How to Choose Camping Cookware

The Esbit Solid Fuel stove and cookset is a great choice for heating up water or making simple meals on fast and light adventures in the mountains.
Imported.
Best Use | Backpacking |
---|---|
Fuel Type | Tablet |
Fuel | Esbit Fuel Tablets |
Average Boil Time (1L) | Unavailable |
Burn Time (Max Flame) | (Per cube) 12 minutes |
Number of Burners | 1 Burner |
Integrated System | Yes |
Liquid Capacity (fl. oz.) | 20 fluid ounces |
Liquid Capacity (L) | 0.59 liters |
Dimensions | 3.4 x 4.4 inches |
Weight | 7 ounces |
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How I use this stove. Cut off bottom of Campbell soup can to use as fuel tray( it will fit inside stove for transport)Have a MSR 475 ml pot REI number 401131. Esbit pot with 16 oz water, MSR pot with 16 oz water is going to be the lid. 2 fuel cubes on end should get Esbit pot to rolling boil in approximately 12 minutes. Once the bottom pot is boiling remove and place the MSR over the flames. Should already be warm and should get to a boil before the tablets run out. If not, use another fuel cube and extinguish when you get the water boiling so you can use it later. When I try this in a AVERAGE situation it works well. Will try and add pictures to demonstrate.
Tested at home. Single cube took 15 minutes till exhausted. Water was hot to the touch, good for disinfecting a surface for washing or for green tea. Est 165-180 degrees. But NOT for making water safe to drink. After adding second cube. At 22 min water was at a rolling boil and it was about 50% exhausted when checked. It might be less time then that. But we all know what happens to a watched pot.....
I need freshly cooked rice as a booster and this is perfect for cooking a cup of rice. Make sure to put rice in water to absorb enough water 30 min before cooking. One 14g Esbit solid fuel is enough. When flame goes away, rest it for 10 min for a thermal cooking.
I bought this based on reviews, price, weight, and ease of use. On all of those accounts, this is a great little stove. At 7200 feet on my first backpacking trip, it took more than one fuel cube to boil the 2 cups of water. However, the next round of water only took the one cube. I'm guessing because the cup was already warm. You have to boil/heat water in batches as the cup is small-ish, but enough to make a couple of cups of hot beverage or a dehydrated meal pouch. You just have to take turns! I think I will be needing to get something a bit more substantial to boil more water at once and/or perhaps a bit faster on longer trips.
Used this to boil water and melt snow during a National Ski Patrol Mountain Travel and Rescue Level 2 Course in the Adirondack High Peaks. I added a square of wood wrapped in foil as a base so it would not sink in the snow. I also added a wind screen made of doubled over tin foil. It boiled 2 cups of water (the amount for a standard Mountain House) using about a fuel tab and a half in temperatures around 0 degrees F. Simple: no parts to break, the fuel can't leak or freeze
Honestly it takes a bit longer but is way less temperamental/prone to breaking than a jet boil. There are no moving pieces and I even forgot the base once - no problem, stack some rocks into a little ring to rest the pot on. Cold weather? No problem - not a compressed gas so it does its thing. I started backpacking w/ this stove 8 years ago and it’s still going strong. I like that when my fuel cubes are spent, I don’t have to lug around and empty canister. Do I get made fun of by my friends who boil water 2x as fast? Yes. Do I need those extra 3-5min? Rarely
I bought this in addition to several other backpacking stoves - I LOVE how lightweight this is as well as how little space it takes up - easily my favorite stove now. Sure, I just use it to heat water mostly, but, my old Jetboil (which isn't that old) just gets no use - too bulky compared to this. I also have a woodburning stove (biolite) which is fine for car camping but too heavy and bulky to take backpacking. Yeah, the solid fuel does stink but I just wrap it in foil and the smell doesn't get into anything else in my pack. I use only a couple of the pellets for any one meal. Terrific!!!!!
I love using this when cooking just for myself when camping (not as well designed for meals with 2+ people). I discovered that you can fit one packet of ramen in this if you fill 3/4 full of water and then add the ramen when the fuel cube is about half burned. Great for heating up soups, tea, hot coco. I wouldn't use to cook pasta since other stoves are probably better in terms of size and fuel efficiency. Some flame does protrude out the vents so I always sit by this while I have it burning, as a safety precaution. I like to store this in my emergency kit when I'm not using it for camping. I love how the flame cavity piece fits inside pot, the handle folds, and 4+ fuel cubes fit inside if you want, so it gets pretty compact for easy packing and transport.
As long as you have patience, this stove is going to be the most reliable option. I do a lot of mountaineering in weather too cold for gas stoves to be reliable. It does take a full 12 minutes and entire fuel tab for the 16oz of water to come to a usable boil, but I can trust that it will work every time; just be sure to plan accordingly when deciding how many fuel tabs to pack and be realistic about how long it will take. No more guessing how much fuel is in a canister. I love this stove and it has become my go to. I highly suggest storing the fuel tabs in something smell proof if you can, they smell pretty rank when storing, but interestingly have zero odor or smoke when burning.
After exhausting myself deciding between a Jetboil or an uber lightweight option, I settled on this primarily because it packed small enough, fuel is available overseas and it didn't require me to purchase an additional pot or wind barrier. What I like: - It is indeed small and the base packs within itself - Base guards against wind fairly well - Conducts heat and boils water within adequate time - Boils two cups of water within one fuel block at 5,000 feet - Fuel blocks are tiny and light What I realize: You still need to block it from wind if you're in a windy area, like a mountain, and you would be smart – particularly in wind – to only use on flat sand or rock. As you can see in my photo, my first use was less than smart. What this meant was extreme vigilance to avoid any fire other than where it should be, and a tippy pot of bubbling water. All things obvious until you're really tired and hungry and just want hot water now. The rock I was behind did seem to block the wind adequately, but you'll need to set up your space before igniting as the pot heats up quickly enough you won't be able to touch it to relocate.