Small or ParaStove?

[ceetoo]

I think I've finally decided I "need" a ParaTarp. Since I don't have any good camp pictures to share for Aron's giveaway contest, I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and order one.. When I do, I also plan on ordering the annex and a stove, which brings me my question: which stove to buy? The small, or the ParaStove?

This is basically a weight vs. performance question. My assumption is that the small stove will heat hotter and require less stoking than the para. Guess the first question is, is this assumption correct? If so, would this even matter in a space as small as the ParaTarp?

I also foresee adding a ParaTipi (and maybe even a Tipi, but I'm not factoring a Tipi into my decision on a stove at this time) to my shelter inventory in the future.

So I suppose the real question I have is this: Is the performance of the the small stove sufficiently greater than the ParaStove to justify the half pound difference in weight?

Cheers,
-c2

 

[Aron Snyder]

This depends greatly on how much often you want to stoke the stove!

I run the small stove for my Supertarp and Paratarp, but the medium will heat things up with no issue, you just gotta throw wood in every few minutes.

I would also look at the Supertarp pretty hard as well. I run a Paratarp over a bivy often, but when I need a fully enclosed shelter with a stove, I bring the ST every time.

 

[justin davis]

I am with Aron on this one. If I had to choose between two stoves. I always go for the bigger one even if it weighs a bit more. With the bigger stove you can heat things better and less stoke time.

Also the tip of looking at the supertarp, that is a good one. The super tarp is alot bigger for only a few ounces more.

 

[dotman]

Check out the kifaru forum, they come up at a decent price every once in awhile.

I'm torn on the stoves, not sure what i should get, the ti-goat keeps calling my name but i can't find any reviews on the updated design of the cylinder stove they have.

 

[Evan Williams]

I am a full shelter guy too and the Super Tarp is more my style. If you can afford the weight stick with the bigger one. You'll be more comfortable in the long run.

 

[ceetoo]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The SuperTarp is the one I'm looking at. Didn't realize the lager tarp was a different name - just thought it was ParaTarp, size L...

I'm so used to getting worked up about ounces, the idea of adding a half pound for a larger stove is something I have a hard time wrapping my head around. More interested in staying warm from the heat of the stove than the effort to stoke it though. Grandpa used to say, "Wood heats ya twice. Once when ya cut it, and once when ya burn it!"

dotman -- Was looking at TiGoat today, but didn't see anything about the updated design. Could you point me to where I could find some info? Some buddies of mine actually made their own tipi modeled after Kifaru's, and they heat it with a 12" goat. The tipi is huge, and that little stove apparently heats it well, though they say the need to stoke every 15 min or less. They couldn't get a pot of water to boil on it in 20* temps however, and the weight of the pot apparently set a "dip" in the stove but didn't effect its' function. It was this input alone that has me looking at Kifaru's stoves instead.

Cheers,
-c2

 

[dotman]

They updated the current stove a few years ago, you'll have find some old posts from various forums. It sounds like the current setup is good, looks similar to Ed T's. I would only use it for heat but with a 4.5ft pipe it is almost a 1lb lighter and twice the burn box size of a para. I get it will not last as long as your typical box style stove but if i coild get 5 seasons of use i'd be happy. There has to be someone using this stove that can speakup on the cons. Might just have to look more into Ed's stove, he has some inbetween sizes compared to the ti-goat.

I hear the para stove needs to be stoked every 15 and the small every 20, maybe we can't get away from the stoke time. I can see why they had boiling issues since a pot cannot sit on the stove directly.

 

[Lawnboi]

I was debating this a while ago, and i ended up with the para. Only because of the weight savings. I run it in a paratipi, works good, but does requre constant stoking about every 10 mins or so. But it sure does heat up things. If i planned on spending alot of time in my shelter i would want something much bigger. Maybe i should have just gotten a medium? But weight was the issue with me. Im sure in the future ill be getting a sawtooth and a medium for my 'total comfort' setup. But for now the paratipi and parastove will get me by with minimal weight, and the ability to dry off. Where will you be camping and how much time you plan on spending in the shelter are 2 considerations id look at. For me i dont plan on sitting in my paratipi for anything other than riding out a storm, eating, and sleeping. And for that application i thought the parastove was perfect. It will work great to dry me off if need be, itl keep me warm when riding out a storm, and it heats up quick in the morning so i dont have to get out of my bag cold.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I went straight to the small in a Supertarp. It works well for me, but I have been intrigued by some of the titanium models out there.

 

[Jcberg]

I run the small in my Sawtooth but think the medium might be a better fit????

 

[JG358]

If I had to choose between two stoves. I always go for the bigger one even if it weighs a bit more. With the bigger stove you can heat things better and less stoke time.

Solid advice.