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Got a bikepacking trip planned for end of march and getting a few bits together now ready, looking for a small stove and pan set to take and the alpkit looks ideal but they are out of stock , anyone recommend any suitable alternatives that are similar ?
Cheers
What are you intending to cook or are you just wanting to boil water to rehydrate stuff? If the latter then any small gas stove will do along with something like the Alpkit 650 MyTiMug.
Just got a go outdoors jetboil copy for Christmas, currently reduced to £25. Quite impressed so far..
The Brukit is pretty bulky and heavy for bikepacking duties, you've got to add the weight of the gas cannister as well. IME it's the bulk that's the problem.
As above you will be able to get the kraku stove (or other similar stoves elsewhere, my preference is the optimus crux), a folding spork and a 100g gas canister tucked inside a mytimug 650 with ease. Pair it with a pot cosy made from that silver foil bubble wrap insulation stuff and you have a small, lightweight, efficient solo cook set for re hydrating meals.
I just gave eldest_oab a GSI Soloist ultimate and generic spider stove copy from eBay, with foil tray windshield.
http://www.gsioutdoors.com/pinnacle-soloist.html
Weight wise it's less than a Jetboil, but is a separate and more stable stove, that can run inverted in the cold. He also has a bowl/mug, and it's big enough to pair up with a pal if needed - or ditch mug and a few grammes.
The bag is also an insulating layer off stove, and waterproof for washing up.
It's a brilliant bit of kit.
I use the Alpkit Mytimug 650 & the 30ml Speedster Stove, stand & windshield. Everything fits inside the mug. Weighs very little, works really well & cheap too
I use an Alpkit Mytimug and a homemade Coke can stove (meths burner - like a Trangia) if I'm only looking to boil a cup or two of water. It all packs into the Mytimug, if any cooking is required, I would move to our Pocket Rocket, and then an old Alpine (remote burner) for longer trips or more sophisticated recipes.
You can get instructions for making a coke can stove online - it's not particularly difficult.
Cross post with Hoff, and those Speedster burners look pretty good, and barely more expensive than the Coke can option.
Thatlooks neat. How much fuel do you carry on a trip for a couple of days and how effective are the meth burners? How much longer than a jetboil?
I've got a jetboil but,as was said, the weight and bulk with a canister is mildly annoying.
650ml ti-mug, barebones stove (the small one), ti-foon, travel shampoo bottle of meths, flint, and a pot cosy.
Boil 250ml of water, put plastic bag of cous-cous + cured meat of choice (or noodles, pasta, rice, whatever) into pot cosy, add water, refil mug and make a cuppa tea whilst the cous-cous cooks.
The Bru-kit:
a) got pretty poor reviews, no more efficient than a normal stove/pot.
b) is a very heavy and bulky way of saving a few grams of gas even if it did work.
Thatlooks neat. How much fuel do you carry on a trip for a couple of days and how effective are the meth burners? How much longer than a jetboil?
If it's anything like the barebones, it's slower to boil water than gas stoves, fuel use will depend on how much, often you cook, bikepacking rarely involves cooking, but to re hydrate a meal or make a cup of tea probably uses 10ml.
The main advantage (IMO) is never having to take half empty canisters, with gas you inevitably take 2x cannisters because 1 is half full and you've no idea how much 'half full' actually is.
If you still want to use gas (it's my preference) then you can get the advantages of the Heat Exchanger pan without a specific stove by using an Optimus Terra.
If travelling super light, use a meths stive. It's not like you are in a rush for your dinner, is it?
They create far less waste than small gas canisters.
If you have more lifting capacity (like I have on the motorbike rather than mountain bike) then use a petrol stove. Fuel is relatively cheap and very low waste.
Edit - though I chickened out on finding out how it ran on 100 octane I found in Greece...
Rachel
I find meths fine for three season use but for UK winter I go with gas, as much for guaranteed performance as anything. Meths doesn't vaporise well at low temps, it's also a bit temperamental when it's cool - you need to warm the fuel beforehand otherwise you'll struggle to light it. I've used my beer can stove at -6C so it's not impossible. Meths stoves are also badly affected by the wind so a windshield is a must. Stove and windshield will weigh about 20g.
With the meths stoves (either homemade or commercial) you need to match the stove to the pan, the small BB stove is fine for the 450ml Alpkit mug but the coke/beer can stove is the right size for the 650ml version. This is because the flames come out of the stove at about 45degs and if the stove is too wide then they miss the pot, if the stove's too narrow then it's not very stable. I'm sure there's a formula but somewhere between half and two thirds of the diameter of the pot/mug seems about right.
The speed of boiling water is a moot point really, if you are camping then what's six minutes rather than four minutes? I'll take 100ml of fuel for one or two nights depending on what I'm planning to cook or time of year (temp), this is basically boiling water and rehydrating food as per thisisnotaspoon's process.
Ultimately it's your choice. All fuel types have pros and cons, you just need to align your requirements with them. (says the guy with about a dozen stoves of different types)
With the Speedster Stove I take a some 30ml bottles (hotel toiletry bottles are perfect or you can pick them up really cheap on the internet). 30ml will make a brew & heat up a meal. Also have a couple of bigger bottles (300ml/500ml) which I'll take on longer trips.
It does take a few minutes longer to boil up but I'm never in a rush & it's a lot quieter than gas too
The Mytimug fits nicely into the small Alpkit Stemcell with the collapsable Sea to Summit mug on top.
This was probably the best £10 purchase [url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lixada-Portable-Stainless-Lightweight-Backpacking/dp/B01DZCI01K/ref=pd_lpo_200_lp_img_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EEX6G27SSZPSFZ6HAW85 ]Wood stove [/url]
Any excuse to light a fire!
An old review thread on the brukit, FWIW
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/alpkit-brukit-out-of-the-box-review-and-test
Jetboil for me or the really tiny weight weenie evernew ti stove with alpkit pot and mug
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Just got a go outdoors jetboil copy for Christmas,
They do a "two piece cook set" or something, possibly the same thing. It's a small mug and a big mug with a heat exchanger. Weighs nowt and is awesome.
All good stuff - thanks for the advice, and apologies for slight thread hijack...ahem.
Lol yeh thanks for all the ideas and advice chaps !
The trip is for 5 days / 4nights so need a fairly reliable option , will have a look into the different ideas and see , again thanks for all the advice !
Cheers
Mark
I have an old Jetboil. I use it mainly in the summer, working for companies that provide expeditions for kids abroad.
It is brilliant, don't underestimate how useful it is to get out one bit of kit and get boiling water in seconds. First thing at every camp, Jetboil on, coffee made, help kids get tents up. Another coffee, then my kit to sort. No faff, I can cope with the weight and it makes my life better right then.
Never ever use it in the UK, but its like all kit. Find where it / or if it fits in well for you and use it then. When it breaks Ill get one of the primus ones, but do like the thought of pairing my Spider with one of those GSI kits,
Had my Jetboil for about 8 years. It's awesome if a little bulky. Normally lives in back of car with some rat pack brew kits & a bottle of water in case I need an emergency wet. On bivvy trips it sits in a Salsa anything cage nicely & having sat with a coffee in hand whilst a mate is stil faffing with meths I know which I'd prefer.
I do have a Mapleleaf micro stove which fits nicely in a Mytimug with cannister and stand which does the job pretty well but it seems far hungrier if gas than the Jetboil.
I usually boil a pot of water with a rat pack meal in, leave it to simmer for a few min then use the water for a wet while I eat the scoff. No mess other than the spoon.
Snowpeak Ti Solo Cookset / MSR Microlight Stove - Sitting mat doubles up as a great windbreaker ..