rifraf wrote:Thought I'd get in before anyone else to request the knowledge of what everyones using to
get the billy boiled and dinner on the way.
Jeez - do you guys never sleep. I turn my back to watch the TDF for a few hours and an entire new thread is created. Hehe - looking at that stove rifraf, it's no wonder you need a 90L rucksack.
Stoves! Now you are getting on to one of my favourite subjects. I have assembled a collection of stoves (and pots) in my quest for the perfect stove since I started out with an MSR Whisperlite and a set of MSR Blackstone pots. This gear got quite a lot of use, but I didn't like it that much, I found the Whisperlite dangerous to use anywhere near a tent, and impossible to regulate to a simmer. And it didn't seem all that long before the coating started to peel off the pots. I later added an MSR Dragonfly to the collection - it's a much better stove with good flame control, but expensive, heavy and very noisy.
I decided these stoves were inconvenient to carry on through walks, so acquired an MSR Pocket Rocket and a
Snowpeak titanium cookset, which I used for several crossings of the Overland Track and other walks in Tasmania. The Pocket Rocket weighs almost nothing, and I still sometimes carry it as a backup stove today. I was impressed enough with the Snowpeak cookset to expand my collection with several
larger pots. All nestle together like Russian dolls. But the Pocket Rocket does not work well in cold weather and, I didn't like the idea of perching large pots so high on a relatively unstable platform. I resolved both these issues with a
Snowpeak BF stove (
now superceded) that has the gas canister attached via a hose. The pot stand is lower and more stable, and the gas canister can be inverted for reliable operation in cold weather. It is however, heavier than the Pocket Rocket.
In more recent years I've become concerned that distributing gas in non-reusable canisters is ecologically inappropriate. My current favourite is a metho stove. I've always liked the concept, but have never been a fan of the Trangia - they have alway seemed excessively bulky, and I'm biased against aluminium cookware. Since I have become to prefer titanium cookware, I sourced a complete combo of
Clickstand stove and cookware, all in titanium, that combines minimal bulk with negligible weight. The Evernew burner is like a flamethrower once it gets going - easily the equal of the Pocker Rocket. To tame it I've added an adjustable simmer ring to the burner, and I also carry a lightweight aluminium heat diffuser. A
Sea to Summit X bowl, plate and mug set and some Lexan utensils completes my kitchenware. The X-set packs down to only 15mm thickness and fits nicely into the internal mesh pocket of my front pannier.
All the components that you see in the picture fit in the 900ml pot, with room for fire steel, small sponge/scourer pad and a couple of Chux to dampen any rattles.
As always, it's horses for courses, and I'll choose a stove and pots from my collection according to the type of trip I'm doing, but for cycle touring it's the Clickstand. The tiny combo takes up only one corner in the bottom of my Ortlieb Classic Plus front pannier.
A word of caution however - you should select cookware based on you cooking style. I'm more of the heat and serve type, and rarely attempt any serious cooking in my pots. The titanium pots work well for this style of cooking, but if you consider yourself the master chef of the bush you may prefer a heavier-walled pot for better heat diffusion.