Review: The Snowfall Acme Geoshield

The GeoShield is a novel remote canister gas stove from Snow Peak of Japan.

What's that?  You're non sure just what a "remote" canister stove is?  No worries.  See:  What is a Remote Canister Stove?  It's worth knowing the differences betwixt the ii major types of canister stoves.

 The Snow Peak GeoShield remote canister gas stove

The GeoShield is a genuinely interesting stove.  It's different.  It consists of 3 original components:

1. The burner, which does not have legs; the burner mounts straight to the windscreen.
2. The windscreen, which is serial of aluminum plates.
3. A base of operations plate which serves every bit a oestrus reflector.

The rather interesting burner of the Snow Peak GeoShield.
The burner does non direct hold legs but instead mounts straight to the windscreen.

The GeoShield's base of operations plate/heat reflector as well as the windscreen, shown hither snapped together.

An optional manus held piezoelectric ignition comes amongst the stove.  The ignition is genuinely a dainty one, but I'm non genuinely large on split piezoelectric ignitions.  When an ignition is built into a stove, it's super convenient.  If I direct hold to fish just about inward my pack for it, I may every bit good convey a conventional lighter or a give notice steel which tin lav lite other things also just a stove.  Piezoelectric ignitions are inward full general unmarried purpose:  They volition lite your stove but cipher else.  Piezoelectric ignitions create fail, especially at higher elevations, thus 1 should ever convey a minute origin of ignition (matches, lighter, give notice steel, etc.).  If I'm going to direct hold to convey a secondary origin of ignition anyway, I don't watch the payoff of a detached piezoelectric ignition.

The manus held piezoelectric ignition that comes amongst the Snow Peak GeoShield stove.

Now, if yous saw upwardly inward a higher house how large the windscreen looks when fully assembled, direct hold heart.  The Snow Peak engineers genuinely direct hold something sort of nifty here.  Everything folds upwardly into a pretty pocket-sized package.

The base of operations plate as well as windscreen bend upwardly as well as fit into the pocket-sized pouch, shown at right.
The pouch comes amongst instructions printed straight on the pouch.

 To get together the windscreen, 1 merely pulls on the cable that holds everything together, as well as and thus wraps the cable just about the provided cleat on the windscreen.

To get together the windscreen, merely describe the cable taut, as well as wrap the cable just about the cleat every bit shown.

 Once the windscreen is assembled, the base of operations plate snaps into house inward the provided slots.

The clips on the base of operations plate snap onto the strip of metallic inward the grooves inward the windscreen.

The stove as well as thus clips on to the windscreen.  The windscreen, baseplate, as well as stove human activity every bit 1 unmarried assembly when all is snapped together.  The windscreen has a high configuration (for pots larger than the diameter of the windscreen) as well as a depression configuration (for pots smaller than the windscreen).  One merely swaps the base of operations plate as well as the burner to switch betwixt the ii configurations.

The stove,base plate, as well as windscreen, all snapped together.
The configuration demo hither is the "high" configuration where the burner is at the peak of the windscreen.
The high configuration allows 1 to work pots that are larger inward diameter than the windscreen,

If this all sounds similar a lot of trivial around, well, it is, sort of, but it's genuinely non all that bad.  With a duet of practise runs, I could get together everything inward virtually xl to 45 seconds.  It's for sure easier than pumping as well as priming a white gasoline or kerosene type stove.

And what create yous larn for all this?  Well, a genuinely large, stable cooking platform.  I hateful this thing is solid.  It's perfect for Scouts, families amongst children, or whatsoever grouping that mightiness live on worried virtually inexperienced users knocking over a pot.  It would also live on dandy for anyone who wants superb stability or a large cooking platform.  You could easily set a five or 6 liter pot on this thing, amongst no problem.  

My daughter, the Adventures inward Stoving spokesmodel, cooking on a Snow Peak GeoShield amongst a 2.6 liter pot.
I direct hold absolutely no fearfulness of that pot tipping over as well as scalding her.  The GeoShield is extremely stable.
This is a dandy stove for families amongst children, Cub Scouts, younger Boy or Girl Scouts, etc.

I could watch this stove existence used for guided trips, horse/mule packing, motorbike touring etc.  The GeoShield would live on ideal for whatsoever trip where infinite were at a premium but a large, stable cooking surface were needed.

When packed, the GeoShield is incredibly compact for such a large stove.
For size reference, the stove is shown hither amongst a 230 g canister of gas.

