When you spend any considerable amount of time in the outdoors, one thing that you definitely need is a good hiking stove. There’s no reason you cant suffice on cold food when you’re in the outdoors, but a hot meal is so much more satisfying. After a long day of trudging along a trail, a cold meal just does not come close to something hot. There’s the extra work of cooking, of course, but most people would agree that it’s worth it, and the first thing you need for that is a good hiking stove.
Hiking Stove
Features to look for when shopping for hiking stoves.- Fuel Source – There are a number of different fuel sources available to you when picking out a hiking stove. Liquid fuels and canisters are the two obvious choices, but there are also others, like alcohol and even wood, that are certainly viable options for those that know how to use them effectively.
- Weight – Stoves are one piece of hiking gear for which there is a great deal of variety in the weights available. You can find many hiking stoves that use the same fuel but are a fraction of the weight of other stoves, and when you have to carry that stove around, that extra weight matters.
Best Hiking Stove
Some of the better hiking stoves to choose from.- MSR Pocket Rocket - When it comes to canister stoves, you wont find many smaller or lighter than the Pocket Rocket. It weighs a very slim 3 ounces, or 85 grams, and is an incredibly popular choice with backpackers, campers and hikers who prefer to use canister stoves. It will burn for approximately 26 minutes with a 100 gram canister, and boils water in just under 4 minutes. A great choice for canister stoves.
- MSR SimmerLite Stove - If you prefer refillable liquid fuels to canisters, then the SimmerLite is an excellent choice. It works with white gas, and will go for 122 minutes, approximately, on 20 ounces of fuel. It will also boil water in about 3 minutes, so you can get to eating as quickly as possible. It also weighs just 8.5 ounces, or 240 grams, making it one of, if not the lightest liquid fuels stove out there.
- Vargo Titanium Hexagon - If you're camping somewhere with large amounts of wood then there's no reason to go dragging fire fuel with you. The Hexagon is actually a wood stove, designed for campers, backpackers and hikers. It's a hexagon of titanium that folds down to a small package when not in use. It's also tapered, so that the bottom of your pot, which sits on top of the Hexagon, is the concentration point for the generated heat. It also weighs a very respectable 4.1 ounces, or 116 grams, making it an excellent option for taking in to the outdoors.
