SuperStove For Optimal Backcountry Cooking
Last Updated: March 23, 2024
By Alan Dixon
By Jaeger Shaw
A SuperStove is the combination of heat exchanger pot plus pressure-regulated, wind-resistant burner
For the very best backcountry stove system possible in all conditions, we introduce the SuperStove – our nickname for the combination of a heat exchanger pot with a pressure-regulated, wind-resistant burner. A SuperStove outperforms all other stove types in all conditions by a large margin. As such, our staff has only used SuperStoves for the past few years.
SuperStove Definition | A SuperStove is the combination of a heat exchanger pot (e.g. Olicamp XTS), with a high BTU, wind resistant, and pressure regulated burner (e.g. MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe). A SuperStove substantially outperforms all other stove types in all conditions. Key performance improvements over conventional stoves are 1) it has exceptionally fast boil times, 2) is highly fuel efficient, and most importantly 3) cold and wind have very little effect on its performance.
Buyer Beware! The vast majority of conventional backcountry stoves choke in cold and wind. If fact, in these conditions many well-known and well-regarded backpacking stoves can’t boil water at all (e.g. one popular ultralight stove can only reach 50º F). But SuperStoves quickly boil water in challenging conditions with ease. They even outperform all-in-one mountaineering stove systems on boil time and fuel economy, despite weighing significantly less.
This review covers everything you need to know about SuperStoves, including the base version, the most optimal version (which we call FrankenStove), the backstory, video, advantages, disadvantages, testing data, and how SuperStoves stack up against the competition.
While you’re here, don’t miss our other guides to backcountry cooking including backpacking food, freeze dried meals, more stoves, long spoons, mugs, pots, and knives.
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SuperStove (Best All-Around Stove System)
Taking into account performance and value, the best all-around SuperStove combines a MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe burner with the Olicamp XTS Pot to create a hyper-efficient, highly weather-resistant stove system, all for a very reasonable price. Save an extra $15 by substituting MSR PRD for a Soto Windmaster burner. Jump ahead to compare the differences between these systems.
- Price: $118
- Weight: 10.2 oz (pot, lid, stove, stove bag)
- Capacity: 1000 ml
- .5L Boil Time at 35F, 5mph wind: 2.2 minutes
- Pros: Very fast boil time. Very fuel efficient. Highly cold/wind resistant. Fits medium canisters. 1L capacity. Lightweight.
- Cons: Not the lightest possible. Heat exchanger adds bulk.
FrankenStove (Most Effective SuperStove Configuration Possible)
FrankenStove is a specific type of SuperStove that combines the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe with a Jetboil Stash Pot to create the most effective SuperStove system possible in terms of boil time, fuel economy, weight savings, and performance in cold/wind. It is also the single most effective possible backpacking stove as of Q1 2024. However, it’s also very expensive to assemble, and according to the manufacturer, hazardous to pair any 3rd party burner with the Jetboil Stash Pot. Learn more about FrankenStove and read our safety warning.
- Price: $235
- Weight: 8.5 oz (pot, lid, stove, stove bag)
- Capacity: 0.8L
- .5L Boil Time at 35F, 5mph wind: 1.6 minutes
- Pros: Fastest boil time. Best cold/wind performance. Best fuel economy. Lightweight. Packable. Rattle-proof.
- Cons: Very expensive. For boiling & very careful cooking only. Not manufacturer-approved. Only fits small canisters.
Test Data & Methodology
In addition to extensive backcountry experience with SuperStoves, we tested them in simulated real world conditions (i.e. a cool morning with light wind that might commonly occur in a mountain camp), and recorded results against many other stove systems using the following methodology:
- Outside in 35F/1.5C temperatures
- Tested with and without 5 mph wind made by box fan, measured with an anemometer
- At sea level
- Stoves turned to max heat output
- Boiling 16 oz/.5L of water
- Measured time to reach 212F/100C, same thermometer each time.
- Weighed fuel canister before and after each boil test to record fuel expenditure. Scale accurate to 0.01 g.
No Boil Zone: The following stoves were unable to boil water. JetBoil Flash unable to stay lit. These stoves reached steady state temps as follows — BRS 3000 only reached 52 F! ETEKCITY 95 F. JetBoil Stash 160F. Pocket Rocket Kit 190F
SuperStove 101
Thank you Jetboil! The idea for SuperStove was born on a whim out of obsessive testing and gear-hacker curiosity. We love the Jetboil Stash for its ultralight weight, packability, fuel economy, and best-in-class heat exchanger base pot – truly an incredible, game changing ultralight design which pushed performance boundaries forward. No other stove unit delivers better packability or a superior fuel economy than Jetboil Stash does in fair weather.
