How to Choose a Backpacking Stove

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Choosing a Backpacking Stove

There is a huge market for backpacking, expedition and camping stoves these days, resulting in the availability of many products targeted at different consumers.  You can find many stove options suitable of various purposes, fuels, and pocketbooks.  These stoves range from classic designs modeled after ones our grandparents used to newer stoves genre incorporating cutting edge space age vaporization technology and special materials to make them lighter or perform better.  Each stove design has its own special features (e.g. white gas stoves work at subfreezing temperatures, butane stoves are as easy to use as a home gas range, alcohol stoves burn clean, hexamine stoves and fuel are ultra-light, wood stoves don't require packing in fuel, water activated cookers are relatively safe to use and solar stoves are pollution free).  And each stove design has its unique drawbacks (e.g. petrol stoves use caustic fuel, gas stoves must use prefilled canisters, alcohol stoves have poor efficiency, hexamine gets very expensive, wood blackens pots, water activated cookers are heavy, solar stoves are generally extremely slow to cook with).  This can make stove selection exciting and potentially a difficult endeavor since no one stove has it all, making stove selection a compromise rather than a hunt for the ultimate stove.

Faced with all of the stove choices out there these days, you may need to do a little research to narrow down which stove, or stoves, will best suit your particular needs.  Some of the factors to consider when selecting a backpacking stove include:

• fuel types used

• fuel availability

• weight and fuel efficiency

• speed of cooking

• cooking needs

• starting and long term costs

• cold weather performance

• ease of use

• safety and health concerns

• personal preference

• environmental/eco concerns

• ability to build stove at home or on the trail

• bottom line

Some backpackers may even find that they need to plan for different types of cooking systems for separate treks or multiple platforms on extended treks, should the main/preferred fuel type not be available on a leg of their journey.

Backpacking Stove Types

A good place to start is at covering the basic stove categories.  There are a just a few broad categories of fuels generally used in backpacking stoves, each with its own set of unique characteristics for storage and optimal use.  These fuel characteristics drive stove design, creating just a few general categories of stoves, principle based on what type of fuel they use.

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Petroleum Stoves (White Gas, Kerosene)

These are the standard for camp stoves but are generally considered too heavy and bulky for ultra-light hikers.  Commercial stoves are generally durable, heavy and work well at high altitudes and low temperatures.   The advantage of petrol fuels are they have good heat/weight ratio, are easily found and cheap.  The downside of petroleum fuels is that they can be very messy and dangerous. See Petrol Stoves for more information.  Homemade versions or modifications are not recommended due to the inherent catastrophic dangers associated with petroleum fuels.

 

Choose this stove if:

• you need to melt lots of snow in extreme sub-freezing temperatures

• you want easy to find fuel

• you like to cook your food hot and fast

 

Don't choose this stove if:

• the sound of a jet engine isn't appealing

• you are considering light weight backpacking

• you don't like performing maintenance or field repairs on a regular basis

• the smell of fuel on your fingers or gear makes you nauseous

• the possibility of severe burns or loss of facial hair is undesirable

 

 

 

Petrol Stoves

Mountain Safety Research - Seattle Company

Primus - Swedish Company

Hjemmelaget primus - homemade version of pressure jet stove

Burning Kerosene in Pea Soup Can - homemade version of wick type stove

 

 

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Liquefied Gas Stoves (Butane, Isobutane, Propane)

These stoves tend to burn clean but use expensive fuel stored in non-refillable metal canisters.  They are easy to adjust from a light simmer to a roaring fire.  High altitudes aren't an issue with liquefied gas stoves, but they may not work below freezing temperatures.  See Canister Stoves for more information.  Homemade versions or modifications are not recommended due to the inherent dangers associated with pressurized and explosive canister fuels.

