good old coleman 2 burner (1 Viewer)

[stayalert]

My 30 some odd year old coleman stove. works perfectly everytime I drag it out of the basement....Last night after hockey I pulled it out for some chili dogs....chili simmering on one burner, water boiling on the other....I was admiring the simplicity robustness, and reliability of this thing and was wondering what other pieces of gear would have similar accolades.....

Rob M Concord, MA

 

[Lars]

Petromax lanterns - picked one up at a local garage sale that was 25 years old. Guy said he hadnt ever rebuilt it. I purchased new mantles, put in some fuel and it started right up.

We used it last year on our twice-monthly camping trips without problems. Burns far brighter(by twice at least) than any lantern I've used.

 

[baloo]

OLd Premier Carbide lamps, Colt 1911, and mag lights.

 

[The Dude]

20 year old Remington 870 Wingmaster. That shotgun has been through hell and back with me and it keeps on firing....amazes me every time I take it out. Went and bought a 15 year old "new in the box" model last fall.

apparently the new ones are not in the same class as the old.

and not so much an old favorite yet ( I have only had one for about 5 years) but my LED headlamp. I don't know how I survived without those things. They make everything so much nicer in the dark.

 

[Mike S]

I agree on the Petromax lantern (awesome, and it burns gas, white gas, kerosene, Diesel... probably veggie oil as well!) and the 1911 Colt.

The best stove I have ever used is the aluminum and stainless three burner 'River Runner' from Camp Chef - about three times the heat of a Coleman gas stove - from propane.

Also like my camp shower - an RV hand shower that attaches to the pressurized water outlet on my trailer. Now working on the hot water part...

M

 

[desertdude]

I have an extension cord for 30 years. ( does that make me old ) nah! Made it myself from heavy SR 3 wire cord and a 4-way metal duplex box. It is all in the winding it up, storage, and I don't lend it out

 

[Lars]

20 year old Remington 870 Wingmaster. That shotgun has been through hell and back with me and it keeps on firing....amazes me every time I take it out. Went and bought a 15 year old "new in the box" model last fall.

apparently the new ones are not in the same class as the old.

and not so much an old favorite yet ( I have only had one for about 5 years) but my LED headlamp. I don't know how I survived without those things. They make everything so much nicer in the dark.

Good call on the Wingmaster. I have no clue how old mine is but certainly the quality is better than the new ones I've looked at. I also have a Browning Citori Lightning Over&Under. It's a great shotgun but I always reach for the Wingmaster first.

LED Headlamps.... I discovered them last year and will never go back to regular flashlights.

 

[Tigerstripe40]

I've got a Coleman white gas stove that's older than I am. Works great.
I've never liked propane stoves. I've thrown away 2 coleman propane stoves, and will NEVER buy another propane stove.

For backpacking, I LOVE My MSR whiperlite internationale.

 

[stayalert]

haha...the coleman 2 burner would not be my choice for backpacking...Well unless someone else in the party were carrying it....I agree on the propane. I've picked up a couple of white gas stoves (for free at the recycle event in my town) and still have the one I grew up with....So......when the big tailgating need arises I can have 7 burners (one of my rigs is a 3 burner) roaring.....I also have a a peak 1 single burner (circa~1982) that I have found to be exponentially less reliable....TRhat peak one is also no light weight. those msr whisper lites appear to be pretty well designed/made.....How has yours been?

 

[Tigerstripe40]

haha...the coleman 2 burner would not be my choice for backpacking...Well unless someone else in the party were carrying it....I agree on the propane. I've picked up a couple of white gas stoves (for free at the recycle event in my town) and still have the one I grew up with....So......when the big tailgating need arises I can have 7 burners (one of my rigs is a 3 burner) roaring.....I also have a a peak 1 single burner (circa~1982) that I have found to be exponentially less reliable....TRhat peak one is also no light weight. those msr whisper lites appear to be pretty well designed/made.....How has yours been?

I don't backpack with the coleman stove. That's a car camping only device.

My MSR has been great. It started life as a whisper lite, then I converted it to an internationale version. I haven't had any provblems with it at all. I do clean it religiously...

 

[Grouseman]

What are the drawbacks using the Propane Stoves, Lamps, etc? It seems that propane fuel would be the cleanest fuel for camping since it is self-contained in bottles. I know it is a little more expensive.

SS

 

[CruisinGA]

Storage space, and waste.

You get more bang for your buck and space with white gas than propane. But there are more parts to mess up (the pump) and it can spill.

My coleman 2 burner propane goes everywhere with me in the woods, picked it up for $1 at a yard sale. On short trips I bring one propane lantern, on large long trips I bring one dual fuel lantern and one propane. The dual fuel will run off gasoline and white gas. There is also a chance of breaking one in transit. Camping for extended periods of time with no lantern is a PITA.

ALWAYS have extra mantles. ALWAYS.

