or camping methods. Even cheaper would be your standard grill/ BBQ style propane tank using the side burner, like suggested prior. I have or have had a variety of alcohol stoves, butane stoves, white gas, and propane/ butane canister stoves... They all work great for hiking or camping or in a pinch but much cheaper methods can be used at home such as propane options. JMHO. |
| Have you considered the Volcano Grill? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWfyDSmoBMg |
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Hey Will,
How about a couple of pics of the Grill/Grate you made for your fish cooker. I used my fish cooker a for couple of days on the screen porch during a power outage to heat water for bathing ,and cooked on gas grill side burner. My new gas grill does not have a regular side burner, but a newfangled sear burner that is not adjustable. |
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I keep a $20 propane, single burner stove from Walmart, for backup emergency use. It runs off 1 lbs propane bottles. It's simple and works well. Propane bottles can be bought just about anywhere and they store well.
I could buy a fancy kerosene cook stove but why waste money for something that will be used very little. Whatever you get, make sure it can be used indoors. Many camping type stoves put out too much CO and should not be used indoors. Usually propane and kerosene stoves can be used indoors with some ventilation. Also, it might be a good idea to install a CO detector/alarm if you have any fuel burning appliances in the house. |
| Teach her to how dig a dakota fire pit, and how to start a fire when its raining.... You don't need a stove, you need a fire, and the ability to create fire under any circumstance... A stove is a nice, but long term situations, fuel will run out.... Then what? might as well start preparing for that right from the get go and have that training to lean on. If you must have a "stove" or something packable I suggest you look into something like the emberlit stove, or a wood burner... Wood is free, and will be around a long time after the fuel runs out... However, if this is simply for camping, or 2-3 day power outages any of the stoves you listed will fit the bill for a short span... |
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Check into the Butterfly kerosene stoves. These are the primary means of cooking for many in India and other parts of Asia. Kerosene is super safe to store and has a really long shelf life. +1 on this. I have their stove and oven for it and they work really well. You can use them indoors also. Here is a link to the first company that came up on a search for it. I have no affiliation with this company at all. Butterfly stoves for sale |
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Any two or three burner Coleman stove can be had for peanuts. A vintage Coleman will need a little cleaning, a new gas cap gasket, and a little oil on the pump leather. Recommended spare parts are a generator. The old school Colemans are indestructible. Wouldn't want to hike it, but I'll take it for home bug in any day. This. No need to be packackable for bugging in at home. The Coleman's run just fine on gasoline as well, just wouldn't want to store one away full of gasoline. I have cooked everything you could imagine on them, up to and including a birthday cake. Once you use one a time or two they are almost as easy as the house range. I must admit, I do have a propane dual burner as well. While the wife unit doesn't mind cooking on either, she isn't crazy about pumping up the Coleman. |
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When we were without power for a week after Hurricane Sandy, we cooked foir the whole extended family on a butane stove. They are rated for indoor use (which most camp stoves are not). They are cheap and available along with the fuel at most Asian supermarket. My wife, a nonprepper was so impressed that she had me buy a second to be able to cook 2 things at the same time. Super easy to use too. Butane stove https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511tmgfr1ML._SY300_.jpg Quoted:
When we were without power for a week after Hurricane Sandy, we cooked foir the whole extended family on a butane stove. They are rated for indoor use (which most camp stoves are not). They are cheap and available along with the fuel at most Asian supermarket. My wife, a nonprepper was so impressed that she had me buy a second to be able to cook 2 things at the same time. Super easy to use too. Butane stove https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511tmgfr1ML._SY300_.jpg These stoves are pretty nice. I have some other grills and stoves available to me, but most often pull out my butane stove because it's convenient, easy, and effective. Quoted:
butane doesn't work worth a damn in the cold, better off with a strait propane stove IDK how cold you're talking about. Mine's never missed a single beat, although I've never tried it below 0F. |
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I did a review of a Butterfly kero stove a while back that some posts above mentioned, or is similar to. Used a lot in Philippines and similar places. It's archived so pics probably won't show up:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/678909_Quick_review_of_Butterfly_2487_Kerosene_Stove__w_pics.html&page=1 |