Professional explorer has burned through a lot of gear on the 85 expeditions he鈥檚 done to some of the world鈥檚 most remote places. He鈥檚 experienced the harshest conditions Mama Nature deals out, like minus 67 degree temperatures聽in Siberia and聽blazing-hot jungles in Bhutan. In those situations, he can鈥檛 count on unreliable products.

Over the past ten years, he鈥檚 taken the same two 聽 ($160) on every single expedition. (Libecki is sponsored by MSR.) 鈥淵ou can take a hammer and beat an ice casing off of it, then fire that thing right up,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always the workhorse that gets stuff done.鈥�

Libecki says the XGK is 鈥渨hat matters most鈥� during his trips to聽extremely cold environments. 鈥淏ottom line is鈥攜ou go out to Antarctica or Greenland鈥攊f your stoves fail, your trip is done, but maybe your life, too,鈥� he聽says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e melting every single drop that you鈥檙e drinking, because you鈥檙e living in a freezer.鈥�

The reason he鈥檚 entrusted his life to the same two stoves for the past decade? The XGK always works.

I spoke with Owen Mesdag, senior product developer at MSR, to find out why. It turns out that the stove鈥檚 reliability is a result of simple design. You pour liquid fuel into your bottle, pressurize it by pumping, and just open the valve to deliver the fuel to the burner. 鈥淚f you could somehow swim through the fuel channel, you would be able to go from the fuel bottle through the pump, down the hose, through the generator loop, and out the hole in the fuel jet,鈥� Mesdag says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 completely open.鈥�

That open channel makes it remarkably easy to repair in the field, and it also cuts down possible mechanical failures over the life of the stove, unlike more complicated canister versions. 鈥淚f you were to run water through your garden hose, your hose isn鈥檛 going to break from running water through it,鈥� Mesdag says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a delivery system. It鈥檚 how to control liquid fuel from a pressurized vessel and release it in a usable form.鈥�

Libecki has not only used the XGK on dozens of expeditions, but sometimes for hundreds of hours per trip,聽due to聽how much time it takes to melt water. And that requires a lot of fuel. Luckily, the stove can run on just about anything combustible. 鈥淵ou go to all of these places around the world, and fuel options are usually limited,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou might have benzene, you might have diesel fuel, you might even have jet fuel, but you could put Bacardi 151 in this thing.鈥�

And if that combustible fuel has serious contamination that gums up the stove? The XGK has an inner lining built specifically to be removed, and used as a pipe cleaner for the main hose. Additionally,聽a hair-thin shaker needle lives inside the jet and聽actively cleans the jet when the stove moves around (for example, while you鈥檙e walking to base camp and it鈥檚聽moving聽from side to side in your pack).

Finally, its physical durability is the result of the simple metal three-leg, three-arm stand surrounding the stove itself. Libecki regularly swings the stove like a weapon into a rock or hits it with an ice ax聽to remove ice from the exterior. 鈥淵ou can just beat up the outside.听The worst you are going to do is dent it,鈥� Mesdag says. 鈥淲e machine and bend all of our parts together in-house, so we know how strong they are.鈥�

For all its simplicity, though, the XGK is not an easy stove to learn how to use. You need to know how to pressurize it and preheat it before you can get it fired up, which takes some time. Canister stoves鈥攍ike the WindBurner from MSR or most of Jetboil鈥檚 offerings鈥攃an be taken right out of the box, connected to fuel, and get you cooking with the click of a button.

Mesdag likens this to driving a stick-shift vehicle. 鈥淚f you get in an automatic, you can just go, which is great until it breaks,鈥� Mesdag says. When it comes to stoves, that payoff is arguable for a weekend summer backpacking trip, where a broken stove means cold ramen for dinner. It absolutely isn鈥檛 OK for polar explorers like Libecki.

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Camp Chef Rainier 2X ($165)

A powder-coated lid and reinforced knobs made this the 颅hardiest stove we tested鈥敳共曰逄俪蟊� heaviest. The combination grill and griddle on the left put a perfect crust on six burgers and was easy to clean, while the burner on the right capably handled simmering and boiling.

Primus Essential Trail ($25)

The Essential Trail delivers functional design at a low price. Weighing in at four ounces, it鈥檚 heavier than some stoves, but a 4.3-inch wingspan makes it conspicuously stable, even when bringing three liters of water to a boil.

Ignik 2-in-1 Heater-Stove ($140)

Testers had reservations about the real estate this combination stove and space heater re颅quired in the car. But when it became the focal point of a cold evening outside, everyone agreed that its utility went far beyond the powerful 10,000-BTU burner. Pair it with Ignik鈥檚 refillable Gas Growler ($150), which holds five times the fuel of a single-use propane canister.

Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit and Grill ($200)

Cooking over an open flame is one of the joys of camping, but it can be dangerous (and illegal) during summer months. This combo meets both Forest Service and BLM safety regulations and is easy to set up. The 3.5-square-foot cooking space handles up to 75 pounds of meat.

GSI Outdoors 颅Selkirk 540 ($125)

This is the best stove we tested when it came to feeding large groups. The 22-by-13-inch cooking top comfortably fit a 10.5-inch cast-iron skillet and an equally wide Dutch oven side by side, which made short work of bacon and pancakes for six.

Snow Peak Home and Camp ($110)

Snow Peak鈥檚 was the most elegant stove in our test. Closed up, the Home and Camp looks like a futuristic water bottle, but its single burner put out enough heat to sear a couple of steaks. Ample 5.9-inch cooking arms accommodated a 12-quart soup pot.

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An MSR stove can help you make delicious meals almost anywhere. I鈥檝e had my ($140) for more than six years now, and I once used it to cook three meals a day for more than six straight months. I love that it works with almost any fuel source (hence the 鈥渦niversal鈥� in its name), but leaning this heavily on a piece of gear means keeping it in tip-top shape is key.

When It Needs Maintenance

You may be thinking, 鈥淚鈥檝e had my stove for a few years, but I don’t know when to service it.鈥� And you鈥檙e not alone. If your stove seems to be performing well, the only reason to give it some TLC would be to keep all the parts in good working order and extend its life. To be safe, I try to do some maintenance on my WhisperLite Universal at least once a year. But things like reduced fuel flow or inconsistent flames are sure signs that your stove could use a tune-up. You鈥檒l need the ($15), which comes with O-rings, a jet and cable tool, and lubricant.

Troubleshooting

I always begin with the shaker needle, which is built into the stove and clears the fuel jet of obstructions. It鈥檚 common for deposits to build up in the fuel line and clog the jet after a few months of solid use. Run your stove for a few minutes, turn it off, and let it cool for at least five minutes. Then disconnect it from the fuel bottle, turn it upside down, and shake it a couple of times. You should hear the shaker needle doing its job and, hopefully, clearing out the jet. Reattach the fuel bottle, then prime and run your stove again. If the stove still doesn鈥檛 seem to be working normally, or if you just want to give it the full treatment, move on to cleaning the jet and fuel line.

Cleaning the Jet and Fuel Line

1. Turn your stove off again聽and let it cool down for five minutes. Then disconnect the fuel line from the pump聽and fold in the stove鈥檚 potholders.

2. Turn the unit upside down聽and unscrew the priming cup. Depending on which WhisperLite model you have, there might be a wick inside the priming cup. Remove this as well.

3. Take out the fuel line generator loop by gently pressing the loop. Using the jet and cable tool, unscrew the jet and shaker needle. Be careful not to bend the fuel generator loop while doing this, as damaging it will compromise the stove鈥檚 performance.

4. Screw the priming cup back on to ensure that no parts are lost while you鈥檙e servicing the stove.

5. Manually clean the jet using the needle on the shaker that you removed during step three. The hole is very small, but you should be able to see through it if you hold it up to the light. Manually unclog the jet by poking the needle through the hole. If you can鈥檛 manually unclog the jet, you may need to ($30).

6. Next, remove the fuel cable from the fuel line using the tool in the maintenance kit. If you have issues getting the cable out, you may need to lube it with the included pump cup oil. Wipe the cable clean with a paper towel to remove any buildup聽and reinsert it using your hands.

7. Using the cable tool, slide the fuel cable back and forth within the fuel line about 20 times to clear any remaining deposits. Remove the cable, and wipe it clean again with a paper towel. 顿辞苍鈥檛 put the fuel cable back in yet.

8. Attach the fuel pump to the line聽and pressurize it with 15 pumps.

9. Making sure there鈥檚 nothing around you that could cause the fuel to ignite, carefully open the fuel valve聽and allow three to four tablespoons of fuel to empty out into a container to fully clear the line of any additional deposits. Turn off the fuel valve聽and detach the fuel line from the pump. Reinsert the fuel cable in the fuel line.

10. Replace the shaker needle inside the jet聽and reinsert the jet into the fuel loop, using the cable tool to tighten it properly.

11. Unscrew the priming cup, slide the fuel loop back on,聽then screw the priming cup back on. If you鈥檙e using the WhisperLite International, make sure to replace the wick as well.

