Quick, easy gas brew kit?

[Paul_B]

On family walks we've got a tendency to sit awhile and enjoy the scenery. We eat lunch. We make tea and coffee (teabags and instant sachet I'm afraid but outdoors in the cold it tastes so nice).

What brew kit would you take?

Current kit :

• Vargo ti-lite pot mug 750ml usable capacity
• Either primus can top stove or vango remote stove with small Vargo Al windshield (neither has preheat).
• 125g gas can
• Lighter or matches
• Two plastic mugs
• One folding Vargo Ti spoon.
• Homemade cosy (just in case of second brew needed with excess boiled water - quicker to boil if already still warm.
• Lifeventure insulated mug containing milk.

Now my thinking is a jet oil clone from Alpkit. It's cheap and I'm not sure I'll like them enough to shell out for a jetboil one or the primus versions or even better the msr ones using radiant heat burner.

What do you recommend as a quick two mug brew kit? Wood burners and meths not an option due to quick and clean needed.

 

[Insel Affen]

I suppose it depends of what you really want to carry or the reason for change.

A short walk/bimble out and you can take the coffee press and tea pot, but longer term where weight is an issue, then you'd need to go lightweight. From the sounds of it, you have a good set up already, so why change it if it aint broke. I used to have instant coffee, whitener and sugar all in the same little twist lid pot for long exercises with a gas boiler and that worked well. I did see a YouTube video for a tiny wee burner and gas cannister which looked good and was reasonably priced.

Like I said, I think it depends what you are ultimately after, lightweight or quality. But the important thing is that you are getting out and enjoying the countryside.

 

[Paul_B]

I think I need a preheated on the stove. Perhaps just buy a spider from primus. Think they're now about £50, a lot cheaper than they used to be.

 

[Paul_B]

The remote stoves are better for stability but the integrated nature of jetboil type drives at quite handy. Ideally I'd like a kit setup as integrated at jetboil but on a remote can burner and not as expensive as jetboil/primus/msr versions.

 

[Nice65]

Time I bumped my Spider stove set.

 

[Robson Valley]

Does the Primus Spider run nice and hot at +2C. out doors?
I need a new stove and the Coleman Dual Fuel 533 runs hot at any temp.

 

[petrochemicals]

https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/primus-eta-pot-pot/

This was flaggedon here a while ago. Keep the stove you have and use this. Or get meths as it's nice and quiet. Gas stoves used to be quiet, now they sound like jet engines.

 

[Robson Valley]

Thank you. We have total power failures about every 10 days. Some are planned (1-6 hrs) and announced.
The rest of them are sudden and of 2-8 hours duration, any time of year.
I seriously doubt that you all have to put up with this crap.
I want to have 2-3 stoves for hot water and cooking. Stoves that I can use in the back country as well.
My old (1970's?) butane cartridge stove just can't get the heat up, running full throttle.
Time for a change. I don't mind the purr of a camp stove. Lifetime of memories.

 

[petrochemicals]

Does the Primus Spider run nice and hot at +2C. out doors?
I need a new stove and the Coleman Dual Fuel 533 runs hot at any temp.

Primus spider is the same as any gas stove with a pre heater, runs down to where the gas no longer is vapourisable to provide pressure and preheating, so pick your gas.

If you want a stove though a preheater on parraffin is my choice every time, and I may try the primus gravity as it looks quieter!

 

[Paul_B]

Certain preheated gas stoves run with the gas can inverted to run on the liquid thus using the two or three gas fractions equally or at least more efficiently. None of this running out of the gas that vaporizes first.

Coleman fyrestorm was one of the first models that made a big deal of this feature by supplying a gas connection that held the cylinder upside down others are available. I've used this on the go systems Trangia burner (the one that's half the price of the branded burner). It isn't supposed to be used this way but once you get past the initial flare you get a steady burn IME. Not a good preheat tube design though. A bit too little tube actually near the flame. Others I have seen have this tube flatter with the burner and more of it around the burner as well.

If you get a post 2013 version of the primus spider then there's a multi fuel conversion kit from primus. Pricey at £65 direct from primus but look around and you might find it cheaper elsewhere. It will even run in kerosene if needed but I think it's a last resort option that.

Personally I like the gas burner sound. I know the stove is working without having to look. Sometimes the silence of meths isn't a benefit (BTW my Trangia meths burner isn't silent it's just not quite as loud as my ancient primus micron - older model with the wire gate centre).

One last point, my vango remote can stove is as quiet as our meths burners. Part of the reason I'm looking for a better brewkit stove is because I can't tell if it's still lit or not. Annoying!