However, while the Stash burner is lightweight and extremely fuel efficient, it doesn’t perform as well in cold, windy weather. This is its biggest opportunity for improvement. The low BTU output, combined with a lack of pressure regulation and un-cupped burner head significantly decreases its efficacy in challenging conditions. So, we thought, why not combine the Stash Pot with Pocket Rocket Deluxe – our test winner for best standalone stove unit due to its fast boil time, good fuel-economy, wind-resistance, pressure regulation, piezoelectric ignitor, and high BTU output.
Further testing confirmed our hypothesis, and FrankenStove became our first SuperStove. These unlikely bedfellows from competitor brands synergized to create a system that was faster and more effective than any other stove-pot system made by one single manufacturer. It even bested all-in-one mountaineering designs like the MSR Reactor and Jetboil MiniMo.
Key SuperStove Features & Benefits
- Combines the best type of pot with the best type of burner to create the best possible stove system
- Fastest boil time and best fuel economy in cold, windy conditions
- Finned heat exchanger base increases heat transfer capacity, fuel economy, and wind-resistance
- 10k+ BTU output yields extremely fast boil time
- Pressure regulated for optimal use in cold temperatures
- Concave burner head blocks wind from blowing flame out/away
- Built-in piezoelectric ignitor speeds up cooking process – though does not eliminate need for a lighter
- Entire system is lightweight, most SuperStove configurations weigh 8-10 oz.
- Pot nests a fuel canister, and most can also nest the burner
SuperStove Drawbacks
- Due to increased heat transfer to base of pot, care must be taken for cooking anything but meals with high water content. Avoid cooking drier foods which risk burning or forming an insulating air pocket at the bottom of the pot which could damage the heat exchanger fins
- Heat exchangers add extra bulk and to exterior pot chassis
- Wind resistant pressure regulated stoves are more expensive and about 1 oz heavier than minimalist stoves
The Advantages of a SuperStove
A SuperStove Yields Fastest Possible Boil Time
When it comes to boil speed, no other system bested the SuperStoves in our testing. We measured performance at 35F, in which our various SuperStove combinations averaged a sub 2-minute half liter boil – barely enough time to open a meal bag, remove the oxygen absorber, empty a spice packet, and pour in olive oil. In 35F temps with 5 mph wind blowing, our SuperStoves were barely affected, expending marginally more fuel for marginally slower boils. The other stove systems did not fair so well. Many were not even able to achieve a boil given infinite time and fuel, while others couldn’t even stay lit.
Top Tier Fuel Economy In All Conditions
In addition to best-in-class boil speed, our testing also proved that SuperStoves have top tier fuel economy in cold conditions, and best-in-class fuel economy in cold, windy conditions. At 35F with zero wind, SuperStoves averaged only 7g of isobutane fuel to boil half a liter. Most stoves spent closer to ten grams. The most efficient fair-weather system, original Jetboil Stash, saved less than one gram compared to the SuperStoves.
At 35F with 5 mph wind, no system outperformed our SuperStoves, which consumed just 7g of fuel on average. Lesser systems spent more than 10g, original Jetboil Stash was unable to achieve a boil, and Pocket Rocket Deluxe with its default MSR-pot consumed 14.8g of fuel. This goes to show how additive a heat exchanger can be. In this instance, it cut fuel use down by half!
A SuperStove’s fuel economy has potential to save significant weight over the course of medium to long length trips, which compensates for it not being the lightest hardware possible.
Even Outperforms Mountaineering Stoves in Cold + Wind
The most surprising result from our testing was that our two SuperStoves outperformed two popular mountaineering stoves in the cold wind test (35F, 5mph wind). FrankenStove boiled half a liter in just 1.6 minutes using 6.2g of fuel. MSR Reactor took 2.3 minutes and spent 7.8g of fuel, while Jetboil MiniMo boiled in 4.0 minutes with 7.9g of fuel.
This is likely due to a combination of factors. At baseline, Pocket Rocket Deluxe is a highly effective stove with good wind resistance, pressure regulation, and high BTU Output. When combined with the added wind resistance and heat transfer capacity of a heat exchanger base, the system synergizes perfectly.
