I took some time to weigh some stoves. Here are a few with relative weights for comparison. I've listed stove weight by itself and then with tin or bits and pump, in ounces first, then grams in parentheses. Fuel tanks are empty in all cases. Measurements are approximate. I left out fixed leg, double burner and suitcase type stoves and focused on stoves that I would carry on a hike. I also left out alcohol burners and pressure-less type stoves. I'm sure I didn't get them all but it's a good relative comparison amongst the popular pressurized liquid fuel stoves I have. I threw in a few for a little fun too. British Military No. 12: 174 oz (4933 g) Burmos 21: 26 oz (737 g), in tin with bits, 41 oz (1162 g) Coleman 400 brown: 29 oz (822 g) Coleman 530: 35 oz (992 g), in container with tool, 44 oz (1247 g) Coleman 576: 32 oz (908 g) Coleman 550: 18 oz (510 g) Coleman 500: 65 oz (1842 g) Coleman 502: 38 oz (1077 g), in 501 cook kit, 50 oz (1417 g) Coleman 533: 32 oz (908 g), in plastic case, 42 oz (1191 g) Enders 9061 military with tools and bits: 68 oz (1928 g) Enders 9063 baby: 24 oz with all the bits Enders 9061D: 64 oz (1814 g) Hipolito No. 2: 33 oz (936 g) MSR XGK-EX: 12 oz (340g), with pump and stuff sack and 11 oz fuel bottle, 16 oz (454 g) MSR DragonFly: 13 oz (368 g), with pump and 11 oz fuel bottle, 18 oz (510 g) MSR GK: 9 oz (255 g), with pump and 11 oz fuel bottle, 14 oz (396 g) MSR XGK: 11 oz (312 g), with yellow pump, 16 oz (454 g) MSR Firefly: 12 oz (340 g), with yellow pump no windscreen, 17 oz (482 g) Optimus 8R with metal key: 24 oz (680 g) Optimus 8R with cookie cutter key: 27 oz (765 g) Optimus 111B, cookie cutter knob and tool: 56 oz (1587 g) Optimus 111T, cup-type knob and tool: 59 oz (1672 g) Optimus 111, cookie cutter knob and tool: 59 oz (1672) Optimus OO: 23 oz (652 g), in tin with bits, 36 oz (1020 g) Optimus 45 with pan trivet: 37 oz (1049 g) Optimus 80: 11 oz (312 g), in tin, 18 oz (510 g) Optimus 99: 24 oz, includes pot holder and strap Optimus Crux in pouch: 4 oz (113 g) Optimus Nova Plus: 11 oz (312 g), with all the bits in stuff sack and 11 oz bottle, 29 oz (822 g) Primus 71: 10 oz (283 g), in stove box: 21 oz (595 g) Primus 210: 24 oz (680 g), in tin with bits: 38 oz (1077 g) Primus Himalaya Multifuel: 14 oz (396 g), with pump and 11 oz fuel bottle, 22 oz (624 g) Primus 96 Pocket 1925 bun feet: 18 oz (510 g), in tin with bits, 31 oz (879 g) Primus 100 with pan trivet: 37 oz (1049 g) Primus Grasshopper: 13 oz (369 g) Radius 43 silent burner: 42 oz (1190 g) Radius 21: 24 oz (680 g), in tin with bits, 36 oz (1021 g) Svea 123 no pot, jet tool, or pot handle: 14 oz (397 g), with all the bits, 17 oz (481 g) M-1950 (aka 536): 24 oz (680 g), in container case, 33 oz (936 g) M-1942 Mountain: 22 oz (624 g), 31 oz (879 g) M-1941 (aka 520), 4 legger: 40 oz (1134 g), in container case, 48 oz (1361 g) sam
Very nice work Sam! I have been slowly weighing my stoves. I am by no means a weight pussy but the no 12 does not go backpacking. Though it just came back from a friend that used it on a sled trip. He said it was worth every onnce. It is interesting to see the different weights. I do give MSR a lot of credit for making light weight stoves. Thanks again Sam. Cheers Jeff
Hey Sam Great piece of work!!! Maybe others will contribute and we could come up with an ordered list?
