I have been fishing of all varieties for more years than I would care to own up to and to me luxury is a nice fresh cup of tea brewed up on the bank. To this end I have been on a quest I started with various gas stoves some of which are superb but the problem is that the cannister will always run out at an inconvenient time so I wind up carrying two...Just in case!I have tried an assortment of meths stoves from the five bob ones from Woolies back in the seventies via Trangias to the two swedish army jobbies I own now, one in aluminum the other in stainless steel both are good insofar as they contain both the cooker and cookset and are reasonably efficient however they are both bulky and hefty though. For years I have used one of the great unsung heros of stoves the Coleman Sportster it has stood the test of time but again takes up space and is a tad chunky and as it has always been run on petrol it tends to taint your hands. More recently I have aquired a couple of Optimus 8Rs these are showing some promise and will be good car stoves. Presently I am awaiting delivery of an SVEA 123R which I discovered the existance of thanks to the good people on this site! and I am hoping that this will be the answer to the problem as I require a stove that is controlable in all sorts of weather that I can pre load with fuel, that carries it's own pan that is reliable compact and light and that doesn't leave you smelling of fuel! I am hoping that the 123R will finally be that stove...... However I am open to any suggestions for other stoves that might fulfil my requirements. Then I can concentrate on the parrafin stoves that I have started to collect since I discovered this site
My only problem with stoves during most fishing by the bay or shore is the wind tends to snuff it off and as such I always carry a wind screen but it sometimes still ineffective against the wind coming over the top of the windscreen.
well if you want to take it fishing for brew ups and not have any taint of fuel on your hands and you want it wind-proof it sounds like you need the maverick
think about a 99..it's the same tank and burner as the 8R only in a aluminum case.the lid comes off and serves as a large cooking pot holding twice as much as the tiny pot/cover on a 123..the 99 pot is large enough to really cook soup or noodles in.the 99 also comes with a small pot gripper and a windshield.
Having just found a 99 and having used it once, I agree with David's recommendation. It lit easily and cooked steadily. HOWEVER, it is still "white gas". A Trangia or homemade equivalent ( pop can stove with inner wall and a bit of fiberglass insulation inside, similar to Trangia design, NOT a "penny stove" ) would be option for pleasant fuel and boiling use, but you already have that. Don't know what else, other than a small gassie, (Sacrilege!) might fill the bill. Recently saw a neat gassie made in Italy which had an autolight button which would be perfect.... EXCEPT... I don't think the canisters are made anymore. Looked like very old campiingaz type "puncture" canisters.... My two cents with all my best... R
Naturally, my ears pricked up at this. Those puncture type gas canisters are easily available here in the land of pasta, cheap too at about 0.99 euro cents for a 200 gr cartridge. So, what was that Italian gas stove?
Svea 123 fits this type of two pint pan no problem, perfect for brews or heating up soup/rat pack meal etc The pan is the small from from this type of set http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/6-Pce-Camping...s_ET?hash=item3349bb57ba&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
The only fuels I know of that are not usually accompanied by an odor are alcohol and propane. Perhaps look for a stove that will burn the type of fuel you want.
Hey Spudz, It was shown to me by a fellow selling a few stoves, it had a creme colored PLASTIC body and was cylindrical, with no obvious brand name. He did point out the "made in Italy" marked on the bottom and he had a few canisters, but not being into gassies as a rule, I passed on it. Guessing it had a piezoelectric lighter system. Best, Randy Hi David, On first glance, that's not it! It's a more compact looking thing.
Or have my problem in that my sense of smell is about gone. I don't smell Coleman fuel either in liquid form or when it's burning.