While we did not test for stronger wind than 5mph, we speculate that this would decrease the performance delta between FrankenStove and Mountaineering designs. But as backpackers rarely need cook in severe wind, and can usually create a wind wall using rocks/logs/etc, this is unlikely to matter much in the backcountry.
Lightweight & Packable
Our baseline Superstove weighs just 10 oz, and FrankenStoves a scant 8.5 oz. Bother are lighter than average as integrated backpacking stove systems go. Our measurements include the pot, lid, stove, and stove-carry bag. While lighter system exists in the 5-6 oz range, they sacrifice boil time, fuel-economy, pressure regulation, wind-resistance, pietzo ignition, and most critically, cannot boil water in cold, windy weather. The lighter the stove, the more fuel you have to carry, which balances out the weight savings over the course of medium-to-long length trips. And that’s to say nothing of a SuperStove’s excellent user experience.
A SuperStove offers Good Value
The most economical configuration of a SuperStove (Olicamp Pot + Soto WindMaster) costs just $100, which is less than most pre-assembled stove-pot combo kits or all-in-one units from mainstream brands. And considering you’re getting the best of the best performance for a dead average price, that’s an incredible value proposition.
However, our optimal SuperStove configuration – Jetboil Stash Pot + MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe is hyper expensive, and requires buying the entire Stash System only to chuck the burner. Incredible performance but poor value.
The Disadvantages of a SuperStove
Better For Boiling Water than Cooking Food
The combination of a high BTU output burner with the concentrating effects of a heat exchanger pot make the base of a SuperStove more likely to burn food. Short bursts of cooking are of course feasible. But we recommend doing so only with high water content recipes, adding extra olive oil, stirring constantly, and turning the burner to low. If you mostly just boil water for use in freeze dried meals and/or coffee, then this will be no issue at all. That being said, a heat exchanger pot is not the best option for gourmet cooking when low/slow heat is desired.
Lightweight, But Not Lightest Possible
Most SuperStoves weigh in close to 10 oz and FrankenStove just 8.5 oz. That’s lighter than average, but not the lightest possible. For context, both the MSR Pocket Rocket Premade Kit and Jetboil Flash each weighs 13.1 oz. On the lighter end of the spectrum, Jetboil Stash weighs just 7.1 oz, and minimalist stoves with minimalist pots can weigh as little as 5-6 oz. However, the lighter the stove system is, the worse its boil time and fuel economy will be. And of course, most of the lightest weight systems are utterly incapable of boiling water in cold windy conditions.
Added Bulk
We will choose a heat exchanger pot 10 out 10 times. However, the addition of a corrugated heat exchanger to the base of a pot adds a bit of extra bulk and roughly an ounce of weight to the system. The result is that a 1L heat exchanger pot probably is the same exterior size as a 1.3L non-heat exchanger pot. Not a big deal, but this is worth pointing out for the sake of thoroughness.
SuperStove Performance Advantage Narrows in Fair Weather
What truly sets a SuperStove apart is its performance in cold, windy weather. In warm, wind-free conditions, the performance gap between SuperStove and other stove narrows significantly. While they still offer much faster boil times and better fuel economy than most stoves in all conditions, including fair weather, some systems, like original Jetboil Stash, are more fuel efficient than a SuperStove when not hindered by cold or wind. That being said, we feel evaluation in challenging conditions is a much more prudent way to measure the quality and performance of a stove system than how it does in fair weather.
Regarding FrankenStove, The Most Optimal SuperStove Configuration
FrankenStove combines the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Burner with a Jetboil Stash Pot to create the single most effective SuperStove stove possible in all conditions. No other system, including all other SuperStove configurations, boils water faster, or uses fuel more efficiently in challenging conditions. FrankenStove even outperforms mountaineering-specific designs in cold, windy weather.
Running each stove system through a gauntlet of cold/wind boil speed and fuel-usage tests, we determined that the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Burner, in combination with the pot from Jetboil Stash, was the most effective combination possible in challenging real world conditions. Hence FrankenStove was born.
To begin with, MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe is a truly exceptional burner with all of the right features. Its high BTU output boils extremely quickly without sacrificing much in the way of fuel economy. It is pressure regulated, maintaining performance in cold temperatures and with nearly-empty canisters. The cupped head prevents flame from immediately blowing sideways or out in strong wind. The convenience of a built-in pietzoelectric ignitor speeds up the cooking process. And its user-friendly arms fold out to offer a well-balanced pot platform. Basically, everything about this design feels thoughtful and well-made. While MSR PRD is our team’s favorite, we acknowledge it to be functionally equal to and largely interchangeable with Soto WindMaster, another exceptionally high performing burner.
