Well, this sure doesn聮t sound like a stroll through a culinary wonderland, does it? And have you read any news articles out of Central America lately? I聮m not 100 percent sure this is the time for someone to be wandering around that part of the world by himself.
MSR XGK EX Stove
XGK EX StoveBut, it聮s not my trip. You聮re going somewhere, so let聮s get you the right gear. The operational word will be: Simplicity. And reliability. OK, that聮s two words. But you get the idea. I like the Jetboil Personal Cooking System ($80; jetboil.com). It聮s light, fast and effective. But in your case, it has three drawbacks. First, it聮s really only for boiling water. 聯Cooking” anything聴rice and beans, for instance聴isn聮t easy, especially if you want to make more than enough for only one meal. Two, it requires an isobutane canister. It accepts a common Lindahl valve, so that聮s normally no big deal. But in isolated parts of the world, canisters remain less common than liquid fuels. Third, the Jetboil is itself highly proprietary. Damage it in most any way, and you may find yourself without a way to cook.
So, in this case, I聮d probably go with the MSR XGK EX ($140; msrcorp.com) for one simple reason: Ubiquity. And ruggedness. And versatility. OK, that聮s three reasons! Shoot me.
I actually prefer the Optimus Nova ($149; optimus.se), due to its more advanced design and easier lighting. But the XGK is sort of the global standard for expedition stoves. You probably can find parts for it nearly anywhere. Moreover, it can burn basically anything that聮s flammable. And it uses an OOC (ordinary ol聮 cook pot), so you can cook as much or as little as you want, and buy a replacement pot for two pesos if need be.
MSR聮s Dragonfly ($120; msrcorp.com) would work well, too, but isn聮t quite as beefy as the XGK. I think in the case of a stove, you want to err on the side of durability, at the expense of a few extra ounces.
The Gear Guy reports from , the bi-annual gearapalooza in Salt Lake City. Check out his top picks for gear to watch in 2007.