Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Stove

I am backpacking with another high school friend from Cottonwood lakes to Whitney via Guitar lakes in a few weeks. My father doesn't like the idea of me using his white gas stove (since I don't have much experience with it).

He has a blue gaz stove but it doesn't seem to work on the mountain well. Probably a little too cold in the morning.

Does anyone have any experience with a simple to use stove (non white gas) he can pick up for me to take which will work ok? Or do all the propaine butain mixes all have the same problem with cold weather?

The problem with the blue Gaz stoves is that there is only the one fuel (I think) which is available to use.

However, there are any number of stoves available of the "Pocket Rocket" type, which are the much more common screw-on type, which have many fuel mixtures available now, including some purported to work well at altitude/cold. These are available at virtually any sporting goods store. I saw a somewhat heavy (at 7 oz) model at Big 5 last week for $25.
I think that someone else posted the trick of placing the can in the sleeping bag for the nite.

Two tricks to get canister stove going. Put it in your sleeping bag at night or place the canister in a bowl of water you kept in the tent overnight. Both will improve performance on cold mornings.

All things considered I'd rather have a white gas stove for a week trip with a couple of people.

Bill

a bowl of water in a tent on a cold night is a bad idea - one spill and you're sitting in a man-made lake. I also favor a white/other gas stove in the mountains.

I bought a ready made soda can stove on e-bay. I haven't tried it out yet but it might be an alternative for you. Here it is http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62117&item=4135200285

I've used a Gaz butane/propane stove with absolutely no problems. This includes late season outings at high altitude (i.e., cold temps). I think putting the canister in your bag at night will suffice.

I've switched to using a <a href="http://brasslite.com/">Brasslite</a> alcohol stove. Simple, lightweight, and very effective. I'm not sure alcohol works as well for an extended trip (you'd have to carry more fuel since it isn't as energy-dense as gas). And I wouldn't make my first trip using an alcohol stove an extended one to Mt. Whitney.

If a simple to use white gas stove is an option I have a Peak1 Feather 400 stove that I've used for a number of years. I've had great success at near 0 degrees F and on trips lasting several days. While not the lightest stove on the market at ~2 lbs. full of gas, it is very safe and has never let me down. They run around $40 at campmor.com and I would guess a similar price at a decent sporting goods store. Coleman also makes a couple of different model that burn unleaded gasoline but I've never tried them.

WA Climber,

The bowl of water thing is in the morning; not in the tent overnight. Sorry, if I was clear on that.

I agree that would be truly stupid.

Bill

I am still using a SVEA 123 I've had since 1967 which I use with a Gerry cook set (no longer made) which nests with the stove. Little SVEA is self pressurizing, uses white gas, is good little setup. On a long trip, gasoline rules because of the higher energy content per unit of weight, but I don't think you'll have any trouble with compressed gas stoves at this time of year. Where you run into trouble is during truly cold weather, below zero, when the vapor pressure in the gas cannister is very low.

USCDAD,
You spent good money for a pepsi can stove when all you have to do is ask. I make them and send out for free. Next time just ask.

matthew,

i just bought a ESBIT POCKET STOVE for $10.00 at rei. i haven't used it yet but, i put a query on the board for people to write in if they have used it. it's something like 12 oz. and comes with tablespoon size pellets that can last burning for 15 min.

lush*

Adrian:

I still have a SVEA 123 I bought in 1973 --- it still works. It fits in a cook kit with a pot, pot lid and windscreen with a pot grip. The cook kit might well be a Gerry but I'm not sure.

I will make my first attempt in Jul via the MR, but sadly, I have caved to the new age and will be carrying a Snow Peak Giga Power that packs in a titanium pot with a spork --- I don't want to lose my Svea so I'm leaving it home!

I used the Esbit pocket stove on a four day summit--it worked like a charm and I was very pleased with it in terms of cost, weight, and workability. My only complaint is that it is not particularly easy to light those fuel pellets in the wind. I do want to warn you that if your party is larger than two people, it would make sense to take an additional Esbit stove. It takes about 15 minutes to boil two cups of water on the Esbit at altitude, so particularly if you have a multi-course freeze-dried dinner, it would be frustratingly time consuming if you just had one stove for more than a person or two.

I've owned or used on a regular basis more than half a dozen different stoves over the last 20 years including alcohol, white gas, and canister models. I do not claim to be an expert, but I do have a few thoughts that others may find useful.

Alcohol Stoves - These are favorites with the ultra-light crowd, but I found there heat output to low. I generally do no use them.

Canister Stoves - I own two, Snow Peak Giga Titanium and EFI (now Hank Roberts). Both of these stoves are light weight and can bowl water in minutes. As mentioned above, you need to keep the fuel canister warm in colder weather, but for 90% of my trips they are my first choice. Fuel is more expensive and it is hard to determine how much is left in a canister, but their ease of operation outweighs these disadvantages.

White Gas Stoves - In cold weather these stoves are supreme. I own a Svea 123, Optimus 8R, and MSR Whiperlite. I've had few problems with any of them and still use the Whisperlite if I expect morning tempatures in the low twenties or lower. While these stoves take a little extra effort to learn how to use, they cook better for me (low simmer, medium heat, etc.) than other stoves I own. These stoves are a bit heavier than teh canister models I own and thus I typically do not carry them unless I am expecting colder tempatures.

One thing that I have found to make a stove easier to use is a good set of light weight pots that makes torage and carryign easier. The Snow Peak Giga with canister fits nicely in a 700 ml titanium pot made also by Snow Peak.

The new Jet Boil stove is fast and very efficient at boiling water. I do not own the stove, but have seen is used. Is does not simmer well, but when reconstituing freeze dried food simmering is not critical. My one issue with the stove is that the pot is attached more or less permanently to the stove during cooking operations and this makes the whole thing a little unweildly when pouring boiling water into a plastic bag.

Trailslug - I have been wanting to try the pepsi can stove out for a while. e-mail me and I will give you my address and would be happy to compensate you for at least the postage. I'm assuming these are the home made alcohol stoves.

I have a MSR Pocket Rocket stove and it works like a charm. I have used it on many outings. I had one canister of fuel last me over 10 days. I only boil water for coffe in the morning and then water at night for a dehydrated meal.

My buddy and I shared his Whisperlite on our first couple of trips together. On one of the trips there was a leak and what looked like a possible bomb ready to explode. I ran away from it and he threw dirt on it until it was out. That stove was a pain in the ass to operate. Now we both have our own "Pocket Rockets".

<a href="http://piotrowski.us/pictures/usermanual_MultiFuel_Stoves_EN.pdf">Here's</a> the user manual that came with my Primus Himalaya VariFuel stove. It got some useful information (Cooking performance index, etc.), as well as being very funny in parts.

I find it to be a very good stove under most circumstances, but was frustrated by the fact that the stove would not burn kerosene at high altitude (5000m +) using the .28mm jet. I was about to throw the thing out when I decided to try the .35mm jet. It worked fine, and I was able to save myself quite a bit of money (my backup stove uses gas canisters, which are very expensive in the Himalaya).