In the early days, camp cooking or socializing was done around campfires, but the leftovers or traces of campfires can pollute the environment. Hikers are better off using stoves for cooking. Even if you do make a campfire, keep it small — just enough to keep fellow hikers comfortable. You must wait until the fire is completely extinguished and the ashes have fully cooled before leaving. Use only deadwood or fallen trees, and never cut living trees or stumps. Stoves don’t pollute campsites or ruin the scenery. For a hiker, the importance of a hiking stove cannot be overstated. Let’s start with the fuel:
1. Fuel
Fuels for stoves can be mainly divided into three categories based on their chemical composition: A: Liquid gas: including methane, ethane, propane, butane, etc. B: Fuel oils: including White Gasoline, Coleman Fuel, Unleaded Gasoline, Kerosene. C: Alcohol: alcoholic compounds.
2. Stoves
Stoves are one of the essential tools for hikers, but the variety of stoves available on the market is vast. How do you choose the right one for you? Below are some of the most commonly used or previously used brands among general hikers, though I can’t guarantee availability — they’re provided for reference only. Let’s start with gas stoves.
3. Gas Stoves
Among all kinds of stoves, gas stoves are the most convenient and easiest to operate. Overall, there are several types, but some gas stoves use incompatible gas canisters, so we’ll also introduce the canisters:
A: EPI (UK-made): Gas canisters come in four types by weight, and the canisters are green. Hiker's Talk, Pioneering New Outdoor Culture
B: PRIMUS (Sweden-made): Gas canisters come in two types by weight, but some older PRIMUS stoves use a pierced canister, the same as older CAMPINGGAZ stoves, and they share the same canisters. The larger canisters are yellow, and the smaller ones are iron-gray.
C: CAMPINGGAZ (France-made): Gas is divided by function into two types (1) high-altitude use (2) lowland use, and by weight into two types each. There are also older models that use pierced canisters. Both old and new models have blue canisters.
D: ALPS (South Korea-made): One type of canister, blue in color.
E. MARKILL (Germany-made): No imported brand gas.
F. MSR REPIDFIRE (USA-made): This brand’s gas is not imported.
G. COLEMAN (USA-made): One type of canister, iron-gray in color.
For first-time stove buyers, I recommend getting a gas stove because it can be used as a personal stove or as an emergency stove for group gear. Most importantly, it’s easier to use and maintain. Among the brands, PI is the best, followed by PRIMUS, then COLEMAN, and CAMPINGGAZ as the last choice. Gas stoves are more convenient to use, but the fuel costs significantly more than vaporizing stoves.
4. Vaporizing Stoves
We’ve introduced gas stoves, which are convenient but consume more fuel. If your hiking experience is more mature and advanced, I suggest using a vaporizing stove — it saves money and improves your ability to handle hiking equipment.
COLMAN PEAK-1 (USA-made): Common models include 508, 440, 4000A. This is one of the most common brands.
MSR (USA-made): Common models include XGK-2, INTERNATIONAL WHISPERLITE-600. This is one of the other most common brands.
OPTIMUS (Sweden-made): Common models include 123, 8R, 111, 00. This is one of the third most common brands.
PHOEBUS (Austria-made): 725, 625.
747 (Taiwan-made): A copy of 725.
HIPOLITO (Portugal-made): Similar in shape to the 00 stove.
South Korea-made: Mostly kerosene stoves.
Mainland China-made: Mostly kerosene stoves.
Based on the vaporization principle of vaporizing stoves, they can be roughly divided into three systems according to their construction:
Cold-type: The main characteristic is that the fuel inside the stove body is vaporized under pressure. In terms of design, this is a more advanced approach. During combustion, there is less risk of explosion due to excessive pressure, and the temperature of the fuel in the pressurized bottle does not rise. As a result, the main body of the stove remains relatively cool. However, heat conduction is inevitable, so it still gets warm, but not excessively hot.
Hot-type: This type uses heat to cause the fuel to sublimate, generating pressure that vaporizes the fuel (somewhat similar to the principle of a siphon). In terms of design, it is an earlier concept with a simple principle. However, there is a risk of explosion due to excessive pressure, though reports of such incidents are rare. The only downside is that the fuel in the pressurized bottle gradually becomes hotter, eventually reaching a temperature that can be uncomfortably warm.
Hybrid cold & hot-type: This combines the principles of both cold and hot types. Typically, designs of this kind share a common feature—the fuel bottle is quite large and requires pressurization, otherwise the flame will not be strong. The stove also tends to get hot.