Whats a good price to pay for a camping stove?

[Bear86]

Okay i still need a camping stove, i have been putting off buying as i know little about them. I have seen lots of people mentioning them but no specific details.

* What to pay ?
* What brand ?
* How much butane to get ?
* How long does the butane gas canisters last ?
* Will the butane expire ?
* How safe am i using it indoors?

I have seen some on eBay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?LH_BIN ... tove&rt=nc

£20 for a camping stove and 8 canisters, im thinking of going for it but i may need a push

[metatron]

M.S.R do some really nice stoves, their WhisperLite International can be had for about £104, it will burn white gas, kerosene, and unleaded petrol, I'd not want to use it inside unless the windows were open. If you want to go cheap just buy Chafing fuel, you can get 12 cans for under £10, each can will burn for 2 hours and are safe for inside use.

[hobo]

Bear, I went for this woodgas stove http://wildstoves.co.uk/wood-cooking-st ... -gas-stove , thus dispensing with butane/propane as it just burns twigs. Not for indoors though.

[Moony]

Very few stoves are safe to use indoors, if in doubt don't risk it. I was considering the chafing gel option but had heard that they dont produce alot of heat. They are ok for keeping stuff warm, but not for actually cooking stuff properly or boiling water etc.

Butane cannisters will likely not expire as such, but keep them for many, many years and they might suffer from corrosion and eventually leak, which is best avoided. Cannisters dont last a long time (burn time) but it might be worth while buying a cheapo one and experimenting to get an idea of how much water you can boil from one, or have a good search around the net for other peoples experiences. Don't rely on manufacturers figures, they'll always give best-possible-conditions type results that you won't get in real life. These stoves are useful for a day or two, or when you are on the move, but it isn't practical to expect to store enough cannisters for more than a week or so, then look towards either petrol or wood fuelled alternatives.

[In the Dark]

I'm a fan of the coleman sportster 533, it can run on unleaded petrol,panel wipe, aspen 4T & coleman fuel or with the correct jet parrafin
Easy to buy a clean one on Ebay & easy to buy spares for . Pretty simple to overhaul I found mine reliable puts out a fierce heat & no smoke. One fill of fuel will do a weekend, downside is weight if you're planning for a BOB. There's also a range of smaller models

If you're planning on keeping it in a BOB I'd go with Hobo's suggestion of a woodgas stove such a bushbuddy or bushcooker which will run on any combustible materials & will boil a 750 ml mug in about 8 minutes with not a lot of smoke to produced. They're very lightweight & you'll never worry about running out of fuel. (your pots will get black on the outside though )

Propane stoves are quick & mess free but I always find that the gas runs out at the wrong moment & it may not be easy to source replacement cartridges. So long term personally I'd rule them out. I wouldn't worry about cylinders rusting out if kept in a dry environment

Old primus stoves can also be had cheaply secondhand & one might also be worth considering (if you replace the sealing washers & leather cup washer they are pretty bomb proof ) they run on parrafin

Whatever you buy you'll probably end up with several anyway because they get a bit addictive & you need a backup

[Justin Time]

I bought a cheap camping stove from Asda the other day for a tenner.



http://direct.asda.com/Asda-Portable-Ga ... lt,pd.html

stock up on a few fuel canisters and bobs your uncle. Great for a cheap, short term stove solution.

[nickdutch]

* What to pay ?

As little as is possible. Use B+M or Go Outdoors maybe. They do DIRT cheap gas cylinders and stoves

* What brand ?

Cheap

* How much butane to get ?

What are you using it for? Learn thermal cooking to use less fuel.

* How long does the butane gas canisters last ?

See above !

* Will the butane expire ?

No idea.


* How safe am i using it indoors?


I use mine indoors all the time. i am still alive.

[PeteM]

* What to pay ?
* What brand ?
* How much butane to get ?
* How long does the butane gas canisters last ?
* Will the butane expire ?
* How safe am i using it indoors?

It depends on your needs. I swear by the MSR Pocket Rocket, but my needs are wild camping and I cook for myself. It won't do for family cooking.

If you're efficient then butane lasts for a long time, Still, you can never have enough. There's plenty in my shed and I often stock up with one more when I pass the local Go Outdoors.

I wouldn't use any stove indoors.

If anyone's now thinking: "cooking on a stove in the garden after TEOTWAWKI will alert the locals", yeah, I've thought so too. I still wouldn't use it indoors.

[preppingsu]

Just like to point you towards a very good post about using a camping stove indoors.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=249&p=21928&hilit= ... ors#p21928

Page 2, near the bottom, a post by Carrot Cruncher.