Dear Stove Heads, I am now the lucky owner of a new, in-box, never fired 199 Ranger (date inside box is 23/11/1984). Mind you, it cost me an arm and a leg on EBay (US$600.00 plus shipping). Any fans got advice on firing? I note the instructions advise a different jet when using alcohol as a fuel (part number 2508) for regular use of alcohol as a fuel. How much difference does it make, if anyone knows? I would be grateful for any advice. Thanking you in advance. Cheers SimonFoxxx
Alcohol has less heat per amount and needs less air per amount to burn efficiently. Some stoves use air restrictor pipes to richen the mix but this results in less power. A larger jet allows pretty much full power but your burn time between refills wont be very long. A bit like changing the diesel engine in your truck for a petrol v8.
Why mess with a good thing? Go with the Kerosene, prime with alcohol. If you really want to burn alcohol, carry a spare Trangia and use it as a side burner. You have entered what many deem as a very lucky & elite club(199 club). Congratulations & enjoy, AR
Hi Simon. Kero is best, even though it is new the seals may be hard so I would pump it up and dunk it under water to check for leaks from the seals. You paid a lot but as you know these stoves do not come up often in New Zealand. I fired mine with alcohol, using the regular jet and the restrictor tube, It was pretty good, but kero is brilliant! I generally don't bother to pump at all. Hope you enjoy your new stove.
Hi Simon, as YD has recommended, go with kerosene and prime with alcohol (no sooting on priming). You are a lucky one indeed although the price is too much for me Make sure you use the correct jet for kerosene which I assume is included or even installed on the burner. Congratulations Ron
SF At $600 I would crap myself, even if the cardboard box got a bit damaged. Leave it unfired - collectable.
Greetings, Simon, Welcome to CCS, Sir, and hearty congratulations on getting a fine example of an outstanding favorite of mine, the Optimus 199! Yes, the price was high, but in truth, I've seen at least one go for more than you paid!! Most all true Stovies have paid a lot for a special stove, at least once in their lives, and most of us have NO guilt whatsoever!! Enjoy your new stove, and make sure you have the restrictor for those times you may want to use Meths. I do agree with my CCS Mates who wrote that the 199 seems to thrive on kerosene. I have two of them, and kero is absolutely the best fuel for them, especially when primed with alcohol (Meths) as suggested! Hot as Hades at full tilt, with kero, it also simmers like a champ, too!! Learn how to gauge your fuel usage, and the in's and out's of this stove, you and you will be in Deep Stove Lust (an incurable medical condition, I might add!) for many, many, many years go come!!! I keep one of my 199's setup for kerosene, and the other setup for Meths, even though I admit that kero is really THE fuel for use with this little powerhouse!! Well done, and have fun getting to know your new little Gem! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
what i want to know, mr. doc mark, is what you consider the best hiking stove - given weight, fuel, efficiency, reliability.... i'd wager that's what most of us stovies look for in a stove i'm leaning towards a 123 (any variant) or an alcohol stove... just a question... i respect the more experienced users here
I like my 123, but my Jetboil is half the weight. It will boil 12l of water on a canister that fits inside.
Good Morning, linux_author, and All, You ask a question that is very hard to answer, at least for me!! I have far too many "favorite" stoves, all of which have proved reliable, efficient, durable, and well-designed, for me to choose just ONE as "the" backpacking stove!! Let me say this about how I choose my stoves: NO micro-stove, like the Jet-Boil, would ever make my list of trusted stoves, period! We want more, even from our micro-stoves. Sweet Bride and I actually COOK when we are out and about, and usually enjoy delicious and wonderful home-dehydrated meals. Therefore, we need a stove that will allow us to simmer, and to cook enough food for the two of us, and sometimes a few more. Also, we like, for the most past, true multifuel stoves, as they offer us a versatility that single-fuel stoves just don't give. So, right out of the chute, our first choices have mostly been dependable multi-fuel stoves, which are powerful, and simmer well, with complete reliability. Weight, whilst important, is not the most important feature, at least for us. I'd rather carry a few more ounces of stove, and have much more in terms of what we demand from a stove. Others can, and certainly will, make a different choice, as our Jet-Boil users do. They can have their boiled noodles, and we will happily enjoy our almost gourmet meals! 8) By the way, in the year we did our largest PCT trip, the average weight loss for the hikers we met that year was around 40 LBS. Almost all of them were eating noodle type foods, and other such simple meals. Once our appetites kicked in, we ended up not losing a single pound during our trip!! And, other than foot and knee problems, brought on by other factors, were in perfect health at the end of our trip! 