EISPIRATEN

Wifey and I took an overnighter to Weaver Lake/Jennie Lakes Wilderness in Sequoia a couple nights ago. We started at Big Meadow and did the 4 in and 4 out with relative convenience. I'd never been to Jennie before but it was wonderful, perfect conditions, and was a good degree of difficulty for the wifey with where she's at.

I've thrown some pics up on the ol' blog if you wanna check em. Also added a video. http://outdoorsincali.com/2012/08/30/8- ... king-trip/

Question... do the Western Sierras ever get afternoon storms like the Eastern side? It was clear skies for us the whole time.

Hey, Matt,

Looks like a nice trip. And you cooked your food in your windscreen? Dang. That's pretty good. One time when I forgot my pot, I cooked in my Sierra cup. What did REI say when you returned the stove? How did you like the Windpro? A bit of overkill (it's great in cold compared to a JB and it's good for big pots) for that kind of trip.

Hey, how did you get your old URL to forward to your new URL?

And how do you like your Sawyer squeeze (or gravity) filter? I've been hearing good things about them.

HJ

hey jim!

i agree, the windpro is a little bit overkill for 2 people on one night but working at rei, i get free rentals...plus i still have no idea where my jb is. grr. i really love the windpro. i've used it in several instances now, each time just for boiling water, and its been outstanding. water is boiling normally within 3 minutes or so give or take. the windscreen ended up working great as a makeshift pot for water and is malleable enough to be pounded back into its original form... so there was no problem returning it to rei-sb in good shape.

the sawyer squeeze is pretty solid. pros: super light, doesn't clog, easy to operate. only con is that its a bit slower than a pump filter like the kat hiker, but for a trip like this or day hikes, its awesome. the one caveat with it that i've found is filling up the included bags in a lake/still water setting. i'm not sure why but you can't just put the bag underwater and let it fill up. instead, you need to take it and create a shovel motion underwater, similar to underhand pitching a softball, but knowing this now, i like it much more i think i'll use my hiker more on trips when we're using hydration bladders and drinking lots of water, but the ss is excellent for what its supposed to do.

on wordpress, go to store>domains. you can forward things via this menu by selecting your primary site/the one you want to be known for. there's a thread on wp's site that may help you out: http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/i- ... ost-999738

in your humble opinion, what would be a great stove to go with if i cant find my jb? i like the remote cannister idea, isopro, lightweight, and primarily want to boil water, especially in higher altitude situations. any input and ideas are welcome, oh king of stoving!

MattCav wrote: ↑the sawyer squeeze ... i'm not sure why but you can't just put the bag underwater and let it fill up.

Weird. What's up with that?

I've read really good things about the Sawyer. In particular, they're supposed to filter at a much finer level than most, have good longevity, and are relatively easy to clean in the field. They're also far lighter than most.

MattCav wrote: ↑in your humble opinion, what would be a great stove to go with if i cant find my jb?

Well, it depends on what you want. In terms of canister gas stoves:

For colder weather (from about 50F down to about 0F), the MSR WindPro is a good choice. Since the WindPro is a) a remote canister stove and b) has a generator (pre heat loop), it can be run with the canister upside down. Because it can run with the canister upside down, a WindPro can run in temperatures about 20F lower than typical canister stoves. The WindPro is also, as the name indicates, much easier (and safer!) to shield from wind and handles big pots well. The down side is that the WindPro is more expensive, heavier, and bulkier than other stoves. I myself probably wouldn't buy a WindPro unless I were intending to do some colder trips, doing gourmet cooking, or cooking for larger groups (3 or more). The Primus Express Spider is a similar stove with similar characteristics. The Kovea Spider (KB-1109) is a lighter version of this class of stoves and I think shows great promise, but the Kovea Spider to my knowledge is not available in the US; you might be able to get a Kovea Spider on eBay. The Kovea Spider is my favorite stove of 2012.

For lightweight, the Snow Peak LiteMax (54g/1.9oz) is a favorite of mine. The new MSR MicroRocket (73g/2.6 oz) is also good and is quite compact. There are lighter gas stoves out there, like the Fire Maple FMS 116T (48g/1.7oz), but I find the 116T to be a bit bulky for what it is, and I think pot stability is somewhat lacking. The down side to these lightweight stoves is that they have no wind resistance and it's not safe to use a windscreen with them unless you really know what you're doing and are very careful. I've got an article on windscreens at Seattle Backpackers Magazine as well as a blog post on windscreens. A word of warning: DO NOT EVER LET THE GAS CANISTER OF YOUR STOVE GET HOT. They also have limited pot stability if you're doing real cooking or using a bigger pot.