Something else to banking corporation annotation is that the GeoShield does direct hold a generator (a "pre-heat loop"), thus it can be safely used amongst the canister inverted for mutual depression temperature atmospheric condition use.  See Stoves for Cold Weather II for details.

OK, thus this is a dandy stove if yous desire a large cooking surface but demand something that packs away small, as well as it tin lav live on used for colder atmospheric condition than regular upright canister stoves.  What is it not skillful for?

Well, smaller pots for 1 thing.  The Windscreen has 1 setting.  Big.  In addition, the burner caput is fairly wide.  Flames become upwardly just about the sides of a pocket-sized pot as well as are wasted.  This genuinely isn't a stove for pocket-sized pots.  I genuinely wouldn't recommend the stove for pots of less than 1.5 liters, as well as those pots would best live on wider than tall.

A pocket-sized 550 ml pot on the GeoShield.
Notice how much empty infinite is just about the burner amongst such a pocket-sized pot.
The GeoShield genuinely doesn't operate good amongst pocket-sized pots.

And as well as thus there's my major electrical load regarding the stove:  The Windscreen.  It's genuinely non all that dandy of a windscreen inward my opinion.  It's a great, stable platform, but it's only marginal every bit a windscreen.  Oh, it's fine inward lite breezes, but if the air current picks upwardly at all, fifty-fifty moderate breezes become correct through the rather airy windscreen.  I suppose that they deliberately set all the holes inward the windscreen to trim its weight, but those holes create let a lot of air current to move on through.  In addition, it's non a total 360 flat windscreen.  The opening at the parent of the windscreen is large plenty that I tin lav set my whole manus through it.

There is a gap inward the windscreen large plenty to move on one's manus through it.

The windscreen is also too curt to live on fully effective.  Normally, 1 would desire the windscreen to extend upwardly 75% of the way upwardly the side of the pot when the pot is on the stove.  Because of it's design, the GeoShield's windscreen is only going to direct hold virtually a finger's width of coverage when inward depression mode, as well as none at all inward high mode.

The windscreen only extends upwardly the side of the pot virtually the width of a finger.  It's non enough.
The windscreen has a lot of holes inward it.  While the hole no incertitude trim weight, they also let the air current to come upwardly in.

Really, inward anything to a greater extent than than mild breezes, yous direct hold to convey a split windscreen if yous desire to protect the GeoShield's burner from wind.

The GeoShield's flame existence forced over to the left inward a lite to moderate breeze.

The Snow Peak GeoShield

What's skillful virtually it?

• Very stable
• Large cooking surface
• Packs upwardly really pocket-sized for a cooking platform of it's size
• Reasonable "fiddle factor" when considering how compact it is when stowed as well as yet how large it is when deployed.
• Has a generator ("pre-heat loop"), thus it can be used safely amongst the canister inverted for mutual depression temperature atmospheric condition use.  See Stoves for Cold Weather II for details.

What's non thus skillful virtually it?

• You genuinely demand to demeanor a split windscreen inward anything to a greater extent than than a lite breeze
• Heavy for its course of didactics (see Appendix, below)
• The durability of the base of operations plate as well as its connectedness to the windscreen is somewhat uncertain
• Limited to larger pots as well as pans only.  

The Snow Peak GeoShield  – recommended for:

• Families amongst pocket-sized children, Scouts, or whatsoever young, inexperienced user.
• Those who demand a large cooking surface that packs upwardly small
• Anyone needing a large, stable cooking surface.
• Base camping, trailhead camping, etc.
• Winter work (but written report upwardly on this; at that spot are limits)

The Snow Peak GeoShield  – non recommended for:

• Soloists or anyone who uses pocket-sized pots
• The weight witting (although what is heavy to 1 isn't necessarily heavy to another)

I give thank yous you for joining me,

HJ

Appendix.  A signal past times signal consideration of those things which construct for a skillful stove.

