Stoves and Cookwear

[}SkOrPn--7]

That BioLite Stove I doubt would be putting much in the way of mh output so it would take an every and a day to charge things plus you would have to fire it up any time you wish to use the charging side of this alone. Not to mention this country has allot of days with total fire bans so for me I think solar panels are still the best option as they can be charging your tech gear as you ride.

Ricky

[il padrone]

Was kinda sceptical about this one. But further investigations show it's definitely a contender.

Yes, it's heavy, but the performance is pretty impressive, and the absence of that litre of shellite/meths will pretty much overcome the weight penalty. The fuel can be collected around camp or along the road. I am intrigued, that baby is burning pretty fiercely - brings to mind the action of the old Coonara wood heater we used to have .

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmHCIBvI ... r_embedded#![/youtube]



There is a big brother to it, for domestic use in developing world homes, instead of just a simple open fire.

[spirito]

Haven't seen it mentioned here but is kinda related. Airspresso ... for those who need their coffee hit whilst on tour.

http://www.airspresso.com.au/

[Baalzamon]

That BioLite Stove I doubt would be putting much in the way of mh output so it would take an every and a day to charge things plus you would have to fire it up any time you wish to use the charging side of this alone. Not to mention this country has allot of days with total fire bans so for me I think solar panels are still the best option as they can be charging your tech gear as you ride.

Ricky

That is what I was thinking. Also if your tour through a burnt out area, gonna be a bit tough to souce fuel to light it. My son28 charged my iphone in a few hours, same with my Garmin 705. And since most touring days are 4hrs long on the bike at least, those devices will get charged fully for a few more days usage.

[Max]

I got myself a Trangia 27-1 today. Simple, easy, reliable. It might be a touch heavy, but as a first stove, I think it'll be fine. Next weekend, I'll give it a burl in the back yard. Stay tuned for reports from the field

Max

[il padrone]

Also if your tour through a burnt out area, gonna be a bit tough to souce fuel to light it.

Bit of a negative view ??

Have a look a the video. It runs on sticks and twigs - even in the barest landscape it's a pretty good chance you'll find enough fuel, somewhere in your day.

[rifraf]

Personally I'm concerned about the finding of dry fuel for it after rain.
I tramped/bushwalked in different parts of NZ and it brought home to me why I was prepared to stagger under the weight of my Optimus;
trying to get a fire going with wet fuel is a PITA - big-time.
Yes I know the rainfall is Aus is generally Sweet Fanny Adams by comparison but that's not the point I was trying to make.
Its those moments when you've been caught out in cold, wet and treacherous conditions that you most need some hot food/drink
inside you pronto.
That is not the time to be going, Well gee, wish I'd packed a liquid fuel stove. I mention this as once my Optimus pump washer gave problems on a walk in NZ called the Heaphy Track.
Twas spring when they measure the fall in metres and there was still snow on some of the higher hills.
It wasn't really dicey as there was commercial huts spaced about four hours apart from memory, these had a combo of lpg burner stove
tops and some had wood stoves with a supply of dry wood -I hadnt paid the fees and was stealth camping wild.
I managed to get some pressure in the end by soaking the washer in kero to expand it somewhat.
It made me realise how easily I could have spent some time cold, wet and hungry.
Up till then I think I'd looked at the Optimus as a time saver to save my lazy butt looking for firewood (even in good conditions) but
ended up relating to it as a life saver when conditions are poor. I have a healthy respect for my stove and dont mind spending money
on it by keeping a good supply of parts and replacing anything worn or corroded on it.
I personally think (at this stage) that there are better choices to complement your alcohol or lightweight gas burner.
I suspect the power function from a touring point of view is a bit of a gimmick.
Gonna wait a year or so to be impressed by reviews from people out in the field.
I think IP's statement about never being too far from a couple of sets of batteries worth of charge (usually) rings true
and Baalzamons favoring of the dynamo hub for charging is the next best thing (till I'm proven otherwise - which I'm happy to be )
I certainly think from the theory that its a nice little unit but as an uncomplimented sole reliance, I've yet to be convinced.

