Winter cooking stove

[steveo73]

Hi wondering what others are using for stoves in the winter. Done my first winter camp last night and was struggling to boil water with my soto windmaster. The gas canister was starting to freeze I just managed it after putting the canister in a spare sock😁. Iam not planning on doing lots of winter camps so if iam getting something else for winter would rather it's something I would use year round.
I know petrol stoves are supposed to be best in winter but would a alcohol stove be good to use in the winter also?

[Michael Thomson]

Gas stoves work fine in the winter if you use the right gas mix. Take a look at Primus Winter Gas.

[weaselmaster]

I usually just use my jetboil- winter gas if possible. Keeping the gas in your sleeping bag overnight helps for that first morning brew (and so does keeping your water for boiling somewhere it's not going to get frozen, although you may not want a (cold) water bottle in the sleeping bag.

[steveo73]

I had the gas in the tent inside a spare sock. It started of fine but started fading about half way through boiling the water were it got to the point it was about 90% boiled and was stuck there but was fine for a coffee though. Iam getting a alcohol stove at Christmas so I will test them both on a cold similar day to compare how they go.

[Caberfeidh]

A meths stove is more adaptable, makes less waste - i.e. gas cannisters - and is less bulky. Meths burns ok in cold weather. You can make one from a Trangia burner which you can put inside a hexiblock stove with the bottom cut out. Or find one online, or in a junk shop. I am very proud of my wee stove I found for much cheapness in a charity shop. When buying meths, buy it from a garage or hardware/ironmongers shop, the camping shops charge a fortune for a tiny bottle.

[whiteburn]

I use alcohol stove throughout the winter as there's little to go wrong but getting an efficient setup needs a bit of research (pot/ stove compatibility, good windscreen, etc) & familiarity.
The only time I use a gas stove is when I anticipate needing to melt snow when I dig out the Kovea Spider which has a gas preheat loop allowing the canister to be inverted & hence doesn't suffer from the poor performance of canister top stoves in cold weather.
IMO 'winter gas' mixtures are just a marketing gimmick, the butane in the mix stays liquid below 0C! Only warming the canister will get it to evaporate e.g. storing the can overnight in your sleeping bag or standing it in a bowl of water.

[AyrshireAlps]

Speedster stoves are mega cheap and really good, I started off using them, have then moved onto gas, but will still use them now and again. If a gas canister is low, it'll struggle in the cold even more.

[WalkWithWallace]

I use Speedster Stoves alcohol burner with bioethanol. It can be a bit troublesome to light at first in colder weather, so I warm up the stove in my pocket, obviously with the lid on and once it's going, no issues.

[Marty_JG]

A meths stove is more adaptable, makes less waste - i.e. gas cannisters - and is less bulky. Meths burns ok in cold weather. You can make one from a Trangia burner which you can put inside a hexiblock stove with the bottom cut out. Or find one online, or in a junk shop. I am very proud of my wee stove I found for much cheapness in a charity shop. When buying meths, buy it from a garage or hardware/ironmongers shop, the camping shops charge a fortune for a tiny bottle.

I agree a "spirit burner" stove is perfect, but I would only use meths if I'd have run out and need to resupply on the route. If you're buying at home with time to prepare, buy Bio-Ethanol. It burns beautifully, no meths residue and it works out to about £3 per litre.

These days a pretty decent spirit burner can be had for a fiver or so.

[steveo73]

So i managed to pick up a great deal on ebay on a second hand Evernew DX kit alcohol stove and so far so good. Its a little thirstier than the likes of a Trangia but can boil enough water for a dehydrated meal or cup of coffee in under 5 mins and its seriously light weight👍

[Marty_JG]

Evernew DX kit alcohol stove and so far so good.

That's the one I have, I wouldn't recommend it - only due to price - but I wouldn't be without it. You absolutely do not need the pot stand / twig burner / power plate UNLESS it is deep cold and/or at very post-Nevis altitude. As such I got the cross stand trivet for it and that's all it needs, along with a wind-screen. Trivets are £20 for Evernew or £5 aftermarket. By the way if you don't use any form of trivet but put the pot directly on the stove it acts as a halfway simmer and doesn't put out as much heat.

[steveo73]

Yip it's definitely not cheap if you buy it new but like I said got it cheap on ebay. It was that cheap I was expecting something to be wrong with it but was in great condition. I already had the Evernew 900 mug pot that has the recess on the bottom to sit perfectly on the DX kit so happy days 👍.

If I had the money and was buying it all again from new I would probably buy the Evernew stove and the Evernew 9L pot with a vesuv windshield.Looks like the perfect setup for the Evernew stove.

[Marty_JG]

I got a roll-up titanium windshield that I trimmed slightly to fit in the 750ml pot (I have the Solo set, 750ml pot, 400ml mug).

The weight is just crazy; bag, pot, mug, pot lid, mug lid, windshield, stove, trivets, lighter, backup firesteel, spoon, 4oz fuel bottle, and packets of coffee and hot chocolate comes to 350 grams dry / 475 grams with the fuel bottle full. And that's ALL contained in that one pot. Crazy efficient for space and weight... but not cheap.

[Bastonjock]

I must admit I've never heard of bio ethanol , where can you purchase the stuff ?

[Marty_JG]

EBay, e.g.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192390728855