Hello all, I've got a few questions about stoves, primarily the gas canister ones, but I'll mention the others as well.
To begin, I have three types of stoves already. I have an Ezbit stove (solid fuel cubes), an MSR Whisperlite International (liquid fuel stove), and a Snow Peak Giga Power (gas fuel stove). I'm still having a tough time choosing which I prefer.
I bought the MSR Whisperlite because it seemed like a cool idea, being able to use my spare motorcycle gasoline to cook my meals if I needed to. A lot of my camping is on a motorcycle and carrying one type of fuel seemed smart. Since trying this approach I've noticed quite a few downsides. 1st, it is the heaviest and bulkiest (by far) of the three stove types in both the stove and the fuel. It is the most labor intensive of the three, and I have to pull out the instructions almost every time I light it up. Filling the little cup with fuel, then watching the huge fireball, then starting it before the thing blows out is a royal pain in the behind. Not to mention it is smoky and requires the most cleaning of the three.
Next comes the Ezbit. Ultra light, no fuel spills to worry about, takes up very little space, and takes hours to cook anything (OK, slight exageration but not by much
).
Last comes the Snow Peak butane stove. I love the size and weight, complete lack of mess and ease of use. But I've honestly used this one the least, and have the most questions about it. I've heard that they are useless at below 0* temps. I don't often camp at temps this cold, but sometimes I do. I heard they suck at high elevations. I often camp in the 10,000' elevation range, but seldom any higher. Now regarding this last point, I recall seeing a photo of a canister stove being used at 18 or 19k feet recently on a review I was reading (not about stoves, I just noticed it in the vestibule of a tent in the photo). If they really are that poor at high altitudes why would someone take one up Denali or Everest?
Speaking of elevation, help me wrap my head around the idea of taking a pressurized can from sea level to 10,000 feet. I live a mile or so from the Pacific. I took my Snow Peak backpacking and went to 9,000+ feet in the Sierras in a matter of hours and it worked just fine. I'm curious why this doesn't cause a pressurization issue.
Sorry for the rambling nature of the post, I just wanted to give background. So here are my intended uses: Solo backpacking for 3 to 4 day maximum trips. No real "cooking", I only boil water for freeze dried meals and melt snow for water. In an upcoming trip I'll be going from 3,000 feet to 9,000 feet in about 10 minutes (Palm Springs Tram before hiking on Mt. San Jacinto). Since it is winter, cooking will likely be in the tent vestibule.
What are your thoughts on the best tool for this scenario (of the three stoves)? And I'd appreciate any tips and info on gas canister stoves in general from those who prefer them.
Thanks in advance.
