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Old 03-21-08, 01:06 PM
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Niles H.
eternalvoyage
 
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Fuel-efficient Stoves and Cookware

Using much less fuel per meal (or per day, per week, per trip, or per year) has its advantages. Lower cost; greater freedom, independence, and range; potential weight savings; fewer refuelings....

Primus has variously sized pots (2.1l, 1.7l, 1.0l) that come with integral heat exchangers. These pots can be used with many different stoves, not just with Primus stoves; and they are available separately. They allow dramatically improved fuel efficiency, compared to standard cookware.

Apparently, there are other pots with heat exchangers that can also be used in this way (Jetboil and MSR, for example). But the Primus pots look better (to some of us at least), and are at least as efficient.

Primus also make complete cooking systems. One of their latest is

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/primus/etapower-mf/

Primus EtaPower stoves have been compared with Jetboil and MSR Reactor stoves. They outperform the Jetboil stoves, both in fuel efficiency and in boil times. They outperform the MSR Reactor stoves in boil times. They equal or better the MSR Reactor stoves in fuel efficiency [according to some studies they are about equal in efficiency. At least one study puts the Primus stoves ahead (by 15-20%), compared to the Reactor, which itself is much more efficient than standard cooking systems].

Both the Jetboil systems and the MSR Reactor stoves have gotten Editors' Choice Awards, as have Primus Eta stoves. All of them seem to outperform most other stoves and cooking systems, by wide margins, in fuel efficiency and in boil times.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/ed...ower/925964364

There is a canister version of the Primus Eta (shown in this video). There is also a more compact and lightweight version (with smaller pot), and an even small and lighter version, and also a multi-fuel version (pictured above).

The titanium non-stick coatings get good reviews for durability.

Primus is a very old Swedish company with a lot of experience in the design of quality trekking stoves.

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These pots can also be used with a variety of other stoves, including alcohol stoves, to reduce boil times and increase efficiency. The heat exchangers capture much more of the heat. The heat that is wasted by most other cookware can be captured and used for cooking.

Last edited by Niles H.; 03-21-08 at 05:05 PM.
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