Hi folks, I couldn't get my partner particularly excited about this find, so I thought I'd share with y'all. Earlier this year, my father fought a battle with prostate cancer. He's made a great recovery and is active again, so I thought he might want to join me on a couple of short hikes this fall to spend some time together. Nothing major. Just a slow-paced weekend hike here or there with a few of the comfort camping luxury items you can take on that sort of trip. He has a birthday coming up, so I've been trolling Craigslist looking for a nicely priced backpack from a good brand, that may be a bit dated but in good condition. He won't use it too often, so there's no point in buying some high end brand new pack for him, and he'd probably chastise me if I did. I stumbled across this ad for an older (but not too old) Gregory pack in great shape and very affordable at $50. Just what I was looking for. (Sorry for picture quality. Image optimizer was being finicky.) Looks great! But what's that in the bottom corner... It says Optimus Explorer stove INCLUDED!!! Now I'm currently in a neck brace due to a rugby injury (which is probably why I've been posting a lot recently), and the stove was located an hour and a half away, but I couldn't pass this up. I got in touch with the seller and drove down this evening, and bought the pack and the stove together for the seller's asking price. He was happy, I was happy, and my neck is hating me. Unfortunately, he did not have the regulator knob or the pump, but everything else is there, from the instruction manuals to the unused big sticker you'd see inside the lid of the Hiker stoves, to the jets and restrictor thingy. The short multi-tool regulator knob will be tough to dig up, but I bet I can find a used Nova pump from A&H or someone, and perhaps the longer multi-tool regulator knob from a 111, as they may be a bit more common. If anyone has a spare short regulator knob, please let me know!!! I'd love to work something out!!! I'll do a full write up for the reference gallery once I find the missing parts, but here are a couple of details. The original price tag is still attached towards the bottom of the leg. I couldn't quite capture it, but it says $124.95 . The storage bag is in great shape (they're a really burly rubberized material!), and the cobra burner itself is sooty, but doesn't look to have seen a whole lot of use (probably because they lost the pump and knob.) It looks like it's sooty because of a few instances of bad priming rather than lots of use. They were probably using Coleman fuel. The stainless steel legs have no heat discoloration, though the windscreen does. The windscreen is bent out of round, so I may source another, as it looks that A&H has them available for pretty cheap. As the Brits would say, I'm chuffed to bits! Got my Pops a nice birthday gift (but the real gift will be spending time together) and a nice stove that we can hopefully use on those trips to come. Hope y'all enjoyed, and once I've got everything sourced, I'll fire it up for y'all!
You got lucky there pinky easy peasy on sourcing out knobs even if its not the original as long as it will work for you. Hopefully, you can also source out the pump for that. Thanks for sharing. Ron
Good score, I picked up one cheap this winter, all the parts, so I was very happy. I've wondered with them being so rare if they'd go for big bucks on the bay of evil. Duane
Thanks Ron and Duane! I have no idea what they'd go for. This is the first time I've even seen one for sale, though admittedly, I haven't been in the stove game too long. This one won't be ending up on weevil-bay anytime soon though. I'll try to find the original style knob for it, but will settle for a multitool from a 111T if the short one proves too difficult to locate. Figure I can dig one of those up at least. I'm REALLY looking forward to using it in a Trangia the most, as the Multifuel X2 isn't too great at simmering, and it will probably be a lot quieter too. I wanted to try my hand at doing a KAP Arctic conversion, but guess that will go to the end of the project line for now. I was surprised that it fit in the Trangia cup adapter. I think the dinky Optimus branded adapter or a fabricated one would probably work better in this instance though, as it's a bit cramped for a good priming wick in there. Certainly doable, but I think priming would probably be less of a mess with more space. With the cobra burner's reputation for cracking, giving it as much air flow as possible would probably be a good idea too. Duane, do you ever use yours in a Trangia? If so, what adapter are you using? Any insights? Looks like I'll need to cut a hole for a control knob though. Guess I'll pick up a spare lower wind shield to butcher while I'm sourcing the other missing parts. I'll keep y'all posted!
Pinky, I don't have a Trangia windscreen setup, I have given it some thought, just more money to spend. Also, wondered what would need to be done to fit it into the Trangia. No one I backpack or camp with has the Trangia set up, so I can't check fit before I buy something that may not work. Duane
Hi Pinky, First of all, that's fantastic news regarding your father. I lost my Dad in 85 to P.C. His was too advanced when they found it. The stove is a real find, nice one. It looks a serious bit of kit when put together with the Trangia. Enjoy Mate.
