Cheap stove alternative.

[Idiot Savant]

A number of years ago, I bought a Soto Windmaster on the advice of a thru hiker friend.
It is a highly regarded stove, and rightly so.
MSR came out with a more expensive copy, the Pocket Rocket Deluxe, which doesn't seem to be any better.
I recently found a stove, that is a copy of both, on Amazon for less than $33.

Amazon.com

Might be worth a look, if you are gearing up on a budget or want a backup stove, which I usually carry, just in case.

 

[recped]

I bought one like this a few years ago on Temu, simple and effective, works perfectly. It was less than CA$10, they have gone up due to tariffs.

 

[eckilson]

I guess I am just a JetBoil person - spent the $100 and was done with it. Screw on the canister, turn the valve, click the button - hot water! If we don't brew a pot of coffee in the morning, everyone wants to use the JetBoil for the first cup of coffee. I have on occasion used it to do other things, like sautéing vegetables that went into a lasagna on our last trip.



It works if you are careful. What I don't like about it is all the half full canisters that build up. I don't know how much fuel is left in it, so I never pack a pre-opened canister.

 

[Penns Woods]

I bought one like this a few years ago on Temu, simple and effective, works perfectly. It was less than CA$10, they have gone up due to tariffs.

View attachment 146912

I have several gas stoves that I have used over the years. The stoves have several different burner heads and the one that I prefer is the stove that has a burner head similar to this model. The head seems to spread the flame and heat over a larger area which suits the light weight camping pots and pans. I find these heads are easier to control the heat and cook on. I have less burning of food. Most on these burners I paid less than $20.00 from Amazon. Just my two cents.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

I have a super cheap chinesium stove from Amazon. I have used it alot with zero issues.

Amazon.com: Portable Camping Stove Backpacking Stove, Specialized Hiking Stove Camping Stove with Piezo Ignition Stable Support Wind-Resistance, Camp Stove for Outdoor cooking Camping Hiking Adventure Cooking : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com: Portable Camping Stove Backpacking Stove, Specialized Hiking Stove Camping Stove with Piezo Ignition Stable Support Wind-Resistance, Camp Stove for Outdoor cooking Camping Hiking Adventure Cooking : Sports & Outdoors

a.co

Basically this stove.



Frying some trout

 

[lowangle al]

I paid about 60 bucks for one from MSR. It has a smaller burner and one of the arms that you set the pot on does not open fully anymore and doesn't hold my pot level. It is because of a bent tab that I probably bent it trying to get it back into the tiny plastic storage box. I'm sure they'll fix it for free if I ever send it out.

I guess you get what you pay for most times, but it doesn't always hold true.

 

[MJones]

I couple of years ago I bought one of those inexpensive/cheap butane canister stoves from amazon and/or temu and it does work very well, but then I started wondering, is it a UL approved fuel-burning appliance? Nope. Is it safe to use? What standard was it built to?

 

[Gamma1214]

...is it a UL approved fuel-burning appliance? Nope. Is it safe to use? What standard was it built to?

I think I'd worry a lot more about "UL approved" in my kitchen toaster or crock pot (something that stays plugged in when I'm away from home) than a camp stove (which I'm likely to be crouched over as I eagerly await supper).

I usually carry 2 stoves, a pocket rocket and an Amazon cheapie. They seem equally safe to me and the only difference that I see is how the arms fold. I suspect that it was just enough of a change to skirt the copyright laws.

 

[yknpdlr]

I couple of years ago I bought one of those inexpensive/cheap butane canister stoves from amazon and/or temu and it does work very well, but then I started wondering, is it a UL approved fuel-burning appliance? Nope. Is it safe to use? What standard was it built to?

Amazon offered one of those to me unsolicited a few years ago, long before I heard of Temu. It came packaged directly from China in a few weeks, only cost about $3 at the time. It folds into a very tiny package in its orange cheap plastic container.. I thought it worked pretty good, the piezo spark starter worked well, still does. So I bought another as a spare the next time they offered it. It still works too, I use it on MSR type canisters when backpacking, and it even works on a large green propane cylinder (with an adapter from Amazon) that is easy to take when canoe tripping.

 

[CaptainOllieWest]

Prime Days, 6 bucks to your door.

Amazon.com

 

[PaddlingPika]

Do the pocket-rocket style stoves work well even when it is breezy? I've been using a bulkier propane bottle top stove, but it seems to take forever to heat water, especially if there is any wind. Being a bottle-top stove I'm afraid that trying to use a wind screen could trap too much heat around the propane canister. A couple of days ago I stumbled across this extension on amazon extension for propane stove. This looks like it will allow placing a wind screen around the stove and pot without holding heat around the propane bottle. Since I already have the bottle-top stove I'm going to try this.

 

[Gamma1214]

I've done a lot of cooking on these type of stoves and have always put the stove directly on the bottle. They are certainly affected by wind but you can usually find a rock or log to block the majority of it (I doubt I'll ever carry an actual windscreen- I tend to lose things & don't want to junk up the place).

I've never worried about overheating the propane bottle... I figure an increase in temp would yield a higher bottle pressure which would then result in an increased temp... I'm done cooking faster. (note: OSHA and I don't really get along all that well so you might want to disregard )

 

[Idiot Savant]

The SOTO Windmaster and the MSR Deluxe pocket rocket have a burner that curves down rather than up. The cheap Chinese one I mentioned also has this feature. This is supposed to make it better in wind, and it is, but a windshield is still needed on a windy morning. I bought one that fits around the neck of the cannister. I works great but limits the pots that will work.
I usually carry a backup stove, just in case. Nothing is foolproof.
The Jet Boil is supposed to be great, but I just can't pull the trigger on it. The cost is an issue, but I guess I just don't like the lack of flexibility. I want to be able to use whatever pot I like. It's gimmicky.
I might buy a stove without an igniter, for backup, but my main stove is always going to have one. Nothing worse that wanting to get a cup of coffee going in the morning and not being able to find your lighter.

 

[ppine]

The best cheap stove alternative is a fire.

 

[Kestrel]

I guess I am just a JetBoil person - spent the $100 and was done with it. Screw on the canister, turn the valve, click the button - hot water! If we don't brew a pot of coffee in the morning, everyone wants to use the JetBoil for the first cup of coffee. I have on occasion used it to do other things, like sautéing vegetables that went into a lasagna on our last trip.

View attachment 146932

It works if you are careful. What I don't like about it is all the half full canisters that build up. I don't know how much fuel is left in it, so I never pack a pre-opened canister.

REI (and others) sell the FlipFuel for transferring fuel from a half full (or less) canister to another one. Very useful! https://www.rei.com/product/237064/flipfuel-fuel-transfer-device