Optimus Crux

[Claudiasboris]

Hi,

Just got a new toy and rushed outside to play with it.

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1112/p3090092.jpg

Now I kow that we don't like gas stoves for a number of reasons but I've always been fond of them. They're generally easy to use, no nasty liquids to leak into your kit or spill and they're usually quite powerful. They have a place in my stove collection, (which also includes Trangias, Army Trangias, MSR Dragonfly, Kelly Kettle, Tatonka burner, Hobo stove, Hexy and others) and, due to ease of use and the kind of camping that I often do, are used quite a bit.

I first saw the Crux earlier this year and was amazed at the size and packability of it. It fits underneath the gas bottle for storage!

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/7343/p3090104.jpg

For all its lightweight size it still packs a punch and boils a cup of water in less than 5 minutes (yeah okay, I didn't time it, but I wasn't waiting long).

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9245/p3090096.jpg

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8995/p3090098.jpg

I've never been keen on top-fastening stoves before as they're unsteady: I've lost meals and drinks before on unstable cookers. However, I was after something light and quick for backpacking and for inclusion in a leader's kit when taking groups out and this just ignited my inner stove geek.

The test was done with a large (500?) cannister but my intention is to use the teeny ones:

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/1708/p3090107.jpg

The sexy stuffsack doesn't fit as well as with the larger cannisters but I intend to put it all inside my MSR Tian Kettle, which, along with a set of cannister feet and a titanium esbit burner as back-up now constitutes a light-weight cook kit.

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/5389/p3090100.jpg

Claudiasboris

 

[Claudiasboris]

Hmmm, must work on putting pics in posts, not just their address.....

Sorry

 

[bikething]

Hi,

Just got a new toy and rushed outside to play with it.

Claudiasboris

edit your post and change the bits in square brackets from url to img .... and change /url to /img

 

[widu13]

Hope you don't mind?

Hi,

Just got a new toy and rushed outside to play with it.

Now I kow that we don't like gas stoves for a number of reasons but I've always been fond of them. They're generally easy to use, no nasty liquids to leak into your kit or spill and they're usually quite powerful. They have a place in my stove collection, (which also includes Trangias, Army Trangias, MSR Dragonfly, Kelly Kettle, Tatonka burner, Hobo stove, Hexy and others) and, due to ease of use and the kind of camping that I often do, are used quite a bit.

I first saw the Crux earlier this year and was amazed at the size and packability of it. It fits underneath the gas bottle for storage!

For all its lightweight size it still packs a punch and boils a cup of water in less than 5 minutes (yeah okay, I didn't time it, but I wasn't waiting long).

I've never been keen on top-fastening stoves before as they're unsteady: I've lost meals and drinks before on unstable cookers. However, I was after something light and quick for backpacking and for inclusion in a leader's kit when taking groups out and this just ignited my inner stove geek.

The test was done with a large (500?) cannister but my intention is to use the teeny ones:

The sexy stuffsack doesn't fit as well as with the larger cannisters but I intend to put it all inside my MSR Tian Kettle, which, along with a set of cannister feet and a titanium esbit burner as back-up now constitutes a light-weight cook kit.

Claudiasboris

 

[Claudiasboris]

Doh!

Thanks guys!

Claudiasboris

 

[rik_uk3]

They are a wee beast of a stove even if its gas

 

[Claudiasboris]

I'm really impressed by the design and the engineering - it's such a well-thought out piece of kit. And it fits my requirements perfectly. Even if I was bushy-ing with fire/hobo/KK I thik I'd take it along as a back-up because it's so small. I do have a back-up/redundancy fetish, though.

Claudiasboris