I just need to boil water for coffee, what stove?

D

Deleted member 96197

Guest
I swear by MSR, I know Jet Boil makes some nice stuff, but MSR is the industry standard for a reason, I recently passed down my old whisper lite, nearly 20 years old and with a rebuild kit it was like new again. Now I carry two options, I generally bring both with me, but depending on what I'm doing I might only bring one. First the aforementioned pocket rocket, this thing is my go to more than 80% of the time, it's great, especially with a wind sheild. Then if i have to step up, I have the XGK, this thing is a powerhouse, it puts off some serious heat and works everywhere, and runs on anything. It has never let me down, from burning white gas in yosemite valley to burning jet fuel high in the mountains of afghanistan, it has proven it's purchase price is worth it many times over.

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/rapid-cooking/xgk-ex/product

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/rapid-cooking/pocketrocket/product#
 

madmax718

Explorer
Im a bit of a stove lover, so I have many many stoves. You can't go wrong with any of these. However, there's a few things of importance:

Jetboil, MSR wind burner, any of those cartridge style are compact and easy to use. however cartridges are expensive for the amount of water they heat. While the jetboil and the MSR with the fins and rings are more efficient, the cost difference can be quite large, and will take in the neighborhood of 15-30 cans of fuel to recover the difference in their price (such as a pocket rocket (30-40 dollars) (basic, no frills, add a cup/pot for 5-10 dollars) vs the cheapest jetboil (about 80 dollars, comes with a cup)there's still a 30 dollars difference there, which is about 5 230gr cartridges.

Every single one I found in the U.S. has been a blend- either a tri blend or a dual blend (blend of propane/butane, usually coleman brand) or the tri blend (usually the Jetboil/msr/primus/snowpeak brand)

If you google a guy, "hiking jim" he does a lot of stove reviews, as well as how long it takes to boil water for each stove type, and how efficient each one is.

I have the original reactor- when I wen't backpacking, morning temps were in the low 30's (we had snow on the ground overnight). The Jetboil was sputtering and took forever to boil water- I ended up boiling over 2.5 liters of water before the jetboil had even boiled water. Sure, there are ways you can coax it (heat up the cartridge, put it in a pan of water, etc), but the Reactor is the pinnacle of fuel cartridge technology in my opinion, without going to the inverted setups. That I have not personally tried, but I hear they go down way lower in operating environments.

Reactor however, sucks at simmering. I hear the windburner is much better.

However, my most used setup is the snow peak giga. It packs into my titanium cup, with a smaller 110 cartridge. its tiny, portable, and flexible. I can easily clean and wash my cup. I can put it on the fire, I can rinse it, scrub it, its titanium. I've used this thing quite a bit, even when just road tripping locally. Find a rest stop with a picnic table, and in a few minutes, I have boiling water.


I boil water in the morning for coffee, and put it in its own thermos. If I finish and want more, I'll boil more.
 

photo nomad

Adventurer
Another vote for the MSR Reactor. It doesn't care about elevation, wind, temperature. Most efficient stove I've ever used. Plus get the French press attachment and it makes a great cup of coffee!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Pilat

Tossing ewoks on Titan
Can you get a winter mix in the cheap style butane cans?

I don't know what you mean by "cheap style" - it needs to have a thread for screwing on the burner. Anyway, I recently purchased a cheap cartridge from Weber (the BBQ people) from a local shop, and that particular one was a mix between butan and propane. It wasn't called "winter mix", but it was a mix. Look for threaded gas cartridges in your local garden/DIY shop, they may carry it if they're carrying barbecues and so on.

Note that it will always be cheapest to buy the large cartridges (tubby pint sized), rather than the smaller ones you can get.
 

Pilat

Tossing ewoks on Titan
Oh, while I remember to say it, also buy one of these:

http://www.jetboil.com/Accessories/CrunchIt/

You screw it on the cartridge when it is "empty", puncture the thing (do it more than one place), and you can then throw the cartridge in the garbage bin or recycle bin.

The orange sticker is easily peeled off if you don't like to look at it, lol.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
I don't know what you mean by "cheap style" - it needs to have a thread for screwing on the burner. Anyway, I recently purchased a cheap cartridge from Weber (the BBQ people) from a local shop, and that particular one was a mix between butan and propane. It wasn't called "winter mix", but it was a mix. Look for threaded gas cartridges in your local garden/DIY shop, they may carry it if they're carrying barbecues and so on.

Note that it will always be cheapest to buy the large cartridges (tubby pint sized), rather than the smaller ones you can get.

What I mean by cheap one, is the one that goes into the side of the butane stoves. NON threaded, got the little tab on the rim of the can. locks into place with a lever..
 

Pilat

Tossing ewoks on Titan
What I mean by cheap one, is the one that goes into the side of the butane stoves. NON threaded, got the little tab on the rim of the can. locks into place with a lever..


No, the non-threaded won't work. But you can get an adaptor if you want to fiddle with that kind of stuff.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
I have a stove that uses the non threaded ones, but from what I have been reading, they drop off quickly after the temps drop, so I was wondering if they made the non threaded ones in a winter blend...
 

Pilat

Tossing ewoks on Titan
Ah, I see. I would assume they do, as those cartridges are also used for outdoor work.

Edit: Here are some:

https://www.google.dk/search?q=buta...ved=0ahUKEwjolo6zna3OAhVGiiwKHeImCzMQ_AUIBigB

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camping-Ga...470501383&sr=8-34&keywords=Butane+Propane+Mix

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Campingaz-...470501356&sr=8-31&keywords=Butane+Propane+Mix

However, there's a reason they're not used that much anymore - it's much safer using something with a lindal valve. It also means you can screw it off when packing it down.
 

Madbodhi

Observer
Kelly Kettle. Some twigs or pinecones is all you need. Will last forever.


My coffee making set up. Lodge Hibachi and GSI 14 cup percolator.


I also have an alternate if I don't want to take the time or for winter camping.

Stands up for warming up yourself,your tent, thawing gelled diesel fuel lines,whatever. Flip it on its back for cooking. Haven't used ours yet but my 14 cup percolator fits perfectly on it with room to spare.
 

Kmrtnsn

Explorer
Love that Lodge Hibatchi, gotta get one of those. Stanley PMI has a couple of new coffee pots now to go with their small stainless steel cook kits.
stanley-adventure-cook-brew-set-32oz-stainless.PT02.jpg

stanley-adventure-percolator-camping-coffee-maker-6-cup-1-1qt-stainless.PT03.jpg
 

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