As much as we love the MSR PRD, the 5.1 oz aluminum Stash Pot shines even brighter, and is even more best-in-class. This pot is truly unequaled, and further separated from its peer group in terms of performance above replacement level. It’s 31% lighter than the second best pot – Olicamp XTS, and yielded a slightly faster boil time and slightly better fuel economy when tested on the same burner. Speculatively, that’s due its smaller volume, and having less exterior surface area which translates to less convective cooling.
And that’s to say nothing of how much better it is than a minimalist titanium model (way, way, way better). On top of that, the Stash Pot nests a 110g fuel canister upside down in its lid, which prevents rattling and also holds a lighter. Jetboil Stash Pot is the best backpacking pot to have ever been designed.
All that said, there are downsides. First and foremost, the Jetboil Stash Pot is only approved for safe use with the Jetboil Stash Burner, a low BTU output unit. While we have yet to see this, it’s theoretically possible that the relative 2X heat output of MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe could damage the pot or the heat exchanger fins, and it definitely increases the likelihood of burning food on the bottom of the pot while cooking. Read more about this in our safety warning below.
Furthermore, FrankenStove is very expensive. Assembling this combo requires purchasing the entire Stash System, only to chuck the burner and replace it with an MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe. The only stove system more expensive than FrankenStove is the MSR Reactor. One final and minor downside is that the MSR PRD is just enough larger than the Stash Burner that it cannot fit nested inside the pot alongside a canister.
FrankenStove Safety Warning
The Jetboil Stash Pot was designed exclusively for use with the Jetboil Stash Burner. Using the Jetboil Stash Pot with any other burner is hazardous, voids the warranty, risks product damage due to overheating, and personal injury. Please read Jetboil Stash System User Manual for more information about proper and safe handling of this cooking system and other risks associated with operating the stove.
Anyone using the Stash Pot in any way other than exactly as intended by Jetboil acknowledges the risks they are taking, and is wholly responsible for their own actions and safety. Please refer to our terms and conditions of service for more information about use of this website and the content therein.
Reminder: Always monitor your stove while the burner is on, keep away from children, do not use in enclosed spaces, and be mindful of overheating.
SuperStoves vs the Competition
This section shows all of the ways in which SuperStoves outperform their peers on the open market. It’s barely an exaggeration to say that a SuperStove bests the competition 99% of the time in 99% of ways. In some rare instances, a few of the stove systems perform marginally better than SuperStove in very specific ways – such as fuel economy in warm/wind-free weather. However, no stove outperforms a SuperStove on any metric by a significant margin, and no stove outperforms a SuperStove in a majority of ways.
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| Make/Model | Price ($) | Weight (oz) | Heat Exchanger | Pressure Regulator | Ignitor | Capacity (L) | Boil time 35F (sec) | Fuel per boil 35F (g) | Boil time 35F, 5mph wind (sec) |
Fuel per boil 35F, 5mph wind (g)
|
| SuperStove | 118 | 10.2 | yes | yes | yes | 1.0 | 1.8 | 6.5 | 2.2 | 7.5 |
| FrankenStove | 235 | 8.5 | yes | yes | yes | 0.8 | 1.7* | 5.8 | 1.6* | 6.2 |
| Jetboil Stash | 150 | 7.1 | yes | no | no | 0.8 | 4.0 | 5.2 | ∞** | ∞** |
| MSR PRD Kit | 140 | 13.1 | no | yes | yes | 1.2 | 2.6 | 10.3 | 4.4 | 14.8 |
| MSR PR2 Kit | 105 | 9.8 | no | no | no | 0.8 | 3.4 | 8.7 | ∞** | ∞** |
| Jetboil Flash | 130 | 13.1 | yes | no | yes | 1.0 | 2.9 | 5.6 | ∞** | ∞** |
| Jetboil MiniMo | 170 | 14.6 | yes | yes | yes | 1.0 | 2.0 | 5.7 | 4.0 | 7.9 |
| MSR Reactor | 270 | 14.9 | yes | yes | no | 1.0 | 2.1 | 7.8 | 2.3 | 7.8 |
| TD Caldera Alcohol* | 80 | 6.4 | yes | n/a | no | 0.9 | 8.3 | 14.4 | 10.0 | 17.6 |
| Soto Windmaster*** | 115 | 6.8 | no | yes | yes | 0.9 | 2.5 | 10.7 | 3.0 | 13.1 |
| BRS 3000T*** | 17 | 1.4 | no | no | no | 0.9 | 7.3 | 8.8 | ∞** | ∞** |
- * FrankenStove’s measured boil time decreased in cold+wind test due to minor variances, margin of error, decimal rounding, and inherently excellent wind resistance.
