Stove Choice?

[Paul_B]

Going on a family holiday. Finally decided we won't get our 10yo to go willingly on a long backpack. Reality bites!

So we're van base camping mostly. They don't know it but I'm looking at a few overnighter trips too.

So what stove or stoves to take?

Several can tip, a few remote, honey stove, trangia big small and mini with gas and meths burners available, whitebox stove, various ti lite, caldera cone for the AGG cookset pan and possibly a few more I've forgotten.

So what stove options would your choose out of those? I'm thinking large trangia with gas burner for van cooking and two can tops for overnighter. I'd like the idea of caldera cone but I never fully got used to it. Whitebox stove is too tippy and whilst the larger duo is a real meths jet burner for solo water boiling. Not sure about that. Might be nice to go different in the hills.

Sorry for being an undecisive gear freak. Really not sure what's a good stove other than old dependable large trangia plus gas kit. That's too big for backpacking imho.

 

[SaraR]

What food will you be cooking while hiking?

 

[Tonyuk]

For me it entirely depends on what i plan to cook,

If its just reheating meals then usually a small gas stove, maybe a mini trangia.

Anything more serious then it's usually a multifuel, like a coleman or primus.

I don't usually bother with stoves made for burning sticks etc..

 

[Paul_B]

Dehydrated meals probably for wildcamping side trips but usually basic car camping food in the van. Might take pasta with jar of sauce into the overnighter for simplicity and what we know junior likes.

Guess trangia large set for van but dehydrated meal option could be can top jet rocket ultra light option and repeated boils for each person's meal. Or go chilled out and meths. Or slightly mid range individual caldera cone boils for the dehydrated food packs. I think wood burners aren't really practical for us.

 

[SaraR]

I'd say, use your usual trangia set up in the van and then take either a gas can pocket rocket (or jetboil or whatever) or a trangia burner with a smaller stand and wind shield for the hiking. If you can get away with only boiling water that reduced the amount of stuff you need with you, but even with one or two pots that will still be lighter weight and smaller volume than a whole trangia setup. It all depends on what your kid will eat for breakfast and dinner really. (assuming you grownups will be less fussy)

 

[Ystranc]

Hiking with a 10 year old? Chocolate, trail mix, flapjacks and sweets don’t need a stove.

 

[Ozmundo]

For van/base camp with family then a big set makes sense. Either:

Gas cooker for convenience

Open fire if you’re in places that allow it. Hard to beat sitting around a “propper” fire for atmosphere. Also a great opportunity for the children to learn some skills.

Day or single overnight I do like a pocket stove for hot drinks. Something I can use a mix of meths or solid or twigs gives options year round. In the UK being so mild it’s not really a problem.

I use making drinks/soup an activity much like the process of building an open fire.

If it’s vey damp then I take a jet oil or similar to I can whip up a hot chocolate for people having a moment!

My wife is very good at falling into things. Fortunately she is small and doesn’t have far to go. She has perfected a sort of shoulder roll. Usually the first sign of trouble is her shoes going by my head.

 

[baggins]

with the summer in full flow, i'd definitely avoid anything that burns wood etc (fire risk), some places even have a full ban (best to check before you go).
I love my trangias, large and small, but if you're cooking for 3, either the 27, or a small gas stove i reckon would be best.
I guess it depends on what you want to carry.

 

[Ozmundo]

For some reason my pasta comes out best from a Swedish M40 tin. Maybe it’s the meatballs…..

I was assuming Paul would be using van sites for basecamp, at least initially. They often have fire pits and supply fuel. Sometimes you have to use the supplied wood as they don’t want people cutting down trees.

I am in two minds about campfire bans. Sadly they are probably needed. But when heathland fires start due to people it’s littering and abandoned disposable BBQ’s, ie. fucwhits.

I’ve just used my SAK to open a bottle of Sicilian Red and I’m already getting rowdy!

 

[Bishop]

Tricky choice.
Hexi - simple reliable relatively safe with an acquired aromatic charm but a bit feeble
Meths - simple reliable relatively safe, DIY scalable and the taste eventually goes away
Gas - simple reliable relatively safe with pan melting fury but oddly not as much fun

 

[Minotaur]

I would go for 2.
A 2 burner gas stove with toaster and a trangia.
For car/van camping weight is not the issue so get 2 burners and a toaster as it gives you so many options.
For hiking, especially with a 10 year old, you are only really going to want to boil water and a lot of it as there are at least 3 people. I would do some checking into cosies, Three Points of the Compass has some good posts on them.

 

[MartinK9]

Choice?

You have a van...... take all of them.

 

[Paul_B]

Oh boy! That'll go down well. If I take it I'll have to use them all! I'll be brewing up a lot with them all.

It would be fun to try them all out again. Especially the White box stove that got used a fair bit for awhile. It was used on overnighter with friends plus I'd brew up at lunch stops with walking group I was in. It was fast enough for that.

Also the caldera cone as I used it a couple of times and then didn't. Still not sure whether I gave it enough chance.