#233202 - 10/04/11 02:35 AM
Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
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Sheriff
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 10/12/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: Southern California
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There's a lot of talk about alcohol stoves and how great they are in terms of being light weight. Alcohol stoves though are super vulnerable to wind. I'm interested in integrated alcohol stove systems where the windscreen and stove are designed to work together. Micky mousing something together hasn't worked well for me. I thought I'd take a couple of alcohol stoves systems, run them side by side, and see what I might see. So, this past Saturday, I took a Clikstand and a Caldera Cone over to a friend's for a little stove testing.  If you're interested in my findings you can read about them on my blog Adventures In Stoving -- Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests. HJ
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#233227 - 10/04/11 04:51 PM
Re: Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
[Re: Hikin_Jim]
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Veteran
Registered: 07/23/08
Posts: 1502
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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excellent
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#233229 - 10/04/11 05:40 PM
Re: Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
[Re: Hikin_Jim]
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Sheriff
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 10/12/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: Southern California
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Thanks. Stay tuned. I'm going to head up to the mountains this weekend with the family. I'm hoping to have some time to do some more testing with the Clikstand. It's a nice set up although it's not quite as light or as efficient as the Caldera Cone -- but then all the Cone does is boil water and can do so only with the pot it's paired with. The Clikstand can cook and can use pots, pans, or kettles. The Clikstand is also stainless steel, and the Trangia burner is brass. Both materials are a lot stronger than the softdrink can and aluminum sheet that the Cone is made out of. In terms of longevity, I'd bet on the Clikstand. Sure is nice carrying the Caldera Cone though. My pack weight was down to about 25lbs including water, food, and fuel on my last trip:  HJ
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#233231 - 10/04/11 05:54 PM
Re: Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
[Re: Hikin_Jim]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 07/11/10
Posts: 1680
Loc: New Port Richey, Fla
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Jim... I'm not a hiker/backpacker so my "mickeyed" attempt may not meet your requirements, but was pretty inexpensive.... $12 for the Trangia burner and $20 for the pair of surplus stoves
I purchased a pair of new surplus Swiss Ranger volcano kits (cup, aluminum bottle, and stove that nest together
opened up the fuel feed hole to accept a Trangia stove with a pair of metal cutting shears...worked well with the tapered cup due to the increase of surface area of the exposed sides of the cup... didn't try the bottle
I wanted to pack Sterno or other jelled alcohol for my car kit... opened the access hole further, to accept a sterno can.... pretty close to full diameter...may be too much for your wind trials, but worked in light wind, and also with paraffin heat source (lot of soot)
have you done a test with the Swiss Ranger Volcano set?
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#233232 - 10/04/11 06:15 PM
Re: Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
[Re: Hikin_Jim]
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 08/03/07
Posts: 3078
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An excellent review once again! Can you fit the disassembled click stand into the Primus Litech 0.9L kettle along with the Trangia Burner, lighter and a small bottle (Nalgene) of Methylated spirit etc? I am looking to up grade to the clickstand or even the Trangia Triangle.  Trangia burner with Tatonka Stand, MSR Kettle and Titanium Foil Windscreen
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#233235 - 10/04/11 06:36 PM
Re: Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
[Re: LesSnyder]
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Sheriff
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 10/12/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: Southern California
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Jim... I'm not a hiker/backpacker so my "mickeyed" attempt may not meet your requirements, but was pretty inexpensive.... $12 for the Trangia burner and $20 for the pair of surplus stoves
I purchased a pair of new surplus Swiss Ranger volcano kits (cup, aluminum bottle, and stove that nest together
opened up the fuel feed hole to accept a Trangia stove with a pair of metal cutting shears...worked well with the tapered cup due to the increase of surface area of the exposed sides of the cup... didn't try the bottle
I wanted to pack Sterno or other jelled alcohol for my car kit... opened the access hole further, to accept a sterno can.... pretty close to full diameter...may be too much for your wind trials, but worked in light wind, and also with paraffin heat source (lot of soot)