- ∞** Incapable of heating water to boiling point on full heat output, given infinite time, 35F temps, and 5 mph wind
- *** paired with 3.7 oz, 900ml TOAKS Titanium 130mm diameter cookpot
Pros & Cons of Other Stove Systems vs SuperStoves
For comparison, the SuperStove referenced in this section is MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe + Olicamp XTS Pot
Original Jetboil Stash System vs SuperStove
Pros: Jetboil Stash System is slightly lighter weight and slightly more fuel efficient, but only in wind-free conditions. Best-in-class pot, same as FrankenStove. Truly an incredible, game-changing design. Bravo Jetboil!
Cons: Jetboil Stash System is incapable of boiling water in cold windy conditions, and boils more than twice as slowly as SuperStove in moderate conditions. It is not pressure regulated, half the BTU output, and has no built-in ignitor.
MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Kit vs SuperStove
Pros: MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Premade Kit has the best-in-class PRD burner, same as our typical SuperStove configuration.
Cons: MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Premade Kit is more expensive, much heavier and bulkier pot, has a slower boil time, inferior fuel economy, no heat exchanger base, and performs much worse in cold windy weather.
MSR Pocket Rocket 2 Kit vs SuperStove
Pros: MSR Pocket Rocket II Premade Kit roughly the same weight and slightly less expensive than SuperStove.
Cons: MSR Pocket Rocket II Premade Kit is incapable of boiling water in cold windy conditions. It is not pressure regulated, it does not have a heat exchanger base, or built-in ignitor. It is much less fuel efficient, much slower to boil water, and has very little wind resistance.
Jetboil Flash vs SuperStove
Pros: Jetboil Flash has a lightly insulated pot.
Cons: Jetboil Flash is incapable of boiling water in cold windy conditions. It’s also more expensive, heavier, bulkier, boils slower in all conditions, is less fuel efficient, is not pressure regulated, and has poor wind-resistance despite the heat exchanger base.
Jetboil MiniMo vs SuperStove
Pros: Jetboil MiniMo has a similar wind resistance and fuel economy to SuperStoves as well as a lightly insulated pot.
Cons: Jetboil MiniMo is more expensive, heavier, bulkier, and slower boil time.
MSR Reactor vs SuperStove
Pros: MSR Reactor, in cold wind, has a similar boil time and fuel economy to SuperStoves. It also has potentially superior resistance to wind >5mph, but this is not covered in the scope of our testing.
Cons: MSR Reactor is incredibly expensive, the only stove more expensive than FrankenStove. It’s also heavier, bulkier, and has a slightly slower boil time and slightly worse fuel economy in all conditions.
Trail Designs Caldera Alcohol Stove System vs SuperStove
Pros: The Trail Designs Caldera System is much less expensive than SuperStoves. It is an alcohol stove system that is lighter weight on shorter trips because you do not need to carry a metal fuel canister, despite alcohol fuel itself being heavier.
Cons: Alcohol stoves boil water painfully slowly, are finnicky to use, and heavier on medium-to-long length trips when more liquid fuel is required.
Soto Windmaster + Titanium Pot vs SuperStove
Pros: Soto Windmaster + TOAKS Titanium 900ml pot is lighter weight and lower bulk than a StoveStove. Titanium is more durable. This combo used a similarly top tier burner to SuperStove with pressure regulation, cupped head, and pietzo ignitor. SWM is a great burner.
Cons: No heat exchanger base means worse fuel economy, slower boil time, worse wind resistance. Titanium has inferior heat transfer properties. Heavier system on medium-to-long-length trips when long term fuel savings overcome initial hardware weight savings.
BRS 3000T + Titanium Pot vs SuperStove
Pros: BRS 3000T + TOAKS Titanium 900ml pot is a much lighter weight system and 1/3 the cost.
Cons: BRS 3000T is incapable of boiling water in cold windy conditions. This system has a much slower boil time, significantly worse fuel economy, no heat exchanger base, no pressure regulation, and no built-in ignitor.
MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe vs Soto Windmaster
Pocket Rocket Deluxe and Soto Windmaster are the two best stove burners on the market, and the only models we would consider for use in assembling a SuperStove at this time. On the whole, their field-performance is nearly identical and these two are largely interchangeable. While we have more experience with and a slight preference towards PRD, we understand that both stoves are simply excellent.
Benefits of Both Stoves:
- Similarly excellent performance in cold and wind when paired with heat exchanger base pots
- Concave burner head for added wind resistance
- Fuel pressure regulator
- Built-in pietzoelectric ignitor
- Very similar BTU output (PRD = 10.4k, SWM = 11k)
Advantages of MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe
- Built in stove arms reduce gear fiddling, speed up overall cooking process
- .2 oz lighter weight than Soto Windmaster with 4-flex arms
- Better pot balance than Soto WindMaster with Triflex Arms
- Our testing (when paired with Olicamp XTS Pot) indicated marginally better fuel economy in cold+wind
Advantages of Soto WindMaster
- $15 less expensive
- Modular stove arms offer ability to switch to between ultralight TriFlex 3-arm version and heavier-but-more-balanced 4-flex arms
- Triflex Arms version is .6 oz lighter weight than PRD
- 4-flex arms are better balanced than PRD
- Our testing (when paired with Olicamp XTS Pot) indicated SWM has a marginally faster boil time in cold+wind
Jetoil Stash Pot vs Olicamp XTS Pot
Test data based on pairing with MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe
| Stash Pot | Olicamp XTS | |
| Price | $150 | $32 |
| Weight | 5.1 oz | 6.7 oz |
| Capacity | 0.8L | 1.0L |
| Material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Nests | Small canister | Medium canister |
| Size | 4.4 x 5.1″ | 4.5 x 5.3″ |
| Rattle-proof | Yes | No |
| Heat Exchanger Ring | Yes | Yes |
| Manufacturer Approved Pairing | No | Yes |
| Lid Performance | Excellent | Average |
| Tested Boil Time in 35F No Wind* | 1.7 min | 1.8 min |
| Tested Fuel Used in 35F No Wind | 5.8 g | 6.5 g |
| Tested Boil Time in 35F, 5mph Wind* | 1.6 min | 2.2 min |
| Tested Fuel Used in 35F, 5mph Wind | 6.2 g | 7.5 g |
*Measured boil time decreased in wind test due to minor variances in real world testing, margin of error, decimal rounding, and FrankenStove’s inherently excellent wind resistance.
SuperStove Hacks
Notched Heat Exchanger
Some heat exchanger pots like the Firemaple Petrel come pre-notched, but most do not. Gear hackers have been experimenting with this idea by cutting notches into their heat exchanger pots. This creates a more secure fit onto the burner’s arms, and lowers the pot closer to the flame.
Hypothetically speaking, lowering the pot closer to the flame reduces the amount of heat lost due to wind, and improves heat transfer capacity, boil time, and fuel economy. That being said our team has not tested this to verify and cannot personally endorse it. But it sounds feasible. However, from our perspective, it would also increase the likelihood of overheating the pot and/or damaging the heat exchanger and/or burning food on the inside base. Attempt with caution.
*Above photo courtesy of Simon Pratt
Custom Lid
Some of the heat exchanger pots come with poorly designed, heavy, clunky, plastic lids. Others even come with frivolous fry pan lids. As such, you may be inclined to create a DIY lid. We recommend cutting this out of a pie tin base (instead of thinner aluminum foil roll). Cut a slightly larger circle than the circumference of your pot and fold the excess material down to make a seal.
SuperStove Conclusion
At this point, we believe most backpackers should be using a SuperStove most of the time. SuperStoves are lightweight, low bulk, quick-boiling, fuel-efficient, and barely affected by cold and wind. They are less expensive than most all-in-one or premade systems, yet deliver a significantly better performance. We no longer use any other stove systems in our backcountry cooking.
To the gear hackers of the world, we cannot recommend FrankenStove highly enough. This unusual combination of competitor products has proven astoundingly effective and has the entire Adventure Alan & Co team hooked. It is the most efficient SuperStove configuration possible, and the best stove we’ve ever used.
Who Should Choose FrankenStove
- People who already have Jetboil Stash System and wish to upgrade it for use in cold and wind
- Obsessive optimizers and ger hackers who want nothing less than the very best performance possible
Who Should Choose a SuperStove
- Everyone else
Thank you for reading this guide, where we hope you found your next stove system. Happy hiking, happy cooking, and drop us a line in the comments with any and all questions about these exceptional backcountry cooking systems. SuperStove is the way of the future.
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