Why I ditched my heavy Coleman stove after a talk with a guy on the PCT

I was at a campground near Asheville last weekend and met this guy who had hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. He told me he uses a little alcohol stove that weighs almost nothing, and I laughed at first because I thought it'd be too slow. But he showed me how he boils water in under 6 minutes with just a windscreen and a soda can setup, and it hit me how much gear I lug around for no reason. My old stove weighs like 3 pounds and I only ever use it for boiling water anyway, so why am I carrying that extra weight? Has anyone else switched to a lighter setup and regretted it or loved it?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylan_thompson1mo ago

...and that's sort of what happened to me but in reverse. I went ultra-light, got a titanium pot and a little alcohol stove, and yeah it boils water fast but the first time I tried to actually cook something in it I realized my mistake. You can't simmer with those things unless you're really careful and even then it's more like a slow boil. I tried to make rice and it was either burnt or crunchy. So now I carry a tiny isobutane stove that weighs maybe 10 ounces and it's a good middle ground. I can boil water quick or actually cook a meal when I want to. That 3 pound Coleman is definitely overkill unless you're feeding a family but I get why people hold onto them.

claireo671mo ago

Man, I was totally in the same boat until pretty recently. I always figured a big old stove meant you were serious about camping, but after reading this and a few other stories I started questioning why I carry all that weight for just boiling water. Now I'm thinking about making the switch myself, maybe starting with something small to test it out.