I was surprised about that too. I guess the advantage would be that you wouldn't have to carry an extra pot on your hiking trip on top of the stove, with the 99 in your pack - it has one! But yes, I weighed them again to see what the deal was and, low and behold, they weigh the same! The 99 has some extra bits, the windscreen, strap, and the pot holder. I was kinda hoping for the same thing. If we people weighing in on this topic, we could get a really nice list of stoves. Not that anyone really cares, I'm going to carry whatever I want no matter what it weighs, but it's interesting to see and compare between different models. Hey Jeff, ditto on the No. 12! sam
Sam! Great idea to weigh a bunch of stoves. Interesting that the Svea 123 is in the same weight class as the more modern MSR stoves. I'm going to have to weigh a Whisperlite and a Simmerlite just for grins. Really though, I think a minimum configuration for an MSR is stove+pump+11 oz bottle+windscreen. I really think the windscreen should be included. Even though you could run you stove without one, why would you? The wind screen was one of Larry Penberthy's ingenious innovations that revolutionized the world of mountaineering stoves. Also, it really is safer to run the stove with the windscreen. When I run a stove, even at full tilt, the fuel bottle stays cold to the touch when I'm using a windscreen. HJ
HJ, This wasn't a scientific weigh-in by any means. It's a weigh-in of just the stove without any of the other items and then a weigh-in of the stove with all the items that I happen to have. Some don't have a windscreens so I threw it out of all the weigh-ins. The first number gives a true idea of the weight of the stove only, the second could be variable since the 'bits' have different weight between different stoves, but they are negligible. The MSR windscreen seems to have a standard weight so we could just add + 2 ounces to the MSRs. The others (non-MSR) either don't have one or are built-in as part of the stove, so I went with the least common denominator. I did this mostly for relative comparison and not for expedition weights that people are going to have to depend on for their lives. The real scale is the one that sits in somebody's garage and weighs for himself! We could also add tools, heat reflector, jet prickers, oil, meths, fuel, field parts, etc., but that would only confuse the issue of weight, which, again, this is not a scientific listing, just a ballpark idea and an interesting thing to look at. I certainly didn't want to get all technical about what to include and what not to include. With that said, I use windscreens on everything I have when I know I have to eat and camp and depend on what I cook and the amount of fuel I have, otherwise, I leave windscreens in the bag and go on with life and heat stuff up for the fun of it, sometimes using more fuel than it would have taken. sam
Bite your tongue H.D., its lighter and I can prove it. Take off the 123 windscreen and unscrew the font. Weigh just the burner and I bet it's far lighter then all but the pop can stoves. Seriously though, it chaps my cheeks the way manufacturers dissect their stoves and weigh what they please to tip the scales in their favor for the ounce crunchers. When the day is done a 123(R) will be the best 18oz of COMPLETE stove you could carry. AR
Thanks Sam, Good to have the data. The 550, which sometimes gets criticized for being flimsy, really is quite light for a one unit job. I might need to consider carrying it more often, again.
Good points, Sam. It's hard to say just what should/should not be included in the weight of a stove. Changing the subject slightly, on a liquid fueled MSR, one could lower the overall weight a tad more by: Using a Ti fuel bottle (expensive as heck) Bringing an older pump (the older pumps are lighter than the latest incarnation) Using a Sigg (or other brand) that is smaller than the smallest (11 oz/0.3 L) MSR size. This post is a great idea. If I get some time next weekend, maybe I'll add some weights to this post. HJ
Well, yes and no. To go out for a week with a Svea 123, you're going to have to carry a separate fuel bottle whereas I can just carry one bottle with an MSR stove. Also, though the Svea does have a windscreen of sorts, the windscreen doesn't really protect the flame. If it's a windy day, I'll take a separate windscreen for use with my Svea 123 -- or I'll take another stove. All that to say, it's hard to compare stove weights. There are a lot of factors to consider. One almost has to have a specific trip in mind before comparisons are meaningful. Now, having said that, the Svea 123 is still my favorite stove. HJ
Hey HJ, I'd love to see weights on your Stoves Of The Week (SOTW). That would be interesting to see the differences many of the gassies have compared to the liquid ones we like so much. Barring environment, temperature issues, the fact that they are not liquid, etc., gas stoves are easy to operate and have been popular for many decades and will continue to be that way, especially where the price of Coleman Fuel is going up and becoming scarce (I'll switch to kerosene, unleaded or diesel before I switch to gassie). I don't like gassies very much but I do use them (Optimus Crux). Have a great day, sam
Hi, everyone. I'm new here, and I must say that this really is a nice forum! Just weighed my newly aquired Phoebus 625, and thought I would put the info here. The weight is 880g with pot stands and windscreen. Not bad for such a big stove, I think, and with a tank capacity of 0.6 l, one might not need to carry a bottle of fuel as well.
Odd thing is this, I have a 8R with "cookie cutter" knob here, along with a M-1950 in its case, and the numbers say the 8R is the lighter, but it feels heavier. Why? The weight is in a package with a much smaller footprint, and is why my 8R is a first line choice, for the weight. it takes up less space in a pack, leaves more room for other gear if needed Murph