[il padrone]

Personally I'm concerned about the finding of dry fuel for it after rain.
I tramped/bushwalked in different parts of NZ and it brought home to me why I was prepared to stagger under the weight of my Optimus;
trying to get a fire going with wet fuel is a PITA - big-time.
Yes I know the rainfall is Aus is generally Sweet Fanny Adams by comparison but that's not the point I was trying to make.
Its those moments when you've been caught out in cold, wet and treacherous conditions that you most need some hot food/drink
inside you pronto.

The trick with any firewood is all in the fire-setting. We were once up in the high country around the back of Mt Buller and rain had set in.... all day. Dripping, penetrating rain. We needed a fire. Our chief fire starter exclaimed "It's all wet wood, you'll NEVER light a fire today!" and headed for his tent. Another chap came to the rescue with an empty sardine tin. He filled it with a 1/4 cup of meths, then lit it (ike a Trangia burner) and proceeded to build a teepee of sticks over it. Then we just steadily added bigger and bigger sticks to the teepee. In 10-15 mins we had a blazing fire going.... all from wet wood

Ever since then I'm always keen to hang onto the sardine tin from lunch, just in case. One advantage to travelling with a Trangia as well - beware, you cannot do this with shellite.

The other thing is, if I chose to use one of these stoves, I reckon I'd be stocking up on sticks earlier in the day when they are dry and sticking them under the pannier flap , if any rain was looking likely.




Well, not quite that big

It just requires a bit of planning and forethought

[rifraf]

I got myself a Trangia 27-1 today. Simple, easy, reliable. It might be a touch heavy, but as a first stove, I think it'll be fine. Next weekend, I'll give it a burl in the back yard. Stay tuned for reports from the field

Max

Hi Max
Congrats on the new purchase. Wanna hear how you get on cooking something up for yourself/Mom.
I've only made a cuppa on mine so far and boiled a few veges when the stovetop ran out of LPG.
I had promised to try making some porridge but think I've been finding excuses to do it quickly on the Optimus.

We probably should organise a thread dedicated to "Recipes" that are quick, nutritious and easily done on
the mighty Trangia and/or others.
I'm not much of a chef when on the road and usually eat a lot of porridge and instant noodles with added tinned chicken/onion/chilli.
Satchets of soup and also of flavoured cous cous. I'm not a big fan of pasta but do conclude its an easy meal and lightweight to haul.
Rice with some raw red onion, tiny tin of corn and some soy sauce I find easy and tasty enough for a meal or two.
I'm dreadful for taking too much weighty food and need to put more thought into it and maybe invest in a haul of ziplock plastic bags
with ready portions organised. Not having really done any real (extended) touring with towns being days apart I've a lot of catching up to do.

[rifraf]

The trick with any firewood is all in the fire-setting. We were once up in the high country around the back of Mt Buller and rain had set in.... all day. Dripping, penetrating rain. We needed a fire. Our chief fire starter exclaimed "It's all wet wood, you'll NEVER light a fire today!" and headed for his tent. Another chap came to the rescue with an empty sardine tin. He filled it with a 1/4 cup of meths, then lit it (ike a Trangia burner) and proceeded to build a teepee of sticks over it. Then we just steadily added bigger and bigger sticks to the teepee. In 10-15 mins we had a blazing fire going.... all from wet wood

Ever since then I'm always keen to hang onto the sardine tin from lunch, just in case. One advantage to travelling with a Trangia as well - beware, you cannot do this with shellite.

The other thing is, if I chose to use one of these stoves, I reckon I'd be stocking up on sticks earlier in the day when they are dry and sticking them under the pannier flap , if any rain was looking likely.

