The best stove for the uninitiated

[allenko]

I was putting the word about to friends that I needed some kit for the great outdoors.

I now find myself with 3 different stove types,

A swedish military issue mess tin with a trangia style burner

A british military issue hexamine stove with cup adapter and cup that fits onto the bottom of a pattern 58 water bottle

And a camping gaz stove that screws directly onto the gas bottle.

Question is out of the three which would be the most suitable for bushcraft in the UK (fire restrictions and stuff) with regards to practicality,efficiency,safety,reliability and the clean up job after eating whilst out in the woods. :?:

 

[PC2K]

i got a trangia stove ( and LOADS of homemade alcohol stove's... ).
the trangia is a very simple, basic stove and very reliable, you can store fuel in it, so leave you fuel bottle home, during day trips ( maybe more ). It's not the most powerfull stove in the world, but the fuel is dead cheap ( € 0.90 per liter ) and avaible everywhere. the fuel is no harmfull for the inviorment. if also fits in the US type in the us type of cup stand, but just. You do have to turn the cup 180 degrees or else the flames can't get anywhere and will go out. I used this to make tea during short trips. Not sure wheather it will see more action, since i bought a snowpeak track 900 not to long ago, it gets mine water boiling much faster, since it has a lit and a windscreen is much easier to put around the stove. ( i didn't use a screen with the steel cup/ alluminium stand ).

 

[Andy]

if they have a few peopel wanting to cook on one stove then id suggest a colemans petrols sportsII stove. very powerful but does weigh a fair bit. the fuel works out very cheep though i got mine for £25 never had any problems with it.

 

[Adi007]

My vote goes for hexy ... cheap fuel and easy to know how much you have left.

 

[sargey]

apart from the aluminium question, i reckon the swedish mess kit is the ultimate bushcraft stove, you have a decent size billy well suited to hanging over an open fire, and if you end up breing up too close to civilisation, just switch to trangia mode.

the hexy burner is always great pice of kit for easy day hikes and stuff, make a windshield from the base of a disposable barbeque. much better sitting on a windy clouded over hill top with a fresh brew, when all around you are wearers of dayglo cagouls with bottles of cold weak lemon drink

cheers, and.

 

[slyfox]

I agree with Sargey
Meths !!! :bu:

 

[dtalbot]

I'd go Trangia for anything longer than a day hike and hexy to stuff in a pocket of my pack for making a brew or two on a day trip.
David

 

[soulstar1963]

for a lightweight stove you would be very hard pressed to beat a cat can stove, less than half an ounce, (i dont do metric). even with a windshield they weigh less than 2 ounces, these combined with a transparent fuel bottle for the meths are a great combination. cost around 40p, take ten minutes to make, combine stove and pot stand. boil times for just under a pint around, 5 minutes......they are all i use now. lots of vidoes on how to make them on you tube

 

[Mikey P]

Nah, stick with gas. Controllable, no flammable liquids or tablets to spill around, quick to set up, safer.

 

[stevesteve]

I would look at a hobo stove. I have used mine with wood, meths and hexy (store the hexy sepparately as it is not very nice stuff!).

I have a trangia burner (with the mini-Trangia pot stand) which fits inside my billy, inside the stainless drainer.

You can burn a range of fuels and a wood fire is well contained.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[rik_uk3]

For a day or two the gas stove is hard to beat, although performance drops in cold weather. Twig burners/hobo's are OK but I can't be bothered messing about feeding in twigs and little bits of wood and the clean up after. A real Trangia knocks spots off the army setup and is the ultimate reliable cooking system.

My personal choice for anything but solo cooking would be a paraffin stove.

 

[andy r]

For making hot drinks or boil in the bag meals or boiled eggs I cant fault the Jetboil stoves.

 

[durulz]

Meths stoves take too long.
Hexi-stoves are just a waste of time in anything but an emergency.
And both of these suffer if there's a wind.

Go for gas.
It has its drawbacks (as all outdoor cooking does to some extent) but its clean (so no having to wipe soot off the outside of pots) and simple to use. Gas does suffer in cold weather (the gas stays liquid and doesn't get warm enough to vaporise), but then so do both hexi and meths stoves suffer in the cold. One way around this is to get a gas burner where the cylinder is attached by a length of hose, that way you can turn the cylinder up or just keep rubbing it to keep the gas vaporised.