I also have one of the tiny backpacking stoves from the '70s that put together for transit is about the size of a nalgene bottle, with fuel. Doesn't need pumping or any kind of pressurized gas. Impressive little stove.

 

[Mike S]

What are the drawbacks using the Propane Stoves, Lamps, etc? It seems that propane fuel would be the cleanest fuel for camping since it is self-contained in bottles. I know it is a little more expensive.

SS

Stephen

There are no real draw backs to propane stoves. The trick is to get one that is hot enough to actually cook on. I also own several gas Colemans, and the Camp Chef is flat better, and it won't explode and burn your tent down.

I do like gas for lanterns - it provides more light than propane and you don't need a gross of small bottles or a heavy hose to get lit. I have a couple of Colemans (gas and kersosen) and the German lantern - it is killer.

Mike S

 

[Cruiserdrew]

For car camping, propane is great, provided you don't use the small gas bottles. I have a 1 gallon propane tank that is perfect for 4 wheel drive trips up to a week long. The advantage of a dual fuel or white gas stove is that the heat output is better and when you have a Land Cruiser, you always have extra fuel.

My proane tank runs my stove, lantern and grill all at the same time. Highly reccomended. I like the Century distribution poles and hoses. The Coleman ones are not as well made.

 

[surfpig]

My vintage Coleman stove finally gave out. Heck, I got it at a garage sale years ago for 5 bucks, so what the hey. Tried to convert it to propane a while back, with minor success. Used my whisperlite, and earlier my old Optimus 8R backpacking stove (all great emergency spares) for years. now I got the smallish 2-gallon (i think) propane tank, distribution thingie, propane lantern, and propane stove. If I want, I can run my big-ass 2 burner cajun cooker off it, or my regular campstove. Versatile. I still got my ancient chrome-tank Coleman lantern, I never leave home without it. Another garage sale find. What can I say, stick with what works.

nial

 

[Ullr]

I've got a Coleman white gas stove that's older than I am. Works great.
I've never liked propane stoves. I've thrown away 2 coleman propane stoves, and will NEVER buy another propane stove.

For backpacking, I LOVE My MSR whiperlite internationale.

I have a propane stove for car camping that I never use. My Whisperlite is so reliable, so light, so compact, and burns so hot I don't use any other stove. I bought it for backpacking/mountaineering when the International first came out like 11 or 12 years ago. The combination of the shaker jet (which solved the old prob of clogged jets on Whisperlites) and the International (runs on pretty much any hydrocarbon, including nail polish remover) made it the best purchase I have ever made for the outdoors. $40 and still going strong. The only maintainence was new seals ($10) about 5-6 years ago, and that was preventative.

Once I let a climbing partner talk me into using his isobutane for a winter mountaineering trip. He couldn't get it lit (operator error) and then the fuel line broke (poor construction), and we were stuck at 12000 ft with no way to melt snow for water, not to mention cook. Never again. I always bring my stove now, it has never failed me.

 

[Scamper]

I like the heat output of the Coleman gas stoves, but they're a PIA IMO. They also take time to heat up when you first use them, and tend to get carbon on the bottom of pots/pans. Although the heat output is not quite as good, I've been using one of those Century propane converters for the Coleman stove and like it much better.

Also have a Coleman lantern (about 30yo) that I've given up using now that I got a Coleman propane lantern. Much more control over the light level, and much more even (no clogging or sputtering--yeah, I know it needs cleaning).

But the MSR wisperlight is the cat's meow. The only thing I didn't like about it was the startup process. Soot gets all over it if you use gas. What I took to doing was carrying a small Nalgene bottle of alcohol (I mix in a little acetone in the winter to aid heat/lighting). I pour a bit of that into the "cup" and light that up to heat up the coil. No soot, and as the last of the alcohol starts to burn off, I just open the valve and it ignites the gas. No cleanup required.

Must say, I also like my BlackCat heater too. Easy way to carry portable heat in winter/spring/fall if needed.

 

[Mike S]

One of the best things that I ever did for my car camping comfort was to give up on "Cook Kits". I went to Costco and bought a 10 piece cookware set with thick aluminum and stainless, with riveted handes, and non-stick insides, balck coated on the outside. I sorted through them to find the stuff I needed for my trip, and packed them in my kitchen box.

No more burnt food. No more scrubbing stuck-on or burnt-on food from aluminum pans, no more spills or burns from crappy handles, and pots and pans big enought to cook on. Makes food prep and quality a lot easier and better.

Highly reccomended.

M

 

[Heffenoche]

My 27 year old Svea 123 backpacking stove that run on white gas has never let me down. Been loaned and used by many and still work great. People may look at you a little funny because it sounds like a little jet engine but it works great in all weather conditions.

For camping I like florescent lanterns for versatility in tents and also works out great for blackouts at home. Not as much light as propane but much easier to use and I usually don't need much more light anyway.

 

[Grouseman]

Mike,

Great idea. I was thinking about non stick pots and pans the other day.

SS