£70 or £7 Camping stove?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video I see how a budget camping stove which cost me £7 compares against the premium MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe stove which costs around £70. I compare boil times as well as which is the most efficient camp stove when it comes to gas usage.
Links to all the stoves mentioned are here
Budget camping stove amzn.to/3ehLzXK
MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe amzn.to/3RoWr4w
I recommend the
Soto Windmaster Stove amzn.to/3CKjCCl
and the
MSR Pocket Rocket 2 amzn.to/3AJm0Xv
Check out Luke's video for a great review of the Soto Windmaster
Link to the gear I use can be found here (more gear added every week)
www.messner.co.uk/my-kit-list
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#wildcamping #camping #backpacking - บันเทิง
Loved the video Paul. Ultimately, sometimes, we obsess about speed these things cook. Reality is what justifies such speed? We are camping. We arent going anywhere. Shaving 1min and 40 seconds....really? We dont go wild camping to shave 1min and 40 seconds of our time.....we dont go wild camping to save time period....its about stretching out time, enjoying the moment and its surroundings.
I tend to agree. I have time at my campsite after setting up, and propping my feet up. Just to sit and watch the breeze move the trees. Appreciate the video to the Newlywed
Same here. I got the cheapo one here as part of a whole set including pots and cutlery. The gas can and stove fit in the pots which go into its own mesh bag. Same with the regulator; the cheap one doesnt have it but all it means is i have to open the valve more when gas is low, to get the same amount of heat. I will say that the build quality are not great. I'd recommend them for people on a budget or newbies getting into camping like i was when i purchased this. For someone who camps a lot, may want to spend a bit more for reliability. Or just buy 10 of the cheapo stoves ;)
just in gas difference you get an extra 3 boils out of a 100g canister we also didnt get to see the performance when the pressure in the can wasn't as high since there is no pressure regulator
On the other hand, on a through hike at the end of the day, you want to be done with your evening chores and get horizontal as soon as possible. The minute and 40 seconds can seem like forever when you’re beat and hurt. That was my experience on my AT through hike attempt this year.
@@daveonahike5561 really
To be fair, £7 back in 2019 has the equivalent spending power of £90 in 2022, or one hour of having your heating on.
😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
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I've worked it out and it's only £83.27. You shouldn't exaggerate.
The best outdoor gear reviewer on TH-cam full stop. ⛺️👍
In my experience, the build quality on these super-cheap stoves varies a lot. Some examples are good, some are ... crap. So if you are lucky, you get a good one that will work fine for many years. On the big brands you can expect all examples to be more or less the same quality.
Paul, good video - worth noting however, a regulator only maintains a constant pressure, it can do nothing to increase it. So if the canister is, say, 50 PSI, the the MSR “micro regulator” can maintain, for example, a constant 40 PSI, but only as long as the canister is above that value. The other property is flow-rate, the cheaper Amazon one has a simple tap that controls this (just like on your bathroom sink). But a tap set to half-open on a canister at 50 PSI is allowing a lot more gas to flow than if the canister was at 40 PSI. That is to say, the “half-open” tap will be delivering different amounts of fuel depending on the pressure inside the canister. The MSR’s regulator will always deliver the same fuel flow rate for a given setting, irrespective of how much pressure there is in the canister. In practice, this is not really that much of a benefit; the reason the MSR performs better is to do with the surface area of the flame, and distance the flame is from the bottom of the cup, I.e. the MSR likely has a bigger flame surface area and is closer to the cup, making it more efficient at transferring heat.
If you want to be more scientific/ accurate in your assessments of things like this, then give me a shout, I’d be more than happy to help. On the other hand, I completely appreciate that your channel is not about being a science lesson, and the overall results are still the key information that anyone is interested in (I.e. MSR costs more but boils water faster and for slightly less gas).
Keep the videos coming 👍
Thank you for articulating scientifically what my experiences have taught me. I tried a few brands when I was in the military yet have stuck to Jetboil for over 15 year’s. Current one is over 10 year’s old. It has a consistent flow, boil and cooking rate and can withstand tough as hell weather conditions. I hope Paul reach’s out for you, your information was fantastic.