12. Prime and run the stove as normal. If it still isn’t functioning properly, go back to step one and repeat the process.

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If you're only going to聽buy one stove for camping and backpacking, especially if your adventures often take you overseas, make it the 听($140).听

The best part is its versatility. The WhisperLite聽Universal is the only stove on the market that can burn both isobutane and liquid gas fuel. This means that you while ideally you can classic canisters found at REI, in a pinch it will even burn聽unleaded gasoline.

I tested the stove聽on a six-month adventure to Hawaii and Puerto Rico. I used it nearly every day to cook聽breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I lived out of my backpack and abused this stove to no end. It handled everything without mistake.

When traveling, I found it incredibly freeing to be able to buy whatever fuel was available to me鈥攆inding canister fuel in the remote mountains of Puerto Rico wasn't really an option. The ability to roll up to a gas station and fill up my tiny fuel bottle made this stove ideal for remote locations. With the easy to use adapter, it's a simple to switch between fuel sources.听

The one thing this stove isn't ideal for is for quick cooking, like making coffee or boiling water for pasta. Although it will certainly get the job done, compared to other models, the WhisperLite聽Universal can be a little burly to unpack just for a cup of joe. It also takes much longer to boil water with than the or similar .听

I do recommend聽investing in the 补苍诲听迟丑别 . If you want to own this stove for over 25 years鈥擨 know people who have鈥攔egular maintenance聽is crucial. But even if you do neglect it, nearly every part is replaceable聽either through the maintenance kit or through MSR directly.听

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A packable device producing fire for camp cooking. With all due respect to the Coleman two-burner, the Primus OmniFuel, and the Jetboil Flash, MSR鈥檚 , a lightweight, liquid-fuel burner, set the standard for the category. The stove dates back to the winter of 1969, when Larry Penberthy, an eccentric inventor, average mountaineer, and owner of a multimillion-dollar industrial-glass company, penned a newsletter for his Seattle-based climbing club, the Mountaineers. He called his publication , and though the tone could be hyperbolic, Penberthy was the rare advocate for accountability in the fledgling outdoor industry. He and other club members stress-tested products鈥攔opes, carabineers, ice axes鈥攁nd Penberthy would then publicly lambast any company whose equipment failed to meet their rigid safety standards. At one point, he raged about flawed helmets that he said a local retailer, REI, and its CEO, American mountaineering legend Jim Whittaker, knew had problems. 鈥淲hy doesn鈥檛 REI level with its customers?鈥� Penberthy wrote. 鈥淥mission of such important information is concealment.鈥澛�

Penberthy zeroed in on stoves after a number of area climbers came down with high-altitude pulmonary edema. Medical professionals had only recently diagnosed dehydration as a cause of HAPE. Meanwhile, the best portable stoves of the day took between 16 and 24 minutes to melt snow and boil a quart of water at altitude, a potentially fatal delay for climbers. Through testing, Penberthy made two key observations: (1) the era鈥檚 stoves wasted huge amounts of fuel by not trapping heat around the pot; and (2) most ran off heavy butane canisters鈥攁nd the ones that didn鈥檛 were so inefficient that they had to be refueled after every use. He calculated that for mountaineers to boil a quart of water in just three minutes, they needed a stove that burned nine fluid ounces of fuel per hour, almost 30 percent more than the best-performing backpacking stoves of the day. But rather than simply rant about the problem, Penberthy decided to solve it.听

Though many of his employees considered building climbing gear a lunatic endeavor for a glass company, Penberthy dedicated one corner of his manufacturing shop to stove development. Engineers were pulled off profitable projects and told to design pumps to pressurize white gas and build ugly but functional heavy-duty heat shields out of aluminum foil. After three years and countless modifications, early versions of the Model 9 had earned the nickname Krakatoa. At one point, a tester sparked the pressurized-gas stove on his front porch and his screen door went up in flames. On another occasion, a doctor and fellow Mountaineer accidentally burned down his house with a Model 9 prototype.听

Eventually, the safety concerns were resolved. The resulting stove put off a 鈥減sychologically pleasing鈥� roar, according to Penberthy, and the featherweight 12-ounce unit, surrounded by a unique foldable aluminum wind shield, boiled a quart of water in just over three minutes at altitude. Penberthy brought it to market under the brand name MSR, and in 1981, having repaired his relationship with REI, he sold his new gear company to his old nemesis. The Model 9 still exists today, in the form of MSR鈥檚 , which runs on anything from diesel to jet fuel.听

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In 2001, Jetboil founders Perry Dowst and Dwight Aspinwall revolutionized backcountry cooking when they created a stove designed simply to boil water鈥攙ery, very efficiently.听I鈥檝e used a Jetboil as my backpacking stove for years. When you鈥檙e cooking just freeze-dried food, ramen, and coffee, you don鈥檛 need anything else.

