You're looking into buying a new backpacking stove.
Whether this will be your first stove or you're just not happy with the one you have, the first thing we need to figure out is what you want your new stove to do for you.
Getting away from the truck and camping in the back country requires that we either build a fire every time we cook or bring along a very light weight backpacking stove.
I always bring a small very light weight foldable grate so I can cook over a fire when I want to take my time cooking and relaxing around the campsite, but there are many times that we leave camp before sun up and don't get back until after dark.
I'm usually really tired and hungry on days like these, so it's great to have a way to quickly boil some water, mix with a freeze dried or dehydrated meal, eat and go to bed! So let's figure out what we'll need to do for us and how much weight and packing space we can devote to our stove.
Everybody's circumstances are going to be a little different, so we'll list a few types of backpacking stove along with some good and bad points.
1.
Solid fuel stoves - Are generally the lightest (just a few ounces) and most compact type of stoves.
They are also the least expensive ranging from homemade to around $15.
00.
The downside is they generally can only boil water or heat up foods (Very slowly!) and there is no heat adjustment.
Solid fuels might be hard to find locally sometimes, so don't wait till the last minute to get fuel for your trip.
2.
Alcohol Stoves - Are generally very light and compact also, but the liquid fuel adds to the weight and bulk.
They're pretty inexpensive, until you get into the ones with an adjustable flame, then I've seen the price get up to $50.
00.
Alcohol is a pretty common fuel and is readily available at most outdoor, RV and marine stores.
Boiling water times vary from stove to stove, but are generally between 4 - 10 minutes.
3.
Canister Stoves - can be extremely compact, rugged and reliable.
You do have to carry fuel with you too, but because it comes in a sealed, pressurized canister, (4 oz & 8 oz) there is no fumbling around with pouring and possibly spilling fuel.
Fuel canisters are easily obtainable in most sporting goods and hardware stores.
These canisters are not refillable, however, the canisters can be recycled if they are punctured first.
(Then they can be crushed flat too) Boiling time for canister stoves is pretty quick.
Usually approx 4 min.
These stove range in price from $30 - $160.
4.
Multi Fuel Stoves - Can be the most bulky of all the backpacking stoves since they come with the burner, fuel bottle, pump and connecting hose.
The big advantage to these stoves is that they can burn white gas, kerosene, jet fuel, unleaded gas and diesel fuel.
You can always find some type of fuel no matter where you are.
(Except in the back country) Because of all the different parts, these take a little longer to set up.
The burner also needs to be pre heated before you can cook or heat up water, so there's a bit of a delay before getting your food ready.
Boiling time is a little quicker in these stoves, usually 3.
5 - 4 minutes.
Multi fuel stoves range from $60 - $160.
(Most are over $100) They also have more parts than the other types of stoves which mean more can go wrong with it.
This is just a brief overview of these types of backpacking stoves, but it should give you a good starting point.
If space and weight is most important to you, then the solid fuel stove might be the way to go.
If you plan on being out for weeks at a time and can't carry enough fuel with you, then the multi fuel stove might be your best bet.
Most of us fall into a category somewhere in between the above examples.
We don't have one requirement that is more important than all others.
We need to make compromises in each category to get the stove that fits our needs best for multiple scenarios.