GEAR REVIEW canister in your sleeping bag and cooking in short bursts, will keep the flames a burn’n if the mercury drops. $60, TRAILHEAD. 86 grams (stove only). MSR IsoPro gas canister 1-2 hours.
Backcountry kitchen gear
3–The Coleman Exponent Apex II
By Scott Shailer
FROM DAWN TO DUSK your kitchen is the gathering place to share thoughts with friends and family, and enjoy a warm meal too. With today’s technology there is no reason wilderness dining should not be like home but with a much, much better view. Included in this gear round-up are stoves to tenderly warm your feast, pots to harbour your meal’s contents and headlights to maintain a constant watch over meal preparation. Although each item listed in this review is of high quality, when purchasing you should seek out the advice of store personnel to ascertain which is best for you.
1–The Primus Himalaya Omni-Fuel
stove is the epitome of versatility. You can cook food with any petroleumbased liquid fuel available or a screw-on gas canister. With the gas flow regulator located on the burner, simmering control is easy, but the lowest flame can be unsteady. Stove ignition is simple using gas canisters, and with liquid fuel, the presence of an absorbent pad controls flare-ups and reduces priming time. While the stove can use any petroleum-based liquid fuel such as kerosene or diesel, the Himalaya Omni-fuel burns cleanest with white gas or canisters. Heat output is very high. Water boils in three minutes and the stove will work well in cold temperatures and at high altitude. The stove is quieter than some but certainly is not a whisper. With all metal construction and solid footing, it is robust and stable in use. Care must be taken, however, not to lose the star plate off the top of the burner. $129, MEC. 540 grams. Gas canister 2.8-5.6 hours (450g) / white gas 2.5 hours.
2–The MSR PocketRocket is one of the most compact and lightweight cookers on the market today. Remove the palm-sized stove from your pack and within four minutes you can have a 44
boiling pot of water. There is no pumping, no flare-up, no fuel spill and nothing to clean. One needs to stir delicately, but the PocketRocket’s
stove will make any backcountry chef blush with its wide ported burner and top-notch flame control that disperses heat evenly over a large area. Stove ignition is relatively fast with minimal flare-up. While the stove is designed for Coleman‚ Fuel (white gas), it will burn unleaded gasoline if you are in a bind. Heat output is rated as mediumhigh. It will boil water in four minutes and work well in very cold temperatures but may require priming paste in extreme cold temperatures. This stove is extremely quiet and will allow you to fully enjoy nature’s sounds of silence. The Apex II is bulkier than most, but fits inside a large set of pots to
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stability is no worse than other canister stoves. This stove effortlessly adjusts from rip-roaring full blast thru to a dull simmer in the absence of wind. On gustier days a very low simmer may be blown out but, on the bright side, it can be quickly restarted. One draw-back to canister stoves is that they do not perform well in cold temperatures. Some tricks, such as keeping the
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maximize space and minimize damage. $89.95. SCOUTS CANADA. 520 grams (stove only). Coleman‚ fuel 2 hours. 4–Optimus Nova Multifuel expedition grade stove will sauté mushrooms and onions anywhere in the world. You can prepare your next gastronomic adventure using any petroleum-based liquid fuel available. With the gas flow Ottawa Outdoors Fall