Over the past 14 years, other companies have developed their own hyperefficient water boilers. But do any come close to the original?

To find out, we pitted three lightweight stoves in a head-to-head competition鈥攁nd we enlisted the help of聽, Dagger-sponsored professional kayaker and outdoor photographer. He tested these stoves in heavy winds, boiling water in almost every imaginable scenario until they ran out of gas. He also weighed the cookers with all the parts you鈥檇 pack for a backpacking trip, such as the lid, insulation, and canister support.听

Here are his results:

Jetboil MiniMo ($130)

Manufacturer鈥檚 Claimed Weight: 14.6 ounces
Tested Weight: 16 ounces
Time to Rolling Boil: .5 liter in 2 minutes
Pot Insulation: 140-degree water after sitting 45 minutes

The Verdict: In calm conditions, the boiled water the fastest of the three systems McQuoid聽tested, but it struggled in windy conditions with 20 mph gusts. (More on that in a bit.)聽He also found it easy to taper a rolling boil down to a simmer with the MiniMo鈥攖his wasn鈥檛 an option with the Windboiler and was tricky with the ETA.

Plus, the MiniMo is packed with smart design features, including a skirt cover that doubles as a measuring cup and rubberized ergonomic handles. Thanks to its short, wide pot, the MiniMo was also the easiest to eat from.

Although McQuoid gave the MiniMo points for best overall design, he didn鈥檛 like the pot-to-burner attachment, which had a tendency to stick. 鈥淲hen attempting to remove the cook pot, it tends to get stuck and takes some pulling to separate,鈥� says McQuoid.

MSR Windboiler ($130)

Manufacturer鈥檚 Claimed Weight: 15.25 ounces
Tested Weight: 16.6 ounces
Time to Rolling Boil: .5 liter in 2 minutes, 15 seconds
Pot Insulation: 150-degree water after sitting 45 minutes

The Verdict: The works much better in windy conditions than either the MiniMo or the ETA. 鈥淚n strong winds with no cover, the MSR still reached a rolling boil in three minutes, while the other two failed to achieve a rolling boil at all,鈥� says McQuoid.

Even with some protection (McQuoid used his hand as a wind shield for the second test), the MiniMo and ETA needed five minutes to boil the water鈥攖wo minutes slower than the Windboiler.

The Windboiler鈥檚 cook pot was the easiest to remove from the burner. McQuoid鈥檚 only gripe: The stove doesn鈥檛 come with a built-in igniter, although this means there鈥檚 just one less component to break in the field.

Primus ETA Lite ($105)

Manufacturer鈥檚 Claimed Weight: 14.1 ounces
Tested Weight: 14.8 ounces
Time to Rolling Boil: .5 liter in 2 minutes, 15 seconds
Pot Insulation: 160-degree water after sitting 45 minutes

The Verdict: The is both the lightest and the quietest stove on this list. McQuoid also preferred its lid system to any other he tested鈥攊nstead of sealing like Tupperware, the ETA鈥檚 lid sits low on the pot, making it easy to take on and off with one hand.

Like the MiniMo, the ETA didn鈥檛 work as well in windy conditions: The stove needed five minutes to boil water鈥攖wo minutes slower than the Windboiler.听

Although the ETA comes with spacers that allow for simmering, McQuoid found them onerous to install and remove. But his biggest issue with the stove was that when it was filled to the half-liter capacity, the flame was doused every time the water boiled.

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The 13-ounce Primus Gravity II MF ($144; ) is a great option. Here’s why: It burns white gas, kerosene, canister gas, and petrol, so if you run low somewhere along the 120-mile trail, you’ll have a better chance of finding a refill from a local. Another handy feature: The stove has a low center of gravity and boils a liter of water in three minutes, which means your pot of pasta primavera won’t A) tip over and B) take forever to cook. Just don’t set up camp between a musk oxen and her babies.

Primus Gravity II MF

Primus Gravity II MF

Go even lighter and faster with Jetboil’s Personal Cooking System ($100; ). This compact, one-pound system (which includes a one-liter “pot”) will boil your ramen noodles in a half-liter of water with a click of a button in two minutes flat. Plus, it all fits into a compact Nalgene-size bottle for storage.

