I am thinking of doing a mini tour (weekend away) on my bike and would like to hear peoples recommendations with regard to stoves for heating up meals and maybe a coffee or 2. The plan is to camp as I have most of the gear I need already.

Has anyone had much luck with the self heating meals?

Cheers

MSR Pocket Rocket, sorted !!

Jetboil.

Are Jetboils not a bit heavy compared to a pocket rocket, ti pan and small cyclinder ?

Seem to remember this subject came up a while back with some weight comparisons, a search might produce the thread

campingas bleuet

ok not uber trendy
but super reliable and you can get gas cannisters for it everywhere,
including all over europe.

I have a MSR whisperlite. Its good.

Ditto MSR Pocket Rocket, or a Coleman F1 Lite, very similar designs. And a foil windshield makes a huge difference – even a gentle breeze affects the flame badly (same for any stove).

The smallest size gas cartridge will give you about an hour's burn time, enough for a two day trip if you're careful.

You don't want to be faffing with petrol or paraffin stoves.

I've got a Jetboil and a Pocket Rocket and both are excellent. The Jetboil is a bit heavier than a Ti Mug, pocket rocket and foil windshield combination but it'll also use less fuel. Overall I don't think there is much in it.

I tend to take the Jetboil on solo trips and the pocket rocket if there is more than just me.

Coleman F1 Lite – then you can use the same cannister on one of their lightweight lamps, which will enable you to a) cook and b) see, but not at the same time obviously.

Get a hexy burner and a mess tin from army surplus. Light, bombproof, totally reliable as there is nothing to go wrong, packs easily, you know exactly how much fuel you have and can burn twigs if you need to.

Only downside is it takes a bit longer to boil your water, but when you are in your campsite for the evening does 10 mins really matter?

Backpackinglight.co.uk for a White box stove, 60 grams. I've got a jetboil too which I love but got one of these to get the weight down even further. It takes meths which is available almost anywhere and will boil .5 of a litre in about 7-9 minutes which is plenty quick enough for me jetboil is about 90-120 seconds. Then get a mytimug from alpkit.

Jobs a good 'un

Just a weekend?

Another vote for the magical Hexi Telly here! 🙂

UK? One weekend? Pub, obviously 🙂

Proper answer: Pocket Rocket or derivatives. Light and reliable. You can get copies for ~£15. Have a look at the Optimus Crux folder (not the Lite, it dunt fold), a bit dearer tho light and very compact. I'd go for that if/when I buy again.

You might just get more weight obsessed saddo's talking stoves than on any of the 'what bike bit' threads with this sort of question 🙂

Pocket Rocket. I've used petrol, hex, and latterly Trangia. All have their plus points but for small, light, mountain marathon 30 litres rucksack type stuff, Pocket Rocket

Took a campinggaz twister thing on our recent bike tour

Not the lightest out there, but reasonably compact, takes the same cartridges we use for other camping equipment (e.g. larger stove, gas lantern) and they're easily available most places, cheap, reasonably powerful. Also got a plastic stand thing that fits round the bottom of the cannister to make a more stable base but folds down to nothing.

i have a twister its good.

i also have an MSR whisperlite.

Of the two – if i was going for a months tour id take the whisper lite – its quicker – its easier to find fuel for (burns nearly any liquid fuel with the right nozzle on) – thats why i bought it – used it for 4 months all over nz and auz

the twister is easier to use and set up but a pain because its so tall … you really have to hold onto what your cooking any wind and its all over the floor …. look at it funny its all over the floor …

If you're just dabbling the basic CG Bluet is fine, if you get into it then get something more spanky, although a 'basic' thing that uses resealable canisters is fine, not very heavy either and you can buy a foil windshield if needs be.

I thought the Wayfarer meals were alot better than Rieter. Wayfarer is cooked food you re-heat, the Reiter is dehydrated. You don't need to heat the wAYFARers and they taste / feel like real food.

crux +1. fantastically powerful for its size.

+ another vote for the MSR Whisperlite , we bought our first one in '99 and another a couple of years later.

