Any ideas on what is the lightest classic stove ever made? Alcohol stoves such as trangia stoves were probably the lightest and are still used, but they dont really count. Second guess would be ring burners, but they dont have any way to regulate the flame. Is there anything else that comes to mind? 8r would be among the lightest that i can think of with a regulated flame, but an optimus 99 would be even lighter again. Not very familiar with other brands, but i expect there are other different types out there that are less known.
@Nzoomed I think you might need to try to describe what you are asking. For example, I have an Optimus 99, but I wouldn't consider it the lightest "classic" camping stove that I own. Just the stove section is about 450g. My Whisperlite, with fuel canister and pump, weighs as little as 410g. A Trangia Mini knock-off I have weighs in at 185g including a container for fuel. Does a Whisperlite (1980s) count, though? And if an Optimus 99 counts, why not a Trangia? The Trangia is older, faster to boil water, highly adjustable for heat output, made of brass. Do you need to find the lightest "brassie" stove? Then the Svea 123 and its competitors will hit the scales. Nothing with a metal pump will be lighter than the gasoline-powered equivalent. In my shed the lightest per-person full cooking kit is essentially a tie between a Trangia 25 and a Whisperlite in a Mountain Cook Set (both for 4 people). But you could definitely trim weight from either kit if weight alone was the measure. My comparison is "weight on the shoulders" so includes fuel, grippers, windshield.
I suspect the borde bomb must come close. It is a coil burner but is adjustable. Without getting the scales out I would of put the SAvea 123 as lighter than a 99 etc. The older primus 70 and similar might be lighter than a 123
“lightest” covers a lot of territory… Lightest on a shelf in the shop, on a very short outing, or on a very long outing? Fuel on an outing must be factored into the “weight” of the stove/cook system… Kerosene per gallon has more BTUs than white gas, and nigh twice the BTU’s of alcohol,,, weight and bulk make a real difference quick on a longer outing… The Svea 123(r) is always a first choice on trips over 3 days but no more than 5 days, where weight and bulk are factors… My lightest “stove” was made by a Minnesota company called Four Dog Stove… I’ve carried it several times as my only “stove” on 3 day canoe trips into the BWCA… It is both an alcohol stove and a twig stove, (still useful when my fuel runs out), and it nests in the Olicamp mug I use as a cook pot… Not a classic camp stove but,,, 72g on my likely inaccurate kitchen scale…
I was just interested from a historical perspective more than anything, to see if there were any lighter pressurised stoves comparable to an 8r, was there anything out there that had aluminium tanks over brass? I probably didnt have in mind the more modern type with the pump in the bottle like a whisperlite or nova. Ive never used a trangia, I didnt realise they were adjustable. Im surprised they were not as widely used with trampers, but perhaps in New Zealand, they were less common. There was alot of primus/optimus gear used around here thats for sure. The optimus 99 appears to be an effort to make it a more lightweight option to the 8r, as its case is aluminium and the lid doubles as a pot. I see that DIY alcohol stoves are also popular where people make them from soda cans, I do have to say that alcohol or esbit stoves would have been the lightest option at the time. Looking at the weight of a butane canister, even when empty, and it still would weigh slightly more than a trangia.
Pretty certain I copied this list from CCS somewhere… (Thank you to whomever put in all this work…) 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)ok 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)
Some of my stoves: Optimus 8 with box of aluminium is 527g Optimus 8r is 718g Svea 123 is 408g with the key, but without the unusable pot. Optimus Nova is 610g with the bottle that came with the stove.
Smallest production pressure stove? coil burner https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/primus-71-modifying-mini-sizing.37892/ No name pocket stove
@Haggis Thanks for posting or reposting that info on stove weights. Although not a hiker or backpacker, I still find it interesting, I hope I never have to travel so far that I think my small single burner stoves are too heavy.
Gotta have pots to cook in, so for me the lightweight set is the Svea 123 with the Sigg set. And a Trangia most certainly counts as a classic.
You might do well in the ultra light crowd. Those guys cut the handles off toothbrushes and the spare strap off their watch. For some of them even a soda can stove is to heavy so they eat a lot of salad
@geeves >>You might do well in the ultra light crowd. Those guys cut the handles off toothbrushes and the spare strap off their watch. For some of them even a soda can stove is to heavy so they eat a lot of salad Hahaha. I'll never forget the comment that someone here made stating that the Svea 123 was too heavy for backpacking. I mean seriously, why even go if you can't handle an extra ounce or two. Maybe those are the folks that should live the dream by watching an outdoor channel on TV if they can't handle the exercise. I know, I'm not a hiker or backpacker, but still can't believe or understand that attitude.
Lighter further faster is the moto and it is fine unless it rains. As for me I try to keep my weight down to 17kg in the pack including food and a litre of water. Easiest place for me to loose 6kg is the waistline