have you done a test with the Swiss Ranger Volcano set? Hi, Les, I've seen the Swiss Ranger Volcano set. I haven't worked with one, but I know a lot of people like them. They certainly look sturdy. They've always struck me as a bit heavy looking. Do you know what your set weighs? Both the Clikstand and the Caldera Cone break down pretty nicely. I have a photo on my blog of the Caldera Cone all stowed. I'll have to post a photo of the Clikstand when disassembled. HJ
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#233236 - 10/04/11 06:46 PM
Re: Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
[Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
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Old Hand
Registered: 06/03/09
Posts: 982
Loc: Norway
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Trangia burner with Tatonka Stand, MSR Kettle and Titanium Foil Windscreen Hmmm.... A really nice picture of your stove in the snow - but the picture also freaks me out. Have you boiled with this setup? The stove stand and wind screen just pegged down in the snow like that? I would think that once lit the stove would bury itself in the snow. The heat and the weight of a full kettle would soften the snow - or at least, that's what I think would happen. Snow is a terrible material for stove support. Excessive melting UNDER the stove is just a massive vaste of heat and fuel, which also makes the snow more soft and soggy. Which is why many home made winter stove setup are mounted on a small piece of plywood or similar. I've also used my snow showel. The showel conducts heat and is slippery, making a lousy stove foundation. Use with proper care and supervision.
Edited by MostlyHarmless (10/04/11 06:48 PM)
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#233237 - 10/04/11 06:55 PM
Re: Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
[Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
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Sheriff
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 10/12/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: Southern California
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An excellent review once again! Can you fit the disassembled click stand into the Primus Litech 0.9L kettle along with the Trangia Burner, lighter and a small bottle (Nalgene) of Methylated spirit etc? I am looking to up grade to the clickstand or even the Trangia Triangle. Am_Fear_Liath_Mor, Unfortunately, not everything will fit into the Primus Litech kettle. I love my little kettle, and it's a great shape (wide and flat) for boiling water, but the opening is too small to get some of the pieces in. Your MSR kettle (Alpine kettle, yes?) should work well. I haven't used the Trangia Triangle. It looks similar to the Clikstand, but the Triangle doesn't have the notches onto which one can mount a windscreen. The Clikstand has a very good reputation for functioning well in wind. Of course you could use a self-standing windscreen, like the one in the photo with your Tatonka stand, but the Clikstand is tuned such that the air flow is controlled and aids in combustion. A self standing windscreen might not have the same effect. HJ
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#233238 - 10/04/11 06:59 PM
Re: Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
[Re: MostlyHarmless]
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Sheriff
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 10/12/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: Southern California
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Hmmm.... A really nice picture of your stove in the snow - but the picture also freaks me out. Have you boiled with this setup? The stove stand and wind screen just pegged down in the snow like that?
I would think that once lit the stove would bury itself in the snow. The heat and the weight of a full kettle would soften the snow - or at least, that's what I think would happen.
Snow is a terrible material for stove support. Excessive melting UNDER the stove is just a massive vaste of heat and fuel, which also makes the snow more soft and soggy. Which is why many home made winter stove setup are mounted on a small piece of plywood or similar. I've also used my snow showel. The showel conducts heat and is slippery, making a lousy stove foundation. Use with proper care and supervision.
I usually use a square of closed cell foam (CCF) cut from a backpacking type sleeping pad. I wrap the CCF in duct tape so fuel will roll off rather than soak in. CCF can act as a wick if fuel gets into it. Don't ask me how I know that.  HJ
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#233239 - 10/04/11 07:04 PM
Re: Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
[Re: Hikin_Jim]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 07/11/10
Posts: 1680
Loc: New Port Richey, Fla
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Jim...sorry, I don't have access to a triple beam balance any more, so don't have anything to measure the stove on.. the aluminum in the stove is very soft, but corrugation add strength...I'm sure there are more efficient designs in the backpacking field, probably why the Ranger stoves are surplus...
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