Stoves - a waste of space!

[Sprockette]

I'm new to "adventuring" (if that's the right word for it) by motorbike but I have always taken mess tins and a hexamine burner when I go hiking/camping/backpacking, might leave a little bit of black stuff on the underside of the tin but that comes off with a quick rub on the grass/earth. The fuel fits inside the fold-up burner which fits inside the small mess tin which fits inside the larger mess tin. Perfect Russian doll type compactness. Weave a tea towel in amongst it all and it won't even rattle. Its cheap and the fuel is easy to come by in most countries, it doesn't leak and is not flammable in the way petrol/parafin is. I believe the correct term for the robustness of mess tins is "squaddie proof". Of course, learning to cook on fires/embers is always a good idea although not necessarily always legal in a lot of European countries. And that assumes you like the twang of woodsmoke in everything you eat.

And anyway, nice to wash with hot water on those frosty mornings just after you've had a nice cup of earl grey.

[Warthog]

...wash...

WASH?! Wash, you say? Wh... eh?

If I read any more of this heresy.....

[mark1150]

Lizzie, Gentlemen

Many thanks for your responses; I've thoroughly enjoyed the banter.:laugh:
I humbly bow to your collective wisdom.....Now where have I put my Coleman.:unsure:
I was wondering how I would fair if I turned up at the "First to the boil rally"
without a stove, would I be excluded?:(

Excluded no
Exicuted yes

[snaphappy]

Sprockette, welcome to the site...
We were issued hexi cookers and I only used them in dire emergencies, off the top of my head maybe 3 times and every time I swore would be the last. You really have to get to the boil off and see Aluns collection of cookers then decide on what would be a better alternative for you.

(hexiblocks.................need a shaking head smilie)

[Sprockette]

Thanks for the reply and the welcome snaphappy, this is a great site.

I think the cooker thing is all down to what you're willing to carry and, dare I say it, put up with. I love hexy burners for their compactness and ease of use, once you've had a bit of practice. I suppose I might be biased as we used them in the army cadets, the ATC and then the army so I've used them for years. I've tried a friend's trangia thing which was brilliant but having to carry the fuel and everything separately was not for me as I like to take as little as possible (maybe I've been brain washed by the army eh? lol). Maybe that will be different now that I'm going to be travelling on a bike instead of by foot! I think I'd still like to take as little as possible though.

Its all down to personal choice though, stove or not, liquid, solid or gas fuel or roadside cafe. I would definitely say have a practice with the one you get before you go, it may not be the right one for you.

One thing though, hexistove + confined spaces = bad, bad, bad!

[Mr Toad]

What you really want ! Is the perfectly formed pocket sized MSR Pocket Rocket, fits in little red box, controlable and goes like a rocket when you turn up the gas. No black marks either.

MSR Pocket Rocket.jpg (29.85 KiB) Viewed 1890 times

MSR Pocket Rocket 2.jpg (29.21 KiB) Viewed 1890 times

[appleby]

Camping & cooking is the same thing . . . Innit?

This Crustacean took my mackeral/squid bait intended for Cod last Winter!


What better than fresh Lobster when it's 5 below outside?

[Lizzie]

What you really want ! Is the perfectly formed pocket sized MSR Pocket Rocket, fits in little red box, controlable and goes like a rocket when you turn up the gas. No black marks either.

Who said size wasn't important!:P

I'm with Sprockette, the less luggage on my bike the better so a pocket rocket it is!!!

[Zookman]

What you really want ! Is the perfectly formed pocket sized MSR Pocket Rocket, fits in little red box, controlable and goes like a rocket when you turn up the gas. No black marks either.

MSR Pocket Rocket.jpg

MSR Pocket Rocket 2.jpg

Who actually makes the MSR Pocket Rocket ??
Because i have a Gelert Intensity stove, and its identical to the Pocket Rocket in every way. The only difference is the triangular plastic case, which is blue and has Gelert moulded into it, instead of being orange and MSR moulded into it.
It makes me think the same company makes these micro stoves and just brands them accordingly and ships them out to different company's.

[davsato]

i got one even smaller than that, a ting tong from ebay, tiny could be used as a keyring! prefer the trangia, the smaller the stove the smaller the hotspot on the botton of the pan