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Why It’s CoolThe Eagle has landed! This one bears a retro-chic likeness to the 1969 Apollo landing craft, down to the folding footpads. 禄 Dock fuel line to fuel bottle with a gratifying click, commence pumping, and—presto—the Apex II is chugging away with a whof-whof—and no need to prime it with lighted fuel. 禄 Five pot-support fins and the largest-diameter burner head in this lineup afford a sound cooking surface and a well-distributed flame. 禄 Hot-and-fast isn’t this stove’s forte, but a sensitive flame adjuster let us nurse sauces with aplomb.

Hmmm . . .Annoyingly, the Apex II works only with a Coleman-specific fuel bottle. 禄 Holy repetitive-strain injury! Getting this rig pressurized and then firing at full force can require 70 pumps. 禄 The Apex II required an excruciating seven minutes to boil one quart of pasta water.

BurnsWhite gas, unleaded fuel, kerosene (with $12 adapter).

The post Coleman Exponent Apex II – Liquid-Fuel Stoves: Reviews appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Why It’s CoolThe well-engineered OmniFuel has all the reassuring stability of a good marriage, thanks to an impressive wingspan (three arms form a pot landing pad some six inches across) and a stainless-steel-sheathed fuel line long enough to lift and pump the bottle without reprisal. 禄 Twist the glove-friendly flame adjuster from low to high and a languishing egg yolk fairly leaps off the griddle. 禄 Invert the bottle once it’s finished and the OmniFuel shuts itself down and bleeds the fuel line: No more petrol spills when breaking camp. 禄 Its carrying sack has a zippered pocket to corral the parts needed to rejigger this jack-of-all-fuels in foreign lands, the OmniFuel’s m茅tier.

Hmmm . . .The stove’s physical heft (one pound two ounces with white-gas configuration) is surpassed only by its price tag. 禄 It takes a deft wrist to pinpoint the “sweet spot” for low-temp cooking.

BurnsIsobutane canisters, white gas, kerosene, diesel, unleaded gas, jet fuel, dried yak dung (well, almost).

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REI Nodder Sleeping Bag

REI Nodder Sleeping Bag

REI Nodder Sleeping Bag

REI’s 25-degree Nodder Sleeping Bag grows with your kid. An attached stuffsack lets you lengthen the bottom as needed. $70;

Big Agnes Sleeping Giant

Presenting Big Agnes's Sleeping Giant pad cover.

Big Agnes Sleeping Giant

Big Agnes Sleeping Giant

Big Agnes Sleeping Giant
For the best night’s sleep you can get in a tent, insert your pad into Big Agnes’s half-inch-thick, memory-foam Sleeping Giant pad cover. $60;

Platypus CleanStream Gravity Filter

Presenting Platypus's CleanStream gravity filter.

Platypus CleanStream Gravity Filter

Platypus CleanStream Gravity Filter

Platypus CleanStream Gravity Filter
Time to purify water? Just fill Platypus’s CleanStream Gravity Filter and hang it; in 2.5 minutes, you’ll have four clean liters. $100;

Kelty Loveseat

Presenting Kelty's loveseat.

Kelty Loveseat
Kelty’s two-person Loveseat has a sturdy steel frame and, yep, a bottle opener. $80;

The North Face Docking Station

Presenting The North Face docking station.

The North Face Docking Station
If you’re hosting a small army, The North Face’s already huge (97 square feet), six-person Docking Station connects with optional 鈥渄ocks鈥� (from $149) to become a multi-room HQ. $429; thenorthface.com

GSI Glacier Stainless Slotted Spatula & Spoon

Presenting GSI's glacier stainless slotted spatula & spoon.

GSI Glacier Stainless Slotted Spoon

GSI Glacier Stainless Slotted Spoon

GSI Glacier Stainless Slotted Spatula & Spoon
Get a nice set of camping utensils like GSI’s Glacier Stainless Slotted Spatula and Spoon ($7 each; ), plus some nonstick cookware.

MSR Flex 4 System

Presenting MSR's Flex 4 dining system.

MSR Flex 4 System

MSR Flex 4 System

MSR Flex 4 System

MSR Flex 4 System

MSR Flex 4 System
MSR’s Flex 4 System, which comes with color-coded insulated mugs and deep-dish plates. $160;

Brunton 2 Burner Stove

Presenting Brunton's 2 burner stove.

Brunton 2 Burner Stove
At $63, Brunton’s 2 Burner Stove offers the most BTUs (24,000) for the buck.

GSI Gourmet Camp Kitchen

Presenting GSI's gourmet camp kitchen.

GSI Gourmet Camp Kitchen
You can even bring the kitchen sink: GSI’s Gourmet Camp Kitchen includes cutting boards, wire-rack storage, and a double wash basin (with optional foot pump for running water). $160;

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