Diesel

British Army Cooker No.12 Review (Diesel/Kero only)

/ tekkster / 16 Comments

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Base stats:
– BTU:  7,500 (Kerosene/Diesel)
– Weight:  169 oz (10.5 lbs)

If ever there came a day when I had to get rid of most of my stoves, the British Army Cooker No.12 would be among the very last I would be willing to part with.  It’s built like a tank, and in fact, was specifically designed to go into the British Scorpion light tank, and designed to take a massive amount of abuse.  It is very heavy, but there are few portable stoves on the market designed to stand up to a rugged environment quite like the British Army Cooker No.12.

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MSR XGK EX Review

/ tekkster / 5 Comments

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Base stats:
– BTU:  10,500 (White Gas)
– Weight:  13.2oz min
– Weight:  17.2oz max

As the original and therefore de facto king of fuel bottle based liquid fuel stoves, there isn’t much about the stove that hasn’t already been said a thousand times over, in reviews all over the world, and in every language.

The XGK EX is arguably the linear, direct descendant of the original fuel-bottle based liquid fuel stove, created by MSR founder Larry Penberthy in 1969, after realizing it was inefficient to carry a fuel bottle in addition to a stove + tank “lunchbox” type stove.   Continue reading →

MSR Whisperlite Universal review

/ tekkster / 8 Comments

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Base stats:
– BTU:  5,300 (LPG vapor)
– BTU:  10,300 (LPG liquid-inverted)
– BTU:  9,500 (White gas)
– BTU:  7,300 (Kerosene)
– Weight:  11.5 oz min, 19.4 oz packed
– Stove comparison review

The short:  If you’re looking for a liquid fuel stove, and are willing to compromise on a little weight and size to get better reliability, the MSR Whisperlite Universal is hard to beat.  It is the goto choice for many experienced backpackers who need reliability in the field.

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Primus Omnifuel 2 Review

/ tekkster / 28 Comments

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Base stats:
– BTU:  10,500 (White gas)
– Weight:  12.3 oz min, 15.9 oz packed
– Stove comparison review

The skinny: An evolution of the original Omnifuel, more refined, more precision focused, with a detail oriented addition of features, while still remaining rugged and reliable.

Caution:  There was an issue with an earlier version of the OmniFuel 2 stove.  See photos in addendum A at the end of this review.   (damaged omnifuel photos courtesy of BC).  

NOTE:  This appears to have been fixed with the current version.  See comment from Scott Boyce on Feb 22nd, 2017 in the comments section.

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Edelrid Hexon Review

/ tekkster / 20 Comments

Base stats
– BTU:  10,326 w/ White Gas
– Weight:  7.1 oz, (16.1 oz incl. pump, bottle)
– Stove comparison chart

There are such great features in this stove, I want this to be my favorite.  Scratch that, with one modification (see addendum 1 below), this is now my favorite compact liquid fuel stove.  It is beautifully designed, solves one of the biggest issues with liquid fuel stoves (compactness), and does so without sacrificing value in most other areas.  With one exception, this is a marvel of engineering, and beautifully thought out. Continue reading →

Trangia 27-2 & 25-2 Ul Stove Kit Review

/ tekkster / 13 Comments

Trangia27-2
Base stats:
– BTU:  7K (The Trangia burner)
– Weight:  36 oz (2lb 4oz) for the larger 25-2
– Weight:  29 oz (1lb 13oz) for the smaller 27-2
– Stove comparison chart

If alcohol fuel (and optionally, also multi-fuel) is more your thing than LPG gas canister stoves, but you want to cook with it and maximize heat efficiency with a really good wind screen, this set is very hard to beat.  Some of the most experienced backpackers swear by these cook sets as they work in horrendous weather conditions, maximize the limited fuel efficiency of the Trangia stove, run silently, and avoids the mess and hassle of setting up and putting away liquid fuel stoves. Continue reading →

Optimus of Hiker+ Stove Review

/ tekkster / 1 Comment

OptimusHiker+  IMG_8408

Base stats:
– BTU:  9,725
– Weight:  3.4 lbs (A bit of a beast)
– Stove comparison chart

The Optimus Hiker+  is probably among the most reliable stoves I’ve ever used.  While it may be true that many years ago, it was likely considered a backpacking stove, these days, most folks, me included, use this as a car camping, or home emergency stove, and it works well in that regard.
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Optimus of Sweden Nova+ Stove Review

/ tekkster / 1 Comment

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Base stats:
– BTU:  9,725 (on white gas)
– Weight:  15 oz with pump (not including bottle)
– Stove comparison chart

2013 November:  I just picked up the Nova+ at AnyMountain.  There have been some bad reviews of the Nova+ but so far, I can’t find a real fault with it.  Since I already own the Primus omnilite ti (and now a few others), I can compare the two.

[NOTE:  Since this review, I have gathered a few more.  Check the Optimus Polaris Optifuel review for more comparisons with this Nova+. https://somecampingstoves.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/optimus-polaris-optifuel-801408-campinghiking-camp-stove-w0-4l-fuel-bottle/ Continue reading →

Primus OmniLite Ti Stove Review

/ tekkster / 3 Comments

Base stats:
– BTU:  8900
– Weight:  2.6 lbs (including pump and bottle and bag)
– Stove comparison chart

(Long Term use update at bottom)

I own most of the currently sold liquid fuel stoves as well as quite a few older ones, and to my mind, the Primus Omnilite is the best choice of a fairly good sample of liquid fuel stoves for flexibility, compactness, fuel efficiency, and reliability, though, it has couple of small negatives.
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