This was actually quite helpful for me, I appreciate it - thank you.
I bought the budget one Paul and it works great with my Stanley pot, love it
Love these videos Paul. Fair and transparent. A great science experiment 👌
I have both stoves.... i bought the really cheap one when i first started and its been pretty reliable ... however with such a small burner area and unregulated gas pressure have found the food burning on the bottom of the pot so simmering is a pain and you have to keep stirring the food. For boiling water the its been great.... thanks for the comparison on these two stoves you really did cover the pros and cons 👍👍
I've been using my trusty Trangia for the past 20 years, and it's STILL going strong, Paul!!!!!!!
The best stove I have ever used is the Soto windmaster. Very nice flame throw to cook on so no major hot spot. For just boiling water going lightweight on a hike/bikepacking trip I take my cheapo £5 BRS copy and only weighs 23g. That is only good for boiling water though, terrible for cooking
I don’t like my BRS at all. Maybe I got a dud. I know lots of folk swear by them
@@PaulMessner yeah tbh it is only good if I go on a day hike and boil 1 brew, otherwise the windmaster goes with me everywhere.
I have heard of some BRS ones failing, I have been lucky as mine is a cheapo chinese copy
I'll do a +1 for the Windmaster! best gas stove i've ever used and when combined with the MSR Lowdown, flipping (well not anymore, hahahahaha) neigh on unbeatable! Well, apart from on price anyway! ; )
As for the BRS, I'm pretty sure they are just a rebranded generic chinese model, no difference to the others from the swamp at all, apart from maybe first dibs! And I reckon they'll conk out at least 5x more often than a decent stove!
Good video. As someone who has never camped but planning on taking off on a motorcycle tour and camping this is actually really handy to know. Thanks 👍🏻
I will say, when out on my last alpine trip in Chamonix . I carried my Jetboil flash and one of these £7 stoves for emergency use. The Flash refused to ignite and was burner inefficiently . I resorted to the £7 stove and I can say it allowed us to cook, make tea and melt snow very efficiently when twined with a small wall of snow to stave off wind
Just boiled water for my pot noodle and cup of tea with my Soto Amicus camped on the cliff tops! Brilliant stove a burner head similar to MSR PR deluxe and four folding arms. It's like 20 odd quid, one of the best things I bought in my kit
Thanks for the video. Entry cost shouldn't stop someone getting to enjoy the outdoors. I've started as many have with the cheap and cheerful, they work (most of the year)!
I really rate the Soto Windmaster, for 500ml takes 2 minutes to boil with no lid on and costs around £42. The big advantage for me is not on gas saved but time to boil water for a few people. Can get 6 people with a coffee/hot choc 300ml cups in their hands within 6 minutes (lid on) then chill with a drink in hand.
Superb when taken to the beach with kids/ other people as have done a good number of times. I'm still blown away.
The rest of the time on your own, you get the benefit that you already have it. By the time you prepare your mug and blink hot water is ready for your drink.
Performs better than most also in cold temperature and when gas tank is low. Its a little heavier than others, especially the brs's out there. Pros and cons to suit each one.
Love my PR2 Deluxe. It's been rock solid for us on every camping trip so far. Cheaper options however work great for boiling water. Thanks for sharing!
Great comparison, thank you for making this film, much appreciated.
Great video, thankyou! So glad I found your channel, I wish more people were so on the point as you. As a very casual camper I now feel my cheaper one will be asbolutely fine
Thank you for this review Paul!
Good informative video paul im new to this malarky so its good to get as much info as possible regarding kit etc thanks
Keep this good work up bro. You are still the best.
Nice video. Good advice. I like my MSR and Soto Windmaster stoves. They last for years too.
