Backcountry stove question

[Highvoltage]

I'm green when it comes to backcountry hunting. My buddy and I are planning on a hunt next year together and he's got a jetboil stove. My question is will 1 stove work for 2 guys for heating dehydrated meals/ water purification or should we get a second. Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[GW Hunter]

One will probably be fine as Most dehydrated meals take two cups each... I wouldn't want to use it for water purification though. Get a filter system

 

[Highvoltage]

Thank you very much

 

[SixDemonBag]

"Get a filter system"

^^good advice here... I love my Jetboil but you want to conserve your fuel for cooking vice boiling water and it maybe a personal thing but boiled water tastes like crapolah.

Jetboils are very reliable, light and inexpensive. I recommend practicing a few times with some of the types of meals you are going to take with you. Some of those dudes look great on the cover and come out not so much when you cook them.

YMMV.

 

[25WSM]

Look into sawyer filters. They make a mini and they work great. Just remember that all the filters like a sawyer can freeze. If it's really cold out put it in a zip lock and keep it in your coat. There are tons of info on stoves and filters on YouTube if you look up Appalachian trail equipment list. Lots of food reviews too. Ramen, rice or noodle mixes and Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes are the top ones. Lots of folks put tuna in them that come in the foil packs. And the number one most calorie and protein dense food they carry is peanut butter. For bread tortillas are best because they can go for days and be good and pack flat. Lots eat pepperoni because it doesn't go bad fast. Probably any dried salami type meats would work too. The Jetboil Minimo stove is almost always ranked number one.
shep

 

[Wedgy]

Many of the jetboils don't have a volume control so all you can really do is boil water, you would burn anything else you tried to cook in it. They are also a little tall and unstable for my liking, so I replaced mine with the MSR windburner duo that has a shorter, wider pot, more volume, and the ability to simmer. It's the same style that all fits inside the pot for carrying and I like it much better than the jetboil and consider it an upgrade.

MSR WindBurner Duo Stove System | REI Co-op

Offering windproof performance for fast-boil meals and minimalist trips, the MSR WindBurner Duo stove system accommodates a range of cooking styles. It's perfect for 2 people.

www.rei.com

 

[Highvoltage]

Appreciate all the advice. I'm really looking forward to the hunt. I have a feeling I'm either going to love it or hate it. Lol

 

[spfarr]

fwiw, consider the temps where and when you'll be hunting. canister stoves often don't work well in the cold (20F or colder). you can improve the performance by (1) keeping the fuel canister in the foot of your sleeping bag at night (and/or you can hold a lighter under the canister in the morning to warm it up some, but the effectiveness of that drops with the temps), and (2) using a piece of copper (or other metal) that extends from the flame down to the side or bottom of the fuel canister. if you look online, there are various videos on suggested ways to implement this simple mod.

+1 for Wedgy's recommendation on the Windburner Duo. much better performance in windy conditions, and far less likely to get knocked over, and better capacity (1.7L) for two guys. hope you and your buddy have a great hunt.

 

[M77Fan]

Several good comments. The jetboils may have their place, but they do tip. If water is precious, you can't afford too many tips. Nor it is good to get boiling water burns in the back country because of spills. I ran across one incident where a guy had a jetboil on a tailgate that tipped and it burned his truck down. Pretty extreme, but they are tippy. While MSRs are very popular and easy, I have stuck with an old SVEA that is a liquid white gas stove because of the canned gas problems in extreme cold. A low-height system with the ability to heat fast and go all the way to simmer is preferable for food preparation or even just heating water.

Another consideration, even though I hate extra weight, is that a backup to a single system you will depend on is never a bad idea. Consider a second stove. If you will have freeze-dried food that requires boiling water, you really want o ensure you can prepare your food. One possible option for a backup, but really more for an emergency, is a folding Firebox stove that can be used with twigs, small wood, basically small local wood fuels in a real pinch. They will boil water and take up very little space. There are several models.

As someone already mentioned, experiment and practice before you critically need your equipment. Make sure it works and you know how to properly operate it. Figure out your gas consumption in advance so you take enough fuel for your stay.

 

[Wedgy]

As spfarr points out the fuel canisters can freeze up the regulator and clog it if it's cold outside, if it's really cold use a liquid fuel stove and you won't have any problems. Keep in mind you need to drink a lot of water as you will breathe out a lot of moisture in cold weather, probably a quart over night in your sleep and even more when you're hiking, lots of caffeine will only make dehydration worse as it is a diuretic.

 

[cohunt]

I still like my bio lite stove, burns twigs etc, boils water, heats food, has a USB charging port to charge my phone/gps while I cook --- no fuel needed ( just sticks n twigs) -- heavier than others but no need to carry white gas or canned fuel and temp is controlled by the amount of sticks and the fan level-- I've boiled water and cooked steaks on it before

 

[SArnold30]

I run a JetBoil Flash and have had good experiences with it. It's very light, takes up little room in your pack, and all the components are easily stored within its own container/cup. I do second the consideration of the environment you're going to be hunting in to avoid any fuel issues in the cold though. As far as water filtration, I've used both the Sawyer systems and Platypus; and I'll just say get yourself the 4 or 6 liter Platypus system and don't look back.

 

[hdk82]

The MSR stoves allow temp control, which really helps if you do more than just boiled water.

 

[ssssnake529]

A few comments:

Since this is the backpack hunting thread, I assume that weight is an issue.

For water purification, I don't bother with a filter any more. I use chlorine dioxide tablets, like these:

Katadyn Micropur

Unlike iodine or other water purification chemicals, chlorine dioxide breaks down completely and doesn't leave a bad taste in the water.

Not only are these tablets much lighter than a water purifier, but water purifiers are vulnerable to cold. In freezing temps, the filtration matrix freezes and breaks, rendering your water purifier useless.

As to what stove: Again, as this is the backpack hunting thread, my assumption is that you are not planning on doing any gourmet cooking and will be eating freeze dried meals and other things that only require hot water to prepare.

A butane/propane canister stove is ideal for these purposes. Others here have recommended the Jetboil. The Jetboil is a good stove, but it performs very poorly in windy conditions. The MSR Windburner or the MSR Reactor have superior performance in wind. If you're hunting in the mountains, you can expect wind.

As for how to keep your canister stove performing well in sub freezing conditions:

Buy this bowl. It weighs less than 2 ounces. Take it with you on the trip.

Titanium Bowl

When you are ready to start cooking, warm the fuel canister up under your coat before you begin cooking. Once it's warm, attach it to the stove, fire the stove up, and warm up about a 1/4 cup of water. When the water is warm, pour it in the titanium bowl and set the fuel canister (still attached to the stove) in the warm water. Start cooking.

This keeps the butane/propane fuel warm and gassified while you are heating up water for your meal. This is a much simpler, lighter, more effective, and safer method than constructing a home made copper heat exchanger or trying to keep the canister warm with a lighter.

I have used this method (with a MSR Reactor) well below zero F, with consistently good results.