Winter Camping Canister Stove Test - Budget Fire Maple Blade 2 vs Premium MSR WindPro 2
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- A stove review.
Check out the MSR WindPro 2 stove geni.us/PPTwt0d
Connect with me: / kane_does_outdoors
#backpacking #hiking #wildcamping #ultralightbackpacking #gear #fastpacking
UPDATE: Vince (the owner of this stove) pointed out to me that Fire Maple does indeed claim that the Blade 2 stove can run in inverted canister mode. There is a diagram on their website showing this option.
I made two critical (and amateur) mistakes with this stove… The first, this was my first time using this stove and I didn’t test it before heading to the backcountry for my overnight. Had I done so, I would have brought my MSR Dragonfly.
Second, I significantly underestimated my fuel requirements. I took out a single 110 canister and used all of it just boiling water for one meal, 1.5 litres water (3 hot chocolate) and 1L for my Nalgene sleep heater. Admittedly, I was ignorant to the realities of how sub-freezing temperatures impact fuel usage… and when the temp dropped beyond the expected -15ºC to -20ºC, well… you know, it was worse.
On the positive side, I was only out for one night and the overall impact was minimal. Lessons learned.
Thanks for the review, Kane, along with all the other shared wisdom.
Ime I wouid recommend a liquid stove 100% for those conditions!!
You won’t regret it.
Godspeed.
🫡🫡
Nice review
I have been using this stove for years
Excellent performance
with a really sensitive simmer control
I use it with a Fire Maple 1 liter heat exchange pot
And cook real food like lentils and rice
At the simmer it uses almost no fuel
I would highly recommend it and I carry it on my multi day trips
Test it well for sub zero
Never flipped the can
Never heard to invert the can
Turns out they actually have a diagram showing inverted mode on the website. But yes works well with the can upright.
The reason I bought the Fire Maple Blade 2 was because I saw it as a less expensive option to the MSR. You are right, the Fire Blade 2 is very misleading as they show it inverted on their website. Another great review Kane, thanks for sharing. 🙏🏼
I used the Optimus Vega last winter instead of my MSR Whisperlite. It never got very cold last winter during our camping trips, but it was fine at -10°c.
It wasn't cheap but it is designed to run inverted.
I put Optimus and Primus in the same category as MSR. Proven, reliable gear. I haven't used the Vega but have heard that it's a solid performer.
I experience sputtering with my Blade 2 as well. Having said that, I did not see that as an issue with performance. Can you say why you feel sputtering is a bad thing. Thanks for your video
The notion of back-pressure that I can feel in the fuel canister is a red flag. Points towards a bad design that I don't want to depend on.
I just use Blade 2 stove recently in -10C and I have the same experience: 1. sputtering when inverted. It was concerning at first but it worked fine with extended snow melting. 2. I used a windshield around the stove and did smell plastic after I turn the stove off. Overall it worked ok, but I might have to look for a different stove.
Sketchy - no thanks 🤣
@@KaneDoesOutdoors totally, it’s serviceable but feels a little sketchy especially when used in vestibule. I’m going to check out Kovea Spider for next snow camping.
Yep... mine sputters and spits in inverted mode. I read somewhere you can disassemble it and put a thick guitar string in the preheat tube so that it lowers the flow through the tube and that will remedy it but as far as i can tell, i have no idea how to take it apart and put it back together.
Well it seems to me that a lot of the higher end stoves have more of the preheat tube surface area against the flame but the Fire Maple just has a curve, maybe not enough to heat the fuel to a gas in cold temps. Mine did the same out in the field. The stove did well down to single digits Fahrenheit if I recall but there’s obviously a time when it doesn’t turn upside down and perform when needed. I’ll run mine for a bit this winter and see. Thank you
Be sure to come back to this thread and report your observations. I’ll likely sell this stove and rely on my MSR Dragonfly for winter camping.
Was the valve wide open when you inverted it? The Kovea Spider can react similarly when inverting the canister, and the sputtering goes away when closing the valve a bit. Keep in mind there's a huge change in the amount of fuel coming through when you switch from gaseous form in upright mode to liquid in inverted mode, so even closing down the valve once inverted the stove is still burning as much or more fuel than when it's upright and wide open. It's interesting that the WindPro doesn’t react the same way.
I can't remember exactly but played around with it just enough to not be confident is trusting this stove to a challenging trip.
Ok, I just tried out mine. The fluttering is the same if inverted a full 90°. However if I only do about 45° inverted, it doesn't flutter at all. I timed it for 3 minutes at 45°. Is 45° still considered inverted?
i found that my soto wind master works better then the blade 2 at around 20 F .... i would save up and get the whisperlite, it can end your trip quickly in the winter when your stove can;t boil water ...
Gear needs to be reliable in the winter. Failures are no joke - Forget about boiling water, what if you need to melt snow?
Surprised it didn't work that well just below freezing, most canister stoves hit the wall at 10F, but they will slow down if they cool too much as the fuel vaporizes leaving the can.
Interesting video. I was thinking about getting the windpro a few years ago but found that my Soto Windmaster works well even in winter. I haven't used it bellow -14C yet but so far so good. Have you used the windmaster?
I haven't used the windmaster but have only heard good things about it. Any upright stove with be affected by temperature since isobutane has a boiling point of -12C. They run well until all the propane in the mix is consumed and then it will trickle out.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors It's a great stove. I'll be eeping the canister in my sleeping bag next time I go out and it's bellow -12C then! It might help.
Does the sputter effect performance? I have the non titanium fms118. It sputters when inverted but I was still able to get great flame control. I assumed that was normal for inverted canisters. Only $29 too.
I’ll let Vince chime in on his experience at -20C.
I can say that feeling the back pressure in the canister while it sputters is pretty concerning.
@dirtsmiles8098 does the sputter effect performance? I would say it does, and even more so at -20ºC. Constant heat vs intermittent heat means longer boil times. Firemaple actually says to invert the fuel can in cold temps… it said nothing about the pulsating flame/pressure. While this one event didn’t ruin my trip, I won’t choose or recommend this stove for winter camping again.
How are you liking that Eddie Bauer hoodie fleece?
Best softshell I’ve owned. One of those rare purchases with low expectations that turns out to be amazing. Super versatile. I wear it October to May on almost all trips.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors that's the sandstone backbone grid right? I was just looking at one. I've had really good experiences with Eddie Bauer stuff. And they really stand behind their products.
@@NigelNaughton That’s the one!
Why do you turn the can over? It is not supposed to run that way
Inverting the can sends liquid fuel down to the generator tube where it is supposed to be heated to the gas phase. FireMaple has a clear diagram of this mode on their website therefore it is supposed to be able to run that way. The MSR WindPro does this very well and performs in temperatures below -20C.