So my folks got me the Trekmate flamess cooking system for the airplane for christmas. Have any of you guys used this? I seams realy cool. Here's the link: http://www.trekmates.co.uk/index.php?ro ... y&path=137

looks cool... but how do you make coffee with it... and can you heat or boil water to wash dishes ...

I read somewhere that you can make coffee with it. I sure hope so cause that's my vice We'll see about the boiling water. The small heat packs say they will reach 194* for 10+ minutes. It also comes with some larger heat packs that will hold the temp longer before starting to cool. I will give a PIREP after I use it.

Cool parents!

pack a small stove anyway...

pack a small stove anyway...

Agreed--nothing worse than having food that needs to be cooked, but nothing to cook with. Hard to beat an MSR, either a Whisperlite International, a Dragon Fly, or an XGK, all of which will burn avgas as well as just about any other liquid fuel. These stoves are about as reliable as they come.

I have an old XGK (they've changed the design since mine) which sounds a lot like a turbo-jet, but it heats water very fast. Its down-side is that the flame isn't adjustable--it's either all on or off. So I also have a Dragon Fly, which has an adjustable flame, which is really nice for simmering or to keep the coffee hot after the percolating is done. I carry 2 of the small MSR bottles filled with Coleman fuel to start, so I've never used avgas with either stove, other than to make sure they'd work on it, because the longest I've been camping is a week--2 bottles last the week with either stove. But if I should run out, a few ounces of avgas would get me cooking again.

Incidentally, both the Whisperlite International and the Dragon Fly say unleaded auto fuel as well as other fuels, nothing about avgas. I can't speak for the Whisperlite, but the Dragon Fly worked fine on avgas when I tried it.

Cary

Cary wrote:
Incidentally, both the Whisperlite International and the Dragon Fly say unleaded auto fuel as well as other fuels, nothing about avgas. I can't speak for the Whisperlite, but the Dragon Fly worked fine on avgas when I tried it.

Cary

I have a Whisperlite International and use Coleman white gas fuel. I just have one small fuel bottle and don't think I have used much more than half of it on 3 day trips. Have not tried Avgas with it yet. It is a great little stove, boils a pot of water quick!

Works great to heat water for those Mountain House meals you can find everywhere these days.

Most of the msr stoves will burn anything flammable, certainly avgas if you had to. I own an xgk-II and has performed flawlessly for two decades and 4 continents up to 18,000ft. Good kit those stoves.

I've used avgas in a MSR dragonfly; the lead plugs it up after a while plus breathing leaded fumes isn't a real great experience either. 100LL works in a pinch and I wouldn't hesitate to use it if I was in need, but otherwise, I'll stick with white gas where possible. I do notice it does much better on fresh white gas. I've tried other fuels like kerosene and alcohol, but they didn't make enough heat for my liking and changing jets is a PIA. In a pinch however it is certainly great to have the option. As always, YMMV.

Hard to beat JetBoil stoves for simple, light and compact. I stay REALLY basic when it comes to wilderness cooking, so no need for three burners

Coffee press a must, and coffee's ready in minutes with JetBoil.

MTV

mtv wrote:Hard to beat JetBoil stoves for simple, light and compact. I stay REALLY basic when it comes to wilderness cooking, so no need for three burners

Coffee press a must, and coffee's ready in minutes with JetBoil.

MTV

With JetBoil do you have to used prepackaged fuel cans or can you refill the fuel container? When I went shopping for a stove I didn't want to be tied to a prepackaged fuel container and wanted the option of multiple fuel types.

I looked at JetBoil and couldn't find one that used anything other than their canisters. Looking at their website just now, that still seems to be the case.

We went with MSR for that reason. We don't use anything other than white gas, but like being able to get that stuff cheap instead of being tied to propane canisters. As others have pointed out, in a pinch we could use other fuels. I have a hard time imagining when I would be in such a pinch, but I suppose it doesn't actually hurt to have that plan B.

I fly a Maule. If I am going camping for a week I take a 2000W Honda generator, hot plate, full size coffee pot, work light for the night party, Bose radio for iPod, and a 6 plug power strip so all my buds can charge. If I feel the need for my engine heater the genset will run that too.

1 or 2 nights I go light. Jet Boil, chair, and sleep in the plane.

G'Day

rw2 wrote:I looked at JetBoil and couldn't find one what used anything other than their canisters. Looking at their website just now, that still seems to be the case.

There are aftermarket canisters. I got some at Cabelas

G'Day

OregonMaule wrote:

rw2 wrote:I looked at JetBoil and couldn't find one what used anything other than their canisters. Looking at their website just now, that still seems to be the case.

There are aftermarket canisters. I got some at Cabelas

Yeah, sorry, I wasn't crisp. My objection was to consumable, bulky packaging like that required for propane. Not as much of a concern for airplane camping, but when we were deciding which system to get we were focused on backpacking.

But really, pretty much any system will be fine.

Like most people I'm not immune to justifying my decisions after I've made them. For example, I claim above that MSR was better from a bulk standpoint, but I regularly hump in a couple cans of comfort food (i.e. Dinty Moore Beef Stew) when I go off grid. So bulk can't be *that* much of a concern.

jetboil and other isobutane cannisters can be recycled - they sell a punch tool to ensure the cannisters are empty. I find the they really are no more bulky than a white gas fuel bottle - which needs to be transported separated from the fuel pump to prevent spills in an airplane. Starting is quicker and more reliable due to butane and no heat exchanger/carb/jet to deal with and a piezo-electric starter (push the button).

The best part about the jetboil is the pot attaches to the stove making it very stable. The second best part is the hanging kit which lets you suspend it from the wing (or portaledge for climbers).

I don't have a jetboil I have a snowpeak giga power titanium but a very similar setup -albeit less stable and lighter weight (and much cheaper).

soyAnarchisto wrote:Starting is quicker and more reliable due to butane and no heat exchanger/carb/jet to deal with and a piezo-electric starter (push the button).

Yeah, anyone reading this thread should look up how to start a white gas stove. Some people may well prefer the 'instant on' of a isobutane.

Here's how to run a jetboil.

I like the Jetboil. The efficiency of the system really makes those cylinders last a looong time. I've use the whisperlite for a couple decades now for longer trips. While I prefer the whisperlite as a liquid fuel stove for longer trips over 2-3 days, the Jetboil rocks on shorter trips (canisters take up more room) . I flatten the canisters when they run out when necessary.

So what to the JetBoil users think of actually trying to cook on one? Are they still pretty much dedicated to boiling water and if you want to make eggs, pancakes, stew or whatever you are out of luck?