 

Choose this stove if:

• you want a stove that works as well and as easily as the gas range you have at home

• you don't think fiddling/tinkering with gear is fun

• you want a system that burns clean

 

Avoid this stove if:

• are going on subfreezing treks (See Cold Weather Operation of Canister Stoves and Roger Caffin's Gas Stove FAQs for tricks to make this stove work in the cold)

• you need to purchase fuel as you travel across most countries (Europe excluded)

• you want cheep fuel

 

 

Canister Stoves

Mountain Safety Research - Seattle Company

Snow Peak GigaPower - Japanese Company that currently makes  the lightest canister stove and possibly the best cold weather fuel (for canister stoves).

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Alcohol Stoves (Alky, Meth, Spirit)

They come in many forms and are commonly homemade.  They tend to be slow to cook with and use up more fuel than other stoves.  Generally made of aluminum or tin cans, many weigh less than an ounce.  These may work poorly in the cold without an insulating platform and/or preheating.

 

Choose this stove if:

• you want ultralight

• easily obtainable fuel in North America is important

• you like to build your own gear

 

Avoid this stove if:

• you want adjustable or high heat output

• you need to cook a lot of food or melt snow

• cooking in the snow is important

 

 

Zen Alcohol Stoves - Many do it yourself stove types.

Cat Can Stove - Not too difficult to build.  Burns hot.

Brasslite - High quality.  Durable brass.  Heavier than other alchy stoves.  Expensive.  Built in pot stand.  Adjustable heat output.

Trangia stoves - Durable brass.  Stores fuel in stove.  Inefficient.  Heavy for a meth burner.  Inexpensive.

Pepsi Can Stove - Good for small pots.  Many simmer options.  A classic ultralight stove.

Tin Man's Pepsi Can Stove - Doesn't need a pot stand.  Can be purchased online.

Photon Stove - Burns hot.  Less wasted fuel.  Difficult to build.  Difficult to light (need primer pan).  Very difficult to simmer.

Penny Stove - An elegant setup that's easy to build.

Minibull Design - Well made commercial versions of DIY stoves.

 

 

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Chemical Solid Fuel Stoves (Hexy, Hexamine, Esbit, Triox, Fuel Tab)

These are simple, light and worth considering.  Many alcohol stove setups double as solid fuel burners and some hexamine (Esbit) setups may even burn better in comparison to other stoves when considering water boiled per ounce of fuel.  One drawback of hexamine is that it produces a noticeable odor and leaves sticky residue on pots.

 

Choose this stove if:

• getting water hot or to a boil is your idea of cooking

• you want the lightest system available

 

Avoid this stove if:

• finding fuel in small towns is important

• cooking options beyond slow are desired

• you want a cheap fuel

• having brown sticky residue on your pot irritates you to no end

 

 

Solid Fuel Burners - Simple to build burners.  Light.  Need pot stand.

2oz Esbit - Ultralightweight cook set for boiling water.  Efficient.  Fragile.

Howard's 1 oz. Esbit Stove - Simple.  Ultralight.

 

 

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Wood Stoves

These cook systems tend to be on the heavy and bulky side, but may make up for weight in that no fuel needs to be packed or purchased.  Just about any wood stove design should be far more efficient than using an open fire.  Expect to turn pots black with soot.

 

Choose this stove if:

• you like the smell of a wood fire

• wood is the only fuel available

• you put the "C" in Cheap

 

Avoid this stove if:

• blackening of your pots is unacceptable

• you want more cooking control

• wood isn't available or burning it is banned where you are going

• smelling like a forest fire is less than appealing

 

 

Wood Stoves - Simple to build burners.  Heavy and Bulky (compared to alcohol stoves).

Risk's Coffee Stove - A very simple design that works.

Sierra Zip Stoves - High quality but heavy battery operated enviro-friendly wood burner.

 

 

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Candle Stoves

Simple to make but can be sooty.  Wax has a lot of heat potential but is difficult to cook with, especially in windy areas.  Like other solid fuels, you don't have to worry about it leaking in your pack.  The advantage is that you might get a long burning night light with your stove.  Included in this group are stoves fueled by liquid candles, various oils, and lamp fuels.