It just requires a bit of planning and forethought

Hi IP,
I hear you, but..........
seems like many tourers (here and elsewhere) get kinda obsessive (quite rightly I'm sure) about weight carrying
and if your going to be carrying an alcohol stove and fuel already.........
I mean where do you stop.
Dont get me wrong. I think the product looks good, great where theres an availability of fuel and for areas of no firebans.
The electrikery production is a bonus as well.
As I'm not sure its a stand alone item, unlike for instance your MSR gas stove, but rather a complementary item for instances where
theres no fuel or usage issues, I'm unconvinced its for me. Thus I'll suffer the weight of my Trangia and/or my now jetted for alcohol, Optimus
till your review becomes available either here or on CGOAB

[il padrone]

Hi IP,
I hear you, but..........
seems like many tourers (here and elsewhere) get kinda obsessive (quite rightly I'm sure) about weight carrying
and if your going to be carrying an alcohol stove and fuel already.........

I'd expect to be using the Biolite instead of an alcohol stove, not in addition to. It's way too heavy and bulky to be an emergency stove.

Thus I'll suffer the weight of my Trangia and/or my now jetted for alcohol, Optimus
till your review becomes available either here or on CGOAB

I have no intention of buying yet another camping stove, so you'll be waiting a while for that review

[Max]

You guys ought to visit the bushwalkers forum. There's folks on there who have easily twenty plus stoves. They are self-confessed stove-a-holics!

Max


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk. All typos are Auto-Correct's fault, not mine

[Aushiker]

The trick with any firewood is all in the fire-setting. We were once up in the high country around the back of Mt Buller and rain had set in.... all day. Dripping, penetrating rain. We needed a fire. Our chief fire starter exclaimed "It's all wet wood, you'll NEVER light a fire today!" and headed for his tent. Another chap came to the rescue with an empty sardine tin. He filled it with a 1/4 cup of meths, then lit it (ike a Trangia burner) and proceeded to build a teepee of sticks over it. Then we just steadily added bigger and bigger sticks to the teepee. In 10-15 mins we had a blazing fire going.... all from wet wood

Gas cylinder stoves come in handy too as fire starters





Andrew

[Aushiker]

For those interested in stoves, there is an interesting vintage stove thread over at the evil peds forum



Andrew

[orbeas]

Looking for fire starters look up http://www.wa.gov.DEC.au they have plenty of fire starting experiance and itl be out of control in no time, mostly tourist spots and wildlife aeras , tounge firmly in cheek

[rifraf]

For those interested in stoves, there is an interesting vintage stove thread over at the evil peds forum



Andrew

Those Svea stoves were very popular units in NZ until it became irritating to
acquire the white spirits/shellite.
They can be found new for under $100 on ebay and are (imho) still good value, especially for NSW
owners as the fuel is still readily available.
Somewhere in this thread it was confirmed (I believe) that the Optimus 8R pump can be
utilised enabling the use of kero, or with a different nipple (jet) alcohol (metho) to be burnt.
I stopped looking at them when GJ Coop said the fuel was getting harder to get in WA.
Much lighter than a 111 but a lot more noisy with the roarer burner head on it.
Metho has been cheap in my locale lately with specials of 3 for $9 at Go-Lo, hence the 111 has been doing
overtime making me expressos with a small stovetop perk

[Aushiker]

and another one which I only just found out about. They will retail in Australia for $60 plus your stove of choice. It is the Honey Stove.





Andrew

[rifraf]

Currently having some soot issues with burning metho on the Optimus.
Also its not liking running on a low flame for any duration.
I'm going to try a different brand of meths next time to try to determine if it might be fuel quality.
Whilst in NZ the issue with meths was price as it was dearer than kero there.
I know adding some water has been suggested whilst using the trangia but as the fuel has to
go through a hot jet in the Optimus I dont want steam distorting the jet/nipple so wont be going down
that track.
Poor quality kero was a problem in NZ using pressurised 500 candlepower Hipolito lanterns. I was told by an old timer to regularly
tip out any residue in the tank after it went out to keep an eye on water in the fuel.
Turned out he was right and it was poor fuel that was wearing out my jet/nipples too often.
In the stove I did use meths in NZ as a trial but its cost and less heat made it a not a great bang for buck.
Being cheaper here and desiring to carry only one fuel if practical made me take another look but
its not turning me on currently.
I'll leave you an update when I've bought another bottle of meths from a different source.
Cheers
Aidan

[Aushiker]

Hi rifaf

Looking at my bottles of meths, they seem to be all to the specification of 95% v/v ethanol UN 1170 or should be at least. I haven't tried any yet but I did notice that Bunnings have purple coloured meths and that their meths bottles where quite a bit cheaper than Coles. Maybe worth a try?

