[Scrooge]

Probably there are subdivisions, too, but I don't know enough to set them up. .... I know this is not a new topic. Nevertheless, any comments on specific models would be welcome. Tom can integrate the two threads, later.

[Newt]

I've used 2 liquid. MSR Whisperlite Shaker. Ok to just boil as no adjustment. Primus Omnifuel. Is adjustable. Quick boils and a longer burn time than most for the amount of fuel. Burns darn near anything. Haven't used diesel. Heavy. Have a SVEA 123 but don't like the way it primes. Heavy. Just for looks now. I've been thinking of the Pocket Rocket or something similar for the weight reduction and space savings. I'm not crazy about the unknown qty or like desposing of the empties. But I'll probably get one when they are real cheap and give it a try. NN

[Hiker Boy]

Being an owner of 16 stoves I think that the poll is a little too broad. I have two favorites which I use the most, my Optimus Nova in the winter or cold and my MSR Pocket Rocket in the summer or warmer weather.

[Tom]

I'm a big fan of the cannister, particularly with piezo. Twist & click and you're in business. It's lightweight, compact, quick, and easy, not to mention better flame control than most white gas stoves. Only potential negative IMO is you can't use them with an outback oven unless you get the ones with a detatched cannister (i.e. coleman xtreme). "Unknown quantity" is not an issue if you have a scale. I do have a pop can alcohol stove but haven't used it since the cannister is so convenient. Will never go back to white gas except for winter use.

[Allison]

Canister. Don't need piezo since I'm already carrying a lighter. Canisters are recyclable if you bleed them. Canister fuel is more expensive, but given how much you spent on gas to get to the trailhead or on freeze dried food, it's not that expensive. It's still cheap. Ditto what Tom said re using a scale. You learn how much fuel you need, and will find yourself packing half-a-canister for shorter trips. I still have my Whisperlite just in case for a winter trip, but I am leaning toward selling it, as if I ever need one, I can borrow, and it would be almost never.

[salish]

Great topic, but I, too, found the question a little too broad. What stove works best for be sometimes changes. I don't have as many stoves as Allison, but I've got quite a few. What worked best for me last year was an Esbit stove, but I also use a SVEA123 with Sigg nesting cookware, a vintage Optimus 99 that I really like, an Optimus 8R, and a Peak 1 Micro butane that is a heck of a stove. Last but not least I have a Sierra Zip Stove I sometimes use. So, I guess I'd have to say I have never settled on any one type of stove. I go back and forth from liquid fuel to canister, solid, and organic. A true stove junkie....

[Stefan]

I USE BOTH! I USE BOTH! I USE BOTH! Liquid for backpacking becuase it will last longer and I cook better food. Canister for climbing becuase of its weight/time factor.

[catwoman]

Canister, but I believe there's liquid fuel in my canister, isn't there? Anyway, I can't remember the exact name of my stove but I like it alot. It's from Primus and it's one of those pocket sized ones. Haven't seen one smaller. Only thing that might be a slight issue is you have to be sure everything's balanced when cooking or you could lose your dinner.

[-lol-]

[Dante]

I use a 1.3 oz Esbit wing stove in the summer if I only expect to boil water (which is most of the time). I use a cannister stove (an ancient 4 oz. Epigas model) if I plan to do any "real cooking". For snowshoeing or if I plan to cook for a larger group, I bring the MSR Dragonfly. For car camping, I bring the 2-burner coleman my dad used when I was a kid

[catwoman]

I used to have a whisperlite, but I did not like it. It was a pain. Didn't like how fuel always got on things either while assembling or disassembling. The burner became jet black with soot and had to wear latex gloves to keep from getting it all over me. Nope, wouldn't get another one. And it was bulky.

[polarbear]

I had problems with the whisperlite I had. I can't remember if it was the one that erupted into the towering inferno after someone turned the valve the wrong direction, but since then I've used a svea 123 which is pretty reliable, and easy to setup get lit. How about laserbeams? Do they make any small ones that you could cook food with?

[salish]

I don't have as many stoves as Allison, but I've got quite a few. (quote) Excuse me, I meant Hiker Boy. C

[Hiker Boy]

I call it a collection. Other's have been known to call it my "fetish".

[IBEX]

I belong to a Whisperlite Shaker. I say it that way because this stove rules my world when I am up high camping on snow. She has my up most respect and demands my total uninterrupted attention. The key to getting this cold blooded beast cranked up, and still walk away with your eyebrows, is a consistent priming process. First I make sure the fuel bottle is pressurized. It can take twenty good pumps depending on altitude gain. Then I assemble the stove, and listen and smell for leaks. With the stove placed on a aluminum foil covered blue foam pad, I open the valve one full turn and listen for a quiet hiss. As soon as I hear the slightest hissing sound, I quickly shut the valve. This loads the preheat tube with fuel. Next is the consistent priming process. I carry a two ounce bottle of alcohol and use an eye dropper to fill the priming cup exactly 7/8 full. The alcohol burns cooler but it virtually eliminates the soot problem. The alcohol lights off quietly compared to a white gas explosion and I start the counting as I place the wind screen on the stove. At the count of thirty the priming cup is near empty and the gas in the preheat tube is vaporizing. This is when I open the valve one half turn and watch the stove catch hold. This where the experience comes into play. If you feed it too fast; you get the flare up. If you feed it too slow you get flame out. As the burner turns red, I open up the valve to full on. A quart and a half from snow to a full boil in eight min. You can’t beat that for efficiency. Once the stove cools down and its time to pack up, you have to be careful of the fuel that is left in the preheat tube. If you hold the stove just right while you unlatch the fuel bottle, you can catch that small amount of fuel in the tube and pour it into your alcohol bottle.