Lightest & smallest stove for extreme cold?

BBob

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I went down the rabbit hole of lightweight stoves, small titanium pots and found that what I saved was more than lost by my needing to carry extra fuel. My fuel burn was about double.

Went back to a jet boil setup, the Stash, but I really miss my old titanium .8L jetboil that they discontinued a while ago :(
There are several efficient small light setups available and many better than the Stash. There's at least two threads on Rokslide dedicated to just that.
 

Sundodger

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There are several efficient small light setups available and many better than the Stash. There's at least two threads on Rokslide dedicated to just that.
Links?

I tend to only jump into that level of scrutiny when I need a replacement.

Did the catfood can stove thing for a while and living in the PNW esbit stoves can be tricky, so kind of done with that sort of thing, but open to other options.
 

BBob

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Beendare

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Yeah, the Iso Butane Canisters don't work well in extreme cold but there are things a guy can do like sleep with the canister.

It's old school but My Whisperlite will work in sub zero....which is what really matters.
 

bradmacmt

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I went down the rabbit hole of lightweight stoves, small titanium pots and found that what I saved was more than lost by my needing to carry extra fuel. My fuel burn was about double.

Went back to a jet boil setup, the Stash, but I really miss my old titanium .8L jetboil that they discontinued a while ago :(
I've got a Jetboil Ti (just sold an extra one I had new on ebay for $250 lol - nuts).

However, for less weight, here are a few ideas that are lighter, and I think are better than the Jetboil Ti:

 

bradmacmt

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I posted earlier and got no replies, so trying in the LW forum.

Havent found a lot of info on this. I have a pretty light stove for backpacking that all packs into a small pot so it also takes up very little room, but it uses the butane cartridges which Ive had a few issues with in very cold weather. What are the smallest-packing and lightest stove and fuel options that work well when soaked in very cold temps? (0f or below)

If you keep an eye out on ebay, you can pick up a used, or new-old-stock MSR Simmerlite. It's around 3oz's lighter than the Whisperlite, and IMO a better stove. However, it didn't actually simmer so was discontinued lol. If you can't find a Simmerlite, the Whisperlite is the way to go.

IMG_1358.jpeg
 
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I believe a lot of cold weather campers will cut a piece of copper then tape it to their isobutane cannisters and up into the flame to keep the fuel warm as the stove runs. Standard practice is to keep the canister inside your outer layers till use. I can't remember the exact details, but some of the backpacking light and myog forums have more info than anything I've found on Rokslide.
 

bradmacmt

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I believe a lot of cold weather campers will cut a piece of copper then tape it to their isobutane cannisters and up into the flame to keep the fuel warm as the stove runs. Standard practice is to keep the canister inside your outer layers till use. I can't remember the exact details, but some of the backpacking light and myog forums have more info than anything I've found on Rokslide.
That's the "Moulder Strip:"

"Extreme Cold" necessitates a white gas stove IME.
 
OP
M

Macintosh

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Feb 17, 2018
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Yeah, Ive made my butane stove work in cold wx, this particular use isnt really for camping per se, more of a “eat on the run” sort of a rig, so keeping it in a sleeping bag or similar isnt nearly as much of an option. Really looking for something I can use without needing warmed up. I can already tell Im going to miss the packing size of my butane stove kit though.
 

Wacko

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Oct 6, 2019
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JMHO...but for quick on the go, keep using what you are using. You can do the moulder strip, you can put the adhesive hot hands toe warmer on the bottom of the fuel can, you can put the canister in a small bowl with some of your water, you can add a small piece of insulation under the bottom of the canister and a tight windscreen to have the stove help heat the canister.

There are lots of ways to get your current stove to work in the conditions you want. Is it optimal.?..no...I think it works good enough for me though.

YMMV
 
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