Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Old Svea 123
Who makes the very best white gas stoves and lanterns?
- Thread starter chris snell
- Start date
OP, glad you found a deal on the awesome stove. I use newer dual fuel coleman stove and lantern myself. The ability to use gasoline appeals to me. When I have it I use white gas but sometimes I like to go camping on a moments notice. There have been times when I run out of white gas and the last time I bought some I almost fell over 'cause of the price. I would have my father's old one (60s) but lost it in a house fire in the 90's and I lost my "newer" stuff in my last divorce. Anyway, I have no complaints on the lantern. On the other hand, the stove has one burner that does not keep up with the other.
MisterTinkle
Adventurer
Old Svea 123
Excellent choice! My Svea still roars!!
I was given a late 70s coleman white gas dual burner stove. It was in the original packaging and had only been used a couple of times ever. I put gas in, pumped it up and it lit. Been using it for years, it is super reliable. I bought the propane conversion for it, and use that on occasion but overall I could not be happier with my free stove. Garage sales are a great source for them.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
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I had a similar experience last year. I bought a 508 Single Burner stove in 1989 and used it on and off for years. Last time I used it was in 2002. It was then put away. Following that I deployed overseas (stuff went into storage), came back and moved to an apartment, deployed overseas again (stuff went back into storage) came back and moved into a different apartment, graduated school and moved, moved again, moved again, moved a 3rd time, got married and got a house. After all that I had assumed I lost the little stove somewhere along the way, but digging through my hunting gear last year I found it, still in its little case, still with the fuel from 2002 in it.
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Pumped it up, held a match to the burner and it lit right up. After 11 years, and most of that time in non-climate-controlled storage. I was impressed.
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Don't pay more than $25 for a decent used "suitcase" stove. They are as common as weeds and can often be purchased at a yard sale or thrift store for $10. Or if you just let your friends and co-workers know you are looking for an old Coleman stove, I'll bet within a month somebody will give you one just so they can get rid of it.
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As far as leaks: I did have a leaking problem with an old 413 stove I bought on CL. Stank to high heaven, too (that coleman fuel is nasty smelling stuff.) But they are super easy to work on and the parts are available. There's a huge collecting community out there and an almost infinite variety of configurations, particularly when you are talking about lanterns.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
You're telling me!
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This was the "light up" at the Walk the Winds Teardrop Trailer gathering in Wyoming in August.
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My modest contribution.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
.Great pic Martin. Black dot Sears and a black band! Good stuff.
Do the Teardroppers also cook on white gas, or is propane more the norm?
I'd say propane is more the norm for cooking (especially for those with "manufactured trailers" because they usually include a spot on the tongue for a propane tank.) The GPA (Gas Pressure Appliance) fanatics tend to be a small but fanatic sub-group.
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FWIW we cook on propane or on a wood fire. It's just easier and cleaner. When I'm by myself I prefer white gas but when camping with the tear it's propane for cooking and white gas for lanterns.
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Walk the Winds in Wyoming is the only gathering I've been to that features a "lighting of the lamps." This year (which is what I pictured) it was OK but last year it was amazing. There were probably 60 lantens all lit at sunset. Quite an impressive site.
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Anytime you want to get rid of one of them single-mantle blue/black Sears, hit me with a PM. I need that one to complete my blue/black Sears "collection." :sombrero:
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EDITED TO ADD: What, no mention of the Turd?
Laugh if you want to, it's one of my favorites. Lights up quick and bright as hell.
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precision powder
Backwoods Explorer
Bit late here but msr stoves are the best white gas stoves out there. Small, super light, very efficient, completely field serviceable and rebuildable, complete metal construction, all the new ones clean just with a simple shake, bullet proof build, excellent warranty. The dragonfly is easily the best stove they make and it runs off: white gas, unleaded gas, diesel, k1, jet fuel, and with a simple mod denatured alcohol. I
They are the go to stove for backpackers across the world, thats why I have 3
They are the go to stove for backpackers across the world, thats why I have 3
well, except for the pump. this is its weak point. Primus and Optimus edge out MSR IMO due to the fact their pumps are all metal construction as well. Don't get me wrong, MSRs are great stoves, their pumps just fall short of what they could be. At the end of the day as has already been stated, Coleman's are the absolute most reliable WG stoves there are and the easiest to service (though very rarely need it).
precision powder
Backwoods Explorer
They old pumps are bullet proof. Really though there is NO reason a pump should break. I have put my stoves through hell and back. You are doing something wrong if you manage to break a pump. The coleman stoves are huge and weigh so much. I cant justify the size and weight of those over a backpacking stove.
Is this a backpacking forum?
I love my Svea 123 and my Optimus 8R for their amazing simplicity/reliability. But they are one hit wonders. They boil water. About a liter at a time. They are too small to actually cook on for more than one or two people, but they are great for what they are.
For actually cooking dinner on an off-road trip, a Coleman stove is far better. There's more heat, it's much easier to control, and it isn't that different from cooking at home. Which opens up options for better meals and real cooking. Let's face it, if you're bringing a truck, even a small one like a Jeep, you have plenty of room for a Coleman stove.
A backpacking stove is great for backpacking, it's just very limiting.
JackW
Explorer
I've got a 1972 Coleman model 220F dual mantle lantern that's a little beat up but it still works like a champ - you can't kill it.
However I managed to snag a US Army issue Thermos brand Vietnam era single mantle lantern at a yard sale about two years ago that is a monster. It's OD and built like a tank. It's my new favorite lantern.
However I managed to snag a US Army issue Thermos brand Vietnam era single mantle lantern at a yard sale about two years ago that is a monster. It's OD and built like a tank. It's my new favorite lantern.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
That's why my nephew has my old Svea. I don't backpack anymore.