 

[rik_uk3]

Meths stoves take too long.
Hexi-stoves are just a waste of time in anything but an emergency.
And both of these suffer if there's a wind.

Go for gas.
It has its drawbacks (as all outdoor cooking does to some extent) but its clean (so no having to wipe soot off the outside of pots) and simple to use. Gas does suffer in cold weather (the gas stays liquid and doesn't get warm enough to vaporise), but then so do both hexi and meths stoves suffer in the cold. One way around this is to get a gas burner where the cylinder is attached by a length of hose, that way you can turn the cylinder up or just keep rubbing it to keep the gas vaporised.

Not that long (for meths) with a proper Trangia and meths does work in the cold, after all, thousands of campers in Scandinavia use them in temperatures far far colder than the UK.

If you have the need for speed go for liquid fuelled stoves so, no need to be rubbing or fliping cylinders; what stoves do you use durulz?

 

[durulz]

what stoves do you use durulz?

If I'm just boiling water for a brew or a pack of super noodles then I use a gas stove - not sure of the make, but I think it's a Webtex one where the cylinder connects via a braided hose. That kind of thing.
If I'm doing something more substantial (or just fancy flame) then I use a nimblewill stove.
When out camping it's always an open fire.

I have tried (and own) hexi stoves and meths stoves but, from my experience, I can see no real advantage of either of those over gas. Not with what I do, anyway. I suppose that's the real point - which is the best stove depends on what you are doing.

 

[lostplanet]

I'm just going down the road of alternatives to Gas carts such as the honey stove and Trangia meths burner, for fun really as I know my gas set up works.

I use a MSR pocket rocket that i've had for 5 years +, Various size of Gas Cart, A crusader Mug and Mess tins sit fairly securely I haven't had it topple over yet.

I mainly use boil in bag rations so I don't waste any water cleaning. Once the meal is hot I use the water for a Brew after. pretty standard stuff really, the water boils in around 8 to 10 minutes, It can be packed away quickly, the Gas is quite expensive I paid £6.99 for 500 coleman cart.

I also take a pocket flask, like one of these http://www.strikeforcesupplies.co.uk/index.php?method=stock&id=20089&from=
for my brews, it keeps drinks hot for a good while after (The seals need to be cleaned otherwise they get sticky and leak).

 

[Teepee]

Looking at your list of needs, I would say the gas stove.

 

[stevesteve]

It's very much a question of personal taste. I have used gas andpetrol stoves in the past and both are very effective.

However I now often travel with my hobo stove and trangia. I have just come back from four days walking with this as my stove and it coooked three meals a day very capably.

Cheers,

Steve

 

[C_Claycomb]

I know we ask folk to use the search function to avoid duplicating common questions or answers ...
but even so, I think there is probably a limit on how far back its worth going in an effort to avoid starting a new thread

I generally use a Coke can meths burner when wanting nought but a brew on a day walk. I have several wood burners, including a Bushbuddy, which is lovely, but is overkill, weight wise, for a day hike that will include just one or two brew ups. If I had a gas stove I might well use one instead of meths, I know they are faster, but I don't, and I don't need to use a stove enough for it to matter, so I haven't bought one.

Meths burners allow for more bushcraft (application of bush skill, knowledge) than the gas burners, they are also quieter, which is nice.

 

[durulz]

Meths burners allow for more bushcraft (application of bush skill, knowledge) than the gas burners...

Really? How would that be?
How does putting a lighter to a puddle of meths require more bushcraft skill than putting a lighter to a jet of gas?
The only difference that I can see is if you make you own meths stove. But even that's not likely to happen 'in the field' (unless you optimistically take a pot of meths with you on the off-chance you'll stumble across an old tin can).

Edit - just read this back to myself. Realise it made sound flippant. It's not. It's a genuine question. I can see how how a meths stove may appear more bushcrafty, but I don't see how it actually requires more bushcraft skill. Wondered what I may be missing.