The Vintage Camping Equipment Thread

[John Smith]

The Coleman thread got me thinking. So I started digging through my old gear and found my first backpacking stove. An Optimus 8R. I used this stove in Boy Scouts and throughout college and after. I bought a MSR WhisperLite to replace it sometime in the late 90s.

My little blue box has traveled with me up and down the Eastern US on many a backpacking trip or road trip. I am going to buy a gallon of Coleman gas and test it out this weekend along with my old Coleman gear. I can't remember if the fuel filler cap is blown or not on the 8R.

A little weight comparison. I weighed the 8R and the WhisperLite.
8R = 1lb 8oz or 685g
WhisperLite = 15oz or 425g

This stove appears to no longer be made and has been replaced by a very similar model, now called the Hiker+. Optimus Hiker + :: All Stoves :: Stoves :: Cooking :: Moontrail

Post up some old camping equipment you have other than Coleman.

 

[ridgerunner]

Crazy! I found this this weekend amongst my gear.

A "Pak-Cook 5," almost an exact copy of the Optimus. My parents bought it new in the 70s and other than some outside scuffing and some mice chewing at the instructions, it looks brand new. I always used my MSR or coleman Peak stoves....

Pretty cool they still make versions of the original!

 

[Corey]

I still have some of my old stuff from years ago such as an REI water bag, I think they quit making them.
I filled it up from streams while backpacking around Mt. Rainier in the mid 80s.
You can see it in the bottom half of the picture hanging on the tree.
I still have two of them and I use one still for camping.
This picture was from around '85 or so up at Mt. Rainier.

The Paul Revere stainless steel copper bottom cookpot in this photo was my grandparents, and it is from the 50s or so.
I have their whole set I keep in my camping supply stuff, and I have my parents set for kitchen duty at home they bought in the 80s, along with a set I bought later 80s for home use.
The stuff works great for camping, but I also use Lodge cast iron stuff I bought a few years back for camping and at home too.
I pretty much only use the stainless pots to boil water or cook pasta and rice dishes in.
Everything else is done in cast iron.

This small wooden Mt. Rainier picnic table I acquired back in the early 80s, and it still accompanies me on every camping trip.
A chipmunk had popped his head up right by the little table, wish I had the camera out then, it looked like it was getting ready to eat at the small table.

I have some of the old Coleman Peak single burner stoves too, one for regular camping, and smaller one I used while backpacking.
I then switched over to CampingGaz stove and lantern though for backpacking back then, as I hated the mess of carrying whitegas while packing.

 

[wesintl]

The 8r is classic stove John

 

[Mace]

I have a couple Svea/optimus stoves that my father gave to me. Love em.

Perfect additions to the cruiser for a "just in case" setup

 

[soumilpaul]

ya its correct 8r is a classic one

 

[solidfrontaxle]

The 8r (Hunter) was not replaced at all by the Hiker+. The Optimus Hiker was replaced by the Hiker+.
The Hiker (aka Optimus 111) and Hiker+ that came after it was a much larger version of the 8r, which was simply a box and tank version of the Svea 123r. The Hiker also featured a built in pump and thus did not require as much priming as the Hunter/Svea (or the silly external pump) and of course burns way hotter.
The Hiker came in several different iterations:
111 - kerosene only roarer burner
111b - white gas roarer burner
111c - multi fuel silent burner
111T - improved multi fuel silent burner used by the USMC

Here's a size comparison (pictures wont link so you just get the thread):
http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/showtopic.php?fid/399/tid/13834/

There is also a two burner version of the 111 called the 22b.

the Hiker+ uses the same burner as the Optimus Nova and can use even more types of fuels. It also has a steel tank rather than brass and has a magnetic cleaning needle.

Overall IMO, the 111 stoves are better than the Hiker+ due to the brass tank and better reliability from mechanical cleaning needle and a better burner. The green and black look sweet though and I love my Hiker+ as a beater stove to keep in my land cruiser.

Parts for these and any old european stove for that matter are best found either on ebay or base-camp.co.uk. Lots of good info and help can be found on the Spiritburner (Classic Camp Stoves) forum. Beware though, these stoves are super addicting to collect and look em up on ebay...they don't come cheap.

 

[solidfrontaxle]

P.S., if anyone has an 8r and or a 123 or 123r they want to get rid of, let me know. I've got some coleman single burners I might trade.

 

[solidfrontaxle]

Crazy! I found this this weekend amongst my gear.

A "Pak-Cook 5," almost an exact copy of the Optimus. My parents bought it new in the 70s and other than some outside scuffing and some mice chewing at the instructions, it looks brand new. I always used my MSR or coleman Peak stoves....

Pretty cool they still make versions of the original!

Thats cool! It's interesting that stansport was ripping off Optimus on more than one model...

 

[BigRedWeather]

Burn Unleaded Gas in single fuel liquid Coleman Fuel Stove

With the price of Coleman Fuel ($13/gal) surely someone has tried to burn unleaded gas in their single fuel liquid Coleman fuel stove.

Anyone know where I could find the results?

I have a single fuel Coleman, and though I know it isn't designed for it, I was wondering what would happen if I burned unleaded gas in it. I don't want to buy a new 2 burner dual fuel stove for $120.

This is the best place on the web I have found to post this question, and I know it is not ideal.

If you can send me to another site or leave a response I would appreciate it.


Thanks,


BigRedWeather

 

[solidfrontaxle]

It has been done and it works. White gas is just gasoline without the additives and stuff. It will burn dirty, but if you clean and maintain your stove after using it, it shouldn't clog up. You shouldn't ever have to buy a new stove for $120 when there are so many used ones that can be had for cheap and every stove is easy to maintain and fix. It is very rare that you find a stove that isn't servicable with only a few easily gotten parts like seals and leathers. Ebay is your source for that stuff.

 

[BigRedWeather]

Thanks for the post. Can you point me to instructions on how to service a 2 burner coleman fuel coleman stove? Mine has the fuel tank with a 10" long pipe that stores inside the stove. In operation, it mounts on the front of the stove and supplies the fuel to the burners.


Thanks,


BigRedWeather

 

[toy4xfun]

go to Coleman's site, there is a link in the Coleman thread here.

 

[toy4xfun]

here is a link that might work.

OldColemanParts.com

 

[solidfrontaxle]

How to Survive » Blog Archive » Rebuilding Coleman Stoves

How to Rebuild a Coleman® Lantern or Stove: Old Town Coleman