What stove should I take on the trail?

[dieliving22]

I own a pocket rocket, a whisperlite, and I've made a pop can alcohol stove. what stove is the best and most cost effective to use for a thru hike? a pocket rocket would be awesome, but are canisters easy to find/buy along the trail or would I have to have them mailed to me. is white gas for a whisperlite hard to find along the trail? I've used a pop can stove on multi-day hikes, but never on a thru hike. are they reliable for a 5-6 month long hike?

[Don H]

I started with a home made alcohol stove but decided in Hot Springs to buy a Pocket Rocket. It was faster and easier but a little heavier than my home made job. I did not have problems finding canisters along the way, the AT Guide lists where they are sold. I did carry an extra at times and if you don't mind carrying half full canisters they can be found in hiker boxes and shelters for free.

[bobp]

I've used a pop can stove on multi-day hikes, but never on a thru hike. are they reliable for a 5-6 month long hike?

Are they reliable? What could go wrong? Most have no moving parts. Fragility depends on how you treat the stove and what type of can is used to make it. The Venom (or aluminum beer bottle) stoves are very resilient. Even if something goes wrong, you can always find a soda can and make a new stove. Now, the availability of alcohol may be a different matter, but that has been covered elsewhere, and availability doesn't seem to be a problem on the AT.

[tds1195]

Whatever you prefer...I use a microrocket but I know a lot of people here prefer alcohol stoves.

[Don H]

I have carried a home made alcohol stove for many miles and never had a problem with one, I still use it on section hikes. I carry mine in my Titanium mug so it is protected. The problem I had with mine while doing my thru was that in the cold early spring weather that I could barely get the water hot enough to reconstitute my food (I do freezer bag cooking).

[Don H]

A soda can stove will last an entire thu unless you crush it. Outfitters and some stores sell white gas buy the ounce, same with alcohol. With an alcohol stove you can always buy the yellow bottled "Heat" gas treatment to burn in it too. If you have a Whisperlight that burns unleaded gas too than I would think that would be the easiest fuel to find. Again the canisters can be found and the AT Guide lists where you can find them. One small canister will heat a cup of water to boil about 12 times depending on ambient temps.

[swjohnsey]

I think most folks are using canister stoves. I used Whisperlite for the first month and then an alcohol stove. Any of them will work.

[WingedMonkey]

What kinda cooking are you planning on doing?

[FarmerChef]

Any stove can work. I've used a homemade pop can stove for half the trail so far and that's for feeding 5. Full disclosure: most of the time I just cook over a campfire. Heat for cooking and free ambiance. Now I'm trying a canister stove to see if I can avoid the morning fire and speed up boiling water for drinks and oatmeal. In the warmer months, I usually eat cold breakfasts so it will stay home for those hikes. Bottom line: you can get any kind of fuel for any kind of stove you want to take on the trail. Find out what you prefer to work with and carry and go with it.

[dillard]

I prefer a remote canister stove for a few reasons:

1) Can invert the canister and it will burn liquid fuel which is great for cold weather or getting the last bit out of those half empty hiker box canisters you find
2) Since the canister is remote you can use a wind shield around the burner which makes it more efficient
3) Lower center of gravity for the burner makes it more stable
4) Canisters are readily available on the trail and are quick to setup and start cooking

I have the Optimus Vega but another popular choice is the MSR WindPro II.

[Mags]

Best and most effective? All depends on your hiking style, budget and so on. I'm too lazy to type this up again..so here's my usual link.

Or, the Q&D:

• If you are resupplying for less than ten meals, solo and three-season backpacking: Alcohol Stove
• If you are a couple and/or going long time between resupplies, want a convenient way to boil water or need to do real cooking:
  Canister Stove other than Jet Boil
• If you are solo and want a convenient all in one solution and/or fast boil times: Jetboil or MSR Reactor
• If you are winter camping/high altitude mountaineering OR doing 3+ person meals: White Gas Stove
• Doing lots of "real cooking" in a forest environment and not hiking far: Zip Stove
• Want the absolute lightest stove and price/resupply (and don't mind slower boil times) is not an issue: Esbit
• Prefer to go the ultra-minimalist route and want very little to no futzing: No stove.

