[pct-l] I love stove talk!!

[piedra2901 at yahoo.com (Kurt Johnson)]

MSR has a new white gas stove that only weighs 8 oz.  It also has a simmering knob.  I know that for the ultralight purist those extra ounces probably seem like pounds :).
I've owned an MSR stove of one type or another for the past 20 years. In that time I've had two failures while backpacking, both of which were fixable.  One nice thing about MSR is that they design their stoves to be field maintainable.  If you're not mechanically inclined, a few emergency esbit tabs should get you home.
 
The new "light" MSR is still heavier than an alcohol stove, but it narrows the gap quite a bit and you have the advantages that a white gas stove has over alcohol (ability to adjust flame, turn off, simmer, etc).
 
Padre

Montedodge@aol.com wrote:
Litha, your Whisperlight would work well on the whole PCT and has been down 
the trail hundreds of times since they came out.
On the other hand , there are hundreds of stories about these stoves 
being mailed home in droves by the time the thru-hiker hits Big Bear.
Canister stoves work great if you mail your fuel well ahead of time as it 
needs to go "Land Only" in the mail.
Esbit are my least favorite as they are the highest in fuel cost , the 
messiest, and produce an awful smell while being only slightly lighter than 
alcohol stoves.
Alcohol stoves are now the most popular stoves on the trail in one of 
the home made versions or another. Simple to make, cost nothing. ( Weight is 
around 1.5 to 2.5 ozs. depending on design.) Lots of hikers can cook on 2 ozs. 
per day. ( I like to 3 to 4ozs. though) Fuel is cheap and easy to find. HEET 
gas tank dryer is my favorite fuel ad can be found at any auto parts stores or 
use " Denatured" from a hardware store. 
While the MSR stoves are good climbing stoves, they are a bit " Over 
Kill" for the thru hiker. There are lighter stovesto do the same job which are 
more dependable with no pumps to break or crossthread into bottle, or fuel lines 
to gum up. ( MSR stoves with solid tube fuel lines are less likely to clog 
then the flexable whisperlight lines. 
I have about 50 stoves these days including 4 MSR models but would still 
pick an alcohol stove for the PCT . Second choice would be one of the new small 
canister stoves. Good luck, Just a few opinions from a crusty old hiker.
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