That’s right, at just 0.9 oz (25g) this stove is lightest one I’ve ever seen. And with a price tag hovering around $16 on Amazon, you have to wonder just how well this stove actually functions. Very rarely are the absolute lightest pieces of gear actually affordable. Could this unicorn be the solution to your heavy stove woes… or is it just another cheap knockoff stove like the many others that seem to be plaguing Amazon’s marketplace (and gear review sites for some reason). Find out in the video below!
Stove Details:
- Weight: 0.9 oz (25 g) (1 oz in stuff sack)
- Folded (Compact) Dimensions: ~1.5″ x 2″
- Support Diameter (Size of pot support base): ~3.25″
- Height (Unfolded): 2.5″
- Boil Time (Based on my own testing): 3:31
- Material: Titanium Alloy, with other metals used
- Brand: BRS
When compared to my long standing favorite (and a top of the line canister stove) the Snow Peak Lite Max, BRS’ “lightest canister stove in the world” compares very favorably. Boil times in a controlled environment are very close, with the BRS coming in just 6 seconds after the Snow Peak. Additionally, the BRS is much more compact and a full ounce lighter! With a folded size of around 1.5″ x 2″ this stove can fit just about anywhere in your pack, and will most certainly be able to fit inside your pot. As far as durability goes, my friend’s lasted for the entire CDT and it’s ready for the next trail, so I don’t see durability being an issue here.
The BRS stove really shines in it’s lightness and compactness, but this small stature also leads to some important caveats to keep in mind. Not deal breakers, just limitations…
Some Caveats To Consider
- This stove has a very narrow (~3.25″) pot support base. This means that your not going to want to use large diameter pots on top of this thing, they just won’t be stable. Stick to mug pots (Taller, narrower pots (Think Snow Peaks line of pots)).
- In addition to a narrow pot support diameter, the flame base is also very narrow (similar to a MSR pocket rocket’s flame). The flames from this stove are directed nearly vertical, and don’t spread out horizontally very far. Again, this means that a narrower pot is going to shine on top of this stove, while wider pots will not heat as efficiently.
- The stove arms are strong, but not as strong as you’ll find on heavier stoves. I’d limit the water I put on top of this stove to around 3-4 cups. Any more and you’ll be risking a tip over. This means that you really don’t want to be using this stove if you’re cooking for more than 2 people. It just can’t hold up to high capacities of water.
So while this stove may not be ideal for certain situations (especially for more than two people), I think it really shines for solo hikers and thru hikers. You can’t beat the light weight and compactness. And at around $16 this stove is a great way to shed some weight, or break into backpacking on the cheap! Check it out via the link below:
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