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There are several kinds of stoves; each has its own advantages and disadvantages. There seem to be two common areas of disadvantage: with windproofing and with stability. Most stoves work better with some kind of windshield; you can use 6" wide aluminium flashing to improve the efficiency of your stove. Stability is harder; MSR produces a triangular base called the Trillium, which fits onto most of their stoves; we use this with our Rapidfire and Whisperlite stoves with great success.
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Methylated-spirits stoves such as those made by Trangia are stable and unlikely to flare up, making them safe for most uses. They also usually have their own built-in windshield and come with pots and pans. A wide variety of additional crockery (for example, teflon frypans) can be purchased to fit the Trangia. They do not perform well in cold conditions, however, and large amounts of fuel can be required for long trips. There is also a gas conversion kit available for the standard metho Trangia (pictured left); this is well worth looking at.
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Solid-fuel stoves (eg: Esbit) which burn blocks of firelighter-like material are cheap but less efficient. They are not generally thought of as serious stoves, but I think they are under-rated; for some applications they might be a sensible alternative to more expansive stoves. Different fuels are available; we have used Esbit-brand fuel, Australian Defence Industries hexamine tablets, and a US military tablet made from trioxane, predictably packaged in khaki foil. The flame of the burning trioxane was difficult to see in daylight, which led to burnt fingertips if it catches fire while you're still holding it. The Esbit-brand fuel (subjectively) seemed to be most efficient; all fuels of this type are probably toxic.
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Pressure stoves (eg: MSR Whisperlite, Coleman Peak) burn volatile liquid fuels such as shellite or petrol, are fuel-efficient and perform well in the snow. However, they are time-consuming to set up and light and can be hazardous, making them unsuitable for children (and for many adults as well!), because they tend to flare up if not lit with some skill. Some stoves such as the MSR Whisperlite International can burn a variety of fuels (some allegedly even run on vodka, although we've never tried this).
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Gas stoves such as the blue ones made by Camping Gaz, are reliable but some can be unstable. Often you can purchase a base to increase stability; this is a wise investment. A recent trend has been towards very small gas burners which screw drectly to the top of a fuel canister. Although I have no evidence to support my concerns, I am slightly sceptical about the safety of something where the flame is so close to a pressurised fuel source. One disadvantage of such stoves is that they do not work efficiently in cold conditions. There are a variety of fuels available, some of which (such as isopropane) are designed to work better in the cold. |
We use a variety of stoves, depending on the situation. For long-distance bushwalks in summer, we use a Trangia stove with the gas conversion kit, and an MSR Rapidfire (a gas-burning Whisperlite) with a Trillium base. In the snow we use an MSR Whisperlite burning Shellite, again with the base. We use Trangia crockery because all of pots can then be used in the Trangia and they nest together neatly. We have avoided the teflon-coated pots because they cannot be scrubbed with sand, leaves, or bark if you burn the dinner and need to use a bush scourer on them.
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MSR
Trangia
Esbit
Camping Gaz
Coleman
Optimus
Primus
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