Choosing a Hanging Stove

As you may know from my earlier post, I recently got myself a Primus ETA Lite. Now why did I wish for that particular stove? To tell you the truth it was a close race between some very specialised ones. I wanted one for alpine- and bigwall climbing, and that already narrowed the field down to gas stoves well suited for hanging. For 1-2 people, a useable volume of 0.5 L is sufficient when boiling water, and 1 L when melting snow. When backpacking or in a basecamp for any length of time I would prefer a bigger pot and a stove suitable for liquid feed. Anyway, here are the contenders:

Jetboil SOL-AL, Jetboil Flash, MSR Reactor 1.0 L – and Primus ETA Lite.

In order to be able to compare stoves, like now, I have begun developing a scoring system. For the purpose of this comparison I show relevant parts in the table below. 

Scoring System

Score	Weight	Packed Volume	Internal Volume	Wind	Simmer Control	Hanging Kit	Adaptor
*	<500 g	<2.0 L	>0.5 L	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair
**	<400 g	<1.5 L	>1.0 L	Good	Good	Good	Good
***	<300 g	<1.0 L	>1.5 L	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent

Whereas weight is important for obvious reasons, among manufacturers there is less focus on the packed volume. To me it is as important as I don’t want too much bulk in my backpack. Some of the parameters are entirely subjective and some are difficult to evaluate. For example there is no standard for comparing wind resistance. Until such has been developed we will have to depend on hearsay :-)

Comparing the Stoves

Below are shown the dimensions and weights of the stoves as specified by the manufacturers. The external volumes were calculated based on the specified dimensions, and the usable volume is the maximum level recommended by the manufacturer or the maximum level indicated on the pot.

Dimensions and Weights (including hanging kits)

	Weight	Diameter	Height	Packed Volume	Internal Volume	Usable Volume
	g	cm	cm	L	L	L
Primus ETA Lite	355	10	15	1,18	0,75	0,5
Jetboil SOL-AL	354	10,4	16,5	1,40	0,80	0.5
Jetboil Flash	454	10,4	18	1,53	1,00	0.7
MSR Reactor 1.0 L	445	12	15,5	1,75	1.00	0.7

Wind Resistance

While the reactor is said to be notoriously stable in even the harshest of winds, the other two are lass so without being sensitive to wind.

Simmer Control

Some have found a way to make the Reactor simmer, however some care is needed, and it gets a small star for that reason. The other two simmers easily and gets three stars.

Hanging Kits

The Primus hanging kit is very elegant, as you just have to flip over the handle and tie on the supplied string. The MSR hanging kit is also nice as it is made from thin wire, which fit inside the pot. The Jetboil hanging kit on the other hand is made from wires and three aluminium rods, which do not fit inside the pot.

Adaptor
Even as these stoves are designed with the particular scope of fast and light travel and cooking they may have an adaptor making them some kind of suitable for normal cooking.

Using my scoring system on the above data and assessments leads to the scores shown in the table below.

Scores

	Weight	Packed Volume	Internal Volume	Wind	Simmer Control	Hanging Kit	Adaptor	Score
ETA Lite	**	**	*	**	***	***	*	15
SOL-AL	**	**	*	*	***	*	*	12
Flash	*	**	**	*	***	*	*	11
Reactor	*	*	**	***	*	**	-	10

The Reactor scores one * less in the external volume department as the handle makes it a bit less unhandy when squeezing it down a backpack.

Fuel Consumption

Comparing fuel consumption based on manufacturer statements is impossible because of lack of detailed data. The burners and heat exchangers from Primus and Jetboil looks alike, so presumably they are in the same ballpark. The MSR proprietary heating system and heat exchanger differ from any other on the market. The system is said to be hugely wind resistant but at the same time something of a fuel hog. The other two are said to be of average to good wind resistance and more economical with regard to fuel.

Summing Up

When comparing the reviewed hanging stoves, the Primus ETA Lite fits my purpose best.

Later I will post a detailed review of the Primus ETA Lite and possibly the MSR Reactor 1.0 L.

Cheers!