In my last post, I reported on a pair of new offerings by Sterno. I like the canned fuel for many reasons. Operation is absolutely silent. All you hear is the water bubbling when It finally boils. The fuel burns with a faint blue light – even in the dead of night – it is hard to see. With the stoves listed earlier, all but invisible. I like quiet and invisible. The canned fuel stores very well and quite safely at home or in auto. Easy to light and easy to snuff. Safe for indoor use. It is heavier than alcohol fuel, but that can be viewed more than one way. Now I'll look another set of offering from Sterno – ones that are a bit more…noisy…. A 9,000 BTU single burner stove. Price point is about $25. Safety lock and automatic safety shut off sensor to prevent fires from occurring CSA-Certified You've seen these before – nothing special – it's only that Sterno decided to expand their catering business offerings. Before you buy, check your local restaurant supply outlet, you may find a better deal. These actually are great for home use in the event of a utility outage, the heat output is adjustable, and the canisters are found in nearly every major city. When not in use, they store in a small space – perhaps the back of a cabinet. When needed, pull out, and it is ready to go. This is another small stove, that with minimal training, I would feel comfortable with the grand-kiddos doing the cooking. Butane is heavier than air, so some care is needed when the stove is in use. Bottom line – a small, solid, well built product that can be used to cook anything your regular stove will cook. Fuel is easily had and stores safely. Please note that this product had a safety recall in 2010. (Sterno Recalls Portable Butane Stoves Due to Fire and Burn Hazards) The next is a canister stove now common in many cooking kits. The Sterno 50136 Dynamo Stove Kit. At $43 for this kit – I'm...underwhelmed. The pot is nothing special, the stove, like all canister stoves is very 'tippy' and the stove will have trouble running in even mildly cold temperatures. It really should have a (separate) wind screen. I'm just not a fan of these for many reasons. That said I do own a Jet Boil - mostly because it was a gift. I highlight the product mostly to show that Sterno is expanding their offering past the classic canned fuel setups. I'll be honest, this Coleman single burner cooker, rated at 10K BTU is a far better deal @ just about $30 (with one cylinder) than the Dynamo kit and gives the butane stove a real run for the money due to its smaller size. It is far more stable that the Dynamo stove too boot. So, you do have a lot of choices out there. Take the time to see how any of these will fit your needs and then make the purchase. Hopefully these posts will be of help to folks new to the prepping game. Good luck!
I've still got one of the old M1950 squad stoves , although I haven't fired her up in a while. Might be a good idea to do that. But it might be nice to have a more compact lighter weight stove. I'll break out the old one and see if I need an upgrade. Thanks for posting these options.
Good options all... I have always liked the Solo Stove The #1 Wood Burning Backpacking Stove by Solo Stove
Was issued one (M1950) and used it for years. Once out of the Force, I sold it and bought a single burner Coleman 502. I only run white gas, so it works for me. Parts are available - for the M-1950 - not so much. Still, a workhorse.
I've had this 4 years and it still works brilliantly (when I decide to use it): Amazon.com : Icetek Sports Ultralight Portable Outdoor Backpacking Camping Stoves with Piezo Ignition, Butane / Butane Propane Canister Compatible : Camping Gear : Sports & Outdoors For about $10 shipped, I am impressed with the quality. The Coleman Dual Fuel stoves are also impressive, and I keep a couple in deep storage just because they run on Naptha (Coleman Fuel) or unleaded gasoline. Amazon.com : Coleman Guide Series Compact Dual Fuel Stove, Coleman Green, 7.38" H x 7.38" W x 6.55" L : Camping Stoves : Sports & Outdoors
You can also make a little inexpensive rocket stove similar to Dunerunners post. The wood burners will always work as long as you have a small wood supply. If fed right, there'll be no smoke emitted either.
Yup - Coleman stoves, decades of quality, proven in the woods every day. I keep a raft of them myself in case the kiddos need some heat...
This one looks just like my butane stoves. They come in a carrying case. Very clean burning but I dislike having to buy the little bottles of butane.
DKR, I have and have used that singleburner Coleman stove that screws atop a propane cannister. Works great, is reliable and simple. I recently bought a "dual-fuel" stove via Amazon that can use Butane, and with the adapter hose can use one pound Propane cannisters. I did order a case of Butane fuel, but really favor Propane. However, in certain situations the smaller overall footprint of the Butane outfit would be better. I also have the Coleman Max One ministove that uses the smaller sized propane cans, which I favored on my multistate motorcycle roadtrips. Very light and compact, but tippier. Still, I had my meal cooked and was eating while my riding buddy was still trying to coax his old Whisperlight to run properly. Like you, I have collected a lot of different stoves over the decades. They are like Lays chips, can't have just one!