Hi Men, Reading the current thread on how many stoves we have, I was curious as to which stove you consider your "Go To" stove at the present. I know my current favorite is my Trangia 27. She's still sitting in my pack from last weeks cross country ski. I love the simplicity of the thing. (Especially with cold fingers ) What's your current fav? FDR Estate in Hyde Park, New York.
I have my Optimus N°11 ready to go in my car, but the one I use most (my favourit stove for Living History events!) is the pre-1911 Primus N°5. Regards, Wim
Mine would have to be an old Optimus 8R I got some time ago as a junker. It's the stove I got for canoeing. I got one cheap in rough condition, so that if I capsized and lost it, it would not be a terrible loss. I keep a mini pump with the appropriate cap, the old original cap and an eye dropper in it. It has NEVER EVER failed.
My "D" - 39 Coleman 500. Quite scarce, built like a tank, (wouldn't take it hiking) but used every time I bbq for that "extra" pan of mushrooms or onions.
In my car right now is my first stove, a Svea 123, inside an Optimus ETA pot, and my newest, a ClickStand with a Trangia burner. Paul
On my truck the go to stove is the Phoebus 625, great all around stove. My car has the Coleman Featherlite stove in a Peak 1 tin. Each vehicle has a coleman lantern, gallon of drinking water and 5 pcs of canned good replaced every 6 months or when expired with at least a set of cooking/eating utensils. You will never know Ron
I carry the 8R - it is the one that never failed me. (Actually, it is a Russian clone). This is my second one - the first was stolen together with my car. I do not backpack - the stove is carried in my car. When we are a group, I add a Coleman 400 or 502. I found out that I try to avoid the extra hassle of starting a kero stove in the wind, although these do provide higher heat output. Yonadav
I use to pack a meva #1 in the late seventys and eightys. It was a little large but it was given to me. As for now. When I plan on using white gas for a fuel its my trusty 123R. I allso have an 8R and love it but it wont fit inside my 900ml pot. If I go with a wood, alcohol combo. I use my bushbudy stove and a side jet alcohol stove. Both nest together to fit neetly inside my 900ml pot. For motorcycle camping it would be the 8R or the 111B. Rick
I really like my 111T and for hunting and car/RV camping it's hard to beat. If I had to pack it in, there is something very appealing about the Swedish military stove since it has stove, mess kit, fuel, windscreen, and enough room for a GI steel cup, firesteel, pot lifter, and a couple of sporks too. Add to that if you run out of alcohol you can always use sticks to get you through.
Yonadav, you and I think alike! My modded 8R for my daily companion, and a 502 if I'm planning an outing as such. Got a 425E here, but who'd give a fig about that? Murph
A coin toss between my 123 in Globetrotter pots and my Optimus 77A. The 123 is smaller, lighter and cryogenically cool, the 77A has an excellent cook set and ignores most weather.
I've got a few that I seem to turn to repeatedly: My MSR Simmerlite. Light and compact, this is my go to stove if I need high heat and there's going to be weather. My "user" Svea 123. Slightly weak on the flame, but a wonderful simmering stove. She's wonderful when used with a Sigg Tourist pot set. Some day I'll fettle her up to a higher output (probably just needs a new cap gasket). Just love this stove. Whereas my Simmerlite is just a tool to be used, my charming little beat up Svea 123 would be a real loss if something were to happen to her. My Camping Gaz HP470. Yep, you heard that right. Weird choice, but if I just want to do something quick and easy, I reach for my 470. Stable, nice big cooking surface, simmers well. Oddly, I rarely see these come up on eBay. I've been looking for another one, but to no avail. By contrast, you see the Turbo 270 all the time. Nothing against the Turbo 270, but I think the 470 is a superior design. Can't understand why they're not more popular. There you have it, my current big three. HJ P.S. I've been experimenting a lot with alcohol stoves lately. I recently acquired a Trail Designs Caldera Cone. It's not exactly a "go to" stove, but it's already earned my respect. God willing, the Caldera Cone will be my featured "Stove of the Week" stove some time soon.
Well, this is an interesting topic. It depends on the situation but usually no matter what kind of camping/backpacking/hiking I do, I always reach for my Svea 123 - always. When backpacking/hiking either overnight or day trip, it is in my pack and ready to go. When I car camp, I usually take my Sigg Tourist set with 123. It's reliable in any condition and I can always find more than one in the groups that I go with. Two can be used as a grill cooker as long as someone in the group is willing to carry a grill - usually a rectangular aluminum cake pan lid. Works great. My backups on these types of trips is my dragonfly for base camp, and for my boys, an Optimus Crux. On car camps it's a Svea 123 with Sigg Tourist, Coleman 500, and any one of the crowd of suitcases I have, usually a recently fettled suitcase. The last two trips, in November and December, I've taken my PW Autocook, which is an excellent working suitcase - heavy in weight and duty. sam
Current favourite is my Optimus Trapper - what a great stove, especially if it's windy. I have a Volcano in a side pocket of rucksack, and always keep a Swiss army Trangia and emergency rations (water, tea-bags, can of evaporated milk, dried porridge (oatmeal for our American cousins) etc in the car. For longer stays I'll take a 111 (on paraffin) for some serious cooking (unless I want to roast a joint or a chicken, in which case I'll take the British Army No 2 Mk 2 modified and a set of the army pans.) And of course a Turm Touring for the early-morning cuppa in the tent. Sometimes I'll use the Trangia 27 with gas conversion for a change, or the Trangia mini-set (28?). The wife's a great fan of the Cobb cooker as well. Oh heck, they're ALL my favourites!
For solo trips, including fishing, or hiking, as well as keeping an emergency stove in the car, I always lean on my SVEA 123R with its windscreen and cup, packed inside the GAZ Globetrotter pan set. If I have someone along and still want to travel light, I use an older SVEA 123 nested inside the Sigg Tourist pan set. Both sets are such a nice combination of a trusty stove with a cook set that doubles as a protective case for the stove. For extended camping with family then the Coleman suitcase, hands down.
SVEA 123R in a Coleman anodized cook set! I fit a folding spork and bic lighter inside for safe keeping. A folding wind screen comes along for the ride too. Over the last year it has gotten swapped out of the pack just a hand full of time just to keep some of the other stoves from getting jealous. Second on the short list would probably be a Brunton Raptor in a Snow Peak MiniSolo. I use the long legs of the Raptor to key into holes in an AL wind screen. It extends about 1" below the legs and shields the cup well against gusty wind. I could go into the long list based on several scenerio and cooks requirements but you've already heard it all. AR
Among all my stoves, the one I USE when I go backpacking or anywhere else is my trusty 123 that I got in about 1972. It's never let me down except for the time I ran it out of fuel and scorched the wick. Not the lightest, but it works all the time.
Summer use for week long backpacking trips, MSR Pocket Rocket to save weight. Fuel for a week and stove come in at 11 oz. Winter, loving the 111T, first winter using one. If out on a long snowshoe in to snowcamp, I would bring my MSR Internationale, or now since I have one, the Firefly.