Hey, Pinky, Congrats on your score on the #11 Explorer, which is, possibly, the most misunderstood, and misrepresented stove every made! Far from being the finicky and obstinate POS that Backpacker Magazine said it was, after their supposed "field testing", back in the day (NOTE: The "experts" never even bothered to read the instructions!! ), This stove is one of the best designed, and more wonderful examples of engineering that has come down the pike and a very long time!! It is my considered opinion that MOST "stove testers" for the backpacking press, wouldn't know a good and well made stove if it came up and burned them on the bum!!! TRUTH!! The #11 can really do most anything that a backpacker, or explorer, would want to do. It's powerful, easy to light, very easy to service, reliable, small, easy to pack, and fairly lightweight. Plus, it has all power from full throttle, to gentle simmer. Alas, Optimus did not spend much coin on advertizing in the US, and thus, got very short shrift by our backpacking press at the time. Now, it's very hard to find, but well worth someone's effort to seek out and use. Get to know your #11, and you will LOVE IT! Again, congrats, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc (Who loves Gregory packs, too!)
Sorry Ross. All these new fangled kits are new to me, me being used to just what was available in my small town and stoves/brands they carried. I'll have to pick up a Trangia windscreen set to try. I've been nosing around a little, it would take good stove buying money to get a setup though. Whoops, there went more money for another on eBay, another Coleman last night. Duane
Thanks folks! I'm very excited to fire it up, but will have to wait a bit to source the missing pump and multi-tool as a couple of recent bouts with stove pox have wiped out my stove budget. A busted neck and stove pox. What could be worse?!! Doc, is this the article you're reffering too? Page 64? Sounds like they didn't understand the proper use of the air restrictor! Sad trombone... And Skirky Dave, sorry to hear that. Because of having to lose folks like your father, cancer testing has become more frequent, more thorough, and more common, and my Pop's cancer was caught super early. Though he's having to deal with the after-effects, they're far better than the alternative. Prostate cancer took my grandfather almost 10 years ago, and 80% of men that reach age 80 will get it. Here's a really good short video about it. Every dude should watch it.
Hey, Pinky, Yep, that one of the worst reviews I've ever read, and obviously written by folks who are NOT familiar with how to use and service a backpacking stove, regardless of what they claim about their "experience and expertise". I'd almost say they are , but I'm nicer than that!! 8) ALL folks who really like using their stoves, back then, just like today, learn how to disassemble and service their stoves. Anyone who goes to the bush without this experience and skill, deserves what they get, and most certainly should NOT be claiming to be an experienced expert when it comes to writing reviews! Servicing the #11 is as easy as falling off a log, and there is NO comparison to the myriad tiny parts you need to use when servicing other brands and types of stoves! The #11 should have scored super high marks in most categories, but did not.... Pity, actually, 'cause the #11, when used and serviced properly, really should have blown the socks of most every other stove in that "review". Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Up until a few years ago, I worked in PR in the auto industry for a number of different auto makers, and you wouldn't BELIEVE the number of automotive journalists that can't even drive a manual transmission. I'd say maybe 10% of them. And these are the folks who review cars for a living! Most work for local publications rather than the more famous automotive press outlets, but I've been surprised by the poor driving of some upper tier reviewers too. Unqualified people stumble into jobs every day! I'm sure the backpacking press is no different!
which came first? the optimus 11 or the msr 7 I suspect it was the 11 unyet msr gets all the praise for the remote bottle stove.
Morning, Geeves, Hope you didn't place a bet on that, Mate! In point of fact, the MSR #9, which is the stove of which I believe you mean, came on the scene many years before Optimus developed and marketed their stellar #11. MSR developed the "plug and play" stoves, as I coined them, and Optimus, and many other brands, took full advantage of Mr. Penberthy's creative idea. Hope that helps clear up any misunderstanding on which one came first. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
I asked because I didnt know. Its a wonder there are so few 11s around but then again how many msr 9s are around. Both come from an era when tried and true was king as people still remembered the shortages from the war and wouldnt take risks so kept to the 123s and 71s and 500s. If you were to take todays model Corolla with an auto transmission and put it on the market then it probably wouldnt of sold. We both know how good a car it really is.
