I've been using a collapsible stove with a wick style Bunsen burner (similar to a lantern) and have been looking to move away from the wick burner as it's slow and you never know how much fluid is left (meaning I'm always carrying 2 cans of fluid).

Here is the current stove I am using. The stove folds fairly flat (~3/4" thick).


I'm kind of leaning towards replacing my current stove system with either a solid fuel one or a kindling cooking stove.

Any thoughts or experience with these types of stoves (pros and cons)?

 

I'll have to go get my last issue of PM. They had a section this month about cool camping stuff. One thing was a water boiler that you can also cook on I think. Used any twigs or sticks even wet or green. Back later...

 

I know the design you are speaking of Vic. For the life of me, I can't remember what it was called.
Was a <something> kettle.

Other then the cost, something like that would be idea for my backpacking. 99% of my meals are setup to just add hot water.

I'm still on the fence about the kindling stoves. A co-worker of mine swears by his. I've never had first hand experience with them however.

 

Kelly Kettle! Wasn't in PM but one of my shooting mags. Not as small as your collapsible stove...but no need to carry fuel canisters either. They also mentioned something called "Fired Up" as well as the Jet Boil stuff.

I'd think since you mostly boil water that a slightly bulkier but more efficient method would be a good trade.

 

Twisted pieces of wire and C4 works pretty well

 

Camping with you must be interesting.

 

You can use moonshine instead of alcohol, but why waste good moonshine?

Seriously, I'm a little old fashioned. I used solid fuel blocks and a similar knock down frame as yours when I backpacked in younger years. You weren't cooking gourmet food back then, just MRE's or coffee. I keep a "survival" day pack for hunting and short excursions and heat water for soup or drinks with one of these. Hexamine tablets.

 

I have used liquid fuel stoves for the past 30 years. Most being the slightly less expensive type that only run on naptha (Coleman) fuel. Mostly I carry a MSR that's 20 years old and most similar to the Whisperlite. I've never needed to clear the jet but I still always carry the little piece of wire for just in case. I like that the fuel bottle and stove separate for packing and a bottle of fuel lasts a really long time and it's easy to tell how much is left. It works well in extreme cold and at elevation where the compressed gas (propane/butane) stoves were getting weak and the whole process of getting it primed and up to temperature I still find fun after all these years.

 

Also have used Coleman type pump up "white" gas stoves. I still have a couple of Sigg bottles laying around. But the weight is the thing. Count ounces, not pounds!

 

Also heavier than what you might be looking for but this rig will heat whatever you put above it in no time at all and in moderately windy conditions as well.
A low temperature pump leather will let it operate in sub-zero conditions.

Click image:

Image courtesy of colemandotcom

 

That's the one I have for fishin' trips to heat coffee. A little heavy for backpacking, but undeniably a heat monster.

 

Everything sounds great and advanced compared to modern, more cumbersome methods.

On my annual 10 day canoe trips into the canoe country (MN/Ontario border) we just used a grate, a hatchet and some rock from the shore for a stove. Our cooking utensils were some nested pans, plates and cups for. We always left the rock set up for those following in later days or weeks. We did carry some freeze-dry foods that we hydrated with the same lake water we used. Did it annually for 4 years in September with no bugs. - The taller guy took the canoe and the shorter one carried the pack on the numerous portages.

That was before the need for modern "light" camping and travel since we were about 25 miles out with about 15 short portages to cover in a very, very long day return day (up at 4:00 AM and in at 7:00 PM).

I love technology, but there also other ways.

Dick

 

The MSR whisperlite stoves are pretty minimalistic and weigh about 11oz. You can use different sized bottles depending on the length of your trip.

 

Concretemasonry,
I'll try to do open fire cooking as much as possible instead of using the stove. It's so much faster and allows me to save my fuel for when we need it. This is how we cooked when I was a kid going on weekend or multi-day trips.

With some of the trips coming up next summer, a fire won't be an option. The one trip I have planned will see us hammick tenting, potentially hanging from trees along the shoreline where we are kayaking. A clearing to run a stove is a lot easier then one to make a fire.
I'm also having to deal with fire bans next summer. I have 5 trips scheduled, and I'm very sure I'll run into fire bans during one or more of them. Even though I'll never see anyone on these trips, I don't chance it.

 

Sounds like a fun summer up north.

Yea, much where I hiked the collection of firewood and open fires were banned. If you wanted something hot you had to bring your own fire.

 

That is not much of an issue here (or at least where I go). The chance of a fire ban (thanks to dry, hot weather) is always a possibility. With 5 trips planned next summer, if there is a ban, I'm sure one or more of my trips will be during that time.
The kayak trip will be interesting, as I have a rough idea of the route (water levels and swamps might change things) but not much of an idea where we're staying overnight. Google earth imaging is not good in that area, and it's not really a travelled area, so photos and trip logs... non-existent.

 

One trip I spent a few nights on the floating mats of debris in the Great Dismal Swam NWR that straddles the border between NC and VA. These areas have many years of fallen limbs & leaves and get to be several feet thick. We could walk on it and pitch a tent but it was odd how "soft" it was to walk on, and you could feel the ripples caused by someone else walking. To this day I still can't stand snakes.