Well the Svea landed and with excited hands I primed and lit it......Got to admit I'm initially none too impressed the flame pattern was poor and it pulses quiet makedly and a for simmering forget it.. Matters improved somewhat when I re lit it using my midi pump and cap from my 8R but it was still less than impressive. I suspect it may well be me expecting great things too soon and the stove may need to bed down before I get a truer picture and suggestions for helping matters along I am running it on panel wipe one of the discoveries I have made thanks to you good people.
i found one of mine to be exactly as you describe when using panel wipe the pulsing was so bad that it blew it self out i changed caps for a known good one and it made no difference, i used a midi pump and it ran fine i then tried it on aspen 4t works like a dream on that the flame pattern is either a worn jet or the flame plate isn't set up right, if there not fitted properly you can have all sorts of trouble getting an even flame see this thread internal linkj it's an opti 8 but same palaver i think the plates fall off and people (read average joe) just slam them back on willy nilly thinking it just needs to be there for it to work as it should
Can't see it being a worn jet it's a brand new stove I'll go and locate some Aspen 4t and give that a try
is it brand new as in newly made if so somebody else posted in the last month or two they had bought a new one and the jet was naff from the start,i'll try and find the post
The Svea 123 and other stoves using the same pattern burner were not and are not intended to be used to cook Michelin 5 star meals. They are basically a blow torch turned right side up. Use them to boil water. Simmering is right out. Try to make it do that and you're in for ongoing disappointment. The 123 is a small stove with a small flame and needs to be well protected from the wind. Set it up behind your pack, a rock wall or freshly killed deer and boil your billy. Set it in the open in a brisk wind and it will go out. I've written about mine a hundred times or more. It is 40 years old now and works as well as it did new. It boils water as well or better than stoves a week old. To make a 123 perform to its fullest requires a Sigg Tourist Cooker. Your mileage, as always, may vary. Gerry
Hi Gerry i have just imported a Sigg Tourist expecting great things after all the talk on here, i must admit to being more than a little disappointed with it i find the pans are to big for the stove by the time you boil the bigger one then the smaller to use it in double boiler mode the stove is virtually out of fuel for cooking am i expecting to much from it i thought it was going to be the one that was better than the Meta 50 but the Sigg set doesn't even come close to the meta on meths ! imo the optimus 88 cookset is a much better bet as the stove can easily boil both pans with enough fuel to continue the cooking process Sigg Tourist note wrong pot lifter Meta 50
That sucks, seems that these new ones for sale are not of the same quality as the "Made in Sweden" originals. You might take off the jet and check it for burrs or something obvious. Or could the needle be set a click too high? I think new jets are still available if you need to try that. Is there any point in contacting Optimus? Can't hurt, you might get a replacement jet.
Hey, Parra, I'm sorry that the Sigg Tourist Cook set did not live up to your expectations! I dearly love mine, and if you'd like to "export" yours to me, I'd give it a loving home!! 8) 8) Seriously, give it some more time, and more experimentation, and I'm thinking you will see this gem for what it really is: a fantastic match between stove and cook set! If not, then I'll buy it from you. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
hi Doc i think it's just me expecting to much from the Sigg as like many Brits i have been after one for ages but they are always in the states so getting one is a pricey job,i got this one for a reasonable price but the main reason i could get it was the seller wanted about a 1/3 of the normal shipping cost that sellers charge so i thought it was probably my best chance of getting one so grabbed it,i also picked up a Svea 123r that came with a service kit midi pump cap and a 123 folding pricker,the 123r had no windshield or pot so went for £30 8) i'd of paid that for the cap and pricker so another result, as i wanted it to use with the Sigg so had no need of either the pot or windshield i must admit i am spoiled for choice though as i already had the Meta 50 which i go on about a bit to much i expect (well it is an awesome bit of kit) and a month or so before i got the Sigg i picked up an opti 88 (2 pan version) that i have taken camping a few times and that is another awesome bit of kit if i didn't already have the Meta and the 88 i would probably be going gaga over the Sigg i'm not going to part with the Sigg just yet as it's early days so i really ought to give it a fair chance before i condemn it out of hand,and if i still am not impressed after a few more months then it should be a good item for trading atb Bill