1. Suitability – Is this stove suitable for what I desire to do?
• Cooking  – The GeoShield tin lav pretty much back upwardly whatsoever type of cooking from high heat, rapid boiling as well as snowfall melting to ho-hum simmering.  The fine command of the flame is really good.
• Conditions – The GeoShield has superior mutual depression temperature atmospheric condition performance when compared to upright canister stoves.  The GeoShield will handgrip windy conditions good if you convey a split windscreen for it.  The windscreen that comes amongst the stove is inadequate past times itself.
• Capacity  – The GeoShield can back upwardly pots of nearly whatsoever size from virtually 250 ml  to virtually vi liters (possibly more), but anything smaller than 1500 ml volition live on genuinely inefficient.  Best work is for pot sizes of ii liters as well as up, as well as that's for pots that are wider than they are tall.
2. Reliability/Robustness – Can it “take a licking as well as hold on ticking?”
• I establish the stove to live on quite solid.  The attachment of the base of operations plate to the windscreen may non concluding long term, but if it did fail, 1 could merely lay the base of operations plate on the the world below the burner.
• As amongst all canister stoves, 1 must hold the threaded expanse clean, as well as 1 should avoid spilling nutrient on the burner head.  Do non laid the stove downward inward the dirt if yous tin lav avoid it.  One should also hold the canister threads construct clean lest abrasives (dirt, grit, etc.) larn into the threads of your stove.  Always work the cap on the canister when non inward use.  Avoid Coleman construct canisters which don't direct hold a cap – or salve a cap from some other construct as well as work it if yous purchase a Coleman canister.  Why Coleman doesn't render a cap on their canisters is beyond me.  Dumb idea, Coleman.
3. Weight  –  The GeoShield's weights are every bit follows:
• Burner.  210 g/7.4 oz.
• Windscreen. 151 g/5.3 oz
• Base plate.  29 g/1 oz
• Handheld piezoelectric ignition.  14 g/0.5 oz
• Stove bags.  5 g/0.2 oz (each)
• Total 390 g/13.8 oz without ignition or stove bags.
• Grand Total 414 g/14.6 oz amongst ignition as well as both stove bags.
4. Price – MSRP $100, a fleck on the high side, but it is a lot of stove. Always expect for sales. Never live on inward a hurry to purchase gear.  MassDrop has offered this stove for sale.  You mightiness põrnikas them to run some other "drop" on this stove if yous desire one.  See also Disclosures, below.
5. Stability – Best stability of just virtually whatsoever backpacking type stove anywhere.
6. Efficiency (i.e. fuel economy) – Well, it depends.  If yous convey a split windscreen, it volition create fine every bit long yous don't become heavy on the gas.  The GeoShield has a large burner as well as volition swallow gas if yous run it on high.  Would yous run your car amongst the pedal ever pressed all the way downward to the floor?  Well, non if yous wanted reasonable gas mileage.  So it is amongst the GeoShield.  Run it at a reasonable setting, as well as it volition create fine.  If yous don't convey a split windscreen, as well as it's a windy day, yous may swallow through a lot gas trying to oestrus things up.
7. Windproofness –  Poor to fair at best amongst the provided windscreen.  Excellent if yous convey a skillful windscreen to supplement the 1 that comes amongst the stove.  Because it is a remote canister stove, a total 360 flat windscreen tin lav and should be used.
8. Compactness – The GeoShield is really compact for a stove of its size.
9. Ease of work – Some laid is required, to a greater extent than oftentimes than non to a greater extent than than most remote canister stoves, but non every bit much every bit amongst a white gasoline or kerosene type stove.
10. Ease of maintenance/field repair –  Like most canister gas stoves, tools as well as spares are non included amongst the stove.  In my testing, I never encountered a job amongst the stove, but I haven't had the stove long plenty to genuinely direct hold a skillful feel of whether or non it's maintenance gratis or not.  Inasmuch every bit it is a canister stove, I create non anticipate a dandy bargain of maintenance headaches.
11. Speed – Decent speed, but the speed volition vary amongst the conditions, fuel, as well as type of pot.  Honestly, I think yous should live on worried to a greater extent than virtually fuel economic scheme (efficiency) inward the dorsum dry soil than speed.  As long every bit the speed is reasonable, focus on conserving fuel over fast boil times.
12. Noise – Average. About the same every bit most ported gas stoves, i.e. fairly quiet.  Not every bit tranquillity every bit an alcohol stove but no where close every bit loud every bit a liquid fueled stove amongst a "roarer" type burner (e.g. Primus Omnifuel, MSR XGK or DragonFly, Optimus Nova, etc.)
13. Fuel considerations (availability/versatility/morality) 
• Availability.   The GeoShield uses touchstone threaded canisters.  One tin lav work whatsoever reputable construct of canister gas.  See Can I Use Any Brand of Gas Canister?  Standard threaded canisters are widely available inward the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, as well as Japan.  Availability may live on express elsewhere.  In some areas, especially inward France, non-threaded canisters are the norm.  In the Middle East as well as Eastern Europe, only puncture type canisters (no valve) may live on available.  No thing where yous are planning to go, banking corporation check the availability of fuel.
• Versatility.  Generally, only threaded canisters may live on used, but at that spot are adapters that volition let 1 to work non-threaded valved canisters, puncture type canisters, 100% propane canisters, as well as 100% butane bayonet-connector type canisters.  Always banking corporation check availability of adapters earlier embarking on a trip.  If possible, obtain as well as exam adapters inward advance.  Some adapters from China are of extremely miserable (i.e. dangerous) quality.  Liquid fuels such every bit alcohol, gasoline, or kerosene may non live on used.
• Fuel economy.  Reasonable on the GeoShield, but remember, much depends on you.  See Fuel Economy amongst Stoves.
• Morality/Ethics.  Canister gas is to a greater extent than oftentimes than non considered to live on ameliorate for the surround than woods fires. Use of woods fires a) oftentimes atomic number 82 to an expanse existence stripped of woods as well as b) direct hold significantly higher give notice danger.  However, on the other hand, piece canisters tin lav live on re-cycled, most of the canisters air current upwardly inward the dry soil fill.  Even recycling of canisters takes unloose energy as well as other resources as well as is non every bit depression impact, environmentally, every bit a liquid fueled stove or alcohol stove.  Some people direct hold gone dorsum to liquid fueled stoves (gasoline or kerosene) or alcohol stoves to trim their environmental impact. 
14. Safety/Legality.  
• General.  Standard threaded canisters are to a greater extent than oftentimes than non considered safe; however, create non let the temperature of the canister to top 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).  Leaving a canister inward the dorsum window of a machine on a hot solar daytime is non a skillful idea.  Neither is allowing boiling H2O to fall onto the canister.  It belike won't explode, but create yous genuinely desire to run a endangerment it? 
• The valve on a canister tin lav stick inward the opened upwardly spot when yous disconnect the stove.  NEVER disconnect the stove close a candle or other opened upwardly flame or hot surface.  Disaster may resultant if the valve sticks open.  If the valve does stick inward the opened upwardly position, merely supervene upon the burner on the canister as well as attempt again.  If the valve on the canister continues to stick, larn out the burner on the stove as well as command the gas amongst the valve on the burner.
• Fire security as well as regulations.  In damage of give notice safety, canisters are fairly safe, but attention must live on taken non to let the canister to tip over piece the stove is cold.  If the liquid fuel within the canister goes to the burner earlier the flame, a fireball several feet inward diameter may erupt.  This may drive an injury, a fire, or worse.  Canister stoves are to a greater extent than oftentimes than non allowed during most give notice bans inward the western U.S. whereas alcohol as well as woods stoves are to a greater extent than oftentimes than non not allowed.  Regulations may vary elsewhere.  A California Campfire Permit is required inward California for stoves of all types.   There are also total give notice bans that are sometimes invoked.  Always banking corporation check amongst the local dry soil management agency where yous intend to hike.
• Canister stoves create non require priming as well as are gratis from the dangers of priming.

