Nearly 30 years ago, a buddy and I took a bicycle tour from South Texas through Texas, the Tetons, the Rockies, Yellowstone, and Glacier. Recently, my two daughters have decided they want to cycle the Oregon coast next year and they invited me to join them.

I still have my old Hank Roberts mini-stove and am considering building an adapter for it to be able to feed from a Coleman butane bottle.

If I were to decide, instead, to buy a new backpacking stove, what stove would you guys recommend? Why would you recommend that particular stove?

Following are things I will have to balance in order to make my decision:

1. availability of fuel
2. ease of flame lighting
3. variable flame intensity
4. cost
5. weight (less of a concern since the weight won't be on my back)
6. stove/fuel bulk

edit to add: Have any of you ever used homemade methanol stoves (primarily from Coke cans)? If so, were they worth the cost savings when compared to commercially available stoves?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[This message has been edited by HuntingGMan (edited 8/27/2011 6:13p).]

I've built (but not used backpacking/camping) methanol stoves from tin cans, coke cans, etc. If you're biking, I'd suggest something a little bigger/more powerful. Something like that wold be great for ultralight backpacking, but if you can afford the weight, I figure why not use something faster. I would suggest an alcohol stove if fuel availability is a concern, though.

I will say those little coke can stoves are fun to fool around with, though. Once you've made a few you can build one in just a few minutes with a can and a knife.

For the last 12 years my stove of choice for backpacking has been the MSR Whisperlite Internationale - around $90 these days. It's a multi-fuel stove and meets all your criteria - well, I don't know about your cost criteria. Anyway, fuel is never a problem - uses white gas, kerosene, or gasoline.

JR69, do the MSR fuel bottles do a pretty good job of sealing up? Just wondering if you've had any issues with a bottle leaking gas on your packed material.

Never had a problem with the bottles sealing or leaking. I've always packed the bottle(s) in an outer pocket of my pack and my stove at the top of my pack so if I wanted to have something hot on the trail it was easy to get to.

For all your standards, the Jetboil sounds like a pretty good fit.

Easy to find canister fuel that works reliably.
Push button spark ignition
moderately adjustable flame
good packability
but it is a little heavy

they retail for around 99 dollars last i checked. For what you get, it's a pretty good value.

If you're doing gourmet cooking, you'll want something else. for dehydrated meals, boil in a bag meals, hot drinks, and so forth

I like it because its a self contained unit. No need to buy a stove, then a fuel bottle, then a cook set. It's all there and works together well.

I've also owned the Primus all in one set up. I don't remember what it was called. But it was quality stuff, a step up from the jet boil in terms of versatility of cooking options

Primus- http://www.rei.com/product/767566/primus-etaexpress-stove

jet boil-
http://www.rei.com/product/791308/jetboil-flash-cooking-system

[This message has been edited by c0rn_d0g (edited 8/27/2011 9:31p).]

I use an MSR Pocket Rocket, but only for heating water to add to Mountain House meals. Boils 2 cups of water very quickly, and the isobutane/propane mix cannisters tend to be readily available. They do have issue lighting off when it is very cold outside, but that is easily remedied by throwing the cannister in the bottom of your sleeping bag each night.

I have made ethanol stoves. I wouldn't recommend one mainly for the reason that IMO ethanol is not a very good or efficient heater, in terms of weight to heat ratio. Often these stoves have to be primed substantially in my experience, which wastes more fuel. But they are cool. Just make sure you do trial tests to see if it will work for you. Google "zen stoves."

If I am not mistaken, the Whisperlite is not adjustable. Or not easily adjustable. Also, it sounds like you might want to do actual cooking and not just heat water. So cross off the jetboil, if I am not mistaken.

I own the MSR Dragonfly, which is heavier than the Whisperlite, but has the main advantage of having an easily adjustable flame. It can simmer. My fuel can has never leaked. But the cap is plastic, so be careful. The dragonfly is very loud, like a small jet engine. It can take white gas, gasoline, or kerosene (comes with different fitting for kerosene).

I also own a Sierra Zip Stove. This is a batter-powered forge that can burn anything that has any notion of being burned. You can boil water with just a handful of small sticks. Or pinecones. Or dried dung. So the only weight is the stove itself and the batteries. IMO a battery lasts a long time. The main downside of this stove is that you have to deal with soot. If you actually like campfires, this is a great choice because you have an actual fire. But you avoid all the hassle of making a campfire. Starting the fire is very easy. Just bring a small supply of cotton balls soaked in vaseline. Take out a single cotton ball, spread some fibers, and a small sparker will light it immediately. Don't even need matches. Anyway, food for thought. Good luck.

[This message has been edited by shiftyandquick (edited 8/27/2011 9:57p).]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Shifty is right, I will be looking to cook some 'gourmet' meals instead of freeze-dried packages. A couple of good points have been brought up, among them the idea that I have three riders with which to spread the wealth.

I have been playing around with some of the methanol stoves (coke cans) and have realized that they might work pretty well if you just want to warm up water or soup/stew and you have a good wind screen.

So far, it sounds like the Dragonfly might be the way to go (if I can get myself to part with the dough).

JR69, if you are still around, has it been your experience that the Whisperlite has difficulty in simmer mode?

I agree with Log. MSR Pocket Rocket does just about everything, and it simmers bery well. It will nest inside of a GSI cookset (or at least the big fuel container will) and be super small and light. Great setup!

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If I am not mistaken, the Whisperlite is not adjustable. Or not easily adjustable

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Not easily adjustable. It does not have a control on the stove itself. I've always used the gas valve. The Dragonfly is a better overall stove, but about 40 bucks more expensive. If that's not an issue, go for it. It will better suit your purposes.

