Camping stoves.

[Medic82]

OK, so what kind of camping stoves do you use and what type of fuel does it use? I myself use an Optimus 111 that runs on paraffin or F34 that is a paraffin/diesel mix that the military use

[Turnstone]

I have a simple Primus stove, similar to the Mimer, but an older model. It runs with butane/propane gas cartridges. It's OK for cooking anything that needs a lot of power (like pasta or cooking water for tea or coffee), but you cannot regulate it very good. Full power or nothing  

I have a simple small Esbit cooker, too. Great as a backup or on day walks, for a cup of tea or those soups where you just have to add cooking water. It fits in a 500ml cup that I use as a pot on it. I know that it is not very effective, but I like it.

I would love to have something like the Primus OmniFuel, but I don't really need it, but it's much too expensive to buy it just for fun 

I have used a Trangia stove for a while, loved it, too. Not very fast, but simple and a great system.

[Benner]

I have a Jetboil and I am well chuffed with it.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Just an old meths burning Trangia

[Gareth]

Another meths Trangia here as well, a 27-2UL IIRC.

[nuphoria]

Little hexamine stove and a cheap mini pan set in the emergency kit bag

[Shorty66]

I use the MSR Reactor

But the Optimus 111 is a really cool stove 

[NutSAK]

MSR Whisperlite Internationale

I use white gas mostly, but it will run on unleaded gas (petrol) just fine.  I'm not a fan of canister-type stoves.  I want to be able to find fuel just about anywhere.

[Pacu]

1990's Coleman Peak One

Used extensively when i was in scouts..rockie mountains, philmont, canoe basecamp, 50 milers, and rayado. It's seen better days but still just as reliable. Multifuel..white gas works best..can use unleaded in a pinch

[specgrade]

 Rock circle and a bag of Matchlight.

[NutSAK]

Rock circle and a bag of Matchlight.

Good point. 

I use the MSR whisperlite for hiking/camping trips.  I use a large, two-burner Coleman stove from the '60s when car camping, along with some charcoal.   

[Millhouse]

I have 2 MSR gas stoves, the Pocket Rocket and the Wind Pro.

[cerbera147]

I have 2 MSR gas stoves, the Pocket Rocket and the Wind Pro.

Do you recommend the Pocket Rocket? I had a feel of it in Cotswold's; it folds up so small

Is it worth the money or are there cheaper alternatives?

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

I just got an Evernew Ti burner with the cross stand

The burner is a bit pricey, but the cross stand also fits the Trangia burner for a less expensive alternative.

[Millhouse]

I have 2 MSR gas stoves, the Pocket Rocket and the Wind Pro.

Do you recommend the Pocket Rocket? I had a feel of it in Cotswold's; it folds up so small

Is it worth the money or are there cheaper alternatives?

The Pocket Rocket is a great little stove, but it does have its limitations.

Pros
Small size
Very potent - boils water quickly
well built

Cons
Needs still conditions unless you can rig a wind shield
like any cannister mounted stove, unstable on uneven terrain
Small pan supports limits size of pans.

Whilst there are cheaper alternatives to the Pocket Rocket, I felt the build quality was worth the extra. Gelert do an exact clone of this stove for about half the price, but I don't know what the quality is like.

I use mine with a Trangia kettle. Perfect for making a brew for 2.

[cerbera147]

Thanks for this 

Did a search for Gelert's version. It's called the Gelert Intensity Lightweight Stove and is priced in and around £15
Gelert       MSR

Also found a handy comparison of the two. The Gelert gets the thumbs up so I'll definitely take a look for this one 
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42011&s=d319a00171843b9a53567cba1f3be114

[Millhouse]

If you get one, I'll be interested in how you find it.

[Medic82]

If I am going on a long hike I prefer to use paraffin since I have experienced that butane/propane stoves can fail when it’s really cold. But I am going to buy a pocket rocket to be used on day hikes since the Optimus is just a tad too big.

[NutSAK]

If I am going on a long hike I prefer to use paraffin since I have experienced that butane/propane stoves can fail when it’s really cold. But I am going to buy a pocket rocket to be used on day hikes since the Optimus is just a tad too big.

When you say paraffin, are you referring to paraffinic naphtha?

[Medic82]

If I am going on a long hike I prefer to use paraffin since I have experienced that butane/propane stoves can fail when it’s really cold. But I am going to buy a pocket rocket to be used on day hikes since the Optimus is just a tad too big.

When you say paraffin, are you referring to paraffinic naphtha?

Yes, naphta hydreated light.

[NutSAK]

Got 'ya.  I kept getting confused with the parrafin term since I'm used to calling it white gas.  I had forgotten that naptha was parraffinnic.

[kinskibrain]

If I'm on my own for a day or two I often take my Primus Express gas stove which is very portable and lightweight.

When with my girlfriend or on longer hikes I use the hard anodized Trangia 25 with spirit burner as I quite enjoy cooking proper food when I'm out and nothing beats a Trangia 25 for proper cooking. The spirit burner is silent and fool proof as opposed to the jet fighter noise from the gas burner.

[Gareth]

While I do still love my Trangia, the last couple of times I've been out I've used this little guy.

http://www.vango.co.uk/accessories/compact-gas-stove.html

[AimlessWanderer]

Missed this thread first time round. I'm a big Jetboil fan and have the canister stabiliser and pot stand which makes it a very versatile piece of kit.

Other favourites include military trangia, and of course the wonderful Kelly Kettle

[P35]

Just an old meths burning Trangia

I burn denatured alcohol in mine, works great, unused fuel stores in stove

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

Ive been experimenting a lot with steam baking in a teakettle lately...using a Trangia.

Cornbread...Cheddar and fresh Jalepeno in a Buttermilk Biscuit...and a Sausage Biscuit

[jzmtl]

I have the MSR pocket rocket, don't like it very much, wish I had gotten the snowpeak gigapower instead. The pot support on MSR is slippery, strong wind will make pot start sliding, almost lost a lunch that way. The snow peak is a lot more compact and sits lower.

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

I have the Snow Peak Giga and the four-prong pot support was one reason I chose it over the Pocket Rocket...the other reason was that it had an accessory windscreen. One solution that helps with slippery pots is to paint the bottom with high-temp stove/BBQ paint.

I recently discovered the Snow Peak windscreen will nest perfectly on top of a Brunton IB cookset. It can also be stowed on top of the cup/bowl of a GSI Ketalist.

[cerbera147]

I've got a few cooking options.

• Vango Gas Stove [similiar to Pocket Rocket]
• Trangia 27 with kettle and non stick pan
• Couple of Hexi Stoves
• A Crusader Cookset

The Vango for lightweight on the move stuff and the Trangia for when we camp I got gas can stabiliser feet for the Vango. They just attach to the bottom and work a treat 

Love the thought of the Jetboil but just too pricey as an upgrade 

[AimlessWanderer]

Love the thought of the Jetboil but just too pricey as an upgrade 

I thought that before I took the plunge too. They're not cheap but you do get a pot, cup, and cosy thrown in as well as the stove  That cosy really works quite well too. It lives in the boot of the car when I'm not hiking/camping and it's come in handy a few times. Being able to "carefully" hold it in your hand while you use it when there's no even ground has been useful too. I've not bothered with that suspension kit though