GearFlogger

MSR WindBurner Stove

You really can't go wrong with any MSR stove, and the WindBurner is no exception. The WindBurner is billed as a stove system, which basically means that it comes in a dizzying array of combinations and configurations. The stove itself is the same in all but the Personal Stove System; that one is a hybrid of the Reactor and Windburner feature sets and technologies. We took a look at the WindBurner Stove System Combo, designed for small groups and perfect for our little flogger family of three, and came away quite impressed.

The Stove System Combo configuration includes two versatile pieces of cookware, a 2.5L pot and an 8 inch skillet. Both are ceramic-coated for excellent nonstick performance and easy cleaning, and both come with the excellent Talon folding handle - not just one, which would have been fine, but two of them. The Talon can be separated from the cookware for cleaning, storage and transport, and it also locks into the open position for extra security while handling. The slot in the handle folds over the rubber nipple handle on the included strainer lid for the pot.

Both the pot and the skillet have a protruding ring on the bottom that helps capture heat and transfer it efficiently to the bottom of the cookware. Both pieces are self-centering, meaning they have a little bit of play as you place them on the stove, just enough to allow them to find their own center without tipping over. It works very well in practice and after using it a few times you'll appreciate the ability to just set it and forget it, no worrying about perfect placement here. The pot also has two clips to secure the strainer lid in place for easy one-handed operation; no more burning your fingers while you try to hold the lid in place while you strain your noodles!

The stove itself is the usual clever and practical MSR design. The practical is the remote canister configuration gives you stability and flexibility in where you place the stove. The clever is the design of the arms, which hide in the vertical supports and spring into place as you raise them. Also clever is the encapsulated burner design, which really does make it easy to use in windy conditions. And speaking of performance, you backcountry chefs out there will really enjoy the adjustable flame. Everything from delicate simmering to raging snow-melting boil can be done quickly and confidently. The regulator will ensure a consistent flame output even as your fuel level drops while you cook.

The whole system nests together, with room even for a small fuel canister, and weighs under two pounds, a real weight saver for a system that will work for a small group. With the availability of even more accessories - even a hanging kit - the WindBurner Stove System Combo is quiver of one when it comes to stoves. Whether it's just you and the dog or you, the dog, the dog's friends and some people who let you hang out with them, you'll be able to do it all with the WindBurner.

$259.95 at REI

Coleman HyperFlame Gladiator Stove

With the arrival of the Littleflogger some years ago, camping became a heavier affair than it used to be, at least when the flock of four-year-olds are along. You do begin to appreciate the convenience of some of those heavier items, exhibit A being the Coleman HyperFlame two-burner stove.

As camp stoves go, the HyperFlame isn't grossly oversized, and in fact it travels quite well in back of a vehicle since it folds into its own handsome and sturdy case complete with a generously sized handle. Once flipped open, our first concern was the lack of windscreens on the sides, but this turned out to be a non-issue as the burner design protects the flame very well.

The dual 12,000btu burners fire up quickly with the built-in ignitor, and you can get a small pan of water boiling in just a few minutes, depending of course on altitude and temperature. The included griddles work well for pancakes, eggs and even bacon if you're careful with the grease.

The HyperFlame cleans up easily, always a bonus, and overall it is a really good stove. It could be a great one if they fixed just a couple of minor issues: there is a bit of a hot spot in the middle of the burners, and the temperature control is a bit finicky. Specifically it takes a bit of fiddling to get a good simmer going. At the end of the day though, it does a fine job and the build quality assures that it will be around long enough to see the Littlefloggers get to the ultralight camping phase themselves.

$143.88 at Amazon

Primus ExpressLander stove

Teeny-friggin-tiny, that's the Primus ExpressLander stove. At 6.2 ounces it's getting into the insectoid weight division. I've seen cockroaches in Hawaii heavier than this thing.

The ExpressLander is built on Primus' Express stove technology, but where the Express sits on top of a canister the ExpressLander hooks up with the ubiquitous white gas. It comes with a carry case, windscreen and fuel canister pump. Everything together weighs in at 11.1 ounces.