 

Choose this stove if:

• you need a lantern and not a stove

• spilling fuel on your gear or hands drives you nuts

 

Avoid this stove if:

• you need to cook anything

• you are the practical type

 

 

Candle Stoves - Simple to make and use.

Nuwick - Commercial candle stove.  Comes in tin can.

 

 

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Solar Stoves

Depending on where you live in the world, you may be able to harness energy from the sun to cook your meal or heat up a brew.  These tend to be bulky and very slow at cooking.

 

Choose this stove if:

• you want to be the ultimate eco guy

• you want unlimited fuel

 

Avoid this stove if:

• you don't have all day to cook

• you live where there isn't any sun

 

 

Solar Stoves

CookSack 11.5oz inflatable stove

Backpack Cooker 14oz funnel stove

Solar Cooker Manufacturers

 

 

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Flameless Stoves (MRE Heater)

These tend to be bulky and/or slow.  They are generally safe to use and may be ideal for backpackers that shouldn't be near fire.

 

Choose this stove if:

• you don't want any flames

• you have a box of them in the basement

 

Avoid this stove if:

• you can't get a bunch for free

• being lightweight is important

• you want to cook your food

 

 

 

Flameless Stoves

Mountain House - Mountain Oven

Zestotherm - Military Flameless Ration Heaters

 

 

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Electric Stoves and Immersion Coils (Heating Coils, Heating Elements, Beverage Heater, Heating Rod, Coffee/Drink Heater)

If you are backpacking across the world and plan to spend some time in hotels, hostels and other places with electricity, and immersion coil is a must.  These little gadgets (around 3-4oz) allow you to boil water for tea, soup, and noodles and give you the option of self purifying water (the only kind you might be able to trust) and warm washes for you and your clothes.  Hot plates, electric kettles, etc are other options, but quickly add up in weight and bulk.

 

Most commercial immersion coils are made for 12, 24, 110 or 220 volts and in wattages from 120W to 2000W.  The greater the wattage, the faster the coil should heat up water or blow a fuse.  Coils made for 220V will work work with 110V, but may take up to four times as long to heat up water.  Coils with 12V car adapters are useful for travelers based out of their autos.

 

Choose this stove if:

• you sleep in hotels and hostels when you backpack

• your expedition/travels include living out of a car, van or 4x4

 

Avoid this stove if:

• you backpack where there isn't an electrical outlet

 

 

Lewis and Clark Travel Solutions - available at REI

Hobotraveler (Packing List page  2 and 3)

Chun Tai Electric Co., Ltd - Taiwan

 

 

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Calcium Carbide Stoves and Lanterns (Acetylene Stove/Lamp)

A chemical reaction between calcium carbide and water produces acetylene, calcium oxide and heat.  The acetylene is then burned for light and/or heat.  This very old technology is still a favorite among many cavers and newer head mounted lanterns are still produced today.  These setups may not be ideal for backpacking as the hard to find fuel must be kept dry to avoid igniting while in your pack and its byproducts include caustic calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) and calcium oxide (CaO aka Lime), chemicals you don't want in your pack.  This stove type is only mentioned for those seeking superfluous trivia, tinkers looking for a unique project and in the interest of being complete (at the expense of practicality).

 

Choose this stove if:

• you like to be very different

• you own one of the few portable carbide stoves left in existence and want to show it off

 

Avoid this stove if:

• practicality and/or safety are important to you

 

CaC₂ + H₂O →  C₂H₂ + CaO + heat

2C₂H₂ + 5O₂ →  4CO₂ + 2H₂O + heat

 

The Carbide Caver from National Speleological Society (with Inner Mountain Outfitters)

The Carbide Lamp FAQ - Australia

Caving Supplies - UK

Petzl -  Search for Aceto (lamp), Ariane (acetylene generator) and Explorer (helmet)

J K Dey & Sons

Lehman's

 

 

Stove Fuels

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Petroleum Fuels

Great heat to weight ratio.  Caustic fuel.  Generally burns hot and is unhindered by cold temperatures.  See Petrol Stove Fuels for more information. 

