Tue, May 5 2009 - STOVE WARS - or a hot-n-trot--a Backpacker Olympics Event (View Original Event Details)
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Another great day for a hike. It was maybe 4kms looping back to the Stairs parking lot and took about an hour. Then the Stove wars. The MSR Super fly (at $52, which I mistakenly called a whisperlite) was the first with flame out of the pack and was a sure winner until I dumped over the pot and was disqualified. The Jet Boil($115) was at a disadvantage because it's pot only holds 800ml and the contest was for 1 full litre. It was the most conveniently packaged and the electric start was a welcome addition. The Coleman single ( I'm not sure that they are made anymore) was a self-contained but a slow starter. The MSR simmer lite ($90) was the slowest to get going as its primer well over-flowed and it had to be moved before it was lit. However, It clearly threw the most heat and easily won the pre-lit portion of the contest bringing a fresh litre of water to a boil in 4 minutes and 53 secs. The MSR Superfly came in at about 7 1/2 minutes. The Coleman about 9 minutes. The jet Boil Boiled it's water but not as quickly when we tried the adapter and a typical style back pack pot rather than the Jet Boil pot with its special heat sink. The consensus was.....We all liked our own stoves and speed is not always the most important. Our Un-biased Stove shopper, Marc, chose the Superfly for its light weight and simple ( few parts)and ease of use design. The MSR whisperlite ( $70)that I took as an extra to try in the "from a lit start" failed to start at all but it has been a defective unit since new and not indicative of the proven original white gas design of some 40 years. However, I was impressed by the simmerlite and if I needed a cold weather ( white gas)stove with simmering capabilities, that would be my choice. They still scare the H out of me starting up with that tall flame though. We all went for Tasty Beverages and $.20 wings afterward and didn't mention stoves at all again. :-)
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Mark G at photos@edmontonoutdoorclub.com. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to thirty of your favourites (only) for a day event, or up to sixty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.