Another good video Paul. I have a few stoves, but my favorite is the Soto Windmaster. I also wish it had the pop up supports. Maybe someday they'll redesign that. Meanwhile, one strong benefit (for me), that not many people mention, is the four wide supports rather than three. I won't use tri-supports anymore. It's just too tippy and I got tired of pot/skillet spills. The Windmaster is nice and spread out. Cheers from the Hudson Valley, NY USA.
A nice honest review. Thanks Paul. 👍
Excellent video Paul.
Nice one Paul, good video, keep 'em coming
Good comparison, Paul. This info is useful to us all, especially to those of us who go out in very cold weather for a few days.
Brilliant informational content. Thank you.
Thanks, Paul. Reliability and dependability over the long term would also make a difference with decision making. Thanks again 👍
Brilliant Content Paul!
Thanks Paul. I just bought a new stove this week from Decathalon for £30, and I was beating myself up a bit thinking that the cheap Amazon stoves would have sufficed. But after seeing the cheaper one perform in the video, I think spending just a bit extra for sturdiness and efficiency was worth it. Especially with the cold weather around the corner. Keep up the great work!
There is a trick to get a better flam of the canisters in cold weather it to heat them or pick the right gas.
The gas in most of the container are primary Butane and it boils at 0C so you get no gas just liquid if it is colder and slower evaporation if it is a bit above that. There will be some propane in most container, around 25%. It boils at -42C. So you can burn it, the flam will be smaller and you will run out of quite quickly.
Some canister will replace some or all Butane with Iso-Butane that boils at -12 C So it can be a good idea to carefully look at what canister you use in the cold, so use the cheaper with Butaner when it is warm and the a bit more expensive with lots of Iso-Butane when it get colder can be a good idea.
There are adapter so you can use stoves like this in pure propane canisters, the drawback is they are heavier because the need o be able to handle higher internal pressure in warm weather.
So if you can heat it with just your body before you use it it will function a lot better. Put it inside you jacket an appropriate time before you intend to use them and you heat them up
Another way is to use water, If you can heat some water when it do not burn efficiently and use it heat the rest of the gas. Put the canister warmer
I bought the cheap stove in Thailand, costing me £3 amazing. I works very well,7 months and still going strong, love it 👍
I much prefer my mini Trangia - the time it takes to boil water is not an issue to me. What is a couple of minutes? A chance to pause and reflect for me.
The place you made the test, the stone bench or whatever it is, looks really great. 👍👍
Dude, love your office.
Bought a fire maple titanium stove off Ali Express over 6 years old still going strong. Cost approx aud$50.
Great buy.
Solid balanced review... Cheers
I’ve got the cheap one. Used it loads of times in cold weather windy weather damp weather never failed me.Ive using mine at minus 5 to 6 years. Absolutely perfect
Great video. Honest reviews are what’s needed to make informed decisions. I still love my Amicus though, I keep toying with the idea of a Windmaster, just cant seem to justify it.
Very helpful thanks
Excellent vid for showing off your wedding ring, Paul!
Nice little analysis there, I was suprised how big the difference was actually. I think the biggest factor with stoves is less about efficiency and more about reliability. If you're halfway into a 5-day hiking trip and your stove packs up, a saving of £20 is going to feel like a sick joke. I think the MSR pocket rocket 2 is the perfect balance of reliability and cost. I can personally attest to having used mine a lot and abusing it a fair bit and it has never let me down. Recenty I didn't dry it properly after a trip (think some coffee dregs must have leaked into the bag) and when I took it out on my next camp it was covered in mould and corroded horribly around the valve with that crusty while aluminium oxide. Thought it was done for but I just blew into it, rinsed it in the loch and it fired up perfectly without me even drying it! I wouldn't expect that from a cheap stove. I think stoves are a bit like sunglasses though where spending a little bit more gets you a lot but any more than that starts to have diminishing returns.
Thanks Paul great comparison. I aways wondered how a regulator can give more pressure when the pressure is low.
Cheers
Phill
I bought 2 of those for 99p each when I first started. To this day they are both still spot on and give out a right punch.
