What Is A Lite (Or Ultralight) Canister Stove?

The words "light" in addition to "ultralight" larn thrown around similar therefore much chump change.  Marketers play fast in addition to unloose amongst those damage hoping to score a few to a greater extent than gear sales.  Is at that spot a agency nosotros tin forcefulness out assign existent pregnant to these terms?
An FMS-116T "Gnat" stove weighs less than 2 ounces.
Actually, at that spot is.  We tin forcefulness out "grade on the curve."

What the heck create I hateful past times that?  Well, when I was inward school, some instructors would facial expression at the scores on their tests, expecting to encounter a "normal" (bell shaped) curve.  If the centre of the bend didn't trouble upward amongst "average" performance, they mightiness accommodate the examine scores.  In other words, students were judged non merely on their examine scores lonely but on how good they did inward relation to the cast every bit a whole.  This is referred to every bit "grading on the curve."

So also, nosotros tin forcefulness out approximate canister stoves non merely on their weight lonely but besides on how their weights compare to other stoves inward their class.
Some stoves today weigh under one ounce, giving novel pregnant to the term "ultralight."
With that inward mind, guide maintain a facial expression at the below chart.  This nautical chart applies to upright (top mounted) canister stoves only.  Obviously "integrated" canister stoves (like a Jetboil or Reactor) in addition to remote canister stoves (like an MSR WindPro or Kovea Spider) guide maintain to guide maintain their ain categories inward venture for those categories to last meaningful.
Upright Canister Gas Stove
Weight Classes
(Less Than or Equal To)
OuncesGrams
Heavy
 4+
113+
Moderate< 4< 113
Light< 3< 85
Ultralight (UL)< 2< 57
Super Ultralight (SUL)< 1< 28

Upright canister stoves today weigh every bit niggling every bit 25 grams – less than 1 ounce! There are v commercially available stoves that weigh less than 2 ounces.

Given the calorie-free weight of stoves available today, it's reasonable to insist on that a stove last really calorie-free inward venture for it to belong to the cast of "ultralight" in addition to to last fifty-fifty to a greater extent than demanding of weight savings for a stove to earn the championship "super ultralight."
We hand pregnant to damage similar "light" in addition to "ultralight" past times categorizing stoves relative to 1 another.
Here in addition to therefore are 4 examples:
Top row, right:  MSR Pocket Rocket, 3.1 oz (Midweight) 
Top row, left:  MSR Pocket Rocket 2, 2.6 oz (Light)
Bottom Row, left:  FMS-116T ("Gnat"), 1.7 oz (Ultralight)
Bottom Row, right:  BRS-3000T, 0.9 oz, (Super Ultralight)
In summary, based on what is available today, existent pregnant tin forcefulness out last given to damage similar "light" in addition to "ultralight" past times looking at a given stove's weight inward relation to other stoves.  Based on those relative weights, I guide maintain created the next upright canister stove weight classes:
  • SUL:  If an upright canister stove weighs less than or equal to an ounce (28 g), it's super ultralight.
  • UL:  If a stove weighs less than or equal to 2 ounces (57 g) but to a greater extent than than 1 ounce, in addition to therefore it's ultralight.
  • Light:  If a stove weighs less than or equal to 3 ounces (85 g) but to a greater extent than than 2 ounces, in addition to therefore it's light.  
  • Moderate:  If a stove weighs less than or equal to 4 ounces (113 g) but to a greater extent than than 3 ounces , in addition to therefore it's moderate.  
  • Heavy:  If it weighs to a greater extent than than a quarter pound (4 oz/113 g), then, past times modern standards, it's heavy.  
The inward a higher house is a reasonable categorization, given the soil of the fine art in addition to the stoves ordinarily available today.

Next fourth dimension yous read an cite or withdraw heed a salesman tell that a 3 (or more) ounce stove is "ultralight," merely nod your caput in addition to tell "unh hunh, sure," in addition to guide maintain yourself a niggling chuckle.  Now, yous know better.

Thanks for joining me,

HJ

For Further Reading:
The Purpose of this Post:
As a brief post service script, allow me merely reverberate for a moment.  I wrote this post service amongst 2 things inward mind:
1.  To allow people know, especially those less familiar amongst backpacking stoves, what's out there.  There are stoves beingness marketed every bit "ultralight" that are inward a higher house 3 ounces inward weight.  That's really on the heavy end of the scale.  It's non fifty-fifty calorie-free allow lonely ultralight.  If you're shopping for a stove in addition to trying to larn your base of operations weight down, yous require to know that yous tin forcefulness out create better.
2.  ALL WEIGHT CATEGORIES ARE ARBITRARY including those that verbalize close full base of operations weight. I similar weight categories insofar every bit they hand me a goal that I tin forcefulness out challenge myself with, but I don't similar weight categories if they Pb to 1 upmanship or a loss of focus on the truthful bottom line:  enjoyment.  Reduced gear weight should facilitate the enjoyment of one's hiking.  Increased enjoyment of hiking is the truthful bottom line, non some arbitrary weight class.  

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