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Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Stoves > Olicamp Xcelerator Stove and XTS Pot > Owner Review by Dan Hotch

OLICAMP XCELERATOR TITANIUM STOVE WITH XTS POT
BY DAN HOTCHKISS
OWNER REVIEW
November 11, 2016

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Dan Hotchkiss
EMAIL: dhotchATyahooDOTcom
AGE: 39
LOCATION: Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 6' 1" (1.85 m)
WEIGHT: 230 lb (104.00 kg)

I have been hiking for at least 10 years. My day hikes range from short outings in regional parks up to 5+ mile (8+ km) days at or above the treeline in National Parks. Within the last two years, now that my children are old enough, I have gotten back into camping after many years away. My camping consists mostly of outings with my kids, some car camping as well as backpacking a few miles (km) for overnighters. Having an extremely light pack is not a top priority for me, but everything I carry needs to be justified.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Olicamp
Year of Manufacture: 2015
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.olicamp.com/
Manufacturer Specs

Stove -
Weight: Manufacturer claimed: 3.5 oz (98 g) I measured 3.7 oz (105 g)
Size: Manufacturer claimed: 3" x 3.5" (76 mm x 89 mm) I measured the stove to sit 2.6" (66 mm) from ground to pot supports while the effective diameter of the unfolded pot supports is 5.5" (140 mm) across.
Ignition: Manual
Output: Manufacturer claimed: 9,560 BTU/hr (2,802 watts)
MSRP: US$69.95

Pot -
Weight: Manufacturer claimed: 6.7 oz (190 g) I measured 6.7 oz (190 g) for the pot and 1.1 oz (31 g) for the lid.
Size: Manufacturer claimed: 32 oz (.95 Liter) 4.5"x5.3" (114 mm x 135 mm) I measured 5.5" (140 mm) tall and 5" (127 mm) in diameter with the lid on.
Hard Anodized Aluminum
MSRP: US$29.95

Combo MSRP: US$89.95

Product Discription

IMAGE 1 The Olicamp Xcelerator Titanium with XTS pot is a remote canister stove with a hard anodized aluminum pot. The system is designed to offer some of the benefits of a self-contained heat exchanger system, while being significantly more flexible to varying conditions.

The Xcelerator Titanium stove is a very compact and lightweight stove. The XTS pot is a 32 oz (0.95 liter) capacity, hard anodized pot with heat exchanger fins spot-welded to the bottom perimeter. In addition, a silicone-like lid (rubbery, but doesn't feel greasy like traditional silicone) is provided. The pot has stamped-in graduations running down the side of the pot showing 8, 16, 24 & 32 oz; but no metric markings.

Field Usage

I have owned the Xcelerator and XTS pot for about a season now. I have used it on multiple campouts, in temperatures ranging from 85 F down to 45 F (29 C down to 7 C) with humidity levels from approximatly 50% RH up to 100% RH. The altitude of usage has always been around 900 ft (275 m). I have cooked about 7 or 8 meals with the combo while camping, in addition to heating water for cleaning dishes, as well as hot chocolate. One particular night involved cooking through a significant rain shower where the stove lit without issue. It has performed well boiling water for freeze-dried backpacker bag meals as well as cooking noodles and soup. The precise control over flame height has even allowed me to dry bake muffins in the pot on a number of occasions.
IMAGE 2

Review

First and foremost, although this is a remote canister stove, it does not have a "preheat" loop in the fuel line. Although I questioned the idea of owning a remote canister stove that does not have a preheat loop, and thus does not allow for inverted canister operation, the Xcelerator offers other benefits compared to a direct attached canister stove. Namely, stability and the ease of using a windscreen. As I often backpack with my (inquisitive and antsy) children, having a cook system that sits as stable and low to the ground as possible is highly desired. The fact that the canister is remote also allows for easy wind-blocking without worrying about excessive heating of the fuel canister.

An additional benefit to the remote setup is that the fuel control valve is remote from the burner. This makes for easy adjustment of the flame without reaching under a hot pot, or disturbing a wind-block. The adjustment valve has a large range of adjustment too, making it very easy to adjust down to very low levels for simmering or dry baking.
IMAGE 3
Stove and XTS pot simmering inside a windscreen


The folding legs of the Xcelerator provide a stable base for the XTS pot in particular, but also provide ample stability for other pots and pans (within reason) too. Stirring contents one-handed while cooking is very stable, with little concern for the pot sliding off or tipping over.

The heat exchanger fins on the XTS pot should offer increased efficiency, resulting in reduced fuel consumption, and in my direct testing (heating the same quantity of water, starting at the same temp, weighing the fuel canister in-between burns, etc.) the XTS pot did use less fuel than a comparably sized pot without fins, about half an ounce (14 g) less fuel in the case of bringing 16 oz (0.47 liter) of tap water to boil. The finned base has a substantial ring of flat metal allowing the pot to sit stably on many different stoves, as opposed to being married solely to the Xcelerator. It can even be used stably with a campfire, if desired. In addition, the ring does a good job of protecting the delicate fins, allowing the pot to be set down on uneven surfaces without worry of fin damage.
IMAGE 4
Support ring on bottom of XTS pot


The XTS pot has folding handles that provide for stable and comfortable handling of the pot, even when full of boiling water. The lid presses tightly down onto the pot, such that I do not fear the top coming off in my pack, even without the carrying bag. However, one should only set the top loosely on the pot while cooking, as trying to pry the lid off (without burning your fingers) when fully pressed on is quite difficult. The other negative to the system is that the stove will not fit in the pot with an 8 oz (220 g) sized fuel canister, although it fits easily with a 4 oz (110 g) canister.
IMAGE 5
Folded stove in XTS pot with 8 oz (220 g) fuel canister


Over the span of the season, both the pot and the stove have held up well, all rivets are still tight, and the anodized coating shows little to no sign of wear. I expect to get many more years of service out of them.

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2016. All rights reserved.

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