Two stoves or one

[cmor]

I leave for a 14 day unssupported backpacking trip through the jasper national park on monday. Methinks that we could get by with one stove. I've done much more horrible stuff with only one stove and this is a non-technical trip. The partners think a back-up would be nice in case one dies. I'm always looking to keep the weight down. Opinions?

[house]

bring the stove for yourself, and let em take the spare themselves if they want. as long as you havent had trouble with it before, and know how to maintain it in the field you should be fine with the one stove. if its a quality stove you shouldnt be too worried.

[pointedem]

bring a tin can stove w/ some alcohol as a back up. small, cheap and light. and they can boil water pretty quick... not sure how cold it will be for you, but this is not a bad option

[m1e448]

what kind of stove is it? If its made by msr, you should only need one. if its one of those brunton/optimus pieces then, me thinks you need two. my experiences with the optimus' have bee n nothing but bad.

[CantDog]

Or, if you know the weak points of the stove and have those parts available, you can keep a small kit of parts that might break. Lighter than two stoves, and a good backup.


But of course the thing that breaks will be the stuff you dont own.

[cmor]

Originally posted by powwrangler
what kind of stove is it? If its made by msr, you should only need one. if its one of those brunton/optimus pieces then, me thinks you need two. my experiences with the optimus' have bee n nothing but bad.

it's an msr, they're pretty bomber and servicable

[m1e448]

I've never had a problem with my whisperlite intl

[splat]

Is it the msr or the whisperlite that will burn diesel?

That's a consideration for our Argentina trip since fuel on planes is a no-no.

[bcrider]

Splat,
The Whisperlight International will burn gas like unleaded or diesel.
See this http://www.msrcorp.com/stoves/fuels_int.htm

cmor,
My question was also what kind of stove is it? Since it’s a trusty ol’ MSR, you should feel pretty comfortable with only one stove…but take the field repair kit.

On the other hand.
How many people are there in the group..three? It might be wise for a back up since its such a long trip. Maybe take the 3oz MSR Pocket Rocket and a fuel canny.

[G]

Learn how to build a campfire.

[m1e448]

Splat,
if you have a msr whisperlite intl, make sure you change the jet before using diesel. And it'll burn dirty compared to white gas. It works great and cook hot none the less.

[cmor]

Originally posted by powwrangler
Splat,
if you have a msr whisperlite intl, make sure you change the jet before using diesel. And it'll burn dirty compared to white gas. It works great and cook hot none the less.

We're bringing an msr dargonfly i believe. the backup would be a whisperlight. We have the same problem with picking up white gas, but usually you can call ahead and find an outfitter that carries it. The other options burn alright bunk gunk up the stove pretty quick