 

FYI - These fuels can't be safely used in an alcohol stove (it's already been tried).

 

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Liquefied Gas (Butane, Isobutane, Propane)

Liquefied gas boils/vaporizes at above freezing temperatures and makes stove operation simple and generally has the best heat to weight output.  Unfortunately, their boiling point ranges limit backpacking stove use in the subfreezing temperatures.  These tend to be expensive fuels that come packaged in a disposable metal canister.  See Canister Stove Fuels for more fuel information, as well as tricks on stove operation in subfreezing temperatures.

 

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Alcohol

These are very clean burning fuels that don't create a major health concern or hazard if spilled.  They have about half the heat potential per ounce of most petrol fuels and the weight of alcohol fuel will quickly add up if you are cooking many large meals or going on long trips without resupply.  See Alcohol Fuel Options for more information.

 

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Chemical Solid Fuels (Esbit, Hexamine, Triox)

These are simple and safe fuels to use and have low toxicity compared to petroleum fuels.  They burn slow and don't need a special stove to operate.  Often, these are only available through mail order or specialty shops, so can be hard to find if you plan to "shop as you go" thruhiking.  There are several solid fuels other than hexamine and trioxane that can be used to heat meals, but many carry along extra hazards such as severe toxicity and explosive potential (e.g. plastic explosive).  See Solid Fuels for more information.

 

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Wood

Wood varies in burnability, toxicity and availability.  It also provides a special ambiance to being in the outdoors.  See Wood Stove Fuels for more information.

 

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Paraffin and other Candle Waxes and Oils (not to be confused with Kerosene) Not recommended

Some waxes are worse for your lungs than others and they can vary a small amount in regards to burn time and heat output.  This is generally a slow fuel to cook with and can be very sooty.  Paraffin and other waxes and oils have a lot of heat potential per gram, but it is difficult to make a practical lightweight stove system with them.  See the Candle Stove Fuels for more information.

 

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Sun

The sun has a lot of heat potential, it is a giant nuclear explosion, and some of that heat can be directly used for cooking by concentrating and trapping it.  Solar radiation levels differ depending on where you are and when you are there.

 

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Water activated fuels

These do work, but can be hard to find.  They are simple and safe to use, if you are using foods packaged for their use.  Compared to all other stove fuels, these are heavy to start with, and produce a lot of waste that needs to be carried out.

 

There are several metals similar to magnesium that release larges amounts of heat when exposed to water.  These metals must be protected from moisture for obvious reasons and shouldn't be handled with bare hands.

 

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Calcium Carbide

This can be hard to find and you'll have to fabricate your own stove if you want to cook with it.  This fuel must be kept dry to avoid converting it to acetylene gas and/or turning your pack into a fireball.  You'll also need to pack out the byproducts of combustion, which can be quite caustic and heavy.  Waste products (CaO and Ca(OH)₂ ) will total between 87.5 and 115.6% (not including any water weight) of the start weight of your calcium carbide.

 

Make sure that when you purchase your calcium carbide, it is gray in color and hasn't turned into white dust.

 

 

Fuel Comparisons

The following data is intended to provide general figures for various fuels.  Many of these figures are debatable, but the range of differences are insignificant for backpacking stove performance purposes.  For information on international names fuels check out Mike Buckler's and MSR's list of international fuel names.

Fuel Availability

This can be a major determining factor in stove selection, depending on your location and needs.  A stove that you can't find fuel for is worthless for backpacking purposes and fuels that require mail order or long drives to a specialty store may not be practical for most outdoors people.  A heavier multifuel stove may be worth the extra weight since you have more fuel options to choose from and might be lighter and less of a hassle than carrying two different stove systems on a trip.