The ExpressLander boils a quart of water in under five minutes, and cold weather performance is enhanced by wrapping the fuel feeder tube around the burner. It's a manual lighter, but that's no problem since everything is out in the open. For general backpacking use with white gas, the ExpressLander is a great little stove that won't break your back or your bank account.

$56.72 at Amazon

Jetboil Flash stove

Jetboil shook up the stove world a few years back with its revolutionary namesake stove. The little one-pound stove always knew it wanted its own handle, so after working as a runner, sucking on a 40 down at the corner and yelling "five-oh" it finally proved itself and was awarded a street name: the Flash!

The original Jetboil was a great design, and the Flash wisely keeps all that worked and makes some small but real improvements. If only all products evolved this way! The 1L cup with integrated heat exchanger is pretty much the same, but the neoprene insulator has been updated with a fancy little three-stripe thingie that turns orange when the contents are about to boil. At first it seemed kind of gimmicky, but it was cool to be ten feet away from the Flash and be able to see at a glance when it actually needed attention. More useful is the little tab for holding utensils.

There's nothing gimmicky about the performance. The Flash still cranks up hot water in no time at above-freezing temps. Even down towards single digits Fahrenheit it did a respectable job, bringing water to a boil in about five minutes (Jetboil makes another stove for colder temps). The reliable push-button ignitor is new and improved, as is the burner, and best of all the temperature control knob now has a flip-out wire bail that can be used easily with gloves on. The bottom plastic cup removes easier as well, and the stove base, fuel canister and very cool new included folding tripod base all conveniently stow inside the cup with room to spare. The tripod has notches for two sizes of canister and provides a very stable base; you can pick the whole thing up while it's burning and move it easily. Bottom line: a fantastic three-season canister stove.

$99.95 at REI

Primus ExpressSpider stove

I just watched The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo so I should know better than to trust those sadistic, serial-killing Swedes. Yet I found myself seduced once again by a shiny piece of minimalist Scandanavian hardware, in this case the Primus ExpressSpider LP gas canister stove.

The ExpressSpider is a hoser, as opposed to a top-mount stove, so it's inherently more stable. The hose is thin and quite flexible so it doesn't impede storage or placement at all. The legs on the stove pivot around the centeral axis to nest against each other, and the hose wraps around it all for a final package that's overall not much bigger than a large bar of soap, fitting easily into the included stuff sack. The serrations on the pot supports have great traction, helping to avoid the dreaded soup-on-the-ground incident.

Performance was excellent on our test trip with instant ignition (manual, no ignitor), a consistent burn and a surprisingly useful and easy flame adjustment. We didn't time the boil, spec'd out at 4.5 minutes for 1L, but it was rapid enough. The included heat reflector is just a 9" aluminum disk, so bring your own windscreen (for some reason the product lists as "with windscreen" but our little piggie had none...). It'd be nice to see a reflector base that featured attachment points for the stove legs so the whole thing could be moved as one unit.

At just seven ounces the ExpressSpider will satisfy the gram weenies, and fuel consumption at average temps of around 50F was very economical, in line with the two hours they say to expect from an 8.1oz fuel canister. We were hoping to get the temps below freezing to test cold weather performance, but no such luck. We think it will perform well, given the preheating effect of the brass fuel tube wrapping around the burner. A beautifully minimalist stove at a reasonable price.

$60.00 at Primus

MSR XGK Stove Expedition Service Kit

Sometimes bad things happen to good expeditions. All too often that bad thing is your stove taking a little trip to the island of Tango Uniform. Altitude, cold and your partner's gross incompetence are contributing factors.

For those unhappy times the wise expedition pre-pares for re-pairs. Larger expeditions can simply go redundant and bring multiple, preferably identical stoves. That might be overkill for two and three person teams, which is where the MSR XGK Expedition Repair Kit comes in handy. It's 4oz of prevention if you're carrying an MSR XGK stove, which is likely given its deserved popularity.

Pretty much everything you can replace on an XGK is included: flame spreader, jet cleaning tool, jet and cable tool, safety pin, pump cup and oil, fuel filter, check valve ball and spring and plug, fuel tube bushing, X and GK jets, shaker needle with cover, air tube, dip tube, 2 fuel tube o-rings, 2 fuel bottle o-rings and 2 control valve o-rings. Sorry, no partridge, no pear tree.

