I thought I'd present a review that might be of interest here, a review of a remote canister stove that can handle running with the canister upside down.

Why might anyone care about which way the canister points? Well, running with the canister upside down gives one about a 20 Fahrenheit degree cold weather advantage over conventional upright canister stoves (when using an isobutane/propane mix).

So, if you like canister gas stoves but want something that can handle a little bit colder weather, the Kovea Spider is worth checking out.

Inverted canister stoves are a lightweight alternative to liquid fueled (gasoline or kerosene) stoves in cold weather. Not only are they lighter, but they're more mechanically reliable. In my latest blog post, I review a good one, the Kovea Spider.

I've found it to be a really nice, compact stove.

The Monatauk Gnat (left) and the Kovea Spider (right)

For the future, I'd like to see Kovea do more to lighten the 5.9oz/168g Spider stove. I'd like to see a good remote canister stove down in the four ounce range, but this is such a nice little stove that it's hard to complain.

The diminutive Kovea Spider

There is a lighter, by about 3/4 ounce, stove on the market, the FMS-118 Volcano, but there have been some complaints about the Volcano sputtering when in inverted canister mode, and I don't think the Volcano packs down anywhere near as small. I can get the Kovea Spider and a 110g canister of gas into either my 780ml Snow Peak pot or my MSR Titan kettle.

A Kovea Spider inside an MSR Titan Kettle

If this sounds interesting, here's the full review: The Kovea Spider (KB-1109) Remote Canister Stove. Have a look if you like.

HJ

Thanks for the review, nice looking stove.

I see you have it running from a Giga Power canisters. Which other fuel canisters can the Kovea Spider use? I only have MSR canisters here. Are they all compatible?

Russ,

All the threaded backpacking type canisters are generally compatible. For cold weather use, you definitely want MSR, Brunton, Snow Peak, or JetBoil brand because they use isobutane instead of "regular" butane. Isobutane works at temperatures about 20 Fahrenheit lower than regular butane.

HJ

Thanks HJ. There's one less Kovea Spider on ebay.

Oh, dear, what have I started?

Be sure and use a windscreen,

HJ

As an adjunct to my earlier post, I just put up a blog post on cooking with the new Kovea Spider. Have a look if you like.



HJ

You certainly got me interested, anyway

I've found a nice deal on a kovea camp 5 (that you did a review on last year Covea camp 5 review (Hiking_Jim)

How would you compare the camp 5 with the shiny new spider?

I have a strong preference for the spider. The Camp 5 is tall and spindly. It doesn't have a very wide base. On the other hand, the Spider has a nice wide base and is really stable.

The Camp 5 has a burner whose flame points straight up which can create a burnt spot on the bottom of your pan. The Spider's flame is angled outwards which disperses the flame well and prevents hot spots.

HJ

You've started a run for spiders, that's what you did!

Waiting for mail from Korea to arrive with my spider...

Mine arrived yesterday. You will be pleased. I wish I'd known about the Kovea dual adapter. Being able to burn really cheap butane would be a nice option.

Cool. I've been super pleased with mine. I'd love to hear your experience with the stove once you get out and use it.

I've profiled some butane adapters on my blog. You have to know what you're doing. If you rotate the cylindrical 100% butane canisters by accident, they will flare if the stove is cold. That could be a very expensive cost savings, if you know what I mean. It's important know which way that internal pick up tube is pointing in that cheap butane canister.

See: Butane Adapter Warning



That said, the Spider should be fairly safe with the cheap butane canisters once it warms up.

HJ

Cool. Around here we call that a home guard camp fire. That is what you get when you give people10 year to forget how to use and maintain an optimus hiker stove, then pull them in, dress them in uniform and expect them to cook dinner.

Actually, that's a really good example: That's exactly what is happening. Cold, liquid butane will behave in a stove just like cold, liquid white gasoline (or kerosene). There will be a large flame just like when someone over primes or doesn't prime a white gasoline stove.

These 100% butane canisters are a lot less dangerous on a Kovea Spider. The Kovea Spider has a pre-heat loop, so once it gets warmed up, it shouldn't flare if you accidentally turn the butane canister. Even when warm, if one accidentally turns the canister, the flame size will increase significantly (but not flare into a large yellow flame). I think it's important to be aware of how a stove works and what the potential risks are.

It's notable that a lot of outdoor companies used to make tall cylindrical gas canisters (70's, 80's), but now no one does (well, maybe the CV360 cylinders, but those are rare and mostly used for things other than outdoor cooking). Everyone went to the dome shaped canisters which don't tip and whose orientation is fairly obvious even to the untrained.

HJ

Thanks, good info. I figured the pre-heat loop would prevent flare-up issues but (duh!) obviously not when the pre-heat loop is still cold. That's okay. I have other stoves built specifically with those cheap butane canisters in mind.

There's no real reason why you couldn't use the 100% butane canisters with the Spider. You'd just want to be REALLY conscious of what you're doing during warm up. Once the stove has been going for 30+ seconds, you could go on your merry way and not really have to think about it.

The 100% butane canisters in my area are sold for as low as $1.00 USD for 227g/8oz of butane. That's cheap. Backpacking specific canisters are usually five times that (or more depending on the brand). Think of the cheap butane canisters as an 80% discount on your fuel. Nice discount! And at temperatures above 50F/10C, there's really no difference between "backpacking" fuel and 100% butane with a stove like the Spider.

For temps between 50F/10C and freezing, you'd want to get a propane/butane blend, and for temps below freezing, you'd be best off with a propane/isobutane blend.

HJ

Hikin Jim,
I am in the market for a new camp stove, and as a Scout Master, I prefer something that can use a canister for the younger kids. This sounds like a versatile stove. Do you have any sources other than ebay?

This is a very versatile stove, but as yet there isn't any way to get one in the US other than eBay.

The MSR Windpro is another excellent stove and has basically the same characteristics as the Spider in terms of cold weather performance, wind protection, and stability. The Windpro is not as compact but is actually possibly better with a group because it can handle larger pots than the Spider.

HJ

How about the MSR Wisperlite Universal?

The Whisperlite Universal is an excellent stove. I really like the new design features they introduced to the Whisperlite line in 2012. Both the Whisperlite Internationale and the Whisperlite Universal have the new design features (more durable legs, improved burner design which aids in simmer on liquid fuel).

The Universal can accommodate larger pots than either the Kovea Spider or the MSR Windpro. The Universal however is bulkier, more expensive, and heavier. The one thing I dislike about the Universal is the fuel hose. They chose a very stiff fuel hose that is hard to pack. The Windpro and the Spider both have flexible fuel hoses which make them very packable.

HJ

Thanks Jim

You're welcome.

If' it's helpful, I've got a couple of pertinent reviews on my blog (with links to an article I wrote for Seattle Backpacker's Magazine):
MSR Whisperlite Universal

MSR Windpro

HJ