For convenience, the Jetboil can't be beat, so I hope you find yours. The JB has a bit of built in wind resistance, but not as good as a WindPro's. The Jetboil is also really efficient; your gas goes a looong way. The downside is that the JB is heavy and bulky compared to other upright canister stoves. The new Jetboil Sol is a significant (I think) improvement over the first generation Jetboils in terms of both weight and bulk, but I would not recommend the Ti version of the Sol which only saves about one ounce in weight yet costs $30 more. The Ti version of the Sol has an aluminum heat exchanger with which there have been some melting problems reported. I wrote a review of the Jetboil Sol for Seattle Backpackers Magazine if you're interested.

For "bombproofness", the MSR Reactor can't be beat. If I were on a windswept plateau at 13,000 feet in a howling wind, I can't think of a stove I'd rather have. It's also blazing hot (which does eat up a lot of fuel if you run it full tilt), making it an excellent snow melter. The downsides of the Reactor are a) high fuel consumption (on high), b) poor simmer control, c) high cost, d) weight, and e) bulk. However, if you intend to go into extreme conditions, the Reactor is worth it.

For value, I really like the Snow Peak GigaPower GS-100. For $40.00 bucks, it's tough to beat unless you want to buy something direct from overseas. Yes, there are other stoves that you can buy for $40.00 or even less, but not of this quality. The GigaPower GS-100 is just an all around excellent design. Many consider the GigaPower GS-100 to be the "gold standard" of small, lightweight canister stoves, yet it is only $40.00. Any time a new canister stove comes my way, the first stove I compare it to is a GigaPower. The GigaPower is my benchmark for lightweight canister stoves.

HJ

thanks jim, i appreciate that. i hope i find my jb but if not, i think that snowpeak may be calling my name.

You're welcome, Matt. I fleshed this out and added some photos if you're interested. Have a look if you like: What's the best gas stove?

HJ

hey jim, that post was really helpful.
one more ? for you. gigapower versus soto od1r? still go with the giga, even for higher elevations?

MattCav wrote: ↑hey jim, that post was really helpful.
one more ? for you. gigapower versus soto od1r? still go with the giga, even for higher elevations?

Hi, Matt,

I like the OD1R. The ignition on it is really slick. The flame is nicely distributed which is an advantage if you want to do some real cooking. On the other hand, it's more expensive and doesn't fold up as well as the Gigapower, and the Gigapower has better pot stability.

I think it's probably a draw as far as altitude. I don't see that either stove would have an advantage. Were you thinking the regulator valve on the Soto might provide some advantage? I don't believe it would. A regulator valve can provide some cold weather advantage within a narrow range of temperatures if and only if said valve is coupled with a larger jet, but I don't see any advantage there with respect to elevation. In general, the higher you go, the better gas stoves work. The difference between the internal canister pressure and the outside pressure increases as you climb, giving you more power and better cold weather gas pressure.

HJ

thanks hj. i ended up getting a giga tonight. appreciate your advice as always, friend.

Nice trip report Mattcav, it sounds like you got quite creative cooking dinner, I guess thats all part of the necessary skills required when backpacking.

I must agree the Jennie Lakes Wilderness is beautiful, I've been to Jennie Lake and as I recall we hiked out of Stoney Creek TH, though we did not make it to Weaver Lake, maybe next time.

Thats an interesting question about afternoon storms on the East versus the West side of the Sierras, I don't know the answer, but, it does seem like the clouds congregate around the higher East side peaks more often.

Phil

thanks phil. i've added jennie from stony creek to my long list of sierra hikes to do. so many to explore.

MattCav wrote: ↑thanks hj. i ended up getting a giga tonight. appreciate your advice as always, friend.

Dude, the Giga is solid. It's not the lightest or the most sophisticated, but it's got such a nice well-rounded balance. They hit the sweet spot in terms of all the trade offs one can make in designing a stove -- and for $40. Most high end stoves are $60+. I think you'll like it.

Now, if you're a careful and meticulous person, you may want to try a windscreen with it. Yes, I know, "you're not supposed to use a windscreen with an upright canister stove." It says so in big letters with a skull and crossed bones on every stove sold in America. But if you know what you're doing and you're attentive, a windscreen is actually pretty safe. On the other hand, if you're the type that tends to zone out, a windscreen with an upright canister stove might be the very last mistake you make. So, with those caveats in mind, check out my article in Seattle Backpackers Magazine: Windscreens for Canister Stoves.

HJ

great article jim, very helpful.

Cool. 8)

HJ