It's just a butane torch tip and a twist valve. Should last forever and how much better can you make that.
Pricey might be sturdier or 10g lighter....wooooo
The question is, which stove can I buy to get you a bit of a seller's commission. You have a wife to support now, mate
My brother give me his pocket rocket 2 stove 2 years ago and still got it he's moved to Canada pocket rocket 2 is still going, thanks for a great video 👍
It’s the old school pocket 🚀 for me Paul ☺️🙌
Thank you information good job brother 👍
Great review Paul. Made me laugh when you rolled up the sachet to stir your drink. I'm a nurse, and we call that a psychiatric nurse spoon. 😂
I use the little BRS stove. It weighs less than an ounce and costs less than £12 and it boils a half litre in under 5 minutes (less with a windshield but that adds weight). It doesn't have a regulator but I've used it around freezing with a winter propane gas canister and it was fine, if about 50% slower (but still much faster than my spirit burner!) Combining it with my titanium pot with built-in heat-exchanger trims another 20% off the boil time but adds the weight of the exchanger... You pays your money and takes your choice...
Good side by side review
Cool Video
Hope your doing well Paul!! Rock on
I have two of the cheap ones. Love them.
Most of all, I love how we all just spent 8 minutes watching a video about maybe saving 1 minute.
I use a budget stove, the JobsworthX2 and its never skipped a beat. Biugh6 back in 2018, i just cant justify spending so much on a jet boil. Sod the Hierarche of expensive gear. Hahah.
Love the vids Paul. Honest and straight to the point. bBought a few pieces of my kit from your vid reviews and recommendations.
Soto all the way for me. Reason being, I own one and it cost money, so I'm intending to get value from it. It's a replacement for a BSR which I didn't trust to not let me down, which is in turn a replacement for a no name Chinese remote canister stove bought for fifteen quid twenty(?) years ago. That still works just fine and is my go to if the power ever goes out!
I made my own at work and it works way better than the £70 one
Great video and content as always. I've been using the Coleman F1 lite for 6 years now!! It's out at least twice a week to make a brew somewhere in countryside either on foot or bike.
77g great power, reasonable performance without a wind shield, although I use a optimus clip on canister Wind Shield. It's a two part stove, can be a faff with cold fingers, it's been reliable and abused, and you can pick these up for silly money £12.99 or less.
Great comparison video, just goes to show that you needn't spend a fortune on all the top gear when starting out.
Personally I fell in love with Trangia while i was on an outward bound course near ullswater back in 1986
Thanks. I have, as have most, regretted not taking a windshield with me with those cheap stoves. I've also been in the situation where it point blank refused to boil the water. I now have a little titanium roll-up windshield which makes such a massive difference to boil times, but find myself massively grateful when I bought the Pocket Rocket 2. I think it does go through more gas "per minute", but in the long run you save gas because it also takes less minutes to boil the same amount of water.
I've had one of those cheap stoves for a couple of years and found it to be fine for me, though I do use an optimus clip on windshield. cheers Paul, take care 👍 🙂
Nice one Paul 👍 I think somewhere inbetween is the best option for quality and cost cheers mate 👍 👌
Great video! Also interesting to note that pretty much all bacteria and nasties actually die at a temperature *before* water boils, it’s just easy for us humans to use boiling point and bubbling water as an easy marker otherwise we’d always need to carry a thermometer! So the little £7 stove will likely *always* do the job!
Multiple studies show that heating water to even just 72 Celsius for about 1 minute will destroy almost all infectious nasties, or even as low as 62 Celsius if kept at that temp for about 2 minutes! Very interesting to read into, especially when you think of the price differences for stoves with that fast boil time… When boiling the water isn’t even *technically* needed at all!
