Does Fire Maple Have the Perfect Ultralight Stove Kit?
I like to keep my pack as light weight as possible without giving up too much comfort, durability, and convenience. The benefits of carrying less weight key in on factors relating to stress on the body and the amount of enjoyable miles.
I have a super ultralight weight alcohol stove set, but unless I carry a sturdy wind shield, it can take too long to boil water, which adds to the amount of fuel I need to bring along. Add to that the weight of the wind shield and I’m left with wondering if this setup is as ultralight as purported by the kings and queens of ultralight backpacking.
I have heavy Jetboil system that was one of the most innovative pieces of gear when it first came out. It’s super sturdy, can be handled when hot, does great in the wind, and is very fuel efficient. But, I just can’t get over carrying multiple times the weight and bulk compared to my lighter systems.
I have a few mid-light-weight systems with gas stoves that have push-button ignition, but they don’t perform well in the wind without a wind shield or heat exchanger. Although they have a regulator, a good amount of heat is blown away by the wind, which defeats much of the benefit of having a regulator. And carrying a wind shield puts the system in a heavier category. Now, admittedly, one could use another piece of gear as a wind shield, but I’ve burned and ruined too many good gear items too many times to appreciate that idea.
The side handles of the pots I use with most of these systems need to be handled with a piece of cloth or something that has flame retardant properties, or I end up with burn holes in whatever I’m using (bandannas, socks, gloves, shirt sleeves, etc.). Untreated cotton cloth can go up like a torch in a second. Synthetic cloth melts quickly, before I can react. There are similar problems with lids. Also, if the lids are too tight, boil-over is likely or the force of taking off the lid causes spills. And if the lid is too loose, it will fall off when pouring boiling water out of the pot. I have covered both the side and lid handles with silicone tubing. This solves most of the objections, unless I’m using an alcohol stove. Alcohol stoves have flames that come up over the sides of the pots, burning away the protective tubing.
All this, really, is a bit petty in survival situations. But, at the end of a long, tiring day of hiking, no one is in the mood to fuss with all that can go wrong with cook kits.
One sure way to overcome this is to go stoveless. Problem solved. But warm meals and drinks on cold nights and mornings can be a great attitude adjuster. I’ve gone stoveless in warmer climates and for the most part it was tolerable for the first few days. But I’m not one to easily set aside the comfort of a warm meal or drink.
So, over the years, I’ve tinkered with a bunch of cook systems in search of the perfect ultralight stove set. Today, I am happy to report that I may have found a kit that solves most (maybe all) of these issues. It’s made by Fire Maple. It’s their Petrel Ultralight 600ml Pot with heat exchanger in the Value Set that includes a gas canister stand and a Green Peak aluminum stove.
All together, on my scale, it weighs 9.8 oz (278g). (they advertise 9.4 oz - 266g) The breakdown is like this:
- 1 oz (28g) Lid
- 3 oz (85g) Stove
- 5 oz (142g) Pot
- .8 oz (23g) Gas Canister stand
If I’m being picky about every ounce, I would not take the stand, which would make the carry 9 oz (255g) for everything except the fuel.
Here’s what this kit solves:
- The pot is 600ml, which is the perfect size for me. 500ml is too small and 750ml is too large.
- The pot has a heat exchanger which does two things: 1) it does well to block the wind and 2) it transfers heat more efficiently (less heat loss). Combined, these two benefits reduce boil time and, consequently, makes the kit more fuel efficient (read: less meal prep time and carry less fuel).
- The bottom of the pot is designed with stove platform slots for stoves that open to a 120 degree angle. This helps maintain a strong and contained flame against wind and makes the pot extremely sturdy on top of the stove.
- The pot has a fold out handle with a heat resistant coating that extends far enough away from the pot to keep it from getting too hot, making it easy to pick up without burning hands. This handle also folds over the top of the pot lid, locking in place to secure the lit and pot contents. Although it comes with a carry bag, there’s no need for it if the kit is in your pack.
- The pot is large enough to contain a 4oz fuel canister, stove, fuel canister stand, and a gas lighter or small farro rod if a backup spark source is needed. So, my entire cook system is contained within the pot.
- The lit is non-metallic with an easy lift heat resistant handle. It also has ventilation holes for steam control (read: no boil-over), straining, and pouring. A couple negatives here: because it’s not metal, it’s less durable and it doesn’t fit very snug, which means it can fall off easily when pouring. Although, one could hold the lid in place by the handle while pouring. This might get a little awkward if you also need to hold open whatever container is being filled with hot water. So, this works OK, but there is room for improvement.
- The kit is not the lightest kit I have, neither is it the heaviest. But it is compact.
- The Green Peak stove has an electric ignition and burns at 9600 BTU. It is designed to work with slots on the bottom of the pot for the heat exchanger. The burner design is very good in the wind, which together with the heat exchanger on the pot makes for a very fuel-efficient system, comparable to the Jetboil. This makes a big difference at elevation. If this stove is too heavy, one could also consider their “ultralite” kit which comes with their Hornet II titanium stove, which weighs 1.7oz but doesn’t have an ignition, regulator, and is not nearly as wind resistant.
So, does this Fire Maple system solve everything? Not exactly. But if they made a tighter, more durable lid and reduced the total weight by a couple ounces, this might take the prize. I can say, however, that it has my fewest objections among all the ultralight cook kits I’ve used. Front-runner? Yes. Perfect? No quite yet.
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