Stove for central Africa

[takeonafrica]

I've had no end of problems with multi-fuel type stoves and have now ditched my whisperlite since it stopped working and am reluctant to buy a replacement.
Any recommendations on an alternative stove? I was wondering about a gas canister stove (like the MSR pocket rocket for example). In West Africa I saw plenty of the blue gas canisters in the big towns and wondered if availabilty would be similar further along my route... Nigeria/Cameroon/Congo and into East Africa.
Until now I've been making wood fires to cook on but the ease/speed of a stove would be good, especially during the rainy season...
Thanks. Helen

[Flyingdoctor]

The answer as usual is a Coleman 533 dual fuel stove. As reliable as a rock and you carry the fuel in your petrol tank. If you search the HUBB for other stove threads you'll soon come to the same conclusion.

[oldbmw]

2 weeks ago I went on a trip to the pyrennes taking with me my new optimus omnifuel. It failed as I was cooking as it over did the simmering and it went out and would not go again. Not wanting to spoil the curry I switched to my £10 gaz stove I have had for 15 years.

You do not say what your transport is. If you have room, buy a new old stock real primus that cooked daily for millions of people in the fifties ( and sixties).
For quick stuff get a local gaz stove and use the local cannisters. The actual burners are so small you can virtually put them in your pocket. The gaz stove I have retails at about £14 including a gaz cartridge.

the old type stoves can be had here. scroll down

Paraffin Stoves

[markharf]

Personally, I'd learn to maintain the MSR you've already got, then use it for the rest of your life wherever you go. For better or worse, they're designed to be broken down and put back together very easily, with all parts easily replaceable out of a basic repair kit. That's what I've done--twenty-plus years on Whisperlites and their derivatives, subject to a lot of use and abuse. But some folks don't care for this approach, and if you're one then by all means buy another stove. Then another. Eventually, another.

Before the advent of MSR stoves, I used a Svea 123, ca. 1970. I lost it somewhere along the way, but if I hadn't I'd still be using it.

Another old fart, lining up to collect his $0.02.

Mark

[*Touring Ted*]

Coleman Dual fuel/multifuel etc.

100 reasons why yes, 0 reasons why no

[oldbmw]

Originally Posted by markharf

Before the advent of MSR stoves, I used a Svea 123, ca. 1970. I lost it somewhere along the way, but if I hadn't I'd still be using it.


Mark

These are still available and I have yet to hear a bad word about them.

I would have had one but the multifuel option seemed a good idea at the time

[markharf]

Originally Posted by oldbmw

These are still available and I have yet to hear a bad word about them.

I would have had one but the multifuel option seemed a good idea at the time

I haven't seen one for sale in a shop in the States for quite a while, nor seen the spare parts available. You're in Europe, maybe?

Multifuel seems like a very good idea...until you find yourself fiddling around changing jets in the dark, or covering everything with soot just to save a bit on fuel, or even breathing vaporized lead fumes with attendant cumulative cognitive defects (does that explain anything about my posting history?). But I do like having a self-cleaning jet, my choice of fuel bottle capacities, and the option for using the same gasoline I put in the bike.

And there's something oddly satisfying about stripping the thing apart, then putting it back together. But I sure don't feel this way about carburators, or wiring harnesses, or swingarm bearings....

[oldbmw]

Take a look here

Optimus No. 123R Svea Stove

[markharf]

Ah, warms my heart to see it! Gone up a bit in price since 1970, but probably about the same once adjusted for inflation. For anyone thinking of using this stove in winter or at altitude, buy the add-on pump.

[tmotten]

I always thought of those whisperlights as bullit proof. Shaking needle to keep the crut out of the jet and completely disassemblable (it's a word now).

[lecap]

Had (the same) Coleman Peak1 for the last 25 years. Do not see the need to go for multifuel if you travel by bike and always have fuel with you.

Works fine, stinks and smokes a bit when lit but super powerful - unlike its rather pathetic Trangia predecessor : Never gave any hassles, run on all kind of crappy fuel my bikes had to endure and still serves heating coffee water during occasional ESKOM blackouts : and camping weekends or making hot chocolate after a chilly False Bay dive brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[takeonafrica]

Thanks for all the replies.
I think I should have made it clear though that I am actually travelling by bicycle - pedal powered, so I don't carry around fuel usually. I would only carry it for fuelling a stove...