Best stove

[Iainj43]

I am looking for a reliable stove mainly to make hot drinks, cook porridge etc
Any ideas

 

[Volnix]

These two brands seem ok:

MSR
http://cascadedesigns.com/msr/stoves/category

and

Primus
http://www.primuscamping.com/

 

[alienator]

I am looking for a reliable stove mainly to make hot drinks, cook porridge etc Any ideas  

What stove you choose depends on whether you want to use liquid fuel like white gas, kerosene, gasoline, and etc. or compressed gas (isobutane or propane). Compressed gas is convenient as you only have to screw in a cartridge, light, and you're ready to go. Liquid fuel stoves require a bit of priming for lighting. The downside to compressed gas is that it's not available everywhere, not all of the gas in the cartridge is used, and it generates more waste. For liquid fuel stoves you can generally find fuel anywhere. I've used both, and where I've used a given type has really depended on where I was and the nature of the trip. MSR, Primus, and JetBoil are probably the best manufacturers right now of compact stoves.

 

[alfeng]

FWIW. My recollection is having read that Butane & Propane do poorly in low (e.g., "Winter" camping) temperatures ...

• I also recall that one-or-more of the MSR stoves can use almost any fuel ...

• also, at altitude, liquid fuels benefit from being pressurized with an optional pump OR starter "gel" (I forget what they actually call it ...) ...

My recollection could be incorrect, so take the above for what it may be worth.

 

[alienator]

All liquid fuel stoves typically used for backpacking and climbing have fuel pumps. There are multifuel stoves that will, as the name suggests, burn several different fuels, but this typically requires changing the fuel jet to match the fuel (multiple jets come with the stove). Compressed gas burns well in cold temps but starts to fade sooner, leaving more unburnt fuel in the can. With compressed gas cans, using an insulating cover helps as do a few other tricks, like turning the gas can upside down as it gets low. My last stove was the Primus Himalaya which burned liquid fuels and compressed gas. It beat the pants off of any MSR stove I'd used.