heat exchanger pot

[squeezebox]

Are they worth the extra wt. in Ti ?

[HooKooDooKu]

Not 100% sure what you are asking?

From what little research I've done online, a Ti heat exchanger sounds to be less efficient than an Al one because more heat would get radiated to the environment.
The only Ti het exchanger pot I happen to know of what the JetBoil Sol Ti... but it used an Al heat exchanger and many a pot was ruined when it was allowed to get too hot (Ti and Al have different coefficients of expansion).

I've often wondered how good the OilCamp heat exchanger pot would perform, but I came across this post claiming it wasn't better than simply using a wider base pot.

For short trips, I don't think the weight of a heat exchanger pot is generally worth it... when I go on weekend trips, I simply use SnowPeak MaxLite stove with MSR Titan Kettle for a pot.

But for a JMT thru, I used my JetBoil Sol (Al) where a 4oz canister lasted me for 13 days with plenty to spare.

[cmoulder]

squeezebox, you mentioned in another thread that you got a cheap Chinese-made Ti hx pot. Do you have a link for it?

Typically HX pots are roughly 15-20% or maybe more.... highly subjective depending upon which ones you're comparing, and to what, and the conditions.

To me an HX pot is worth it when maximum fuel efficiency is desired—HooKoo's JMT example being just such a situation—and for winter when melting snow for water. I have found the JB MiniMo with the 1.8L Sumo cup to be an excellent snow-melting setup for 2-3 people. When solo the MiniMo is fine for me.

[globetruck]

I’ve been happy with Olicamp and MSR PocketRocket 2. I’ve had the jetboil sol TI and it was great but after about 8 years, the stove fizzled out. I wanted something wider than the jetboil and went with Olicamp. Much easier for cooking compared to jetboil’s skinny cup.


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[HooKooDooKu]

I wanted something wider than the jetboil and went with Olicamp. Much easier for cooking compared to jetboil’s skinny cup.

Jetboil's answer to their skinny cups was the wider MiniMo.
The stove of the MiniMo is also an improvement over previous stoves, providing the ability to simmer (stoves on previous models took only 1/4 turn to go from FULL to OFF), and improved cold weather performance.

For those that want a lighter weight cup, Jetboil's answer was the MicroMo. I created my own MicroMo by simply pairing my older JetBoil Sol (Al) with a MiniMo stove (got lucky and found a MiniMo clearance where I was able to buy the MiniMo for less than JetBoil wants to charge you for just the stove).
I wanted the stove that came with the MiniMo, and got lucky and found some MiniMos on clearance for the same cost JetBoil wants for just the stove (>$70 when you include shipping charges).

[cmoulder]

I’ve been happy with Olicamp and MSR PocketRocket 2. I’ve had the jetboil sol TI and it was great but after about 8 years, the stove fizzled out. I wanted something wider than the jetboil and went with Olicamp. Much easier for cooking compared to jetboil’s skinny cup.


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Depending upon how much it was used, 8 years is a pretty decent run for a stove like this.

[nsherry61]

Let's do some math . . .

The hx pot weighs about 2.5 to 3 oz more than a similarly volume non hx-pot (Olicamp HTX (6.7 oz) vs. MSR Titan (4 oz) or IMUSA 12cm (3.6 oz).
The average amount of canister fuel used for a typical 2 cup boil is about 10 g or 1/3 oz.
The HX pots are supposed to be 20-30% more efficient than regular pots, so 7 to 8 g per boil saving 2 to 3 g (~ 1/10 oz) of fuel per boil.

Based on these numbers, the savings in fuel vs. the extra pot weight would break even in weight at about 25 2-cup boils.
If the average backpacker is boiling 1 L per day, then the break-even point is about 12 days of backpacking without resupply.

If you are snow camping and using 2 to 3 times more fuel for melting snow and more hot food/drink, you drop your weight break-even down to about 5 days without resupply.

So, for most of us, based on weight alone, the HX pots are absolutely NOT worth it.

If boiling speed is important to you, the HX pots are known to boil water faster, probably 20 to 30% faster, although I haven't hunted down numbers for this. For what it's worth, my JetBoil MiniMo boils water in about 1/2 the time that my other canister stoves boil water.

Also, using an HX pot over a fire would likely lead to a build-up of soot on the fins that would be hard to clean and reduce their heat transfer efficiency. So, NOT a versatile pot for general use if you like to occasionally cook over a fire.

