Stoves and Cookwear

[il padrone]

I might splash out on a new cooking kit and get the Evernew Titanium Minimalist Set (ECA268) as I could do with a new pot anyway. This kit uses Esbit tablets, alcohol and wood as fuel plus has the windscreen of course and more importantly is is Titanium

I could not see myself doing meaningful meals (even for one) on a stove & pot that is 3.8" in dia and 3.4" high

[Aushiker]

I could not see myself doing meaningful meals (even for one) on a stove & pot that is 3.8" in dia and 3.4" high

It is 500 ml .. enough to boil a couple of cups of water. That is all I use now

Andrew

[il padrone]

Just cooking up Backpackers Pantry dehy meals? That sort of cooking will get expensive on a long tour and kinda difficult to carry enough for the whole tour. Not likley to be able to buy them out in Halls Creek.

I'd prefer to go with a mix of special sauces etc that I carry with me and rice, pasta etc that I can buy along the way more readily. This demands a bigger pot to cook in - not just rehydrate package meals.

[Wingnut]

New MSR Whisperlite Int...hybrid, gas & fuel?

[Vintagetourer]

Looks like it is worth a try. I've accumulated the usual array of stoves, pots etc over the years. Titanium is of course brilliant for lack of weight. But cooking I have found is not so good for anything other than water because it seems not to disperse heat very well across the pot base. 'Hot point' burning of food on the pot base is the result, at least with my Simmerlite.

I am a later day convert to Trangia and now take the 27-UL both cycle touring and bushwalking. Bomb proof, simple, reasonably light, easy to simmer, quick to set up and put away, no fiddly bits, even heat conduction, loves wind etc.

[Aushiker]

Titanium is of course brilliant for lack of weight. But cooking I have found is not so good for anything other than water because it seems not to disperse heat very well across the pot base. 'Hot point' burning of food on the pot base is the result, at least with my Simmerlite..

I wonder if this is an issue with the relatively low heat of an alcohol stove?

Another option now in the mix is the Caldera Cone style of stoves. You can get them in different sizes to suit larger pots (since apparently cooking rice and pasta in a 500 ml pot is not appropriate )



AntigravityGear do a cooking set for the Evernew 0.9 L pot.



Still need the pot and the primer for this kit plus it has parts which are probably surplus. Still another idea.

Oh I am a big fan of the cozys. Great way to cook off the stove, hence reducing considerably the demand for fuel.

Andrew

[RonK]

I wonder if this is an issue with the relatively low heat of an alcohol stove?

See my earlier reply on the first page of this thread. I've no problems making instant oats, soup and the like in my Evernew 0.9l pot, and the titanium Clickstand stove, burner and windshield all fit inside it. I also have an aluminium heat diffuser plate and have scrambled eggs successfully using it under the pot.

My favourite Chefsway dehydrated meals are not the rehydrate in the pouch type, and have to be simmered in 700ml of water, so the Evernew pot is the perfect size. I find the Chefsway (from Tasmania) products very palatable and their low packed weight and small size makes it easy to carry a weeks supply without resorting to a trailer. The spag bol is my favourite, but my wife loves the mushroom risotto. I alway buy the double serve size and find it's an adequate serving for two and a very generous serving for one, but just what I need after a long day on the bike or hike.

BTW, I reckon it's a myth that freeze-died meals are expensive - if you cost the ingredients and the time it takes to prepare and dry your own meals there is not much difference.

[Vintagetourer]

It sounds like Ron has worked out how to combine the advantages of both Ti and Al cookware.

Reading the thread confirms my conviction that, budgets permitting, it is worth experimenting with different systems in different situations to work out what most suits one's individual needs knowing these will change over time.

My most relied upon system (now 'retired') was an old style expedition (XGK?) MSR petrol/diesel stove and Sigg billy. My wife and I used it 2-3 times daily for almost 5 months cycling from Istanbul to England. It took an absolute hammering but never missed a beat. It did a lot of other trips as well until it (the stove) finally quit after about 18 years. The Sigg billy is still OK.

[Aushiker]

I wonder if this is an issue with the relatively low heat of an alcohol stove?

