What Makes A Adept Backpacking Stove?

So, what constitutes a practiced backpacking stove?  Well, if yous read stove companionship advertising literature, yous mightiness instruct the impression that boil times are all that matter.  While I tin empathise why stove companies mightiness emphasize something they tin set a difficult set out on, I recall there's a chip to a greater extent than to it than that.

Below, I'll listing my full general "framework" for how I evaluate stoves, together with therefore I'll follow that amongst a brief discussion.

A Soto Windmaster outfitted amongst the larger Four-Flex pot supports.
Can it grip the size pot I use?  Or is it a top heavy disaster waiting to happen?

So what are my criteria?  Well, here's my 14 criteria (originally 13 but my friends tell that's bad luck, lol) that I evaluate stoves against, non necessarily inwards order:

1. Suitability – Is this stove suitable for what I desire to do?  
• Can it back upwards my mode of cooking? 
• Will it ready good the foods I similar to eat?  
• Can I ready inwards the temperatures together with weather I excogitation to hike in?  
• Does it operate good amongst the type together with size of pots together with pans I use?  
• Can it back upwards the unlike types of trips I similar to take? 
• Can it ready for both solo trips together with the set out of people I unremarkably go with?
2. Reliability/Robustness – Can I count on this thing?  Can it “take a licking together with exceed along on ticking” or create I possess got to babe it?
3. Weight – How much weight possess got I got to lug around?  Remember that yous demand to aspect at your cooking organisation equally a whole.  Don't but recall nearly the weight inwards price of the burner solitary but also view the fuel, the fuel container (steel? plastic? aluminum?), pump (if any), together with whatever other necessary items.
4. Price – Do I possess got mortgage my domicile to afford this thing?  It's to a greater extent than often than non a practiced persuasion to laid a budget for yourself earlier yous instruct your catch onset a stove exclusively to abide by out that yous can't afford it.
5. Stability – Will it dump my dinner?  Is the whole assembly "tippy?"
6. Efficiency (i.e. fuel economy) – Is this thing a gas guzzler?  Or tin I ready all calendar week on a unmarried tank of fuel?
7. Windproofness – Can I ready inwards existent globe conditions?  Can I (safely) purpose a windscreen?  How sensitive is this stove to wind?
8. Compactness – How much room does the darned thing possess got inwards my pack?  Will it poke me inwards the back?  Can I bear it inwards the pot that I typically use?
9. Ease of use – How much fussing around create I possess got to create to ready amongst this thing?
10. Ease of maintenance/field repair –  If a work occurs how easily tin I ready it? Can I ready it inwards the champaign or create I possess got to post it dorsum to the company?  Are tools together with spares included amongst the stove?
11. Speed – How fast is it?  Am I however waiting for my H2O to boil when my friends possess got already finished eating?
12. Noise – Do I possess got to purchase a hearing assist afterward using this stove?
13. Fuel considerations (availability/versatility/morality) – How difficult is it to instruct fuel for this stove where I excogitation to hike?  Can I purpose multiple types of fuels? Is it ethical to purpose this type of fuel (e.g. forest at high altitudes)?
14. Safety/Legality.  Is this type of stove rubber together with legal where I excogitation to go?  Am I going to start a terminate amongst this thing?  Will it flare if it tips over?  (Canister gas stoves oftentimes do)  Can the fuel tumble if I bump the stove?  Does it emit sparks or embers?  Can it smolder together with come upwards dorsum to life when I'm non expecting it?  Can it live easily extinguished?  Can I encounter the flame inwards wide daylight or am I going to accidentally terminate myself inwards a near-invisible flame?  Can the stove live over-primed together with thereby campaign a fire?  Can the valve stick inwards the opened upwards seat when I disconnect the stove?

The Snow Peak GeoShield volition back upwards large pots, but how does it create amongst pocket-size ones?

Discussion
The start 3 factors i should view when buying a stove are:  suitability, suitability, together with suitability.  OK, OK, I'm beingness a piddling giddy here, but seriously, if a stove can't ready foods yous similar (or are at to the lowest degree willing to eat) or grip the weather that yous volition face, therefore the stove is no practiced to you, no affair what a high tech wonder it may be.

Take a practiced long aspect at the things I've written nether suitability.  These are what your stove must mensurate upwards to, together with it is these that yous must address earlier yous determine on a detail stove.

With all of the criteria, these are but things to recall about.  There isn't a stove that's going to create good past times every measure.  You must weigh the pros together with cons together with determine which affair most to you.  The frame operate is intended to possess together with guide your thinking equally yous purpose your best judgment equally to which stove is best for you.

Descending from Glen Pass on the John Muir Trail.
Looks similar it mightiness live a piddling nippy tonight.  How does that stove grip cold?

Some example considerations:
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 through hiker mightiness desire an itty bitty ultralight stove; they've got to scrimp on every ounce.  Hiking twenty-four hr current afterward twenty-four hr current is a huge grind on the human torso if you're carrying besides much weight.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 "weekend warrior" hiker who never goes out to a greater extent than than 2 or 3 days at a fourth dimension mightiness prefer a stove that tin grip some existent cooking.

An alpinist who needs to melt snowfall or he'll possess got goose egg to drinkable or ready amongst may desire a real powerful stove -- lest he air current upwards waiting an inordinate amount of fourth dimension to instruct water.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Boy Scout mightiness desire a larger stove therefore that he tin ready for an entire patrol.  A pocket-size stove won't live real stable amongst larger pots.

I'm certain yous instruct the picture.  The persuasion hither beingness that yous demand to recall nearly the length together with type of the trip(s) yous excogitation to take, the set out of people yous typically ready for, the weather you'll face, together with your mode of cooking, minimalist, gourmet, or somewhere inwards between.  It is exclusively therefore that i should start considering the other factors I've listed inwards my "framework" above.

Spend some fourth dimension thinking through what yous desire your stove to create for yous together with what your stove must live capable of treatment before yous start shopping.

The Pacific Crest Trail at nearly 13,000 feet/4000 meters.
Looks a piddling barren upwards there.  You certain that stove tin grip wind?

The criteria listed inwards a higher house are how I aspect at a stove together with determine whether or non it's a practiced stove.  As I write evaluations, I endeavor to address these points.  However, I tin but betoken out which stoves inwards a given degree are practiced ones.  You, the reader, must ultimately determine which degree of stove is suitable for yous together with therefore from that class, brand your pick.  I promise this is a helpful framework.

Have fun together with live safe,

HJ

The Arizona desert.
Wherever you're headed, brand certain your stove is equal to the task.

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