Andrew

[rifraf]

Hi rifaf

Looking at my bottles of meths, they seem to be all to the specification of 95% v/v ethanol UN 1170 or should be at least. I haven't tried any yet but I did notice that Bunnings have purple coloured meths and that their meths bottles where quite a bit cheaper than Coles. Maybe worth a try?

Andrew

Great tip Andrew
Thankyou muchly
All the meths in NZ that I found was purple so finding it mostly clear over was a surprise.
Different ingredients too as the burning meths here is pungent and to my nose unpleasant (maybe to discourage drinking it).
I'll make a trip to Bunnings to grap some and give it a whirl.
My stove has a self cleaning jet needle which is activated by turning the valve anti clockwise all the way.
I mention this so you know its not a partially blocked jet causing problems.
I just checked the label on my meths and it suggests 96% ethanol.
Shame it doesn't mention what else is in it.
I was warned off the aviation kerosene by someone telling me it had anti-freezing additives in it compared to
the standard stuff which was a shame as it was the cheapest to purchase in bulk from the local airport when in NZ.

[elStado]

Thread bookmarked. I'm still thinking about doing a tour in the future (maybe next year), and I want to get a nice portable, light stove and cookware set.

My brother was going to buy the MSR Dragonfly, but recently had his newish bike stolen so he had to re-divert the funds into a replacement bike.

[PawPaw]

I thought my 32 year old Coleman Peak One could take any fuel, but I tried kero and metho the last week and it wouldn't work.
Shellite which is Coleman fuel, and unleaded petrol are it apparently.
Will have to try the petrol soon.
I've been using it for wok cooking recently. It has a more intense flame than the gas stove top, and does a better job of stir fries.

[rifraf]

I thought my 32 year old Coleman Peak One could take any fuel, but I tried kero and metho the last week and it wouldn't work.
Shellite which is Coleman fuel, and unleaded petrol are it apparently.
Will have to try the petrol soon.
.

Might it need a different jet/nipple to run the meths?
My Optimus does, it also needs an oxygen restrictor (vented/perforated tube above jet) to effectively use Shellite/white spirits.
Petrol is full of nasties (as pointed out in another thread) and carcigens so for your healths sake, please dont use it.
Its not petrol minus lead but petrol + additives + aromatics with the latter being the most dangerous.
If you saw what some of the drum recyclers wore as protective gear, you'd run a mile at the thought of a meal cooked on petrol from
a servo.
I cant currently remember which fuel it states on the instructions either petrol/gasolene but its a European reference to white spirits which is petrol with "NO" additives what so ever. Pure
From wiki
"Hydrocarbons are hazardous substances and are regulated in the United States by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The material safety data sheet for unleaded gasoline shows at least 15 hazardous chemicals occurring in various amounts, including benzene (up to 5% by volume), toluene (up to 35% by volume), naphthalene (up to 1% by volume), trimethylbenzene (up to 7% by volume), methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) (up to 18% by volume, in some states) and about ten others.[18] Benzene and many antiknocking additives are carcinogenic"

[PawPaw]

thx riffraff. was aware of the crap in unleaded, but it still appears to be used commonly by trekkers globally, and motorbike campers.
I presumed if I kept my head 3 feet upwind from the flame, and used a wok, contamination of the food and me would be minimal.

The Coleman Peak One doesn't have alternative jets for different fuels. I still have the box and instruction sheet. Great product, though heavi-ish.
AFAIK, white spirit = shellite = Coleman fuel, and is amongst the lightest and cleanest product of the fractionation process.

Suppose I'll just keep using shellite, though it sucks they charge $5/litre.

[il padrone]

Suppose I'll just keep using shellite, though it sucks they charge $5/litre.

Cheaper than Scotch