Any of you guys ever used the Brunton Optimus Nova? You have anything good or bad to say about it.

It's priced between the Pocket Rocket and the rest of the MSR line of stoves. It claims to be able to simmer, but I don't know if I should trust the manufacturer's description on that point.

That thing is a piece of ****. I am pretty demanding of my gear, but I understand that failures may happen. That said, no way that I buy that stove. That's my opinion, take it FWIW.

I guess there is one other point I'd add. I've never liked cannister fuel. You always have to carry two and I've been on backpacking trips where the guys using cannister stoves needed to carry several. And you can't dispose of the empties just anywhere.

On a bike trip, it may not be an issue. I've just always found it easier to carry just one - two at the most - liquid fuel bottles that are easily refilled at any gas station or sporting goods store.

Thanks Terk. sounds like it is proof of the faithful old saying, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

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I've never liked cannister fuel. You always have to carry two

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On my first trip, the canisters were not much of an issue. I didn't mind carrying two of them because they were pretty small, about the size of an 8 ounce coke can.

These days, the canisters are a bit larger. Two of them might be more than I want if I have to carry them both myself.

MSR Reactor

I was hoping you'd have some input Pierce.

With the Reactor, is it required that you cook in the pot that comes with it? Can you use the stove to cook on a small skillet or a shallow bowl, say to cook a grilled cheese or some bacon and eggs?

Build my own TLUD stoves.

I'll agree that the MSR reactor is a great choice in the area of canister stoves. I went with a Pocket Rocket and a GSI kit for me since I am normally cooking for 2, but groups of 4 are pretty standard as well. You can't go wrong with the MSR though.

I agree with some that canisters used to be pretty bulky and hard to find. Now you can find them at 7-11 anywhere near a state park or campground. I have an old MSR Whisperlite Inter that boils water in just a few minutes, it's like a blowtorch, and has NEVER failed me... clogged jet - stick a pine needle in there and shake it clean! Worked at 13,000 even in a pouring rain. But it's heavy (relatively) and doesn't simmer. It's TORCH or OFF.

jag - any pics of your TLUD? I've build several tuna can/beer can alcohol stoves, but once they work on my bench I just don't see taking them anywhere (since I don't really ultralight) But I've never seen a gasifier stove... sounds like cool tech.

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Any of you guys ever used the Brunton Optimus Nova? You have anything good or bad to say about it.

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I had one for a short while. I loved it when it worked, which was for about 3 meals. Then it just sort of crapped out and I never could get it working again, and i'm pretty good at fixing stoves.


I love my wisperlite and generally recommend it over everything else, but simmering it is an art so if that's one of your main requirements i'd look at the dragonfly, simmerlite or windpro.

Thanks so far for all the input. I seem to be leaning towards one of the canister stoves as I make this post (I haven't bought anything yet, so that might change).

I was almost convinced I was going to get the Dragonfly... until I read and viewed some reviews on it. While it seemed to be everything I wanted, I was struck by the loudness of the burner. One guy on ebay even sells a silencer for it. Actually, that was the second problem I had with it -- it was the most expensive of all the stoves I had considered.

Then I took a look at the Simmerlite. Every review I read on it suggested false advertising by MSR. Word was that it didn't really simmer very well at all. And that got me to thinking about JR69's post about the Whisperlite. I guess there must be an art to the simmering setting.

Next, I looked at the Pocket Rocket first suggested by Log. It seemed that the ability to turn down its flame was pretty good. It is very compact. And the price was definitely a plus.

While I was researching the Pocket Rocket, I noticed its bigger brother, the Superfly. I checked out a couple of reviews on it and it seems to be a pretty good compromise (for my needs). It weighs just a little bit more, but I'm not really worried about an ounce here or there. The burner is a little larger than the Pocket Rocket and one of its reviews even mentioned the potential for cooking bacon and eggs (they must have been reading my mind).

Have any of you had any experience with the Superfly?

[This message has been edited by HuntingGMan (edited 8/29/2011 7:00p).]

Have not used it, but MSR makes good stuff. I just don't think that it's worth the extra cash for my needs. I wouldn't hesitate to try it though.

the canister stoves are always going to be cheaper, lighter, simpler. Just a matter of whether you want to deal with canisters. I like the flexibility of being able to use white fuel/gasoline/kerosene over weeks, if necessary.

After many hours of poring through reviews, videos, and recommendations, I have decided to go the route of the canister stove -- the MSR Superfly. Call me short-sighted, but I am willing to put up with the canisters because I believe that they will be easily found along the marked bicycle route along the Oregon coast.

There may come a day that I will choose to hike the Appalachian Trail -- I hear that's what old guys do when they retire. When that time comes, I will probably go through this entire exercise again.

Thanks, everyone, for your input.

Terk, sorry, no pictures. I rarely get a chance to use them. Generally can only use them on private property. Cool little stoves, though batch loading can be a pain and generally the taller the chimney you can make the better. Some good info on the net, but most of it is geared towards larger, more permanent setups for poor people in Third World countries.

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the canister stoves are always going to be cheaper, lighter, simpler. Just a matter of whether you want to deal with canisters. I like the flexibility of being able to use white fuel/gasoline/kerosene over weeks, if necessary.

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Shifty - fuel flexability and availability is great and the one other thing where liquid fuel stoves shine is altitude. That's where the iso butane stoves just don't keep up... liquid rules above 9-10K (which I don't see much living here in NTX, unfortunately)