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Petrol

Kerosene is available in most parts of the world as are many other petrol fuels, making petrol multi fuel stoves a plus for international travelers or those in remote areas.

 

Petrol for autos isn't a recommended fuel, as it releases very deadly fumes when burned (especially fuels outside of the US and Europe), but like diesel, can be found almost world wide.

 

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Pressurized Petroleum Gas

Canister stoves - there are a couple of different canister designs and most stoves are made to use one particular type (see Canister Stoves for more info).  If you are traveling through Europe, you may need one or more adapter(s) to allow you to use fuels that might be available.  Availability varies - you can get fuel canisters in grocery stores in some countries, but not at all in many small towns in the US.

 

Propane can be found in some remote parts of the world, but you may need to bring your own refilling adapter and canister, is you want something that will fit in a backpack.

 

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Alcohol

Alcohol comes in many forms and can be found at gas stations and small towns in North America.  This, and the fact that many alcohol stoves weigh less than half an ounce, makes it the preferred fuel for thruhikers in the US.

 

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Hexamine

Hexamine is a great fuel, but it can be difficult to find and you may need to mail order it.

 

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Wood

The availability of burnable wood varies greatly from hike location to hike location.  Burning wood may also be illegal in some locations.  But where wood shortages are not a concern, you have the added bonus of unlimited hot tea and sterilized water without worrying about carrying extra fuel.  Melting unlimited amounts of snow may also be possible, but in areas where melting snow is important, all the usable wood might be buried deep beneath that snow.

 

In some parts of the world, wood or other bio mass may be the only available fuel.  Dung stoves aren't that uncommon in the 3rd world.

 

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Solar

Solar energy varies greatly not only by geographical location, but also by time of year and often on a daily or even hourly basis.  You can't cook in the dark with a solar stove, unless you burn it as fuel.

 

In remote desert locations, the sun may be the only available fuel.

Weight and Fuel Efficiency

Stove weight is a major consideration in selecting a stove, and there is a wide range of what is considered acceptable for backpacking and camping.  And just because a stove is marketed as a camp stove or portable, doesn't mean that it's made or acceptable for backpacking use.  A lot of "camping" involves driving to a campsite, unloading your SUV and hooking your stove to a large propane tank.  Here are some popular stoves and weights.

Petrol and wood stoves tend to be on the heavy side for backpacking stoves, while gas and alcohol stoves tend to be on the light side.  There are other very important factors to consider, such as weight of fuel container, repair kit, windscreen, pot stand, additional base or platform, protective container, etc.

Another very important factor in weight determination, which is often overlooked, is stove efficiency (defined here as heat output per oz of fuel).  A light weight but poorly efficient stove may loose its weight advantage over a heavier but more efficient stove on extended or large group trips.  A good example of this is a featherweight alcohol stove compared to heavy petrol stove.  By weight (as well as volume), the heat potential of the alcohols used for stoves is around half that of petrol fuels.  Factor in that some homemade alcohol stoves are poor performers and you end up with alcohol systems being heavier than petrol systems on longer treks.

To determining fuel efficiency, you will need to determine what type of cooking you are planning on doing, environmental factors, stove performance and length of your trip in order to calculate how much fuel you will use and how much you need to carry. 

The calculations below represent a rough comparison of stove performance and should only be used as a guide to determining what will work for your particular needs.  Do not use this chart for planning purposes for an extended alpine journey and return with a story of how the survivors stayed alive.  All figures used in these calculations are given below.  Feel free to download the Spreadsheet used for these calculations, scrutinize and plug in your own numbers.

Data plotted out to 160 meals to demonstrate general trends

The initial load of stove and fuel is one of the most used set of numbers of calculation purposes.  This is your maximum load and it should decrease after you start your journey and use up fuel and other expendables.  Initial load is important for planning purposes and bragging rights, whether it be extremely high or extremely low, but can be misleading as it may not reflect what you are carrying for the entire trip.

