Sunday, October 31, 2010
When I went camping last weekend, I had to pull out some way to (reliably) cook food! Fire is an option, but we were getting in late, wouldn't have time to collect much kindling, and I didn't want to be hungry.  So out came the camping/backpacking stove!

When I get a new piece of gear, I like to make it generally useful for many purposes, rather than having lots of different things that serve one purpose. So when I bought this stove, I wanted one that I could use car camping, but also one that I could take backpacking without having to lug something huge around. I got this at a local outdoors store (Great Outdoor Provisions), and asked the sales kid a barrage of questions about the stoves they had before settling on one I thought would serve the purpose. I wanted something lightweight, compact, versatile, relatively inexpensive but high quality, and durable. After looking at a number of stoves and fuel sources, I went with the Primus Express Stove with Piezo Ignition (ie, no matches needed).
There are a number of great things about this stove.  First, it's lightweight and compact.  It screws directly onto a fuel canister (see picture) and the three support arms collapse towards each other to make it flat and able to fit in a small nylon carrying bag.  The piezoelectric ignition does something involving crystal lattice, matrix something, and engineering I don't get to make a nice little ignition spark with the push of a button.  It works perfectly every time.  It's generally stable, although I haven't used it on very uneven ground or in high winds.  And it boiled water very quickly, in just a couple minutes.  Although that might be helped some by this:
The little ripply things on the bottom supposedly make it heat up faster.  I have no proof that it actually works, but it seemed to heat faster than I expected, it wasn't really more expensive than any other pot, the size was right, AND it came with the pot holder.  I was sold.  And it worked.  I got the 1.7L version, which was plenty of space for a meal for 2... probably would be fine to feed 4 people.  And it matches the stove, and the fuel.  And we all know how much I love matching

Overall, it needs a few more test runs in harsher conditions before I can make my final declaration, but so far, so good!  Works as well as any camping stove I've ever used, is self contained, and is easy to pack!  I can fit the stove, the pot holder, and a couple packets of food all inside the pot.  Now that's efficiency.

Happy cooking (on the trail, of course),
Kari


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About Me

I am a Family Medicine intern at a community hospital in Indiana, navigating the new world of being a physician. I am privileged to work in a field I love, where every day is a new and unpredictable challenge.
I am not only a doctor, but also a cyclist, runner, DIYer in the making, lover of the outdoors, traveler, and human.
Human, MD is a glimpse into the world of a young doctor who is just trying to stay true to herself through the grueling whirlwind of residency.

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