Where I see these pots as being worth considering are longer trips, especially if heating/boiling time matters to you and in winter, where there is no intention of ever using the pot over a fire. But, if 80% of your trips are a week or shorter between resupply, then an HX pot would be a weight penalty on 80% of your trips. And, for most of us, 95% or more of our trips are probably less than 10 days between resupply.

So hey, Tipi, this HX pot concept is for you!!

[cmoulder]

Concur on the arithmetic..... the numbers have been run by many and the results are always the same.

Which is why canister stoves are, for me, pretty much for winter only these days.

[Starchild]

HE pots do have their place. I found it to be useful on my thru hike, both as a cooking time saver and also a searching for fuel time saver. It was also the only one capable of boiling water at very low temps in our group of 6, and it is naturally somewhat wind screened by design.

However if trips are shorter, within one small canister's usage, the need for HE pots drops, as you are carrying heavier pot + using less fuel, so you carry more fuel as well (so using more fuel actually lowers weight carried). Resupply does not matter for a shorter trip as there is no need to resupply them.

Where I do find HE pots come back into play is hiking with more then one person, the quick boil time means a lot when carrying one stove but feeding multiple mouthes. Also the higher efficiency comes in to play faster here as well.

[colorado_rob]

Sorry folks, those numbers are not quite right. Many tests (mine and others) have shown a HX pot can boil 2 cups for about 5 grams of canister fuel, even 4.5 grams under ideal conditions (warmer starting water, zero wind, full canister). Not sure what this does for any conclusions though...

HX pots are good for very heavy hot water users, like myself. I have 2 morning boils ( 2 large cups of coffee) and 2 evening boils (dinner and tea), something like 7 cups a day. Having a HX pot means I can get a full week out of a 7.5 oz canister (4 oz fuel) vs. a 13.5 oz canister (8 oz fuel), so my 3 oz HX saves 6 ounces or 3 net ounces for a week's outing. I can also get 2 full weeks out of a 13.5 oz canister (8 oz fuel) with a HX pot, meaning I don't have to worry about refueling when I resupply, sometimes this is handy. When my wife is with me, we get a full week out of a 13.5 (8) canister. Not even close w/o a HX pot.

For solo hikers who are not heavy hot water users, most people I think, a HX pot, as said, is probably only worth it for winter use.

[colorado_rob]

One other benefit of a HX pot is that the HX acts as a nice windscreen. I've never had or needed a separate windscreen on my HX pots.

[zelph]

Sterno came out with a nice HX pot to be used with alcohol.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/104697/

[Kaptainkriz]

was looking at getting one of these - just for fun

Sterno came out with a nice HX pot to be used with alcohol.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/104697/

[zelph]

was looking at getting one of these - just for fun

I'm going to be doing more testing of the Inferno. I really like the results I've gotten so far. It has a pot support/windscreen that adds to the transfer of heat to the base of the pot. It's part of the heat exchange system.icon_bananaFire.gif

[CoolBobby]

Check out Monoprice. They have an awesome small line of dirt cheap quality cookware with these pots.

[zelph]

Take a look at the design of this pot:
unusual heat exchanger pot.JPG

[Venchka]

Here’s a quality HX pot from the good folks at Backcountry Gear in Eugene, OR. The price is good and you can leave the “lid” at home.
http://www.backcountrygear.com/terra...xoCbEMQAvD_BwE
Wayne

[zelph]

Venchka, which design do you think is more efficient, the one you link to or the one i showed a photo of?

[Venchka]

Venchka, which design do you think is more efficient, the one you link to or the one i showed a photo of?

Tough question. I had my eyes on the Optimus cook set for a long time. The price in the link is the lowest I’ve seen. Alas, I bought a JetBoil in the spring.
I would have to go back to the YouTube videos for the Optimus pot and refresh my memory on boil times, etc.
I must say that the JetBoil SOL boils water so quickly that I have to have everything ready before I light the stove. The JetBoil SOL pot also stays hotter longer in the cozy than anything else that I have tried. Something not mentioned in the time to boil or fuel to boil conversations.
Wayne

[Venchka]

Followed the link to Backpacking Light. The Sterno Inferno is a dead end. The Optimus HE Weekend set is alive and well and on sale.
Wayne