Cracking little stoves , we bought them originally for touring on the bikes but used them for a week in Cornwall in June cokking 3 meals a day most days. You just need to be careful when using Coleman fuel as stuff heats up a bit too quickly sometimes.

Another vote for the MSR pocket rocket, been using mine for 1 to 2 night trips for about 6 years, does the job, no worries.

MSR Pocket Rocket or Primus Eta Express

I have a Whisperlite as well as a Pocket Rocket. 'Orses for courses.

The Whisperlite is good for areas where you can't rely on a ready supply of gas canisters and petrol/parafin/naptha is available. On petrol it's a) filthy and b) lethal. Be careful! It also weighs well over 400grms plus fuel. I use mine for long distance bike touring and it's ace for this.

Thde Pocket Rocket weighs a bit over 80grms plus fuel and is great for backpacking/bikepacking where you can either get gas or can carry enough for your needs.

I wouldn't take the Whisperlite backpacking unless I was doing something like the Pacific Crest Trail. In this country, a small gas stove is plenty except if/when it gets reaaallly cold….

I love my Coleman F1 Lite, it basically takes up no space when it's folded, wee bit fiddly to set up mind. The lamp's a bit bulkier but they run off the same can (a gas light is the sort of thing you don't appreciate til you're freezing in a tent, since they also make effective heaters without the risk of the exposed flame). Only downer is that the stove's very unstable with the tiny gas cans, so you need to be careful, but those wee cans do go a surprisingly long way.

Well I've got a Whisperlite, and a Pocket Rocket (and an XGK – I seem to like MSR stoves :)). Between those I'd pick the PR every time for what the OP is suggesting – I do wonder how many suggesting a Whisperlite have actually tried something like a Pocket Rocket? The PR is a lot lighter and far less hassle.

Then again if I was going out lightweight backpacking myself I'd not take any of those, or indeed anything else so far suggested – though a couple have got close. I'd take my homemade hex burner made from a tin can – burns far, far more efficiently than using hex tablets with the standard burner, since it sets up a proper updraft of air. Should time it sometime, but boiling speed isn't that far off a gas burner, whilst it also uses less fuel than a normal hex burner. Does anybody think there's a market for such a device, as there's nothing like it I've seen for sale – I've always wondered why the proper hex burners aren't made like mine?

axe and a forest for wood!

x

aracer: "Then again if I was going out lightweight backpacking myself I'd not take any of those, or indeed anything else so far suggested – though a couple have got close. I'd take my homemade hex burner made from a tin can – burns far, far more efficiently than using hex tablets with the standard burner, since it sets up a proper updraft of air. Should time it sometime, but boiling speed isn't that far off a gas burner, whilst it also uses less fuel than a normal hex burner. Does anybody think there's a market for such a device, as there's nothing like it I've seen for sale – I've always wondered why the proper hex burners aren't made like mine? "

When you say hex tablets, do you mean solid fuel things? If so, I reckon there might be, though it'd depend how easily your tin can burner can be made I suppose- the people inclined to buy this sort of thing might also be inclined to make their own. I'd be interested myself though (or, if you can give me more info on your DIY stove that'd be great!)

Jetboils seem to be winning with outdoorsy instructors at the moment – sooo much more efficient, so that on multi day trips you use fewer canisters. Lighter, simpler, more efficient than a petrol stove, unless at high altitude or sub zero constantly.

In a slightly leftfield suggestion, how about a mini trangia? Nice and simple, uses easi;y available and cheap fuel (meths) and all packs neatly into its own container. Tad heavier than a mug/gas stove combo, but you get a proper pan and frying pan. Cheap too, particularly if you get one from wiggle with a voucher.

I have the Triad stove but I have just seen they have sold out 🙁

Very light, can use meths or hexy tabs does not need too much fuel to boil a brew and easy to use. Down side is that the legs sit quite far out so for cooking in 750ml Ti mugs you need to crimp the leg hinges so they open to vertical but not past it…this is not an issue with bigger pans / mess tins. A wind shield is a must unless its really sheltered.

SSP