I've got tye decathlon one as always it's cracking value for money, I've been very happy with performance of it and it doesn't break the bank
Ive used a few cheaper stoves over the years and I didn't notice a huge difference. I mostly use MSR or Primus and never had a problem whereas ive had some cheaper ones start to fall apart on me and when up Kinder Scout and need to boil water I want reliable :)
I agree. My pocket rocket 2 is ages old and still never misses a beat, whereas i have a BRS stove that is now all loose and a bit bent
2 years of wild camping with the same £10 stove. Can stabiliser and wind block are huge helps. The Jet Boil Chinese copies are good too.
The regulators help with cold, as mentioned, but also in high altitude. Worth the investment for flexibility I think, but I love in the mountains lol. Agreed that windmaster is the current king!
I have both of these stoves and I recently tested both using maximum and minimum flame on a nearly full canister and a nearly empty one. The budget stove is extremely close in efficiency in the ideal conditions of my kitchen at sea level.
I suspect that in windy and cold conditions and high altitude that the difference will be more significant in favor of the pocket rocket deluxe but most aren't doing that often
Longevity and build quality should also be a key consideration
Normally when camping, I use a regular Trangia. Takes time but, hey; I’m relaxed.
Nice video. As I am the camping beginner, last year I bought this cheap stove. Used so far only in summer conditions and was good enough for me. I realise it is not the best piece of equpiment but makes the job, so far :)
When I was in catterick for training I bought a JetBoil which was the best bit of kit I ever owned, served me well for ages, then got deployed to Iraq and within three days I’d landed hard on my daysack and crushed it completely. RIP jetboil 😁
Agreed...well done sir . these stoves are decent but that price tag is crazy........applies to loads of stuff on the market just now . I have a couple of Berghaus jackets which are great , and peform well in most conditions . I also have an old Regatta jacket that i have used and abused ( shooting /snaring ,fishing etc ) for close on 12 years...........and it is STILL unbroken .
Glad you did that vid, need a second burner just to back up my Trangia kit, also have you any experience with the wood stoves like the bush box? Would be intrested to know what you think?..👍
..cool video keep up the great content.. Thank you…
Cheap one for Summer. MSR for Winter. Win win!
Here's me still using the same Trangia knock off I bought for a tenner 30 years ago 😁
Good review Paul. I bought a cheap one a while ago after one of your earlier reviews, it cost £8 and has really lasted the course, okay it's a wee bit slower, but it's never failed to make a hot cuppa for myself and the guys in the field with me. At £8 if it breaks, I'll throw it away and buy a new one.
As an audiophile I know that sometimes you have to spend big money to get just a small incremental performance in sound quality. In my younger days I saved up to get that better quality. Now I am very satisfied with the fact that I can still hear and enjoy music. I have a friend who would rather wait months waiting for something that he really wants to go on sale rather than buy a similar budget item. I have both of the stoves you compare in this video. The budget stove gets used while the MSR sits in my 'collection'.
I use a trangia for only one reason, it's quiet.
SOTO Windmaster every time. Nothing can beat it for price & performance. It beats Jetboils by a fair way, so it's gonna beat everything else.
I have two, & that's all I'm ever gonna need. Simples.
For the last 20yrs I have used a cheap Chinese msr style knock off, never let down.
I have both a cheapo stove, I bought a few years ago too, as well as a MSR Pocket Rocket. I decided that on multi-day hikes I just couldn’t leave my ability to cook food to fate, so I now choose to take the MSR with me.
In very cold conditions, store the gas cannister inside your coat to keep it warm.
Does anyone know at which valve position these stoves run the most efficient? Boil times and gad consumption for low/medium/large flame would be really interesting.
A word on the micro regulators: these do NOT increase the total power of the stove. They are a complete convenience feature because they only save you opening the valve manually when the pressure drops. So instead of opening the valve further manually to keep the flame size constant, the regulator takes care of that. Is that a feature I would pay for? No way. The only scenario where that would be useful is when you want a constant simmer while using a near empty or cold canister. But who does that? That's why I love stoves with a hose connector where you can put the canister closer to the flame to keep it warm or heat it up with your hands or invert it for liquid gas feed.
