ultralight

ZPacks Arc Haul + Accessories Review

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IMG_9964 (1) IMG_0545 (1)

Base stats:
– 60L, 24oz (without accessories)
– Dimensions: 7.5″ x 12.5″ x 30″ (19 cm x 31.8 cm x 76 cm)

I’ve never considered myself to be an ultralight backpacker.  With lighter and lighter gear on the market, I still turn to heavier gear and luxury items often, and my pack for most trips is between 25-45lbs, depending on planned activities.

I finally got a chance to see what a 20lbs pack would be on a hike.  Could have gone even lighter, but 20lbs is already the lightest pack I’ve ever used by a wide margin, and it’s true that it makes a noticeable difference on a hike. Continue reading →

GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist Ultralight Cookset Review

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I’ve had this Cookset for several years and have used it more than a few times during car camp and backpacking trips.

All packed up

All packed up

The whole kit nests within a carry kit / wash basket. The 1.8 liter pot is home two 2 food bowls, 2 insulated “mugs” and 2 folding sporks. The lid is little holes which enables you to drain water if you’re making pasta(hold the lid though, otherwise you end up with dirty pasta.) This was designed for 2 people, hence “Dualist”, but I think it could be used by 4 people provided the other 2 have some kind of spork, fork or chopsticks. Continue reading →

JetBoil Zip Review

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ZIP_ZIPCOOKINGSYSTEM-001

JetBoil Zip.

Base stats
– BTU:  4500
– Weight:  12 oz
– Stove comparison chart

It’s not the size of the BTU, it’s the efficiency of heat transfer.

The JetBoil Zip has been around a while, and is the lowest cost JetBoil out there.

I already have the JetBoil Sol Aluminum and have been loving it.  But for my wife’s emergency pack, I wanted a JetBoil as well.  Looking at the various models, the JetBoil Zip was the least expensive, so at the risk of missing some features, I picked one up on Amazon. Continue reading →

Thermarest RidgeRest X Lite Sol Review

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RidgerestSolinBackpack RidgerestZ-LiteSol

In a word:  Awesome

Of the 4 most basic items (backpack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad), a lot of folks might consider the sleeping pad #1. It’s so crucial to getting a good night’s sleep. Very experienced folks might be able to sleep without one, just like the Yanomamo might run in the jungle without shoes, but for most of us, shoes are necessary for walking and running outdoors, and sleeping pads are crucial for a decent night’s rest. Continue reading →

Mountain Laurel Designs (MLD), Duomid Review

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IMG_0525 

What’s there to say about the MLD Duomid, except, I’m impessed.

The Duomid has the best of many worlds with few compromises.

With so many tents on the market, like many folks, i started on the low end, and over the years, worked my way up.  One of the biggest problems apart from weight has always been, for me at least, that most tents have barely usable vestibules. Continue reading →

Clikstand Appalachian Ti Gas Combo Review

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ClikstandAppalachianTitaniumComboGasBurner

Base stats:
– BTU:  7K (Really the BTU of the Trangia burner)
– Weight:  2.7 oz
– Stove comparison chart

If you’re looking for a light Trangia stand that has a good windscreen and fits in a 1L titanium pot, this is a solid buy.

However, if you’re looking to also add the option of a gas stove, take note. There are slits in the triangular wall for the holder “plate” to go into. Continue reading →

Bushbox Titanium Outdoor Pocket Stove Review

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BushBoxPocketTitanium

Base stats
– BTU:  4K-9K (depending on wood)
– Weight:  17 oz including pump (Not including bottle or carry bag)
– Stove comparison chart

This little number is not that much lighter than the steel version. I thought it would match the Emberlit mini in weight, but it’s far heavier.

Still, it’s also thicker than the Emberlit, and that gives greater confidence in terms of durability. Continue reading →

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

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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 →

Snow Peak LiteMax Stove Review

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SnowPeakLiteMaxStove

Base stats:
– BTU:  11K
– Weight:  1.9 oz
– Stove comparison chart

I own quite a few of thee types of miniature gas canister stoves. And this would have to be my second favorite of all. It has some wind resistance from being blown out, which is nice, and the flame egress surface faces outwards to cover wider pots. It is also well suited for small pots and any cup designed for this purpose. Continue reading →

Optimus of Hiker+ Stove Review

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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.
Continue reading →

Snow Peak Titanium Multi Compact Cookset Review

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SnowPeakTitaniumCompactCookset

What a great two person cookset for the backpacker who likes to spend a little extra time to cook up better food than your basic rehydration.