$30.00 at REI

Brunton Gannett Grill

Brunton has a great tagline: "Why buy Brunton? No suits or ties were worn by anyone involved in the design, development or production of our products." Brunton makes a lot of reasonably-priced stuff, and a necessary decision in being a price leader is deciding where to put limits on features, quality or both.

The propane-fired Gannett grill is a perfect example. It does what a grill needs to do, which is cook, very well. It feeds gas and gets plenty hot. It has some added advantages in that it's light at 11lb and compact, about the size of a thick briefcase. The legs fold up and over the lid for portability. Some assembly is required, but the included instructions are good.

You'll notice putting it together that the metal is thin, some edges are sharp and the whole unit feels far from burly. The manual Piezo ignition on our unit generated a feeble spark yet never did ignite the gas, but using a long-neck fireplace lighter quickly fired it up, and once hot you're good to go. Bottom line: if you want small and light for a decent price, don't mind manually lighting it and treat it gently, the Gannett will pump out the brats and burgers to fuel your road trip.

$107.95 at Backcountry

Coleman Rendezvous 2-burner stove

How does 25lb of lovin' sound to you? If you're looking for a basecamp-class stove that has everything including the kitchen sink, Coleman has a not-so-little somethin-somethin for ya.

The Rendezvous 2-burner is a massive suitcase style stove that opens to the side. You can remove the lid easily by sliding it off. To help you carry this monster there is a comfortable large diameter rotating handle on top. You want features? We got features: the lid doubles as a sink and food storage area with adjustable bins, an anti-microbial cutting board and a griddle for eggs and pancakes. There's even a little rail on the front with hooks to hang utensils on.

The Rendezvous takes propane in any size with included adapters. But does it burn? Yeah baby! The battery-operated ignition fires it up effortlessly, and the flames are totally adjustable from low simmer to full afterburner. If you can't cook like a pro on this thing you may be hopeless. The Rendezvous might be over the top for a lot of folks, but if you don't mind the weight, space and cost of this behemoth it will make feeding time at your zoo a pleasure.

$328.49 (on sale from $364.49) at Backcountry

MSR XGK EX stove

I bought my first MSR XGK stove in 1989, and if I remember correctly it was on at least its second iteration even then. And that was before your fancy shaker jet technology, punk. The new XGK EX has evolved nicely for its intended use by high-altitude, cold weather expeditions.

The XGK EX runs on gas, low-grade kerosene, auto fuel, aviation gas, diesel #1, Klingon piss and other unlikely fluids. If you're looking to commune with nature, better do it before you fire this bad boy up, because quiet it ain't. But at 8,000 meters you really don't care, you just want it to melt snow and boil water. That it'll do and tout suite, which is French for fart quickly, which you have to because the XGK on white gas will boil 1.5L in a fast 3.5 minutes.

The stove itself weighs 10.9oz, the fuel pump 2.2oz, heat reflector and windscreen 2.1oz, small parts kit .5oz for a total of less than a pound, all of which fits in a 2L pot alongside a pot handle, lighters, etc. It doesn't simmer, but that's not a real issue when you're mostly melting water for dehydrated meals and drinking. The only real quibble is that it's somewhat awkward to light through the little slots in the body if you're using a lighter. The XGK is still the undisputed heavyweight champion of the expedition stove world.

$149.95 at REI

MSR Trillium stove base

The trouble with Trilliums is that they reproduce so quickly they overrun... no, wait, those are Tribbles. My bad. The Trillium is MSR's universal (works with all non-canister models) stove base. Never used a stove base? You've never cooked in the snow.

There are only two things that really matter in a stove base, and the Trillium excels in both: it weights only 2.8oz, and it folds up small enough to fit in a 2L pot. The Trillium works as advertised, providing a stable base and even a bit of heat reflection.

Truly minor quibble: it doesn't fit quite flat in the bottom of my MSR Titan, but it fits on edge alongside the XGK EX stove. Were it to fit flat it would protect the bottom of the pan from the feet of the stove, and that would be nice. It's still the best of the breed out there.

$25.00 at REI