Check out Gear Skeptic’s video on Backcountry Water Pasteurization. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing start at 22:00 minute mark. He goes over very low, low, medium and high flame. Good luck & enjoy the video.
@@waxler2 awesome thanks!
Multifuel for the winter - edelrid hexon. In Summer I prefer an alcohols stove. For two people, the Trangia 27 or solo, the 30ml speedster.
I have to confess to being a stove freak but do not own an MSR. My first stove was a camping gaz globetrotter. Very good in the wind, then I had a svea and an optimus rider as I did a lot of winter mountaineering back in the day. I do like my optimus crux and bought a soto in May that I leave at my sisters so I don't need to carry a stove on a flight.
Trouble is that the price of gas canisters is getting ridiculous but I can get bio ethanol or meths easily.
Paul I have spent heaps on stoves. traveled RTW on motorcycle found best stove to be Heximine Army stove less chance of breaking down.
Greetings from Northern California. Interesting video Paul. My version of the cheaper stove was called the Aotu from American Amazon at about $12 American dollars. It looks just like your cheaper stove. The igniter didn’t work and I noticed the flame actually lifts off the top of the burner at full throttle which doesn’t inspire confidence in the quality of the stove as it never happens with my Windmaster. But the Aotu would be OK for the budget minded casual hiker.who only uses it once in a blue moon.
Excellent Paul.
Cheap n’ cheerful for me 🤣
Seriously as you said at the end, if you’re hardcore outdoors in winter like you are, it may be a necessary evil, otherwise not.
I use an £8 one with hose to the gas can
I sleep with the butane can on cold days...so cold gas doesn't bother me.
I wind shield it with a bottomless tuna can with 4 slits...and the stove/pot becomes sturdy. I cook breakfast with a regular tuna can upside down and four slits...it spreads and slows the heat...no center scorch.
I also carry a few oz of alcohol fir the same tuna can if i want to alch cook.
All still fits inside the coffee cup.
Great video! I f you use the burner 50-100 times a year, how long would the cheap one last? I have used Primus camping stoves for more than two decades now. And I'm out kayaking and hiking +100 days/year, that will be a lot of use of the stoves. I have had problems with them but the service from Primus is excellent! And that is part of the price you are paying for these expensive brands, the support you get, and that you need it less often as the quality is better.
Thanks Paul, excellent as always. All these stoves will change hands at £100 a hit once the Government starts power cuts…
I have one of those cheap stoves. The platform is a bit small but apart from that it works well. Good control of gas flow, no problem with the threads or anything.
Apart from being cheap, it fits into a large mug even in it’s box and in a small cooking pot I can carry it with a 110gr gas canister, spork, silicone cup etc.
The extra distance from the pot bottom could be alleviated with a bit of fettling with a file. Probably a bit flimsy but if you look after it then it shouldn’t be an issue.
Can’t really fault it. Especially for the price.
The cheap one has given reliable service for years on the Puckapunyal Range on many a chocko weekends. 🇦🇺👍🍺
Can you test primus summer and wintergas, would be interesting, thxs and cheers 👍
Yes, that would be of great interest..
I have some of those cheap stoves, they do the job for boiling water just fine. If you actually want to cook real food; my PocketRocket 2 is great for being able to regulate the flame. To me, the PR2 uses less fuel to boil water. I did recently buy the Optimus clip-on windshield, I still have to test it out.
Paul could I ask what you using to make your videos? Is it GoPro 10 with Rode microphone or some bigger camera?
Quality seems great and im wondering myself what to get for my few days trip or longer to document. Ive got Fuji xs10 but its a bit too big to carry etc.
Regards
Doesn't seem to be available in the US, but there's the AOTU stove that looks similar, for about $14.
Soto Windmaster for me, a bit like the pocket rocket and my first choice stove.
Coleman 533, thank you.
I think stoves are one area the higher price is not always better. I know this from buying jetboil and not liking it. I now have £20 stove which is 30 seconds longer to boil than jetboil at 5 times the price and more stable as it sit low to flow with a tail to gas canister.