'Nuff said, eh?! 8) Now, having said all that, we DO love, trust, and use single-fuel stoves, many of which are already tried and true favorites of others of our CCS Mates. Here is a very short list of some of our favorite and well trusted stoves of all stripes: Backpacking, single fuel: - SVEA 123 in a Sigg Tourist cookset. - Coleman Model 400A, also in Sigg Tourist set. - Coleman Model 550B, also in Sigg Tourist set. - Coleman Apex, in Sigg set. - Optimus Trapper 81. - Optimus Ranger #10. - Trangia 27, or 25. - Optimus 00, or Primus 210, or 96. - MSR Firefly, with modified fuel line. Backpacking, true multi-fuel: - MSR X-GK, and many of it's family members!! NEVER let us down, no matter when or where!! - Optimus Nova (older models, not newest ones) - Primus Omnifuel (used with BernieDawg cap most of the time). - Optimus 199 Basecamp, single fuel: - Primus 41 - Optimus 111 - Optimus 48 - Primus 22 - Coleman 426D - Coleman Speedmaster 500 And, too many others to mention! Basecamp, multi-fuel: - Optimus 111T - Optimus 111C Micro stoves: - MSR Reactor - Optimus Crux - MSR Superfly Waiting in the wings for more testing, and more years to pass (true trust must be EARNED, and that takes time and use), but looking pretty good so far: - Soto Muka - Soto Micro Stove - MSR Universal - MSR Micro Rocket - Coleman Xpedition - Coleman Xtreme I'm absolutely CERTAIN that I've left some favorites off of this list, Folks. But as far as my feeble brain can remember, these stoves are the ones that have earned, or are earning, our trust and favor. Note, the similarities in all these stoves are: power, reliability, simmering capability, and durability. At last for Sweet Bride and me, these are the most important aspects of any and all stoves. Others most certainly have varying mileage, and that is all well and good! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Doc, with Power Max fuel so expensive for the extra Coleman Xtreme I got off of HJ, I may have it sit more than I should be using it, even though my garage is looking like a fuel depot for bp stoves. I'll have to give it a shot here pretty soon. Duane
Hikerduane, you might consider looking for a Powermax adapter at a reasonable price... even at the current eBay price, it wouldn't take long to pay for itself compared to costly Powermax canisters. Did I mention, thanks a lot Coleman!
Hi Doc, I agree wholeheartedly and indeed have many of the stoves you list and take with me when car camping. Hiking for me is the annoying bit you do while finding your cave. Yes, guilty, I'm a caver. Did my name not give that away? So a stove that you take underground is going to be dropped and crushed repeatedly. It needs to weigh nothing and work every time. Thus the jetboil. Now I understand the noodle aversion, I don't eat them myself. So to anyone who wants some real meals as a replacement look at Back Country Cuisine for a good selection. And you missed out Campingo for a base camp cooker Cheers Colin
abman, I do have an adapter for the Xtreme, I had it awhile before the stove showed up in my mail box. I have plenty of canisters that will work on it, as at OSG, I won some MSR canisters and I had purchased some close out canisters at a store going out of business two years ago. So between the Power Max, MSR and Gigapower canisters, I could outfit a pack of Boy Scouts. Duane
That adapter can be a good thing for testing, day hikes, easy backpacks, etc. With the adapter, you can use normal and readily available fuel for such trips. Save the "good stuff" for more serious trips where weight is more critical. I truly am unhappy that Coleman discontinued Powermax -- the best winter gas blend available in the US market. Not only was it the best winter blend, it was in very nice lightweight aluminum canisters. A Powermax canister holds three times the amount of fuel that a 100g standard thread canister holds but weighs less. Weight isn't everything, but why carry weight that serves no purpose? If a stove company really wanted to make some money off the ultralight crowd, they should market a standard threaded canister made from aluminum instead of steel. Primus used to. HJ
HJ, you're right, I should use the Xtreme during warmer times with the adapter to use up my other canisters. I was thinking of that after I posted the previous reply. Thanks again for letting me in on the stove. My "hand" test indicated it puts the heat out with the designated fuel. I not only found a Optimus 11 Explorer, the guy found the pot stand today, so I am one, happy, camper! Duane
Hey, NZMIke, Yep, two of 'em! Read my list of "single-fuel stoves" again. The 27 and 25 both made the cut! Took me a while to get there, but now that I have learned more about them, and have worked with them, I'm "convinced" of their outstanding form and function, as all just about all Trangia users! Thanks for asking, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Evening, Arachnocampa Actually, I do have a nice old Campingo 2. But, I've yet to finish fettling it, though doing so should not take too long, IF I can find it again!! I know it's a fine basecamp stove, but have no experience with them, personally, as I've never fired mine, not even once. As to the link you suggested, it's interesting, but after to many years of doing home-dehydrated meals, freeze-dried really doesn't cut it anymore. As mentioned, great for "meals in a bag". But, to me, those cannot, and will not, compare to a good, well-planned, home-dehydrated meal, and the home-done stuff is far more nutritious, too, as well as being more tasty. Again, all this is just my opinion, but on the PCT, Sweet Bride and I were absolutely and without question the best fed folks out there that year! Lots of folks got to sample our cooking, and 100% of them were impressed and thought our meals were delicious, nice looking, and more nutritious than the norm. We still feel that way, and still do our home meals at home, when we have time to do so. They keep for many, many years, and still taste outstanding, too, even after all that time. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
