HikeArizona.COM

In honor of the new LNT links and due to my general interest, I'd like to hear what sort of campstoves everyone uses. And since summer is almost upon us I would like to encourage everyone to ditch the ol' campfire and pick up a stove if you haven't already.

I have always used white gas or solid fuel stoves. My favorite is an old Primus Optimus. Recently I found a Bluet and a Peak One Apex Two at a garage sale. I have tested them out in my kitchen but I would like to know more about these types of stoves and how efficient they are in the wilderness. Especially the peak one. It used a tremendous amount of fuel, more than I thought it should. Is this just how they work or am I doing something wrong

I use the snow peak giga stove. Very compact design and works great. Fuel cylinders come in two sizes and I also write the burn time on a piece of tape on the bottom of the fuel cylinder.

whisperlite (not shaker jet) off ebay for 20 bucks. also got 2 22oz fuel bottles for 10 bucks

fairweather8588 wrote:whisperlite (not shaker jet) off ebay for 20 bucks.

That's a pretty good price! I have a WhisperLite as well and I think it works great .. no problems at all. I would probably go with a white gas stove if I had to do it over again, just because I feel bad throwing out the old canisters each time I use them up. But from what I've seen, you really can't go wrong with an MSR stove.

Does anybody know where I can download an owner's manual for a Peak1 Apex II backpack stove? I picked one up for $25, right after I spent $20 on a Camping GAZ single that takes the punctureable cartridge. Boy do I feel STUPID! I cant find fuel for it anywhere in North America and shipping from Europe is completely out of the question.

beterarcher wrote:Does anybody know where I can download an owner's manual for a Peak1 Apex II backpack stove? I picked one up for $25, right after I spent $20 on a Camping GAZ single that takes the punctureable cartridge. Boy do I feel STUPID! I cant find fuel for it anywhere in North America and shipping from Europe is completely out of the question.

See if anyone from craigslist or ebay is selling the Peak1 Apex II backpack stove and ask them if they can photocopy or scan & email the manual for a few bucks or buy one photocopy the manual and then return it, if possible.

gummo wrote:See if anyone from craigslist or ebay is selling the Peak1 Apex II backpack stove and ask them if they can photocopy or scan & email the manual for a few bucks or buy one photocopy the manual and then return it, if possible.

I already thought of that but I saw a pic of one and it looked like it might be two or three pages only. Not worth the time or effort, I'll just figure it out on my own.

So the stove I got only has one small bottle. anybody know if another company's bottle will fit the Coleman? I already tried an MSR and no go. I cant seem to find an answer by Googling.

@beterarcher
From what I've been able to read on these stoves, they use their own bottle AND it can only be filled 2/3 with fuel when using it... From the reports I've read, it heats faster than an MSR but fuel consumption is higher. I'll keep my eyes open for a manual and forward a copy if I get lucky.

For what it's worth... Campsaver has (had?) a great deal on Jetboil stoves... $69.95... with free shipping! I coudn't resist upgrading for that price.

PLC92084 wrote:they use their own bottle AND it can only be filled 2/3 with fuel when using it

that's what they say any way. I always push the envelope, whether it's tire pressure, fuel bottles or whatever. I wonder if you can change out the pump at the burner and use the MSR pump and bottle

@PLC92084
Wondered how long it would take you....

@Outdoor Lover
?

@Outdoor Lover
@beterarcher

This is kind of an inside joke... Pam knows how cheap I am. The fact that I bought a new stove is hard for her to take in. There's just something about a great deal that's irresistible...

@PLC92084
Yeah, that's what I thought about the GAZ stove i bought yesterday. :roll:

@beterarcher
Paul really liked my Jetboil on the GG Trip...They all had a pool going and Paul was secretly hoping that I would dump the Jetboil to lighten my load.... I had a feeling that sooner or later he would be buying one, once he lost the Pool....

@Outdoor Lover
That's pretty funny. I have heard nothing but good things about the Peak 1 Apex that I bought but I am having to bid on a fuel bottle on ebay because it didn't come with one. So far the bid is up to $9.00. I've got my fingers crossed.

Maybe you got a pump with the Apex stove, but you'd need/want that as well.
Here's a whole kit here in town at about 1/2 of what they are going for on fleabay > http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/sgd/3814319784.html

re. GAZ - even their screw-on canister stoves take a proprietary canister, those are very hard to come by and generally expensive when you find them. They are an awesome simmering stove, though, with a wide diffuser - very handy for someone who cooks, vs. merely boils water.

@hikeaz
Thanks Kurt, I think I'm going to wait and see if I win the bid on "Fleabay" . It is only up to $9.00 so far, and I've already got $25 invested in the Apex that I have. Maybe I shouldn't impulse purchase huh

Impulse buying... I can't say too much because I've gotten into trouble a time or two...

I actually shopped around for my MSR International when I got it two years ago...$40 got me the stove, a 22oz fuel bottle (that I can fill...), a bag, a tool kit and a user manual... I was thinking of selling it now that I've got the Jetboil but I'm going to hang on to it just in case...

Im a fan of my cheap $8 backpacking stove i found on amazon! Its definitely worth more than its price.

@beterarcher
If you don't get the bottle you can always make one for free.
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=294822
I have an Msr Xgk I've had for years and a jet boil. I made one of these (fancy feast cat tin stoves a la Andrew Shurka YouTube) for my dad for his bicycle trips and when we tested it it boiled a quart of water in 5-7 minutes. I was so surprised I made another one to try on the trip above. Free, light, dependable no moving parts, and you can store the alcohol in a plastic pop bottle or any other container. It ends up boiling water as fast as my jetboil because all I have to do is fill it w/ approx. ounce of alcohol, light it and put up the wind screen. No assembly like the jeboil or my other stove. FYI it is more efficient with larger base pots since it is a side burner.