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The stove I'd really like to get and try is the Soto Muka because I like the idea of being able to use unleaded fuel AND NOT HAVING SOOT

I hate soot! It gets on your gear and it's like it was marked up with a Sharpie and won't come off.

Whisperlite is hard to beat for simplicity and it's nice to know that the tank is full. I have a bunch of 'tweener Iso cylinders laying around. It doesn't simmer as well as the DragonFly for sure. I've made pancakes on it with a Ti 1400 lid and had zero issues. If you remove the burner from the base it stows nicely in the Ti 1400 set. My new favorite is a Ti 600 mug and SnoPeak Ti stove. Still Iso, but light and tight. Iso gets a little slow when the temps dip too.


Even lighter is a homemade cat stove which is kind of a cool little deal, but don't be in a hurry to eat.



My OG Jetboil gets used and abused more than anything. I have the pan attachment and have fried bacon, eggs, cooked rice, and sauted loins with it. Heat control sucks and you have to watch it. Wasn't horrid, but a far cry from the Dragonfly.

So yeah, get a couple. I'm temped to get the Ti Jetboil myself. Can never have too many options.

If you just want a warm cup of joe, this will get you to about 145 degrees in 6 minutes.

Mountain house is expensive. So are the power bars, cliff bars, etc. It adds up

I do a MH for dinner. Breakfast is oatmeal and coffee. I have never cooked anything for lunch, its always bars, nuts, trail mix etc. I bring a lot of those dry as hell nature valley granola bars, they are cheap and light.

I find MH at Walmart occasionally for $5.80, and generally stock up there or costco. But still, I'm easily $15 into food for a day, probably a lot more.

A quick walmart search (nobody else seems to have prices) shows:

Mountain House (noodles and chicken): $0.010163636/cal
Light tuna in water: $0.0124375/cal
Tuna in oil: $0.01147619/cal
Instant Oatmeal: $0.001694444/cal
Almonds: $0.002475/cal


That being said, eating things you kill while out there has its own value outside the monetary thing. I have learned never to calculate the cost of certain things...fish being a primary example.

Super Clean and a green Brillo pad take the soot off of pots.

To the OP. I know you stated you didn't want the Jetboil. But the one I have can be set up standard:


Or with the adapter to use like a regular stove:




Travis

Not giving a schit works great also.



Travis

I sometimes break mine out on day hikes and have a cup of coffee, just because of the "pyro fix" you mention.

I've also noticed the heat it puts out. In a survival situation, I've thought a small poncho-shelter set up against a big tree or rock, with this little stove just outside the opening, feeding twigs into it all night, could provide enough heat to keep one semi-comfortable or at least, keep from freezing to death. Of course, it would require constant attention feeding the sticks into it.

In a survival situation, do you have anything better to do than feed your stove while you're waiting to get rescued?

That Emberlit looks pretty cool. The mini caught my attention.

Sure, I always whip out a deck of cards and play solitaire. It never fails, before I know it, some son-of-a-gun is lookin' over my shoulder telling me which card to play next......

I have the MSR Reactor and I love it. However, I usually boil water for my meals. I wish they made some sort of pan or griddle that fit it like the pot does. Not sure why they don't? I can say I think fuel canisters are handier than pouring, priming, etc.

I have the Snowpeak Gigapower for when all I want to do is boil water. If I am "cooking" anything I use my Windpro, it has the larger burner. The Windpro is better for larger pots. Make sure you get the Windpro II if you go that route, it has the more flexible canister hose

Just a few comments.

There's no perfect stove for every situation.

White gas stoves work best in low temps (below 25�F) where butane canister stoves perform poorly. I own a Whisperlite and a Dragonfly. I like the Dragonfly best. Have no experience with the WindPro.

Butane canister stoves work best for lightweight summer backpack trips where weight, bulk and convenience clearly out perform white gas stoves. I own an MSR Pocket Rocket and an Optimus Crux. I like the Pocket Rocket best. I've watched friends use their GegaPower stoves and they appear to perform just as well as a Pocket Rocket.

I use Propane appliances for car camping, because they are as convenient as butane products and the fuel is a little cheaper.

KC

The simmerlite doesn't simmer well, but I can make it work for actually cooking a dinner. Same for whisperlite. Simmerlite is a skosh lighter. Whisperlite has better flame shape for a small pot. Neither use a great deal of fuel - I cooked one hot dinner a day (only a couple of which were freeze dried, remainder required ~10min of simmer time) for two guys for 14 days, plus about a half dozen shots of oatmeal and coffee water for buddy, all on one 22-oz tank of fuel in a simmerlite. We were pretty astounded about how long it lasted. I don't bring spare fuel anymore, for sure.

Lighting either one is not nearly as big a deal as some here indicate, if you pay attention and learn what's going on.

I plan on transitioning to all cold food for solo early hunts. I'll entertain cooking if a partner is with to share stove, pot and fuel weight. Late season is a different story.

In case you wanted to see a bunch of specs in a convenient format:

http://gearatlas.com/compare-gear/backpacking_stoves

Any of your options are good. Really only need that kind of stove at altitude anymore.
I've had a pocket rocket for a while now and they are handy because they are easy to keep on hand. If you are not going out for a long time one canister goes a long way. I find I use it on the tailgate of a pickup to make coffee or soup as often as in a camp. Have only heated water on it so can't speak to simmer qualities.
That said, I bought one of these under $10 chinese versions with a piezo igniter. Thought they would be great in bug out bags. They are way better than that.
http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Ba...mp;sr=8-1&keywords=backpacking+stove

Just a helpful hint. The canister will work fine on those cold mornings if you just throw the canister down in the footbox of your bag before bed and sleep with it. Shake it good the next morning.


Oh, and don't smoke in bed.

Here's another comparison/review of various stoves.

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Backpacking-Stove-Reviews

I prefer a the dragon fly. Easy start, flame level adjustment to simmer and full nuke boil. Starts easy at altitude and can go easy on the fuel consumption. The extra weight is worth it.

Have also used the wood type stoves for outings in areas with fuel available.

I've used the same stove for 20+ years. I don't even remember what kind it is? Damn thing always just plain works.


The Jetboils look pretty slick. Is there much difference 'tween the Ti and standard?