Gear Review

Backcountry kitchen gear

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

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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

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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

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.

3–The Coleman Exponent Apex II

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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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

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regulator located on the burner, simmering control is easy and precise. Stove ignition is straightforward with the aid of a fuel absorbent pad that reduces priming time and minimizes flare-ups. Like most multi-fuel stoves, the Nova works best with white gas. Although the stove is slightly noisy at its highest output setting, boiling water takes only three and a half minutes. The stove will work well in highly variable temperature and altitude ranges. With an all metal construction and a terrific collapsible design, it is quite stable and sturdy in use and compact in storage. Again, however, similar to the Primus Himalaya Omni-Fuel, the star plate on top of the burner is prone to dislodging if care is not taken. $169, BUSHTUKAH. 547 grams. White gas 2.5 hours.

5–MSR Alpine stainless steel cookset (pictured above) is sturdy, light enough and cleans easily. The pan sizes are about right for one or two nature seekers. The cookset’s simplistic design has a lid that doubles as a frying pan and a well-engineered pot gripper to move pots or pour. $45, BUSHTUKAH, 733 grams. 1.5L and 2L Pots, lid/fry pan, PanHandler ™ & stuff sack.

6–MSR BlackLight ™ Guide non-stick cookset is lightweight luxury that is

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super-easy to clean, stays put on the stove and heats evenly. In order to reduce weight for those who travel and cook for others, there is no frying pan,

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but the pots are large

enough 8 to do double duty. To ensure the non-stick coating’s longevity, use plastic utensils, heat pots slowly, and make sure when melting snow to add water first. $63, TRAILHEAD, 847 grams. 3L and 4L Pots, lid, shammy, PanHandler ™ & stuff sack.

7–Coleman Exponent Backpacker

stainless steel cook kit is more than just pots-n-pans; it contains small plates, sporks, and a bowl as well. The large pot uses a locking bail handle and the remainder of the set uses foldout handles that pack neatly and have no pot gripper to lose. $55, SCOUTS CANADA. 936 grams. 2 sporks, 2 - 14cm plates, 0.25L cup, 1L fry pan, 1L and 1.5L pots & stuff sack.

8–MEC Base Camp stainless steel cookset will handle the cooking duties of a large family. The bail handles will allow you to suspend the pots over a fire. For those who prefer not to use the bail handles, there is a pot gripper supplied. The pots are thick and could pass as home pots. $55, MEC. 1620 grams. 1.6L, 2.5L and 3.5L pots and 3 lids/fry pans & stuff sack.

9–Princeton Tec Aurora headlight is a full-featured, long-burning LED light that can be pointed up or down via a

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hinge. The light has three power settings; yes you guessed it, high, medium and low output. There is even a flashing option that is great for cycling in town or–gasp–for search and rescue. $54, TRAILHEAD. 3 AAA (included). 50 – 160 hours.

10–The Petzl Tikka is an LED minimalist lightweight headlight with a long battery life and durable plastic construction. The beam does not focus or move up or down, but for most types of camping that is not required. Accessing the battery compartment with cold hands can be difficult, but since you do not need to that for over 100 hours it’s no big deal. $38, BUSHTUKAH. 3 AAA (included). 150 hours.

11–The Princeton Tec Solo headlight allows the user to swap a brighter bulb with a longer- burning bulb and change the beam reflectors from narrow to wide. Although changing bulbs or beam patterns is not as convenient as turning a knob, it is fantastic to have that functionality. The hinged light allows the user to point the spotlight beam in a tight and bright beam directly where it’s needed. $50, SCOUTS CANADA. 2 AA (included). 2 - 8 Hours.

SO YOU NEED BACK COUNTRY KITCHEN GEAR?

HEAD OVER TO ANY OF THESE LOCAL OUTDOOR GEAR STORES. THEIR FRIENDLY STAFF WILL BE ABLE TO SET YOU UP WITH ALL THE GEAR YOU’LL NEED!