Mid 80s Backpacking Stoves

To help narrow the date range a little bit, the Whisperlite International was introduced in 1987, and by 1993, when it became the WLI 600, it had changed from the fabric covered fuel line to the wire braid covered fuel line. So the fuel line changed sometime in that 6 year window. The shaker jet was introduced in 1994, and the Duraseal pump in 2004.

 

A quick glance,Superior trail is 300 miles or so. It’s pretty remote, which is nice, but. How is re-supply dealt with?

If averaging 10 miles a day a month would cover it. But I would want to carry a smaller stove that doesn’t require oddball cartridges, and one that happily burns ordinary gasoline would be most convenient. The MSR will do that, and if you’re familiar with those that might be the way to go.

 

A lot of useful info as to what was available when. I would say unless you bought everything new in one year,(like some YouTubers do) a typical’87 kit will be made up of mostly older than 1987 gear. But as noted a lot of the classic camp stoves were made for decades, including the 80s.
Clearly no Jetboil allowed!

 

Given the terrain, a Sierra Zip stove might have a lot of things going for it, as fuel should be unlimited the entire route. It would be period correct, if you can stand you and your gear smelling like a chimney sweep for a few weeks.

 

Rechargeable batteries would not be allowed with the Zip stove. Batteries were its Achilles Heel.

 

I’ve no direct experience, however the reviews I have read on the Zip stove claim a single battery lasts quite a long time, several months in daily use.

I think the original recipe stove used a “C” battery, and maybe they use a “AA” now, something like that. It would be trivial in any event to carry a spare, particularly since double a batts are used in so many flashlights. Double duty as it were. I really tend to doubt batteries are a show stopper with the Zip stove.

 

I briefly had a Zip stove, never used it backpacking, did use it day hiking a few times, and don't recall how it did with batteries, so I know nothing, I just wanted to post my waste of space.....

 

@snwcmper - I’ve read enough reviews from people who have used the Zip Stove on a regular basis, I’m confident the battery life is not a factor.

Is it your contention that this is not the case?

 

Here’s the kind of experience I was referring to. Direct experience. Hope this helps.

The Zip stove uses one AA battery to power a small fan with two speeds to stoke the fire that burns within the stove. I use the high setting to get water boiling then switch to a mix of the low setting and having the fan off to simmer.

Two batteries lasted me the entire five weeks it took me to hike 500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I cooked one meal every night and heated water in the mornings.

 

So now I'm torn between the Svea 123 and the Whisperlite.
Mostly depending on price at this point, whichever pops up that I can afford. They are in the same ballpark pricewise.

Thanks for all the advice on this topic.

 

Clearly, you should purchase both. Trust Us. And a Peak 1 400A, just on general principles.

 

I pulled the trigger on this. I haven't received it yet but I'm excited.
I also got a backpack. Which I did receive. I'm on my way now.
Also I have a tent coming soon.

 

Congratulations! The Svea pairs nicely with that Optimus 88 cookset.

....Arch

 

I was originally planning on getting a Sigg Tourist to go with the Svea but this set was a little bit cheaper than the Sigg options. The Optimus set looks functionally similar to the Sigg model at least.

 

It's significantly smaller than the Sigg, but for 1 or 2 people is certainly adequate.

....Arch

 

The Sigg Tourist takes up a lot of real estate in the pack, that setup is a lot more practical and usable. You’re going to like it.

 

While the 88 is a fine set, I do dispute this assertion. Here's a comment on the subject in a short thread from some years back:
Sigg tourister / Optimus 88 comparison

 

I use an 88 knock-off set backpacking, it's fine for me and a partner. But I usually have something other than just what is cooking in the pot, and often something like my Trangia mini along to do something else.

 

Dispute what assertion? The Sigg Tourist is … large and … takes up a lot of room in the pack. I know this because I carried one.