Kitchen items
Since then, I purchased almost every stove that has been made. It's just that they don't get used. The reason for that is that all the components have to work together: stove, base or stand, windscreen, pot, lid of course and maybe a pot cozy. One stove doesn't let you get a windscreen around it, another is tippy no matter what, another won't support a pot, any pot, and most will support only a narrow "mug" for a cooking pot, the canister stoves require a heat shield to use the Outback Oven Ultralight I like, white gas isn't as easy to find as it once was easy to find, and so it goes.
Maybe a hanging pot would be the answer? Yes and No.
I have seen stove flareups. I won't bring a stove near the tarp or tent.
It isn't worth the risk of having burning plastic bits of modern fabrics in flesh. Natural materials aren't that much better. Fire retardant is only retardant, not fire-proof. I cook outside the shelter or have a cold meal.
It is still amazing to me how, nevertheless, I would backpack something I truly admire like that heavy Swea 123 stove and nesting pots.
I do think the Jetboil has, however, revolutionized the backpacker's kitchen. The Jetboil combines every component in one well thought out package.
My Jetboil fits in the GoLite Breeze flat pack exterior side pocket, balanced by a thermo mug on the other external side pocket.
I do regard the Jetboil cooking system as a nerf football. The neoprene helps this rationalization. I also have neoprene on the outside of my thermo mug.
If on the heavy side, for lightweight and ultralightweight backpackers, The Jetboil will always have a place for the trailhead, in my truck. I know one formerly heavy backpack person, who reasons that for a longer hike, the Jetboil is the most efficient and the most lightweight, because of the fuel efficiency.
The MSR Reactor is recommended for in a stiff wind and efficiency at elevation.
The Primus heat exchanger stove systems, including the Primus EtaPower MF the Primus EtaPackLite or the Primus EtaPower EF Stove is reasonably lightweight, especially so, for use by more than one backpacker because the components may be carried in one another's backpacks, and may be more considered more ideal for canoe or kayak cooking on the shoreline, for example, as this design is less likely to be tipped over.
Here is one review by a kayaker.
Many of the stove systems may be used with the Outback Oven Ultralight. An insulated storage bag is included that protects the stove for transport and also acts as a pot-cozy, keeping food warmer after heating. This feature allows foods to continue to cook after removal from the stove, saving even more fuel.
It's fuel efficiency means that less fuel need be carried - which can very quickly mean a large saving in the weight and bulk of gas cylinders on multi-day trips.
Continued
copyright © 2010 Connie Dodson. All Rights Reserved.
|
| 