Prepare Now, Enjoy Later!

With another day of blustery conditions filled with hours of work, I did not have time to get out with my camera. Instead, I used some minutes to do a review of my backpacking/wilderness paddling gear. I suppose a person could say I am getting anxious for warm weather to return and it is only the first day of December.

One item in my backpack I am studying is my stove. To date I have been using my trusty MSR Whisperlite Stove. That stove has never failed me in all of the years (decades) I have used it. Hot, cold, wet, dry - the stove has always worked. So why am I wondering about it you might ask? Well, I have been watching YouTube videos showing the advantages of canister stoves over liquid fuel and now I am wondering…would I be happy switching to a canister stove?

A number of years ago a fellow offered to sell me a hardly-used Coleman Peak 1 stove for five dollars. I figured at that price I might as well take a chance and see what it could do in the field. Then I put the stove away and never really tested it. Now that we are in the “uncomfortable to be outside because of the wind” season, I thought tonight might be a good time to give it a burn. The stove appears to work fine from what I can tell.

Knowing I appear to have two working stoves, I have a few questions to answer:

• Ounce for ounce - including fuel canisters or fuel bottles, which stove weighs more - the Whisperlite or Peak 1. This would have to factor in how much white gas I would carry to burn the equivalent time of an ISO/Butane canister.

• Which stove brings a set amount of water to a rolling boil faster?

• Which stove has better simmering capabilities?

• Which stove works better in most challenging conditions (wind and rain)?

• Should I forgo both stoves and purchase a JetBoil stove? (have also had very good reviews)

You might be wondering if I am over-thinking this. Maybe I am. But, isn’t that what this season is for… to get ready for next spring, summer, and fall outdoor activity seasons? Prepare now, enjoy later!