One of the most important outdoor equipment that you are going to use in your backpacking trip is a backpacking stove. A stove will allow you to cook different kinds of foods and most of all, this will allow you to sterilize or purify the drinking water that you are going hydrate yourself with. Water is scarce if you are backpacking. You will need ways to filter and sterilize the outdoor water source or else you may end up getting sick while in the outdoors. Fire allows you to cook foods or heat up your meal as well. If you want to eat good and delicious meals while backpacking, you will need a very good backpacking stove.
Types Of Backpacking Stove
Canister
Canister stoves often use isobutane and propane fuel mix as their fuel type. You latch on the stove on top of the canister. You either screw it or some form of mechanism to latch onto the canister very tightly. This is very easy to use, lightweight, low maintenance and often cost very inexpensive. They usually cost around ten dollars. Canister outdoor stoves are the most popular from what I have seen. Companies have even created stoves that are already built in to the canisters for more ease of use and more efficiency.
Liquid Fuel Stoves
These stoves often connect to refillable fuel bottles that use white gas. The bottles are often very big and cost around twenty dollars for 20 to 30 ounces. These stoves are better in higher altitudes and temperature than canister stoves. They are more stable on the ground and often times you don’t need to watch the stove like a hawk when you are cooking. Unlike canister stoves, you often have to watch over them in case they flip over because of the wind or uneven terrain.
Alcohol Stoves
A lot of backpackers who want to pack very light and minimize as much weight as possible would choose the alcohol stove. Alcohol fuel for these types of stoves are very inexpensive and cheap. They can be found almost anywhere. The stove are often easy to clean and easy to replace because they are also very inexpensive. They are low maintenance and they work well. These stoves are often very compact and easy to carry.
Fuel Tablet Stoves
These type of stoves are also very popular for backpackers that want to hike very light. The stoves are very lightweight, most weigh lower than five ounces. The tablets are easy to use and easy to store. No mess and no bottles. These stoves are very compact as well, you can even put them inside your pocket. They can be folded into a size that is very packable or small.
Wood Burning Stoves
Wood burning stoves are great for very long backpacking trips. You do not need to carry any type of fuel. You just need to use branches, twigs and dried leaves. They will work very well in creating fire for the stove. One of the drawbacks that I have seen is that these things are often very expensive. The ones that I saw anyway. You cannot control the power of the fire. The amount of heat generated by the stove is dependent on the branches or fuel type that you give it. What I found out is that the amount of heat varies from time to time.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Each Type Of Stoves
Canister Stoves
Pros
- Easy to use, great for beginner backpackers, multipurpose and works well
- Easy to light up, stove often uses piezo-igniter
- Controlling the heat or power of the flame is possible and easy to do
- Canister closes itself automatically to prevent gas leaks and wasted gas
- Companies create built in cookware for backpacking canister stoves
Cons
- Not stable. They cannot hold big pots or large cookware.
- Hard to tell how much juice or gas left on the canister
- Not ideal for very cold weather
- Canisters require to be disposed of properly, check your state laws or recycling options near you
Liquid Fuel Stoves
Pros
- They are very close to the ground which makes them a lot more stable than canister stoves
- Easy to tell how much gas is left compared to canister stoves
- Great for cold weather and higher elevation
Cons
- Need to be maintained and has to be primed first before making use of the stove
- Weight is often heavier than canister stoves
- Fuel type is more expensive than isobutane/propane mix
- Stove parts need to be cleaned and maintained
Alcohol Stoves
Pros
- Easy to use, easy to maintain
- Fuel type is very inexpensive
- Stove tends to be very inexpensive
- Easy to carry, compact and lightweight
Cons
- Does not generate a lot of heat compared to canister stoves
- Requires a windscreen since flame dies easily
Fuel Tablet Stoves
Pros
- Designs are often lightweight, and easy to carry
- Foldable, small and can shrink to a pocket size
- Fuel tablets are lightweight, easy to carry, and easy to light up
Cons
- The heat generated is not as powerful as canister stoves
- Tablets often have some sort of smell or odor
- Stove requires cleaning and maintenance
Wood Burning Stoves
Pros
- Comes in a lot of shapes, sizes and weight. From small to large, light to heavy
- Inexpensive and expensive design to choose from
- No fuel to bring
Cons
- Heat is not as good as canister stoves
- Dry twigs, branches and leaves may be hard to find during a rainy weather or during the winter
- Some national parks do not allow wood burning at their trails
Backpacking Stove Features You Need To Consider
Stove Weight
The weight of the stove is very important especially if you are going to be backpacking for lots of days or hiking for lots of miles. The more weight that you carry, the more energy you are going to use. It is hard to enjoy viewpoints, lookouts, and nature in general when you are too tired. The less weight that you carry, the farther you can hike as well. So budgeting the amount of weight that all of your gear has is a great idea. The weight of the stove and the fuel can definitely add a lot of weight to your backpack.
Dimensions
The dimension of the backpacking stove is very important. We have a limited amount of backpack space and there are a lot of outdoor stoves that are very big. There are a lot of fuel canisters that are very big as well. We will often try to acquire an outdoor stove that is very small or very compact. Something that can be folded into a very small size works very well also. The bigger the stove, the heavier it is because the more material has. Most of the time, we just want something that can create fire to cook foods with or boil water with. We don’t need anything big in size to accomplish that.
Windscreens
Windscreens are often a luxury. Most backpackers are just going to use a lot of rocks for a windscreen. However, if you really want a windscreen because you will go to a place that is very windy then you should go for it. Windscreens for stoves are a great addition to any backpacking gear. They provide a great way to save fuel and keep the heat or power of the stove at peak efficiency.
Burn Time
This is something that you need to research first before getting a stove or fuel. Certain canisters will have different dimensions. Each canister will have their own burn time. Usually, you want to know how long the canister will last or how many hours. You can budget and plan your fuel more efficiently if you do. You will not have any problems with running out of fuel if you prepare enough canister for the backpacking trip.
BTU
The BTU of the backpacking stove is an important factor to consider. BTU means British Thermal Unit. This is how much power or heat the stove can output. There are other measure that companies use as well like joules and watts. I am more familiar with BTUs. The stove you have at home will usually have a BTU of around 7000. A lot of butane stoves for camping will have around 10,000 BTU or more per burner. Usually, the company or manufacturer will tell you how much BTU the stove can output. Try to get more than 7000. You can boil water faster and cook foods faster this way.
Piezo-Ignition
You also want to look for piezo-ignition. This basically means that you just press on a button and the item will create a spark to light up the stove. How this works is that a crystal creates an electric charge if you put some sort of mechanical pressure onto it. This electrical charge is good enough to light up a stove or create fire.
Stabilizers
Stabilizers are often used to give more balance to the stove. They are often attached to the bottom of the canister and look like a tripod. The legs provide more support and stabilizes the stove, canister and cookware. They are often made out of plastic, can be folded to a smaller size and have 3 legs like a tripod. They offer more stabilization and allow you to cook easier even with big pots and cookware.