Apart from these, I also own the trek combo pot set (basically the trek 900 nested in the trek 1400), and while that set is nice because the hybrid summit also nests inside, the trek combo lacks a little in diameter. This isn’t a problem for stews, but it’s a bit of a problem for breakfast since the larger pan is still too small to place whole slices of spam in it. Continue reading →

Snow Peak Mini Solo Hybrid Summit Cookset Review

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SnowPeakSummitHybridIMG_8513

In the last 3 years now, I’ve amassed so many stoves, pots, pans, cups, and other assorted backpacking cooking paraphernalia, and experimented with all of them both at home and on well over 30 backpacking trips and maybe 6 or 7 car camping trips that I’m starting to get pretty good at knowing what is needed for different types of trips, what’s overkill, and what’s not enough.  Continue reading →

Optimus of Sweden Nova+ Stove Review

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IMG_1058

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 →

Optimus Vega Review

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OptimusVegaIMG_0817

Base stats:
– BTU:  12,500 in liquid LPG mode, 4,750 in standard LPG mode
– Weight:  6.28 oz
– Stove comparison chart

I’ve purchased quite a few gas canister stoves in the search for that perfect one, and also have gotten into  alcohol stoves, liquid fuel stoves, and wood stoves.  Sort of a strange hobby, but comparing these stoves in actual usage is the only real way to understand them.

The Optimus Vega, among LPG stoves, is my first choice when heading out and planning on doing a fair bit of group cooking, while still keeping weight and pack space at a minimum.  Rafting weekends are ideal. Continue reading →

Soto Windmaster + 4Flex Stove Review

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SotoWindMaster IMG_0774 copy

Base stats:

– BTU:  11K
– Weight:  2.3 oz
– Stove comparison chart

Truly the best of the best of compact stand-alone LPG gas canister stoves.  It has become my goto.

While it’s too bad that it doesn’t fit in a cup along with a gas canister and utensil, which would be ideal, this gas canister based unit has one incredible advantage in addition to the wind resistance, and two small negatives. Continue reading →

Soto Compact Foldable Stove Review

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SotoCompactFoldingStove

Base stats:
– BTU:  11K
– Weight:  5 oz
– Stove comparison chart

This thing is truly a work of art.

It’s hard to believe that a stove setup could be this small.

This stove has two critical advantages:

First, it’s so small that when all folded up, it can fit inside a GSI Halulite mug (solo) sideways. SIDEWAYS!!! This means that I can have a gas canister, silicone pot holder, tiny folding utensil, AND this stove in the GSI mug and still completely close the silicone lid. Continue reading →

Primus OmniLite Ti Stove Review

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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.
Continue reading →

Optimus Terra Weekend HE .95L Pot Review

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OptimusTerraHEWeekendIMG_6553

EDIT:

When I originally purchased this hard anodized single person cookset with heat exchanger, I was reasonably impressed but struggled to figure out a good way to use it (Edit:  It shaved about 30 seconds off water boiling time compared to my Snow Peak Trek 900, if I used the right stove and windscreen combination, competitive with JetBoil times, thus saving fuel).  But it’s become, over time, my preferred set when solo backpacking where I plan to do light cooking. Continue reading →

180 Tack 180 Stove Stainless Steel 10.4. Review

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180Stove  IMG_7544

Base stats:
– BTU:  4-9K depending on wood
– Weight:  16.2 oz including snow and ash pan
– Stove comparison chart

EDIT:

First off, 180 stove sent me a replacement because they wanted to analyse the warping.
That warping was pretty easily cleared up as i was essentially over-abusing the stove, both in terms of going way too hot and cooling things down way too fast. Continue reading →

GSI Halulite Tea Kettle, 32oz Review

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GSI Outdoors Halulite Tea Kettle

After spending time this weekend with this little kettle, it’s clear that kettles are pretty critical for car camping. You need the for tea or coffee or soup/instant noodles or to warm a bucket of water for cleaning…. Can you survive without one on a car camping trip? sure. Would you want to? Heeeeeck no. The compact nature of this unit makes it a little more convenient to pack, but what I’ve learned this trip is, if you’re running really low on space and need to go uber compact, take this kettle. If you can load up the car and afford to take a larger kettle, do so. a kettle is worth the space and weight cost. Continue reading →

UCO Grilliput Portable Camping Grill Review

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UcoGrillIMG_3388

Base stats:
– BTU:  4-12K depending on charcoal
– Weight:  2lbs (32 oz)
– Stove comparison chart

SHORT ANSWER: Great idea, Kinda Meh.

—-

Here’s the short review: If you can deal with the extra lb, this device is a good device to have in a pinch.
It’s highly compact, weighted well indicating a reasonable level of quality, and because something is better than nothing, I highly recommend this for when wood burning campfires are your only option. Continue reading →

Coleman Aluminum Mess Kit Review

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Coleman 5-piece Aluminum Mess Kit

Old school mess kits like the one I had when I was a kid. It’s a great little setup, and the only two problems have always been: the pan handle is not strong enough to hold the pan when there’s any significant amount of food cooking, bending so easily as to be almost useless. And the cup is pitifully small. But the cooking kettle with top? That piece is awesome, and the plate works just fine. Continue reading →