Previously I used a Primus army version which collapsed into a box, and I burnt kerosene in it, what sucked was fuel for "on the road" as I had to carry a fuel flask only for the bastard stove as welldoh. That stove got stolen (luckily), and I managed to get a second hand Coleman 533 stove, it's the bees knees, burns what is on the fuel tank with zero problems, even low octane leaded fuel gone through it several times and it just works. Awesome product and highly recommended.:thumbup1:

P.S. I believe the 533 is called Unleaded Sporter II now, it's solid made in steel and will not break, they also have a featherweight version which weighs a few hundred grams less, is made of less solid materials and gives about 300 watts heat less. I would not use money on the lighter version as on mc tours solid bulletproof is better than flimsier and less bullet proof, but other may disagree in this opinion. Due to my solid bulletproof rule of thumb I also use stainless steel pot to cook in, not aluminium or titanium. The weight is not that crucial on a bike, but solidity is a great thing, bumping around and maybe smashing around a bit, less rigid materials suffer greatly. Also I can clean out my pot with sand or stainless steel buds or whatever in hand.

I just whack the bread in a dry frying pan and it browns that way better still add oil, butter and or egg for even tastier bread.:scooter:

cooker
 

Hi all,

Amazing, the effort same are putting into the use of a cooker. My coleman featherlight is running like a clock, but being lazy, I prefer looking for some food outlooks. Particularly, in third world countries, where things are cheap.
Couldn't make my own chai, to the same standard, as there is on an Indian road stall. The same goes with most local foods. Get memories and leave some money behind and we all enjoy it.

Cheers

RM

Thanks for the imput. It's an interesting approach many should consider to try, including myself.

But if for some reason you happen to be just camping for a few days in Australia or Europe, where there are certainly less chai stalls on the side of the road (and fuel is not cheap), what could be a good option apart from burning cash (in my experience bills/notes burn more efficiently than coins)?

I've only ever used unleaded in my Whisperlite.

Cost, availability, bulk, and the waste issues of the canisters themselves rule out gas for me.

I don't really see that economics are that important when choosing between liquid fuels, because the fuel consumption/day is so tiny relative to what I'm using in the bike. The fact I've always got unleaded (and if I can't find any I'm in bigger trouble than eating cold food) trumps any running cost difference to using paraffin, etc.

Optimus 8r
 

I bought a second hand, old version optimus 8r because it even seems to able to run on water (you know what I mean). There are newer version but they are not as good as..

It's a little bit heavy but it's capable of burning unleaded fuel so I don't have to bring a spare fuel bottle.

Haven't tried it yet but I have great expectations.

I'm hypersensitive to a lot of things, petrol fumes is one them (yeah, I know), so petrol isn't an option for my stove. Up until recently I used a combination of an alcohol stove (Evernew) and an Optimus Nova+ which I used lamp oil in.
After experimenting with Etapower pots (they have a heat exchanger), I went for an MSR Reactor stove (the pot has a heat exchanger too).

Heat exchangers save fuel, and the MSR is a fuel miser. Yes, it uses gas canisters, but I puncture the canisters after use, so they can be tossed in ordinary garbage. I still carry my tiny titanium alcohol stove because the stand of it doubles as a wood stove, and the evernew stuff takes up almost no room and certainly no weight. This gives me three options when out and about, but my gas stove sees the most use.

I have made a pot cozy for the Reactor-pot, this way I can boil whatever I want, and then let it simmer in the pot cozy, saving even more fuel.

I try to save fuel generally. Not because of the money (which is miniscule, all things considered), but because it allows me to carry less/cook more days.

I solely use 450grms gas canisters (the big butane ones), because they last the longest per overall weight.

Now, why don't I just buy food at stalls? Well, I like to prepare my own. I like to make my own coffee, I like to camp out and do a bit of writing, and I like to be out there with no people.

This is the reason I also row (on the ocean - think sea kayaking, but with a rowing boat) and do trips like that.

I like the camping experience. If I had to buy everything from stalls, I'd simply stop traveling by motor vehicle or go on rowing trips camping. I don't carry all of my stuff on my back, so there's no need to be dependent on food stalls: I can get my coffee and food how I like it, when I like it.

And when I feel like buying food from somewhere I can do that too. Having camping gear doesn't preclude nice hotels, B&Bs, restaurants or anything else. It merely gives me that bit more choice.

good post twoupfront.

I much prefer my little gas cannister stove to anything else I have. ( omnifuels and a twin burner + grill )

Thanks, Oldbmw :)

With my unleaded petrol Coleman 533 stove I have burnt pasta as well as beans and rice. Rice gets particularly sticky to remove when washing and it leaves some traces, so I do not recommend to burn it... haven't tried burning other ingredients (sorry for the bad joke, I don't if the it works in English, but in Spanish we say "quemar la comida=burn the food/meal" and could't refrain:blushing:)

Works well in English too :)

An MSR cook set has a 'heat exchanger' that they claim improves the efficiency by taking the hot air that other wise blows away and sending it up the sides of the pot. It also is in contact with the pot and the air so it helps get the heat out of the air and into the pot.


Other factors to improve efficiency are
Using reflective screens both around the pot and on the ground. Some cook sets perform better with wind, others don't.

Weight -

The gas canister stoves are light ...if you only have one canister. Most people have two, one in use the other for when the first runs out.
The Coleman feather light (422?) weights more than one gas canister and gas stove, but less than the gas stove with one full canister and one half used. Add to this

the convenience of having fuel availability in most places
the ability to fly with it

I think the Coleman stove wins out. I find mine is easy to light once primed the first time, the next day I can light up with very little priming! That continues until I have to empty it for flying. For flying I find it best to empty most of the fuel, then burn the last bit as this removes the stuff in the pipes (that does not easily evaporate if you simply try to empty it totally. Camp.
As regards simmering, the stove does it much better than a MSR GXK hat I also have. And it is a lot less flare on priming(and the MSR wants that every time after you disassemble it for transport or an overnight camp.

The costs of heating are usually a lot less than the food!

Magic Flame aka Hobo stove
 

Magic-Flame next generation ... most efficient wood stove ever
invented ..... with optional alcohol burner, but not needed.

found here: Magic-Flame NG Hobo-Stov Testwinner

We have purchased many, as income stream while touring..... it works.

xfiltrate

Is camping gaz really hard to find in S.America?

Excellent point but since youve burned hundreds if not thousands of gallons of petrol in your time as I have, isn´t there some kind of hypocrisy we both practice?:oops2: