Thread: Cooking systems - Light vs cost

Originally Posted by GravelBen

I'm surprised there aren't more people making cheap versions of the heat sink pot - how much difference do they make compared to a normal pot?

My understanding is that the slight increase in weight added by the heat sink is offset by less fuel used, but that you only break even a few days into a trip. You're carrying the gas anyway, so you only see a benefit in using a heat-exchanger pot if your trip is of long enough duration that the fuel efficiency means you can get by with one gas canister rather that having to lug two.

Or something like that...

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Originally Posted by stretch

My understanding is that the slight increase in weight added by the heat sink is offset by less fuel used, but that you only break even a few days into a trip. You're carrying the gas anyway, so you only see a benefit in using a heat-exchanger pot if your trip is of long enough duration that the fuel efficiency means you can get by with one gas canister rather that having to lug two.

Or something like that...

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Or if its cold and you struggle to heat let alone boil water at altitude.
At least that was the difference between mine and a MSR windboiler

I just converted to a jet-boil. It isn't quite as quick as they advertise but the fuel efficiency impressed me. I managed to boil just short of 10 litres on one 100g canister.

Originally Posted by stretch

My understanding is that the slight increase in weight added by the heat sink is offset by less fuel used, but that you only break even a few days into a trip. You're carrying the gas anyway, so you only see a benefit in using a heat-exchanger pot if your trip is of long enough duration that the fuel efficiency means you can get by with one gas canister rather that having to lug two.

Or something like that...

Makes sense.

Until this year I used a primus omnifuel on white spirits, was great when I was doing cold mountain trips etc. The pump packed up on that and the last few trips I've used the aliexpress ti gas cooker and saved weight. But have a 10+ day trip into the Olivines planned over summer so improving efficiency of whichever cooker we use will be worthwhile. That aliexpress heat exchange pot is only 30g more than the smaller of my current pots so probably worth a shot at that price.

yeah, wont be going back to standard cannister stoves. jet boils and their equivalents are great pieces of kit

Sorry a bit old school.... but I still love my MSR Whisper-lite had it since the early 90's. Liquid fuel - but so good, if you get caught in camp or on a ridge for days on end... also love how it almost runs better on 91 octane petrol than it does on white spirits. and handy if you need to start a bonfire to dry out and there's only wet stuff around - has helped me out of a situation more than once, that and 2 hexe's in my survival kit...

Has done a great tour of duty in the South Island high Country and the North and still running like the first year I bought it. I'll think about a replacement when it finally dies but until then - if it ain't broke... go with what works...

Mind you @doubleshot would argue his coffee pot jet boil is a piece of non-negotiable kit - and who am I to argue as long as he brings the beans and grinder too.. mmmmm mines a flat white mate...

just my 2c.

So after all this time how is the cooker going? just came across this thread last night and now thinking of getting one if they are still performing.

Yep the one I got works fine. Not sure how those ultra mini ones go that some guys got?

I have one of those MapleFire (jetboil) copies.... works perfectly fine for me. holds over a liter and boils 800ml in 3min 15sec on the kitchen bench..... so in my books it does the job (so far).

Only one small bug is that even though a 230g canister does fit inside the unit, you can't fit everything else in and close the lid. Probably about 1.5cm too tall.
I've now got 100g canisters and the whole unit packs up nicely. 100g is plenty for a few days and I can take a spare and still be lighter than taking a 230g canister.
Not too bad for being less than half the price of a jetboil.

Also have one of thier little titanium cookers.... works sweet as too. same amount of water takes about 6mins to boil in comparision

Originally Posted by chris-b

Also have one of thier little titanium cookers.... works sweet as too. same amount of water takes about 6mins to boil in comparision

Is that with the jetboil style pot on the titanium cooker, or just a normal pot?

Originally Posted by GravelBen

Is that with the jetboil style pot on the titanium cooker, or just a normal pot?

just the normal pot, would be nice to get the heat exchanger pot but I can't find them in NZ.
I use the alu pots, titanium are marginally lighter but tend to heat up in one spot rather than spreading the heat. much cheaper too.

I have a maplefire heat exchange pot on the way, so I'll do a comparison test with a normal pot on the same cooker once it arrives.

I like my mini titanium meths burner. Did set my foot on fire with it though

Originally Posted by gimp

I like my mini titanium meths burner. Did set my foot on fire with it though

Boots on....or off.....?

I have just received my Fire-Maple heat exchanger 1L pot and the wee BRS-3000T Ultra-light Titanium Alloy Camping Stove, also got the gas canister filler and waiting on a Fire Maple portable Outdoor Folding Gas Stove Camping Hiking Picnic stove Camping Stove Fms-117t Titanium material 98g to arrive. The new pot on the BRS-3000T boiled 500ml of tap water in 1min. 40sec. flat. The new stove and 100gram canister should all fit in the pot hopefully.