Gear Talk: Backcountry stove

I spend a lot of time debating my gear choices with myself. When you'll be carrying all the gear you'll have on your back you don't want to make a mistake and load up on crap at the expense of something else. I'm still finding my comfort zone between being prepared for every possible contingency and going as light as possible.

There are plenty of options when it comes to a stove for the backcountry. Each with its own set of pros and cons. You can't say that any one particular stove is best in all conditions. My choice will perform well in just about all conditions and doesn't tip scales. There are lighter stoves but I'm willing to carry the extra grams for the added benefits.

I've been using the MSR Whisperlite almost exclusively since 1994. I retired my original Whisperlite earlier this year. The newer models are supposed to burn a little more efficiently and I was beginning to worry about the components so I figured it was time. The Whisperlite burns hot in all conditions. It's relatively to light once you get your head around the priming procedure. And it takes white gas which is easy to find and refill.

Previous to the Whisperlite I'd been using an old Coleman Feather stove. A heavy, unstable lump of a stove that didn't get nearly as hot and was a pain to use, not to mention heavy. It was like hauling a brick around with you.

It's my opinion that the Whisperlite is the best all-round backpacking stove. If you want something that weighs less your options are limited and some have significant drawback. First are the micro stoves that run on those butane canisters. They burn hot but they don't like the cold. You can't refill the canisters so when you're getting low you have to carry another full canister or else you end up with a bunch of half used canisters. If you do end up carrying in spare canisters you also end up carrying out all the weight of those spare canisters. I enjoy the way the weight of my pack diminishes over the course of a trip.

Another option I've seen in the backcountry are the ultra-light weight methyl alcohol stoves. Basically a small vessel that holds some fuel that you light. The open fuel burns and heats the pot above. It weighs next to nothing. I encountered a group using such a stove on my last outing. Aside from a little trouble lighting it and having it go out after simmering for an extended period of time, it worked well for their dinner. Then a major weather system came in over night dropping 20cm of snow and sending the mercury well below zero. The whisperlite had no problem boiling 2L of water for us in a few minutes, while the methyl alcohol alternative was nearly impossible to light. We had broken camp and were on the trail before the other party had warm water. In the Canadian Rockies you shouldn't be surprised by those kinds of conditions even in the middle of summer.

I consider my stove an essential piece of equipment that absolutely needs to work all of the time. If it fails the trip is over. I guess that's why I'll never succeed as an ultra-light backpacker.