Note: For calculations purposes, fuel needed for one meal is equivalent to what is required to boil 16oz (US Pint or about 500ml) of water. 

The steps shown in the chart above (as well as the one below) reflect the addition of an additional fuel container or moving up to a larger sized one (petrol stove).

For petrol stove weight calculation, the lightest appropriate aluminum MSR bottle or bottle combination is used (i.e. 11oz for up to 11oz, then 22oz, then 33oz, then 33oz + 11oz, etc).  Bottle capacities are based on advertised fluid capacity with Coleman fuel (specific gravity 0.69).

The horizontal steps along the line plotted for gas stoves demonstrates how fuel determination is incremental, dependent on number of and/or canister size.  It is possible to use different canister sizes and partially used/emptied canisters to get a little bit closer to your needs, decreasing excess weight or days without hot meals.  For gas stove weight calculations a 110gm SnowPeak canister is used up to 16 meals, then 220gm canisters are used from that point on.  For calculation purposes, the weight of a canister is dropped when fuel runs out, simulating a hiker meeting a Buddhist monk who wants to use the empty canister for a small gong and the hiker giving it in trade for a bowl of lentils or perhaps some nice soup which isn't counted as a meal for graphing purposes but tastes better than the rehydrated freezer bag meals he packed.

For alcohol stoves, a plastic bottle is added for every 44 meals.  Weight of bottles are not dropped, and it is assumed that hikers who carry alcohol stoves don't litter and will pack empty bottles for the entire trek.

An extra container of tinder is added for every 28 days of wood burning.  For ease of calculations purposes, the weight of tinder remains constant.

Data plotted out to 160 meals to demonstrate general trends

Starting weight is only the beginning of determining how stove/fuel systems compare.  At the beginning of a trip, you have lots of fuel and if you plan well, you shouldn't have any extra fuel at the end of your trip (except what you may have added for emergencies).  A more accurate representation of trip load may be a daily average of what you are carrying.  Those starting on a heavy foot may finish a trip floating in the clouds, especially if they also ran out of of food and water early.

The plotted gas stove line can cause some confusion and may need some explaining.  Fuel packing is incremental, dependant of the number of canisters you decide to pack.  The large positive jumps represent the point at which you must add another canister, making the total average weight increase at that point.  The decreasing slope shows that the average daily weight actually decreases as you use more fuel.  Example - if a canister is good for 16 days, the average weight for a two day trip would be higher (you return with an almost full canister and stove) than with a 16 day trip (you come back with just the stove), and a 17 day trip would have a much higher daily average than either, as you would need a second or larger canister.

Note - fuel efficiencies are given as rough estimates and they can very drastically with various homemade systems and personal experience with these stoves.

Interpretation -

Based to the information presented here, there are a few trends that one should consider when determining what is "light weight." 

 

Since wood and solar stoves don't require packing in fuel, they are the lightest systems for treks with more than about a dozen meals. 

 

Hexamine systems remain lightweight even on extended trips. 

 

Alcohol stove systems are lighter than petrol and gas stove for treks with less than about 53 meals. 

 

The incremental nature of canister fuel for gas stoves makes weight determination difficult and you are likely to carry excess fuel.  Despite the heavy metal canisters required to transport these fuels, the fuel efficiency of these stoves make them lighter than alcohol systems on longer trips.  You would have to do a lot of cooking with large canisters (less percentage of dead weight than smaller canisters) to make this system lighter than hexamine.  

 

Petrol stove systems can be quite heavy.  The efficiency of petrol burning stoves enables them to be lighter weight than alcohol systems on treks with requiring more than around 80 meals.  The weight savings from using MSR titanium bottles over the aluminum ones hardly alters the petrol stove slope and is rather disappointing considering the cost of these gimmicks.

Weight Data

 

Fuel	Stove	Fuel container	Stove Weight	Fuel Container Weight	oz Fuel per US Pint Boiled
Petrol	MSR SimmerLite	11oz/22oz/33oz MSR bottle1	8.52	2.8/4.9/7.31	0.343
Gas	Snow Peak Titanium Giga Power	110gm/220gm SnowPeak	2.54	3/5 empty5 7/13 full5	0.226
Alcohol	Mini Sideburner	20oz PET Water Bottle	0.57	15	0.78
Hexamine	Esbit	Ziploc Bag	15	0	0.55
Wood	Titanium Nimblewill Nomad	Film Canister with Petroleum Jelly and Cottonballs	3.35	0.5	1+ (not carried)
Sun	CookSack	Sun (not carried)	4.39	0	0
weight in ounces 1  MSR listed weights and fluid capacities - fuel capacity based on Coleman Fuel (specific gravity 0.69) 2  MSR listed "minimum weight" 3  MSR lists 15.3 liter water boiled per 11oz fuel ~ 0.34oz fuel per US Pint 4  SnowPeak listed weight 5  In house data - rounded off a bit 6  REI Data - 7.7 liters water boiled per 100g fuel ~ 16.278 US Pints per 3.5274oz ~ 0.22oz fuel per US Pint 7  Actual weight - 0.2oz - rounded up to 0.5oz an acceptable weight for an alcohol stove 8  Rounded up a bit - 0.5-1.0oz fuel per US Pint boiled is a realistic range for alcohol stove efficiency 9  Stove system weight minus integral pot.

 

Stoves were selected on the basis of being amongst the lightest in their class.  Fuel usages are estimates.  Figures do not include weight of windscreen, lighter, ground reflector or pot.  All weights are in US ounces and as you can surmise from the "clean" figures, most are rough estimates.

 

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7 Meals

The following chart estimates total start weight and average weight of stove, fuel container and fuel needed to boil 7 pints.  This is enough water for one person on a seven day trek consuming one hot meal per day.

 

Stove	Fuel Used	Total Start Weight	Daily Average
MSR SimmerLite	2.4	13.68	12.5
Snow Peak Titanium Giga Power with 110gm Canister	1.5	9.5	8.7
Mini Sideburner	4.9	6.4	4.0
Esbit	3.5	4.5	2.8
Titanium Nimblewill Nomad	0	3.8	3.8
CookSack	0	4.3	4.3
weight in ounces

 

A full 110gm SnowPeak canister was used for canister stove calculations above.  All weights are in ounces.

 

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14 Meals

The following chart estimates total start weight and average weight of stove, fuel container and fuel needed to boil 14 pints.  This is enough water for one person on a fourteen day trek consuming one hot meal per day.

 

Stove	Fuel Used	Total Start Weight	Daily Average
MSR SimmerLite	4.76	16.1	13.7
Snow Peak Titanium Giga Power with 110gm Canister	3.08	9.5	8.0
Mini Sideburner	9.8	11.3	6.4
Esbit	7	8	4.5
Titanium Nimblewill Nomad	0	3.8	3.8
CookSack	0	4.3	4.3
weight in ounces

 

A full 220gm SnowPeak canister was used for canister stove calculations above.  All weights are in ounces.

 

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21 Meals

The following chart estimates total start weight and average weight of stove, fuel container and fuel needed to boil 21 pints.  This is enough water for one person on a twenty-one day trek consuming one hot meal per day.

 

Stove	Fuel Used	Total Start Weight	Daily Average
MSR SimmerLite	7.1	18.4	14.9
Snow Peak Titanium Giga Power with 220gm Canister	4.6	15.5	13.2
Mini Sideburner	14.7	16.2	8.9
Esbit	10.5	11.5	6.25
Titanium Nimblewill Nomad	0	3.8	3.8
CookSack	0	4.3	4.3
weight in ounces

 

 

A full 220gm SnowPeak canister was used for canister stove calculations above.  All weights are in ounces.

 

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28 Meals

The following chart estimates total start weight and average weight of stove, fuel container and fuel needed to boil 28 pints.  This is enough water for one person on a twenty-eight day trek consuming one hot meal per day.

 

Stove	Fuel Used	Total Start Weight	Daily Average
MSR SimmerLite	9.5	20.8	18.2
Snow Peak Titanium Giga Power with 220gm Canister	6.2	15.5	12.4
Mini Sideburner	19.6	21.1	11.3
Esbit	14	15	8
Titanium Nimblewill Nomad	0	3.8	3.8
CookSack	0	4.3	4.3
weight in ounces

 

A full 220gm SnowPeak canister was used for canister stove calculations above.  All weights are in ounces.

 

 

Cooking Speed

Cooking speed can be important in stove selection, but this shouldn't be a major concern unless you need to melt large amounts of snow or cook for a group of hungry folks.  The exception being that solar stoves can take an extremely long time (45 minute plus) to cook with.

If you have a cook-off between various stoves, don't forget to consider that running a stove with a higher max output doesn't necessarily translate to good fuel economy.  You might get water to boil faster but end up using twice the fuel to do so.

 

Stove	Fuel	Boil Time
Pressurized Jet Petrol Stove	Petrol	Fast
Gas Canister Stove	Gas	Fast
Alcohol stove	Alcohol	Slow to Moderate
Esbit	Hexamine	Slow
Wood	Wood	Slow
Solar	Sun	Extremely Slow to Slow

Cookability

For those wanting more than just hot water, flexibility in heat output may be essential.

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Petrol

Petrol stoves are usually good at high output and can cook food rather quickly, but many designs only allow you the option of high heat or off.  Some of the newer models have a fuel control valve set close to the stove and allow a cooking range from light heat to full blast.

 

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Pressurized Petroleum Gas

These tend to be as simple to use as a gas top range at home.  You can easily adjust the heat output from just about nothing to high.

 

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Alcohol

Most alcohol stoves have one output, which is usually lower than with the more traditional camp stoves.  Some allow for great simmering.  You can cook with these if you adjust your cooking style.

 

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Hexamine

You can add extra tabs or cut big ones into smaller ones, but that's about it for heat control.  A stove can be made with adjustable ventilation, but less air input means more of an incomplete burn and more soot and toxin on you cookware and in your lungs.  Best limit use to slowing bringing water to a boil.

 

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Wood

Heat output can be controlled to some degree with more complex stove designs, but they may be slow to respond at best.  Some wood burns hot and fast, others burn slow and cool, and others are unpredictable.

 

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Solar

You get what you get - an extremely slow heat up.  You can cook rice, and dried beans, but you may need to presoak and wait a long time.

Stove Costs

Cost is always a major factor in stove purchasing decisions and includes initial, maintenance and operating costs (namely fuel consumption).

The actual complete stove costs vary a great deal.  Many stove designs can be made from recycled scrap and are relatively cost free to construct, while some of the more complex petrol stoves can cost in excess of US$200.  When calculating stove costs, take into consideration the cost of stove, as well as the cost of separate fuel containers.

Fuels costs add up over time and the cheapest stoves don't always have the most cost effective systems.

Cold Weather Operations

Cold weather stove operation can be challenging, especially if you are cooking on snow or ice.  An insulated stove platform (e.g. wood board, wood raft, aluminum wrapped foam, etc) and prewarming of fuel may be necessary.  Butane lighters may not work too well at subfreezing temperatures, making fire starting impossible if this is your only firestarter.  The the cold, which is often also wet, you may need some waterproof matches, regardless of which stove you have - except solar and flameless stoves...unless you decide to burn them.

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Petrol

Petrol Stoves may be the best cold weather choice.

 

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Pressurized Petroleum Gas

Canister fuels may not work at all at subfreezing temperatures.  There are a couple of tricks to get stove to perform better in the cold - See Cold Weather Operation of Canister Stoves for more information about cold weather performance.  Wind may also blow out gas stoves.

 

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Alcohol