One, two or more stoves?

[Ivor Tingting]

Not which make/type of stove to take, but how many? Just one is a bit restrictive cooking wise. Two are a lot better if preparing hot food.

I have an MSR Whisperlite, Primus Express and a Trangia 25-6 UL with multi-fuel adaptor. I more often take the first two as both small and light and can run on butane gas. The Trangia is a bit big and heavy.

How many do you take when on tour?

[The Mechanic]

one Trangia 27-6

[BeeKeeper]

I use one JetBoil but with two pots. I can cook the main meal in the saucepan and then cook rice or pasta in the small pot the stove came with. The boil in the bag individual rice packets from Uncle Wotsit are very convenient. These pots have insulation around them so the main meal stays hot and does not need re-heating before the rice or pasta is added. It might be different in the depths of winter but in summer it works fine.

[horizon]

How many do you take when on tour?

Just one obvioulsy due to weight. But three people touring together could take two and still save weight. That would be ideal.

[simonhill]

You ask how many stoves - we ask how many people??

I agree if on your own, I couldn't imagine the extra weight and bulk (volume) of taking TWO stoves, just for a bit more convenience and slightly hotter food.

A lot of my touring is done where the local cooked food is very cheap (Asia, India, etc) so I don't normally take a stove at all. If in UK, Europe, etc then it is one and the simplest I can get (dismountable cartridge, folding top Camping Gaz).

[Hypocacculus]

We take just the one, with two pots to cook in. You can actually cook many things by simply bringing them to the boil, then removing them from the heat to cook by themselves, leaving the burner free for a second pot. This works for things like rice, pasta, green vegetables, and so on, while we get on and fry sausages or whatever. I once did take two burners... and didn't use one.

The lightest possible burner to take is a home made pepsi can stove (just google, it works on exactly the same principle as a Trangia). It only takes a minimum of ingenuity to sort out a lightweight pot stand (coathanger wire) and wind shield (two old murphys cans). I made one and house it, along with the windshield, stand and handle in two nesting trangia pots, for which I made a smaller lid out of heavy duty foil. Taking two would be no sweat. We take the full Trangia if we want a bit more luxury.

[jochta]

One stove is enough for two-three people and use two pans, one for rice/couscous/pasta and one for main meal.

[Ivor Tingting]

You ask how many stoves - we ask how many people??

I agree if on your own, I couldn't imagine the extra weight and bulk (volume) of taking TWO stoves, just for a bit more convenience and slightly hotter food.

A lot of my touring is done where the local cooked food is very cheap (Asia, India, etc) so I don't normally take a stove at all. If in UK, Europe, etc then it is one and the simplest I can get (dismountable cartridge, folding top Camping Gaz).

You ask how many people.

Just me. SWMBO doesn't like camping or bicycles .

A Whisperlite or simple Camping Gaz burner is hardly bulky or heavy like a Trangia. I guess in countries where prepared food is cheap and safe you wouldn't need or necessarily want to cook but in more expensive places or where it might be a necessity one can save a small fortune and still survive. Plus it is handy to have a back up if one is really in the middle of nowhere.

[hoogerbooger]

If it is questionable whether it will easy to find gas I take:

Primus omnifuel stove +a small Primus Express gas stove. The onminfuel isn't very good at simmering & I take a gauze to distribute the heat which helps a bit

When Gas should be easy to find I take:

an old low sitting Coleman gas stove on it's own ( far better at simmering) & just play swopping the pans round as necessary when cooking

RE Pans I have settled on A Snow Peak 1400 Titanium pan set + a MSR Titan Kettle + a cosy for the Titan Kettle. They nest just luvly with a a Coleman gas canister and Primus Express stove all fitting in. The Cosy is a great piece of kit and often replaces simmering/saves gas/keeps things warm)

The lid/frying pan on the Snow Peak 1400 is surprising good as a frying pan, although as all thin pans you have to be careful to avoid burning.

[Edwards]

If I am lightweight camping with another I take 2 small gas stoves, the type that screw on to the gas canister. That way a part used canister can be used for things that need less heat and more control and the fuller canister used for fast heating. Thus avoiding swapping canisters as the half empty ones seem to last forever.
I have never had any problem getting gas anywhere so far, as the type of canister that can be bought for blowlamps fits my stoves (Coleman). These canisters are taller but I use a plastic base to steady them.
The small stoves fit inside a mug so do not really take up any more room and the weight is not a lot compared to the extra part used canisters that are then thrown away.

[Oldknees]

I use two... A meths stove and a solid fuel one. This trip I shall be swopping the meths one for a new gas one. Anyway, one warms the rice nice and gently, the other heats what goes on it.

[hamster]

I'm with the two-pot men. I use a Coleman petrol stove, it chucks out tons of heat yet simmers beautifully. Usually the stodge (pasta / rice / potatoes) will finish cooking on their own in hot water while the gloop is cooking.

[hartleymartin]

I usually take just one - a nice little home-made stove, manufactured from the bottoms of two soft-drink cans, a tin lid for a primer pan and Methylated Spirits for fuel. Done carefully, I can get about a week's worth of cooking out of 1L of good old Metho.

[wearwell]

One trangia.
Thermos flask (plastic for less weight) to make tea, coffee, instant soup - as long as you are somewhere where you can wash it out OK or tea tastes horrid after soup.
Hayboxing: bring stuff to the boil plus a bit, a bit more for potatoes, put lid on then wrap in tea towel then in sleeping bag and just leave it to carry on cooking while you fry your steak etc.

[psmiffy]

Two - one gas and one liquid fuel/gas multifuel - do not use both all the time - but when I have found something really nice to cook!- and no I dont worry about weight - The multifuel was a back up against not being able to find gaz/gas - but never actually used it with liquid fuel in anger - always found gas wherever I have been in Europe