 

[Robson Valley]

Thanks for all the information. There's a big "outdoors" store in the city that's closing out.
Now is my chance to go stove shopping with a little bit of a discount.

"Gas" to me means gasoline = petrol = ?paraffin? They light and run hot at -20C.
Unleaded gasoline is easier for me to find and buy than butane/propane canisters meant to fit only one species of stove.
However, they are stinky.

I'll take a look, maybe I can afford one of each. I'd prefer that to any 2-burner rig.

 

[Paul_B]

Sorry for the UK centric phrasing. What do you call the canister fuel if not gas? LPG or by the gases contained within?

 

[MrEd]

My other half and I do exactly this, we walk, sit and eat and make a brew.

I brought a jetboil secondhand for about £40 and carry it in a bottle carrier bag thing I got from heinnie Haynes. Can fit a couple of cups, various brew sachets and the jetboil in it. Usually take a 1l nalgene aswell.

Works for us. Takes about 3mins to boil.

 

[Paul_B]

Looking at one of these, which would the smaller one be big enough for two small mugs of tea/coffee?

https://www.alpkit.com/products/brukit-jackal
This has 900ml pot which they recommend filling only to 750ml

Or

https://www.alpkit.com/products/brukit-wolf

This one is 1400ml but they suggest 800ml capacity.

Which one do you think is best for a quick brew? I use a 950ml pot now, but I fill it right up, I think I can get 800ml out of it which leaves a bit of warm water left of I make a smaller brew in each mug.

Why only 800ml from 1400ml, that's a loss of 600ml for boiling space, when the 900ml pot loses only 150ml?

 

[Robson Valley]

Usually by the chemical name = butane, propane of a mix of the two.
A "propane torch" is for soldering household copper water pipes.
I have a 1-burner butane stove.

I have a 2-burner Coleman gas stove, like the expedition model. 2-mantle Coleman gas lantern.
They both run on Coleman fuel which is like unleaded (gas) gasoline. Is that 'petrol' in the UK?

 

[Hammock_man]

Why only 800ml from 1400ml

stop it splashing out the spout when boiling???

 

[Paul_B]

But the smaller version pot doesn't have as much volume to guard against boiling splatter.

The larger volume pot they recommend 600ml boiling protection.

The smaller pot they recommend only 150ml.

By a rough calculation on a napkin I think the larger pot needs 55mm splatter capacity but the smaller one only 16.7mm. Now the extra 10mm diameter doesn't explain why there is less usable volume as a percentage of the volume for the larger pot. It doesn't make sense to me and kind of irritates me.

I buy the larger pot with more bulk and weight just for the extra 50ml capacity? It's wrong in certain.

Sorry I'm having one of my OCD kind of moments.

They're both decent stove setups for very good prices. Which capacity would you recommend I go for?

 

[MrEd]

Looking at one of these, which would the smaller one be big enough for two small mugs of tea/coffee?

https://www.alpkit.com/products/brukit-jackal
This has 900ml pot which they recommend filling only to 750ml

Or

https://www.alpkit.com/products/brukit-wolf

This one is 1400ml but they suggest 800ml capacity.

Which one do you think is best for a quick brew? I use a 950ml pot now, but I fill it right up, I think I can get 800ml out of it which leaves a bit of warm water left of I make a smaller brew in each mug.

Why only 800ml from 1400ml, that's a loss of 600ml for boiling space, when the 900ml pot loses only 150ml?

I put 500ml in my jetboil and that does 2 brews and a swirl round of water to rinse the mugs.

Boil it with the lid on (it must have a vent surely?) if not leave it a bit lose. I use my jetboil with the lid on, it has a pouting hole. Doesn’t splatter me that way

 

[Paul_B]

Think I'll be OK with the smaller one.

I wonder how the Alpkit versions compare to their equivalent jetboil stoves?

I read somewhere primus originally made the first jetboil and worked on the design with them or for them. A dispute led to b primus making their own version with jetboil threatening to sue them. IIRC that got dropped (probably no case) and now you can buy many jetboil clones.

 

[Nice65]

The Alpkits are very similar to the JB. The JB patent ran out, so anyone can have a go at a similar design. Build quality on the Alpkit isn't quite to JB standard, but the Jackal is an impressive beast that'll easily make tea for two, though very unstable using the small gas cans, you'll need to get a base for it or hold it while it boils. I got a base for a few $ from Aliexpress and the whole kit packs into the pot.

I'm on my phone, but I'm sure there's more on the forum about the Jackal, try a search.

As they're only really any good for water, the Wolf is too big. I reckon the fill recommendations are just guidance for people who are boiling up in a tent and might get some splatter from the fierce burner. A larger pot has a larger area of splash.