Disclosures.

The stove used inward this review was provided to me gratis of accuse past times Massdrop, an on-line retailer.  I have no remuneration from Massdrop for this or whatsoever other review.  

I direct hold purchased several items from Massdrop, but I did thus every bit an ordinary customer; I received no discounts.  I in 1 lawsuit did have some gratis socks from Massdrop.  I genuinely direct hold a undertaking as well as tin lav afford to purchase my ain socks, thus I don't think the socks inward inquiry volition sway my persuasion 1 way or the other amongst regard to my reviews.  However, if Massdrop wants to post my married adult woman as well as I on a ii calendar week all expenses paid trip to some exotic locale, I mightiness direct hold to seriously rethink my review process.  Given Massdrop's somewhat express resources, I suspect we're pretty rubber here. 

You volition banking corporation annotation that I did lift Massdrop inward my review every bit 1 possible house to obtain the stove reviewed.  I have no compensation for my recommendation; indeed the recommendation was unsolicited as well as was based on my personal persuasion alone.  Neither create I have whatsoever compensation if you, the reader, construct a purchase from Massdrop.  However, I create similar nighttime chocolate, thus if yous salve plenty coin past times purchasing through Massdrop, past times all agency experience gratis to pass the cash saved on buying me chocolate.  65% or ameliorate cacao content, please.

Subscribe to receive free email updates: