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Camp Stoves

5K views 34 replies 19 participants last post by  Bradley Miller 
#1 ·
Alex's thread got me thinking about camp stoves, so I thought I'd start a thread where you could post up / talk about your favorites. Here are a couple of mine...

Optimus 99
Automotive lighting Motor vehicle Gas Bumper Automotive exterior


Coleman 413E
Gas stove Home appliance Kitchen appliance Gadget Kitchen stove


As you can see, I'm a bit old fashioned. I keep the 99 in my fishing box and have it available for streamside coffee or tea.
The 413E is my preferred stove in camp. This one was made between 1954-60 but is in outstanding condition.
 
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#3 ·
At last count, I had 27 camp stoves, ranging from tiny alcohol stoves to 3-burner propane fired 'base camp' stoves. Love Jetboils for simple backcountry boiling. Love MSR's Dragonfly for Backcountry gourmet cooking (features precision flame adjustment). Love Primus' new Firehole 300 two-burner with built in LED light, timer and recessed hose storage for easy transport and connection. But I also love the beauty and design grace of my old antique 1930 brass Primus stove made by B.A. Hjorth in Sweden.

I also like the history of my Coleman M-1950 -- single-burner liquid fuel stove made from the military from 1951 to ~1957, so basically a Korean war (and post-war) stove. Mine -- made in 1951 -- still has the original aluminum carry case that doubles as cook pots and a letter from the old relative of mine who carried it in his pack in Korea. He was wounded early in his tour and returned to the states with a severe limp and a stove in great condition.

 
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#8 ·
. . . Love Jetboils for simple backcountry boiling. Love MSR's Dragonfly for Backcountry gourmet cooking (features precision flame adjustment).
+1 on the JetBoil and another +1 on the Dragonfly. The Jetboils are great for just that, but for any other kind of lightweight cooking involving a pan, nothing else it's size and weight beats the Dragonfly. It's heat control throttles down to an incredibly delicate simmer and all the way up to a blast furnace. Loud, too!

. . . but will be forever fond of my nearly ancient Svea 123 that operates the same as the Optimus 99 but comes in a more compact package. I
+2 on the Svea 123. I spent nearly 6 months cooking on one daily on a hitchhiking trip across Europe in the early 1970s with my first wife. Still have it but can't remember the last time it was fired up.

K
 
#4 ·
Grew up with an old Coleman, and now have a Primus Vacationer (Can't find any data about it online) that I got for a $10er at a garage sale nearly 15 years ago...and it was old then.

When she finally dies I'll probably spring for the 18" Partner, lest I find another serviceable stove for $10.
 
#5 ·
For camp I just use an old 2 burner coleman stove. For backpacking I bought a MSR Pocket Rocket at REI on sale and its worked for me for the past 5 years. Its light, and packs down small enough to fit inside the pot with the fuel canister to save room. The only thing I would say I don't really like about it is that it doesn't have a little piezo igniter to light it so you have to have some fire source to light it, but a couple of water proof matches in your pack work well for that I suppose.
 
#6 ·
Mostly use my Jetboil or MSR Pocket Rocket these days, but will be forever fond of my nearly ancient Svea 123 that operates the same as the Optimus 99 but comes in a more compact package. I like my Coleman single burner, don't know the model name or number, but I've always called it "Krakatoa" for its blowtorch capability, altho it simmers well too.
 
#9 ·
I like my Campingaz Micro. Weighs about 5oz and the pot holder arms fold flat. I bought it when my MSR got accidentally left at home and it's been my favorite backpacking stove since then. My all time favorite was a brass gimbaled kerosene stove that I had on my 1942 Blanchard Sailboat. I think it was English and it was a work of art. I don't have a pic, but it looked something like this, but on a gimbal:


I have a few friends that hiked the PCT with stoves made from hacked up beer cans.
 
#10 ·
Depends on my camping. If I am backpacking, no thrills, I love my whisper lite. Only two setting, rocket on or off. If boiling water, it meets my need for light and quite. I've got a dragonfly to adjust, and its noisy. If car camping, I go old school with the coleman. To this day, I love cooking breakfast with a few frying pans. Smell of bacon and percolating coffee is what car camping is all about.
 
#12 ·
Yes, indeed. I'm a member of Spiritburner. I got carried away some time ago but managed to sell off everything but a couple of favorites. There are a couple of stoves that I would still like to acquire but I resist the urge to buy too many. Easily an addiction....
 
#17 ·
Never used the Partner stoves. But LOVE their firepans.

I had an old army multi fuel 1 burner. Think Coleman made it. But my favorite stove is my first generation 2 burner coleman. Dad bought it in the 70's. That stove has been everywhere. I've used it on multiday whitewater trips, as my driftboat stove, camping trips, etc. I finally passed it down to my son this year. It's been beaten and restraightened a hundred times. Kbobs broke off years ago. But still fires right up.
 
#18 ·
I'm with Jerry on the old Coleman. We were married in 1967 and the first two pieces of camping gear we bought were the 2 burner Coleman stove and the 80 quart cooler chest. The stove is still in excellent shape for it's 45 years. Two years ago I bought the Super High Output Stansport with the stainless lid so it is unlikely the Coleman will be used again. The Stansport is about 1/3 bigger and it's 50,000 btu output is just amazing. It handles a big wok for stir frying far better than the kitchen stove and boils water in a heartbeat.

I still have my old Optimus 111B that we used on McKinley in '67. Sea level, 10,000' or 18,000' it gets the job done in a hurry but is too heavy for a single backpacker.

Does anyone remember the old Bluet cartridge stoves from back in the '60's? I think they were butane. We used to use them on overnighters for their convenience and light weight. They had a fatal flaw in cold weather though-you had to sleep with them at night or you couldn't even melt butter in the morning.

Ive
 
#20 ·
Does anyone remember the old Bluet cartridge stoves from back in the '60's? I think they were butane. We used to use them on overnighters for their convenience and light weight. They had a fatal flaw in cold weather though-you had to sleep with them at night or you couldn't even melt butter in the morning.

Ive
I think they're the same thing as my Campingaz Micro. Still made and still great. I've always kept it near me in the tent and avoided the low temp problems.

 
#19 ·
I missed adding it was a first generation propane. Had the mulifuel 2 burner coleman. Dad got tired of carrying gas since caps were always put on partways by us so bought the propane version. I've kept it for sentimental reasons. Da gave that old 2 burner to my brother who did god knows what to it. I'll try and get a pic of the coleman. She's been used hard and is an eyesore but still lit right up after all these years.
 
#21 ·
I just picked up this little Optimus Terra Kettle for use with the 99. It's only .7 Liters, but that's enough for a couple cups of tea or a freeze dried meal.
I put a can of finely handcrafted brew in the photo for scale.
Tin Beverage can Aluminum can Tin can Fluid
 
#23 ·
Ive, I also have an old Bleuet stove, the old 'puncture' one that you can't remove the cartridge from until empty. Actually, I think I might have 2 Gaz stoves; one called the Globe Trotter just came to mind and it came with a storage box/cook set.

Lonnie, I also apparently have a stove 'problem', LOL. In addition to the Gaz stoves, there is an old Optimus, 2-3 MSR's, 2 couple of Ti ones (Snowpeak, Kovea), Jetboil, a Primus or two, some home-made alcohol ones, a couple cheapy single burners, plus the 2 burner ones...
 
#24 ·
I also apparently have a stove 'problem', LOL. In addition to the Gaz stoves, there is an old Optimus, 2-3 MSR's, 2 couple of Ti ones (Snowpeak, Kovea), Jetboil, a Primus or two, some home-made alcohol ones, a couple cheapy single burners, plus the 2 burner ones...
Ha! Why does this NOT surprise me!!!!!:D:p
 
#26 ·
I refuse to comment about how many stoves I have, but in my defense I have slowed down my acquisition rate considerably. Anyway, here is a picture of two favorite Coleman stoves both in working order. They burn kerosene and probably date to the 1940's.
Musical instrument Natural material Art Metal Event
The one on the left is a made in Canada Coleman and the one on the right is a US model.
 
#31 ·
Well, I downed that Bud Light and I took the empty can and made this little alcohol burning stove. It will boil 16 oz. of water in about 6.5 min, weighs almost nothing and uses little fuel. The yellow flames go away as soon as a pot is set on it, making it kind of like a pressure stove.
Drinkware Wood Flooring Floor Cone
 
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