Backpacking Stoves Compared

Recently I decided to break out a few backpacking stoves and run a test to see which one would provide the most efficient stove to use backpacking. The stoves I tested were my old standby from my National Guard days consisting of a military issue canteen, canteen cup, stove stand, and a recently purchased lid for the cup.

Pathfinder Cooking System

I picked up the Pathfinder cooking system about ten years ago consisting of a stainless steel water bottle, stove stand, cup, and lid.

• Pathfinder Stainless Steel 32oz. Bottle & Cup Set
• Pathfinder Stainless Steel Bottle Stove – This stove will nest with the Pathfinder Stainless Steel Cup
• Weight: 2.5 lbs

Esbit 5-Piece Lightweight Trekking Cook Set with Brass Alcohol Burner Stove

This set came with the stove stand with Esbit Fuel tab stand and alcohol stove, a cool pot, and a small frying pan. The following is some details about the Esbit system:

• 985Ml pot with volume indicator
• Constructed from extremely light, hard anodized aluminum
• Stores in the included mesh bag
• Complete cook set includes brass alcohol burner, two cook pots, stand, solid fuel base, and mesh carry bag
• Cook pots constructed from extremely light, hard anodized aluminum
• Dimensions: LxHxW 6.6” X 5.38” x 5.13”
• Weight: .42 Kilograms
• SALE: $48.10

I see myself using one of these systems backpacking or on a remote work site where I would be looking to boil water to prepare a freeze-dried meal and a cup of coffee. I wanted to see if there was a system that would allow me to boil enough water to prepare the meal and enjoy a cup of coffee.

First up was my only National Guard setup. Using one Esbit Fuel tab it took approximately ten minutes to bring the first cup of water to a boil. I refilled the cup and was able to bring a second cup to a boil. This met my goal of being able to prepare a meal and a cup of coffee.

The second was the Pathfinder system. The cup is a little larger than the standard issue canteen cup and took approximately fourteen and a half minutes to boil and depleted the life of the fuel tab. I feel that again I would have been able to prepare my meal and a cup of coffee with the available water.

Last up was my Esbit cooking system. Again the cook pot is larger than both the military issue and the Pathfinder systems. It took approximately fifteen minutes to bring the pot of water to a boil which depleted the fuel tabs heat. I could prepare a meal and a coffee with heated water.

All tests were run with a lid on the cup/pot. The Pathfinder system and the military issue system are pretty much neck and neck in their abilities due to the similarities in their components. The Esbit system offers a couple more options as it has the frying pan and the alcohol stove option. All three systems were able to meet my standard of being able to provide enough hot water to prepare a meal and a cup of coffee. The choice is yours for what system and price point best fits your needs.