Remember…it is just a stove at the end of the day. Gear is the least important part of backpacking. No matter stove you use, the mountain ranges are awesome, the sunsets are grand and those wildflower blooms will be gorgeous. Take what works and enjoy!

[louisb]

I really like my caldera cone alky stove.

--louis

[Colter]

I think Mags' response pretty much sums it up, and I expect by ten meals he means ten cooked meals. On my AT thru I saw lots of people going to alcohol stoves. Simple, light, cheap and effective.

[Starchild]

• If you are a couple and/or going long time between resupplies, want a convenient way to boil water or need to do real cooking:
  Canister Stove other than Jet Boil

Wondering why you state not the Jetboil for a couple, longer resupply and want a convenient way to boil water (I can understand with the condition of real cooking which is challenging at times in the Jetboil), but if all the couple uses it for is to boil water It would seem like that is one of the best solutions, also I have used the Jetboil for exactly that, couple hiking wanting mostly boiled water out of the stove and it worked beautifully for that as well as low fuel consumption.

[Mags]

Wondering why you state not the Jetboil for a couple, longer resupply and want a convenient way to boil water (I can understand with the condition of real cooking which is challenging at times in the Jetboil), but if all the couple uses it for is to boil water It would seem like that is one of the best solutions, also I have used the Jetboil for exactly that, couple hiking wanting mostly boiled water out of the stove and it worked beautifully for that as well as low fuel consumption.

Because it is heavy and not very efficient overall in terms of weight and what it does.

It is quick and convenient. That can be a plus for many people. But it pretty much is only a water boiler IMO.

I'd rather take a Coleman F1. Almost as many BTUs as a Jet Boil for a fraction of the weight and price. More versatile, too.
Great reviews. Harder to find, though.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...thread_id=1139
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...e_review.html\

Can still get it online fairly easily:
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Expone.../dp/B0009VC7UG

And..yeah, I did mean 10 COOKED meals. Sorry, should edit that.

[zelph]

I own a pocket rocket, a whisperlite, and I've made a pop can alcohol stove. what stove is the best and most cost effective to use for a thru hike? a pocket rocket would be awesome, but are canisters easy to find/buy along the trail or would I have to have them mailed to me. is white gas for a whisperlite hard to find along the trail? I've used a pop can stove on multi-day hikes, but never on a thru hike. are they reliable for a 5-6 month long hike?

You seem to be the canister type, go with the canisters. Be Happy!!!

[colorado_rob]

Because it is heavy and not very efficient overall in terms of weight and what it does.

It is quick and convenient. That can be a plus for many people. But it pretty much is only a water boiler IMO.

Yes, only a water boiler to be sure, but the Jetboil Sol Ti model is very weight efficient, probably the most efficient setup, again, when you need more than a few days worth of performance between resupply and like plenty of hot water every day. Sure, 8.9 ounces (stove, pot and cozy) sounds heavy, but the fuel efficiency is superb. Again, this only pays off when the number of boils needed between re-supply points is larger (as mine always are). The old, original Jetboil is about 6+ ounces heavier and not a good choice in any situation, IMHO.

[colorado_rob]

By the way, it's the heat exchanger and cozy on the Jetboil that creates the efficiency. I did a thorough test with a couple of different stoves, including that Coleman F1 and the good old Pocket rocket, and the Jetboil does about 25% more boils per canister than both of them (which were nearly identical in performance).

[RED-DOG]

Bro use your Pocket Rocket in the beginning it will take the cold alot better and when the weather warms up make yourself an alcohol stove.

[q-tip]

Soto Stove-Oil Camp Pot