Stove?

[Dave H]

Mrs Hawk asked what i would like for my birthday and i said a cooking stove. She got really excited at the thought of a new cooker although perplexed. Then i said for my fishing sessions . LOL

I have to have my bacon and eggs in the morning.

 

Do you lot use one?

[Andrew Burgess]

Yes - I have use a couple of portable cookers in my lifetime

 

Few years ago budgie used to do all the cooking when we were out fishing together and he had an Coleman double cooker and use it quite often. Somehow he gave up the cooking lark and I ended up doing it now! Somehow it got pass on to me and I did find it very hard to use especially trying to pump air into the petrol it is great when using multiple cooking but the down point is that it a bit too bulky to carry around!

 

My uncle gave me one of these Portable gas cooker when he was getting quite a few power cuts some years ago and pass the cooker on to me which is very easy to use and also very light weight as well. I was so impress with it that I got another one when a camping store was closing down near me and stock up quite a gas canisters as well.

 

The only downside of the portable cooker is there no windshield to cover the flames when cooking outside with a gentle breeze when fishing near water edge it a pain it the back side especially when halfway cooking and the flame go out! Budgie made a lightweight wooden windshield but the wind still get in around the flames ( might be looking into this at a later date) as I think it could improve by putting a lid over the cooking area.

Edited February 26, 2012 by Andrew Burgess

[Si...]

I use a colman double burner and also have a single ring colman, can't fault them, fuels readily available at every petrol station

[Alan Roe]

I have used various types over the years and they all have their advantages and dis advantages. Starting with meths stoves the best known of these is the Trangia these are excellent stoves no moving parts nothing to break down they are a tad bulky but they do come with the pans and kettle a cheaper version is the sewdish army trangia these can be picked up on fleabay for very little money. The other advantage of the Trangia type stoves is they are designed to work in windy conditions the major disadvantages are that they take a bit of getting used to in terms of controlling them and the outrageous price of meths in this country.

 

Gas stoves currently very cheap to buy and are easy to use and very controllable the downsides are poor performance in cold conditions, to some extent this has been improved a little with some manufacturers adding a little propane into the butane and you can also get a stove which allows you to turn the canister upside down to create a liquid feed in winter which again helps however if you plan to use it a lot the gas canisters are expensive and run out at the most awkward moments. You will also need some form of windshield there are numerous types of these on the market. My final grip with gas stoves is that in this country we seem to have too many Tw*ts who will cheerfully leave the dead canisters lying around for other to pick up. Needless to say that gas stoves are currently the most popular on the market which may have something to do with the fact that you will keep having to buy expensive gas canisters!

 

Primus type stoves :- Predominantly run on paraffin though some stoves have a multi fuel capability a very efficient high calorie fuel the upside is that they are cheap to run and are very efficient the downsides is they do need to be primed using a little meths and this takes a minute or two with some you will need a windshield. All bar one of the current modern versions of this type of stove have a separate bottle and hose and these if you are buying new come with a windshield most people prefer the older Optimus stoves notably the 111 with the T version now commanding good money there is a modern version of this stove and it is marketed as the Hiker this does not need a windshield as the lid does that job.

 

Coleman type petrol stoves Essentially come in three major varieties the single units that everybody knows and has an opinion on notably the 533 and 422. The double unit which is the 424 They do a treble unit as well and nowadays they do a couple of separate bottle units for backpacking the Pulsar and the Fyrestorm. These stoves run on petrol but you will have a lot less trouble with them if you run them on either Panel wipe available from motor paint spraying shops this stuff is pure naptha the other top fuel to use is Aspen 4T which is available from specialist lawnmower shops and is a very highly refined petrol using these fuels you will get a much cleaner burn and they will not clog up the generator which does happen when you use standard petrol.

The biggest problem for most folk with the coleman stoves is the bulk but they have developed the bottle stoves to try and overcome that.

The advantages are that they are cheap to run, You know that you have enough fuel as you will fill it up before you leave home and can carry spare fuel in the car, they are very controllable, and they are tough.

The downsides are that you do need to pump them up to those who are exercise averse this is bad news! you can get fumes on your hands....so wash them or wear gloves! there are those who feel they can be dangerous that is because some folk are utter morons and do things in a very unsafe manner.

 

Any pressurised stove has the potential to flare up including gas stoves so never light one up in your bivvie!

 

Be warned with stoves they can multiply and then you will find that you have become a collector if you need any more information about any type of stove have a look at the classic camp stove site at http://www.spiritburner.com

 

Hope this helps!

[Elton]

I have a few stoves, but tend to use gas ones when I can, simply for ease of use. If money was no object, I'd consider a Jetboil - http://f1sh.es/jetboil

 

Unfortunately, though, money is an object, so I stick to me cheapies I bought a load of gas from The Range over winter, as they flog it off cheap at that time of year

[Tigger]

I'm not as knowlegable as Alan about stoves but I use the small gas burners from go outdoors. I think I paid less than a tenner each and i've found the gas seems to last for yonk's. The good thing about them is they're clean and very small so great for transporting in your bag/rucksack etc. Well worth a nosey at them before buying .

Edited February 26, 2012 by Tigger

[Dave H]

I have used various types over the years and they all have their advantages and dis advantages. Starting with meths stoves the best known of these is the Trangia these are excellent stoves no moving parts nothing to break down they are a tad bulky but they do come with the pans and kettle a cheaper version is the sewdish army trangia these can be picked up on fleabay for very little money. The other advantage of the Trangia type stoves is they are designed to work in windy conditions the major disadvantages are that they take a bit of getting used to in terms of controlling them and the outrageous price of meths in this country.

 

Gas stoves currently very cheap to buy and are easy to use and very controllable the downsides are poor performance in cold conditions, to some extent this has been improved a little with some manufacturers adding a little propane into the butane and you can also get a stove which allows you to turn the canister upside down to create a liquid feed in winter which again helps however if you plan to use it a lot the gas canisters are expensive and run out at the most awkward moments. You will also need some form of windshield there are numerous types of these on the market. My final grip with gas stoves is that in this country we seem to have too many Tw*ts who will cheerfully leave the dead canisters lying around for other to pick up. Needless to say that gas stoves are currently the most popular on the market which may have something to do with the fact that you will keep having to buy expensive gas canisters!

 

Primus type stoves :- Predominantly run on paraffin though some stoves have a multi fuel capability a very efficient high calorie fuel the upside is that they are cheap to run and are very efficient the downsides is they do need to be primed using a little meths and this takes a minute or two with some you will need a windshield. All bar one of the current modern versions of this type of stove have a separate bottle and hose and these if you are buying new come with a windshield most people prefer the older Optimus stoves notably the 111 with the T version now commanding good money there is a modern version of this stove and it is marketed as the Hiker this does not need a windshield as the lid does that job.

 

Coleman type petrol stoves Essentially come in three major varieties the single units that everybody knows and has an opinion on notably the 533 and 422. The double unit which is the 424 They do a treble unit as well and nowadays they do a couple of separate bottle units for backpacking the Pulsar and the Fyrestorm. These stoves run on petrol but you will have a lot less trouble with them if you run them on either Panel wipe available from motor paint spraying shops this stuff is pure naptha the other top fuel to use is Aspen 4T which is available from specialist lawnmower shops and is a very highly refined petrol using these fuels you will get a much cleaner burn and they will not clog up the generator which does happen when you use standard petrol.

The biggest problem for most folk with the coleman stoves is the bulk but they have developed the bottle stoves to try and overcome that.

The advantages are that they are cheap to run, You know that you have enough fuel as you will fill it up before you leave home and can carry spare fuel in the car, they are very controllable, and they are tough.

The downsides are that you do need to pump them up to those who are exercise averse this is bad news! you can get fumes on your hands....so wash them or wear gloves! there are those who feel they can be dangerous that is because some folk are utter morons and do things in a very unsafe manner.

 

Any pressurised stove has the potential to flare up including gas stoves so never light one up in your bivvie!

 

Be warned with stoves they can multiply and then you will find that you have become a collector if you need any more information about any type of stove have a look at the classic camp stove site at http://www.spiritburner.com

 

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks to all of you.

 

Special thanks to you Alan for that great break down

 

When I did my sessions like on the Fens it drove me nuts with the standard gas burner. I am not saying it was useless but the one time you want a hot meal is usually when it’s the hardest to get one going. I spent 3 days with a Vulture (yes a real one) stuck on the M20 during a lorry strike and although warm the damn thing unless lit in the cab was useless. The Vulture started to stink as Vultures crap down their legs to cool themselves down so you can imagine it. Inside the cab the stink was unbearable The damn thing was useless (the stove not the vulture well I guess both).

So me being much older I really do not want the hassle. Back into fishing I have learned my lesson

So what would you recommend John?

[Dave H]

Thankyou Andrew for your Text a minute a go for your kind offer

[peterpikefisher]

got me a little stove from go outdoors (Hi Gear Inferno) £15.00 i have been using it for over a year now no problems,

i use mixed gas canisters propane/butane.

it works equally well in the colder months when folded away in it's little orange storage box,

it is about the size of a computer mouse ideal if you dont have a lot of space,

it uses the 714 thread type of cartridge sizes vary from 150 gram to 750 gram

hope this helps you

cheers pete

Edited February 26, 2012 by peterpikefisher

[Dave H]

got me a little stove from go outdoors (Hi Gear) £15.99 i have been using it for over a year now no problems,

i use mixed gas canisters propane/butane.

it works equally well in the colder months when folded away in it's little orange storage box,

it is about the size of a computer mouse ideal if you dont have a lot of space,

it uses the 714 thread type of cartridge sizes vary from 150 gram to 750 gram

hope this helps you

cheers pete

 

It all helps peter