See my earlier reply on the first page of this thread. I've no problems making instant oats, soup and the like in my Evernew 0.9l pot, and the titanium Clickstand stove, burner and windshield all fit inside it. I also have an aluminium heat diffuser plate and have scrambled eggs successfully using it under the pot.

My favourite Chefsway dehydrated meals are not the rehydrate in the pouch type, and have to be simmered in 700ml of water, so the Evernew pot is the perfect size. I find the Chefsway (from Tasmania) products very palatable and their low packed weight and small size makes it easy to carry a weeks supply without resorting to a trailer. The spag bol is my favourite, but my wife loves the mushroom risotto. I alway buy the double serve size and find it's an adequate serving for two and a very generous serving for one, but just what I need after a long day on the bike or hike.

BTW, I reckon it's a myth that freeze-died meals are expensive - if you cost the ingredients and the time it takes to prepare and dry your own meals there is not much difference.

Thanks Ron. I must check out the Clickstand stoves as well and the Chefsway products. Haven't come across them before. BTW how do you find the serving sizes?

Andrew

[RonK]

Thanks Ron. I must check out the Clickstand stoves as well and the Chefsway products. Haven't come across them before. BTW how do you find the serving sizes?

I alway buy the double serve size and find it's an adequate serving for two and a very generous serving for one, but just what I need after a long day on the bike or hike.

[Baalzamon]

I've just finished my tour and I was using the Evernew 0.9L titanium pot as well, performed very well and the optimus stella + performed quite well. Comes with an optional heat shield as well. Was able to control the gas flow very nicely and able to achieve a good simmer point.

[Aushiker]

Hi

For those interested, BackpackingLight have the first part of two part "State of the Market" report out on lightweight integrated canister stoves.

The Jetboil Personal Cooking System was a major innovation back in 2004. We reviewed it in-depth and reported on its strengths and drawbacks. It’s wonderfully fuel-efficient and wind-resistant, but heavy, a bit slow, and low in cooking capacity. Fast forward to 2011; now we have eight backpackable integrated canister fuel stoves. They are fast, fuel-efficient, wind-resistant, some are cold-resistant, they have a much higher cooking capacity, and some are truly lightweight and can be pared down to as little as 7.5 ounces (213 g). Got your attention?

Andrew

[rifraf]

Hi

For those interested, BackpackingLight have the first part of two part "State of the Market" report out

Andrew

It’s slow (a claimed boil time of 90 min/1-pint of water, but it actually took twice that long).
I think John McEnroe said it best
"You cannot be serious"

[rifraf]

I think I mentioned in an earlier post needing a new alcohol nipple and some perforated burner caps for
my Optimus 111C stove.
Well Da Daaaah (Cymbol clash) Just bought both via the same seller on ebay - good price too!
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270832796599 ... 1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/280743921782 ... 1439.l2649
I'd forgotten the nipple somewhere in NZ and the caps on my stove are approx 15 years old and paper thin from
oxidisation from usage.
I'm a happy camper!

[Aushiker]

I think I mentioned in an earlier post needing a new alcohol nipple and some perforated burner caps for
my Optimus 111C stove.
Well Da Daaaah (Cymbol clash) Just bought both via the same seller on ebay - good price too!
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270832796599 ... 1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/280743921782 ... 1439.l2649
I'd forgotten the nipple somewhere in NZ and the caps on my stove are approx 15 years old and paper thin from
oxidisation from usage.
I'm a happy camper!

Mate, the amount you are spending on that thing, you could afford to get a modern hip stove

Andrew

[rifraf]

Convince me theres a better stove out there and I'll probably buy it.
With the spares I now have the stoves probably good for another 15 years of serious use
The recent investment is chump change compared to an as new one on ebay.
I've the new Trangia as back up but this is my all time favourite stove.
The weight be damned
I looked at the new Hiker but disliked the noise and it doesnt burn alcohol
This stove boils a billy pronto and............ and anything else doesnt really matter to me.
Its been super reliable.
It was my one and only source of cooking heat for nearly a full five year stint
Thats multiple daily use for approx 5 years in NZ until I invested in a LPG stove.
And that was only because Kero went from around $2.50 to around $6.00NZ a liter in a few months

[il padrone]

Hiker.....

It was my one and only source of cooking heat for nearly a full five year stint
Thats multiple daily use for approx 5 years in NZ until I invested in a LPG stove.

Over that length of time I assume you were living in..... like..... a house or something ??

So why were you using a camp stove for your sole cooking heat ??

[rifraf]

Hiker.....

It was my one and only source of cooking heat for nearly a full five year stint
Thats multiple daily use for approx 5 years in NZ until I invested in a LPG stove.

Over that length of time I assume you were living in..... like..... a house or something ??

So why were you using a camp stove for your sole cooking heat ??

Long story I'm not going to bore myself or anyone else elaborating on.
Suffice to say building with no electricity nor any indoor plumbing of any description.
So cold in winter ice would form on the inside (wall + roof closest to the Tararuas) in the corrugations
of the exterior cladding - building was unlined
I'll tell you a story over a cold one some time. It has a silver lining as it inspired me to come home to Aus.

[Aushiker]

Suffice to say building with no electricity nor any indoor plumbing of any description.

Where in NZ where you living? I come from Mihi (Rotorua).

Andrew

[rifraf]

Suffice to say building with no electricity nor any indoor plumbing of any description.

Where in NZ where you living? I come from Mihi (Rotorua).

Andrew

I was in Horowhenua for seven years Andrew
I never lived in the central Nth Island cept for visits to Te Awa Mutu and Tauranga.
I've spent time in Chch, Karamea, Wellington, Whangarei, Kerikeri and Kaitaia
I doubt your missing the Rotorua winters.
Its the rain I miss least about NZ although I miss the NSW drought
that was here last time I was home. Its still a little damp for my liking.
I want to relocate to WA soon.
I want those sunshine hours

[Aushiker]

I doubt your missing the Rotorua winters.

Ah yes. Still remember going to school to Mihi Primary in shorts in winter ( we where allowed woollen shorts and long socks as our winter uniform) and the fog would still be in at lunch-time. Ground would be frozen too.

Summer as a young teenager in Rotorua was great but ... used to ride our bikes out to Blue Lake ... big climb up, fast descent and then reverse. Later on we used to ride our bikes out to a place called [url=http://g.co/maps/shvu7Trout Pool Road (can't recall our name for it) camping for the weekend[/url] ... bikes, trout fishing, jumping 40ft into the water to see how close we could get to the waterfall, tickling trout (total failure at it) and getting sunburnt. Yep teenage summer

I guess it would have rained a lot down where you where and windy At least Perth will feel like home with the wind

Andrew

[rifraf]

Andrew if you get back to Rotorua for a visit you might to check out this bike shop
which is getting some positive attention according to a friend of mine over thinking
about a bespoke frame:
http://www.kiwibikes.co.nz/about/what-m ... s-special/
Cheers
Aidan

[RonK]

Convince me theres a better stove out there and I'll probably buy it.

C'mon Rifraf...admit it! It's a purely sentimental attachment and you're a retro-grouch.

[rifraf]

Convince me theres a better stove out there and I'll probably buy it.

C'mon Rifraf...admit it! It's a purely sentimental attachment and you're a retro-grouch.

I tell ya what I'll admit, by the time my senses tell me I'm in need of a cuppa, its because I needed a cuppa half an
hour ago. My Trangia would be kicked to death in frustration by the time it had gotten close to being hot enough
to draw some colour out of a teabag.
Patience is not one of my virtues, if indeed I actually have any virtues.
I prefer to drown virtues in piping hot unsweetened tea - plenty of it - and pronto
Hmmmmmm I guess its a purely sentimental attachment and I'm a retro-grouch.
The heavy illegitimate of a lump of iron and of dubious pedigree thing sure does whip up a pots worth of tea double quick though

[Max]

Oops, I think RonK just went fishing, and didn't rifraf take a bite at the bait!

It's interesting to read about the experiences people have had with different cooking gear. Keep the comments coming, guys

Max