Stoves

What about the kitchen? There is no practical way that you can rely on a campfire to cook in the snow. Even if you carried the wood in, you still need a place to have your fire that won't melt into a hole. Backpacking stoves are the reasonable answer, and there are a few things to consider when selecting the right one.

The best stove will start easily, burn hot enough to melt snow, use fuel efficently, and be lightweight. Some prefer a isobutane/propane fuel stove due to their ease of use and the adjustability of the flame. The drawback is that in really cold temps the butane can freeze which reduces the heat output making it necessary to warm the cannisters first and then keep them warm. The Brunton Crux Foldable Butane Canister Stove and the Snow Peak GigaPower BF Stove are compressed fuel stoves that work well in the cold.

Liquid fuel stoves are easier to use in moderately cold weather because most fuels don't freeze easily. White gasoline (Coleman fuel) is the cleanest and hottest burning liquid fuel and is commonly used in MSR or Coleman stoves. In extremely cold temps, you may have to use a preheating gel to warm up the part of the stove that vaporizes the fuel in order to start it, but once going they are more dependable than the pressurized cannisters. I have used MSR stoves in a variety of winter conditions and prefer them. The MSR Dragonfly is a torch that will melt enough snow quickly to get a large group rehydrated in a hurry and new technology allow it to simmer adequately. It is quite noisy however. The Apex is a dependable stove that will simmer well and fix those gourmet treats that the backcountry chef can conjure up with a little imagination and some acessories like the Snow Peak Titanium Multi Compact Cook Set. I have eaten beter at 10,000' than in a fancy resturaunt on the way home.

Whichever stove you use, make sure that you check it out and test it before leaving home. At best broken stove can ruin a trip, and at worst can leave you in a seriously dangerous situation. You should also have something to keep your stove from melting into the snow as it heats up, either a pad or platform of some sort. I have used a piece of an old closed cell sleeping pad covered with heavy foil on one side. There are also commrcial stove bases on the market like MSR's "Trillium" base that clips to the legs on all their stoves.

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