Hello! I just lucked out and found a Primus Multifuel Himalaya which appears virtually unfired. I fired it up once on white gas and once on an iso container. Seems to work as it should, by my estimation. It is missing the spare parts which i assume it came with, i.e. extra jets etc. for $40 I am not complaining. The pump I had hanging around and also the fuel bottle. My questions: what should I be aware/wary of? Any special maintenance quirks? I seem to recall somewhere I read about the fuel lines not being reliable? Thanks in advance for any info you can send my way.
I got mine (actually a Primus Himalayan; same stove, pre-ability to use gas canisters) from one of the "attic sales" that REI used to have. It was sooty and dirty, with a ripped stuff sack. I had to scrounge through the bin for all the parts. I think it was $20. Thankfully, it still had the hang tag with the complaint of the customer who returned it. It seems the stove was "too loud". I cleaned it, resewed the stuff sack seam and tested it. Worked (and still works) just fine. A true snow-melting machine like an MSR XGK. Maybe a bit loud. ....Arch
I got mine for about 20 dollars at rei garage sale too Arch. I haven't used it much. Need to get it out.
Oh man that brings me back hahahahahahaha...I used to work at REI a LONG time ago in the camping section. Yeah you are referring to the REI "used gear sale" or we called the garage sale. When they used to have that return policy we would collect tags like that after a customer purchased them and staple them to a cork board to have a laugh. Examples: Shoes too tight Shoes were not waterproof Jetboil burns food (you are not supposed to cook in them) Not warm enough (customer bought Golite Summer grade ultralight sleeping bag and took it in december for snowshoeing trip)
Back then it was common that a customer would say something was wrong with the returned item ... but the return policy had no reason requirement.
Yeah, they used to take things back for a complete refund with no questions asked. A great policy if people don't abuse it, but by the '80s a lot of people were abusing it, "buying" high-end items for a big trip, and then returning them when they came home. I'm surprised the co-op put up with it as long as they did. I did get some great deals on used equipment, though, including a few stoves. Which REI did you work at, @Remus1956 ? If I remember correctly, I got my Himalayan from the Manhattan Beach store's garage sale shortly after it opened (having relocated from Carson). Anyway, to get back to the OP's question, I've found it to be a very reliable stove; nothing much to go wrong. The pump is all metal and easy to service. Leather pump cup. My (early) one doesn't have the connector for gas canisters (fuel line has a fitting that screws directly into the pump block). Very stable base. Obviously, you should thoroughly test it before using it in the field. ....Arch
@ArchMc that was the one! Off of rosecrans near the airport! Back when I was there they had just moved from the Carson location because the building and parking lot was warped and had a lot of dips and things... Later they found out the parking lot was built on an old dairy...so yeah that's the store. Haha small world
The Carson store was in a warehouse. It was big and had great inventory. You could go there and see lots of high-end mountaineering equipment. No room for that in most of the stores, especially in Southern California. Yeah, the parking lot was pretty hilly, but I think the impetus to move came from a church that moved into an adjoining warehouse. As it became more popular, it got harder and harder to find parking at REI on Sundays. ....Arch
I found mine used. It has the earlier style fuel line without the lindal style valve. I wish it had the later style fuel line. More fuel options is a good thing.
@Oldhenry1 Yours is the later style with ergo pump. You just happen to have a Vari-Fuel not the Multi-Fuel. Primus Equipment US usually has the parts to change the fuel line and the Lindal valve adapter for your pump. Mike
Unfortunately, I was wrong about converting it to a MF. They no longer carry the correct fuel line and adapter, but they do carry the service kits.
No worries, I should have a service kit at minimum for it anyway. I think I may have found a parts stove with that style fuel line on it. The guy is currently away on a hiking trip, time will tell.
Well, I have learned a lot about REI and a few things about this stove! For one, it IS loud!! Normally I do not care, and in this case, I still do not care. I have a few roarers, and love them all. I tried using a “UFO” style silencer on this… won’t be trying that again anytime soon. I mean, I appreciate a good fireball as much as the next guy, but I had kind-of grown fond of my arm hairs. *sigh* I shall miss them… Now, all that being said, I will continue to experiment with my other silencers or perhaps attempt to find one online. I have heard the Dragontamer works. And I ordered a parts kit which should be coming in today (yay!) So I am keen to see this beaut burning kero. Thanks for all the input- jokes aside, we do not have REI here in Canada, so I do find the history quite interesting. It is summer now, and I find that when firing this stove it seems to kick out a LOT of heat. I do not have the multi-tool, so removing the jet is difficult. Haven’t managed to get to that yet. I do not want to be ‘mishaping’ things with a heavy hand and pliers. As for installing a lindal valve, ali express has all sorts of parts and with a bit of ingenuity I am sure it can be done.
I'm glad you were entertained by our trips down Memory Lane. It's really not a summer stove, but it's a real comfort to have on winter trips. Enjoy! ....Arch
@Thomas Hendrik The DragonTamer will not work without first removing the legs. The inside of the burner bell is smaller in diameter than most roarers. The PolarDawg will fit as well as the Mini cap without legs for the Svea 123. I comes down to the volume of gas flowing through the cap. BernieDawg recommends the Mini cap. It has less material to heat up than the PolarDawg. I don't use Kerosene so I can't comment on there being enough thermal transfer to the burner bell / stove to maintain vaporization with kero trying to simmer using a silent cap with this particular stove. My favorite cap is the PuppyDawg designed for the enders stove. The legs can be ground down to fit, the flame is awesome and the burner bell gets very hot. But again, I've never used it with Kero. On Isobutane or Coleman fuel its awesome. Mike
Ah, thank you Mike. I have the mini-cap, I believe. I will have to try that out. I was looking for an excuse to get a dragon tamer- now I will just have to get one solely for the Dragonfly. I know the mini cap works on my 99 as well as the 123, and I believe i tried it in a 8R clone (made in Taiwan) with good results., so having it work on the Himilaya will be a bonus!
