You guys! <img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> It doesn't matter what stove I had with me <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> And they're sort of like knives or religion - personal tastes/beliefs.

I have two very different old white gas stoves that I trust completely, neither of which were what I was carrying. One is a first model MSR XGK and the other is a first model Coleman Peak I (Model 400 - not 400A, not 400B - just 400). Both have burned gallons and gallons of fuel for me and until recently I've never had a problem with either. The dip tube broke off the MSR (age) and instead of making a replacement dip tube, I bought a new pump - not as well made as the old ones. First time I used it with the new pump (OK - it was at the house - I didn't trust it untried with a new part), it leaked and caught fire. I was so pissed I threw it and THEN smothered it with a handy large empty flower pot. Now I need to straighten out the tube to the generator and replace o-rings. MRS is on my bad list for the time being...

I used to have a SVEA 123 that I loved, but it truly was not a good cold weather stove - even tho I made it work in cold weather. If I hadn't loaned it to my brother (who then got rid of it)... I should buy another for nostalgia's sake.

No, what I had this past weekend was a new (to me) stove I'm trying out. It's a Coleman PowerMax stove - the Xtreme, I believe - the three-legged one with the slightly higher output. I don't have a lot of use logged on it yet (had it for less than a year), but so far I really like it. I have some durability concerns with the bottle attachment and I wish the legs were stamped steel or shaped steel wire instead of cast magalloy, but so far it rocks.

Regardless of tips, tricks, and techniques, almost all cannister stoves are iffy in cold weather at low elevations. For the most part they are designed to run with the cannister upright, drawing gas off the top. Problem is, even with the best blended fuels, in cold weather, first the propane comes off (good to about -40), then the iso-butane boils off (good to maybe 10F at best), leaving the primary fuel, butane, stuck in the cannister because it will not boil below about 32F at sea level. Most of them work better at high elevations because the fuel boils at lower temperatures.

The PowerMax cannister stoves are very different, even tho the fuel blend is essentially the same (maybe a little more propane)

I think MSR would do a better job with this than Coleman - of course, it would cost a bit more. But give Coleman credit - they brought this to market. The thing is, it's the fuel delivery + a generator that makes it work so well. The fuel bottles have a klunk tube in them so unlike other gas cannisters, they deliver liquid instead of gas. At the burner end, a conventional looking generator gasifies the propane-iso-butane-butane mix. Works like a cannister stove (it is) and performs like a gasoline stove.

If you read the fine print... there are a couple of MSR cannister stoves you can sort of do the same thing with, but it's awkward. My wife loves her MSR RapidFire (no longer made) and once it is running, you can invert the cannister to deliver liquid. One of the boys has the replacement to the RapidFire, the MSR WindPro, and it's the same deal - you can invert the cannister after it's lit. BTW, look at the MSR Simmerlite beside the WindPro - it's obviously the same stove, but mated to a pump and fuel bottle for white gas instead of a cannister. If MSR made the stove adaptable to either fuel supply... Primus already did that with the OmniFuel and AFAIK it works well, but I haven't actually seen that stove or used it. Because it's a remote cannister (when used as a cannister stove) AND has a generator, I suspect it, too, could have the cannister inverted for liquid fuel delivery.

I'm hardly likely to give up my white gas stoves, but I REALLY like the performance and ease of use of the PowerMax Xtreme so far. If it holds up, it will probably become my favorite.

Edit: I added an MSR style windscreen made from the heavy foil of a disposable roasting pan and these stoves are a LOT less expensive bought directly from Coleman via the Youth Group program (BSA, in my case). We bought a number of these for the boys to use when they backpack, but Ready Packs have only personally-owned gear in them - I want them to know/use/rely on their own stuff, and most canot afford their own stoves. End Edit.

Oh, I have the PowerMax lantern as well and it truly has my seal of approval, regardless of how the stove hold up - that is a GREAT little bit of gear.

I think I'll go play in the fireplace now...

Tom