When considering a stove for fastpacking, you've got a few options to choose from.
You’ll likely need something a little different when doing a 2-3 month through-hike than you
would for a 2-3 day fastpack.
You’ll also want to consider a few other factors like the elevation, temperature, and
local regulations.
So I thought it would be helpful to run through the options that I've explored in my own search
for a stove that I could use for the majority of my adventures.
I'll discuss the pros and cons of each, along with some suggested use cases.
I'll then show you the complete cooking system that I've landed on and which I'll be using
for my upcoming fastpacking season.
Integrated canister stove systems tend to be the starting point for a lot of campers,
and the main benefit of these systems is their high efficiency.
The idea is that the stove and pot is integrated into a single closed system.
You need to carry a pot anyway, and a fuel canister can usually fit right inside.
I bought a Jetboil years ago which is a super popular choice, before eventually upgrading
to the MSR Reactor which is a little smaller and even more efficient.
But it's definitely going to overkill for most summer adventures.
I only use this for winter camping, where I need to melt a lot of snow.
In this case, efficiency is the most important thing, and the MSR Reactor seems to be the
most efficient stove on the market.
But a stove like this a great starting point for fastpacking, if you happen to already
own one.
And if you plan on flying with your stove, a stove like this technically shouldn’t
be an issue since there’s no fuel lines and it’s pretty easy to open the valve and
to demonstrate that there’s no fuel left in the system.
But I have heard first hand from one person who had their brand new Jet Boil confiscated
by airport security, so it’s going to ultimately depend on the agent you end up dealing with.
You of course can’t fly with the pressurized fuel canisters themselves, but these should
be fairly easy to find once you arrive at your destination.
But I do find that integrated canister stoves make for a larger and more awkward shape in
your pack, even if the total size isn't much bigger than an non integrated system.
And they are going to be a little heavier than a regular canister stove, which we’ll
talk about next.
Lightweight canister stoves like the MSR PocketRocket screw directly onto the same fuel canisters
that an integrated canister stove system would use.
The difference here is that they don't have an integrated pot.
But what you lose in fuel efficiency you make up for in flexibility, size and weight.
And in my experience, they are much safer and easier to travel with than any other stove.
I pair PocketRocket 2 with this lightweight, 750ml titanium pot from Toaks.
This works great for boiling water in order to rehydrate my dehydrated meals and to make
coffee, but for heating food directly on the stove I'd have to use a different pot.
And a major limitation with this kind of stove is the surface area it provides, as smaller
stoves like this make it difficult to balance a larger pot.
The fuel canisters themselves are rated for different temperatures, with some mixes being
more efficient for winter use.
But a non-integrated stove like this is generally best to use in warmer months and shouldn't
be relied upon for heavy use in the winter for things like melting snow.
Even in the summer, you'll need to be especially mindful of wind, given that the flame is completely
exposed.
Be sure to keep it low to the ground and as sheltered as possible from the wind.
You can even make a makeshift windscreen with some tin foil, but this can be dangerous as
the fuel canister can overheat.
So you need to monitor the temperature of the fuel canister when doing this, even in
cold weather.
If it's too hot to rest your hands on it then immediately remove the windscreen.
Liquid Fuel stoves use a fuel canister connected by a fuel line to a burner.
Liquid fuel is typically cheaper than compressed fuel canisters, and it works much better in
extremely cold conditions.
The burners tend to also be larger and more stable which can accommodate a bigger pot
or pan.
But they are more cumbersome and difficult to use than fuel canister stoves, as well
as being bigger and heavier.
And I’d hesitate to try to fly with one of these.
I’d say that liquid fuel stoves are best for when cooking for a large group, for winter
use, and when you're less worried about weight or space in your pack, which rules them out
as an option for fastpacking.
Alcohol stoves are super light, cheap, and very reliable given how simple they are.
They come in a few designs, but by definition, these are stoves that use readily-available
alcohol as their fuel source, as opposed to gas or liquid fuel.
This makes it really easy to find fuel for them during a resupply or when traveling.
You can even make your own stove out of an empty can of cat food or a beer can.
In fact, there are entire Subreddits dedicated to this.
But they can be dangerous if you're hiking in really dry environments.
I read about at least one forest fire in Colorado back that was thought to have been started
by an accident with an alcohol stove, and it's no surprise why they’re actually banned
in California where forest fires are increasingly becoming a problem.
You’re also not allowed to use them here in BC during fire bans which are in place
pretty regularly during summer months.
This is because there's no valve to 'turn them off'.
They can also be messy as you've got to deal with the unused fuel once you're done, and
it needs to be carefully stored.
You also can't really use them to cook food, only to boil water, since they have a fixed
flame.
Having said that, I typically only need to boil water anyway for use with dehydrated
meals.
But they take longer to come up to temperature and to boil water than a traditional canister
stove.
And while alcohol stoves are much lighter for shorter trips, the fuel required can actually
end up weighing more than fuel canisters for trips over 3-5 days.
So they make more sense for shorter trips where carrying a fuel canister is overkill.
To be honest, I have very little experience personally with these, but it's not something
I really plan on messing around with given all of those limitations and risks that I
mentioned.
Of course in many areas these might be perfectly safe and legal to use year round, so if you
do want to learn more about these stoves and try one for yourself, there is no shortage
of information that can be found with a quick Google search.
Solid fuel stoves work much like alcohol stoves, but they burn small cubes of solid fuel.
This makes them even lighter, since the cubes are lighter and more efficient than liquid.
But the fuel can be harder to come by than alcohol and is a little more expensive.
This seems to be the lightest and simplest option available.
But you'll face the same limitations with solid fuel stoves as you would with alcohol
stoves, in that they only work for boiling, they'll be slower than canister stoves, and
they won't be allowed during open fire bans.
You can also get wood burning stoves designed for camping.
In fact, some alcohol stoves allow you to burn wood as well.
But like with alcohol and solid fuel stoves, these will be prohibited during open fire
bans.
Dry fuel can also be difficult to find, especially in the rocky alpine, not to mention that it
violates the principles of leave to trace.
And like an alcohol stove, there’s no temperature control and they can take a really long time
to boil water.
So this is definitely a niche use product.
Now it's probably worth noting here that another option is to simply go stoveless, and to rely
instead on either just dry food or cold soaking your food.
But I personally really like a warm meal in the morning with hot coffee, as well as a
warm meal at the end of a long day.
A stove also provides a lot more options in the types of meals that you can make, and
can provide an extra element of safety.
It’s all about using the right stove for the job and there is no one perfect solution.
But for lightweight, fastpacking adventures, my favourite is definitely a lightweight canister
stove like the MSR Pocket Rocket.
It's small, reliable, simple, and safe to use.
I’ve been using the original version for a couple of years, and recently upgraded to
the Pocket Rocket 2 which is a little lighter, more compact, and slightly more efficient.
As I mentioned earlier, I pair this with a lightweight pot which I use to boil water
for my dehydrated meals.
A small fuel canister is just right for two people for about 3 days, and will fit right
inside of the pot.
I then carry a collapsible cup for coffee, and a spork.
I’ll provide links to all of these items in the description below in case you’d like
to check them out for yourself.
Let me know in the comments about your experience with any of these stoves.
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