making it a tester favorite
among all-in-one cook-
ing systems. This stove
ignites quickly and
consistently, with the
most reliable piezo in the
test. (“It never took more
than one push,” our tester
says.) Strong wind gusts
got through to the flame,
though, and boil times
slowed a bit in temps
below freezing and at
elevations above 8,000
feet. Bonus: If you prefer
cooking in regular pots or
pans, you can use an ac-
cessory pot support (not
included, $9) to do morethan just boil water.
Boil time for 1 liter of
water: 3:25
Fuel efficiency: 11 grams
for 1 liter of water
$100; 13.1 oz.;
jetboil.comLIGHTEST- SOTO Amicus
“This fist-size stove is
small but mighty,” one
tester says. “I nearly lost
it in my pack, but it still
cranked out the BTUs
near 10,662-foot Vail
Pass in Colorado.” There
are tradeoffs for the
miniscule size, though:
Despite a low wall
around the burner head,
wind still slowed cook
times (though the stove
never blew out). And
large pots are unstable
on the Amicus’s small
suppor ts. But it does
have a piezo igniter, and
burns consistently in
temps around freezing.
Boil time for 1 liter of
water: 4:20
Fuel efficiency: 12 grams
for 1 liter of water
$45; 2 .9 oz.;
sotooutdoors.comBEST VALUE- GSI Outdoors
Glacier Camp
Bargain-priced gear is
not always a good buy,
but the Glacier Camp
cuts the right corners.
Its 4.9-inch-wide arms
suppor t a 3-liter pot, and
it maintained a consis-
tent flame at 10,600 feet
in Colorado’s Tenmile
Range. The design,
however, is fussy. “You
have to twist and remove
the arms from the burner
head for storage—but
doing so doesn’t help it
pack much smaller,” one
tester says. Fur ther trad-
eoffs for the price? The
Glacier Camp doesn’t
hold a flame well unless
it’s fully cranked, and it
lacks wind protection
and a piezo.
Boil time for 1 liter of
water: 4:10
Fuel efficiency: 17 grams
for 1 liter of water
$25; 5.9 oz.;
gsioutdoors.comBEST IN BAD WEATHER- MSR
WindBurner
All integrated system
stoves are decent when
it comes to weather-
proofing and efficiency,
but if those two features
are your priority, the
WindBurner is tops. We
put it through 35 -mph
winds and sideways rain,
and it maintained con-
sistent heat and ignited
on demand. Credit the
metal wall that protects
the heat exchange be-
tween the stove’s burner
and 1-liter pot. And a
pressure regulator helps
it per form at full streng th
even in cold temps or at
high elevations—we saw
no dropoff on 18°F nights
above 11,000 feet. Plus,
unlike the Jetboil Flash,
the Windburner sim-
mers uncommonly well,
and it boasts the best
fuel efficiency rating in
the test. Bummer: No
piezo, and you can’t use
non-integrated pots.
Boil time for 1 liter of
water: 4:00
Fuel efficiency: 10 grams
for 1 liter of water
$150; 15. 3 oz.;
msrgear.com*BOIL TIMES AND FUEL EFFICIENCY TESTS CONDUCTED IN A CONTROLLED INDOOR ENVIRONMENT AT 9,600 FEET WITH A 4-OUNCE CANISTERCanister stoves like the ones tested here are easy to
use and compac t , but liquid fuel stoves also have their
advantages. They per form bet ter at high altitudes and
in cold weather, and their increased fuel efficienc y
makes them ideal for long trips or for melting snow.
White gas may also be easier to find than canister s in
foreign countries. Cons: Liquid fuel stoves are heavier,
more complicated, and usually more expensive.CANISTER VS. LIQUID FUEL
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