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Reviews > Cook and Food Storage Gear > Stoves > Primus ETA PackLite Stove > Primus Eta PackLite Stove > Test Report by Jamie LawrencePrimus EtaPackLite Stove
Test Series by Jamie LawrenceInitial Report – 25th October 2010Field Report - 4th January 2011 Long-Term Report – 1st March 2011Tester Information
I was introduced to backpacking/tramping/hiking as a young child in Boy Scouts and through my school physical/adventure education. After leaving school, I mainly did short daywalks until recently when I started to re-walk some of Tasmania's key routes and try others I have yet to attempt. I mainly walk in the winter months, in Tasmania's central highlands area. I prefer light gear, extended walks (3-5 days) in a group of 3 people, or shorter walks (1-3 days) walking solo. I generally carry a base weight pack of around 8 kg - 10 kg (17 lbs - 22 lbs). Initial Report25th October 2010 Product Information & Specification
Primus refers to the EtaPackLite as being a stove, but my first impressions add increasing blur to the gray area between a stove and a cook system. In essence, the EtaPackLite is a gas powered stove with an integrated windshield and pot that features a built in heat exchanger. The whole unit folds to allow it to be stored inside the pot, with sufficient space to include a small gas canister. On their website, Primus lists the technical features of the EtaPackLite as: · 2,000 w / 7,150 BTU/h heat output · Boiling time 2.5 minutes · Burn time 119 minutes using 230 g (8.1 oz) LP Gas canister · Piezoelectric ignition
Initial ImpressionsA bushwalking stove for me
is always
about trade-offs. I am constantly concerned about weight of fuel v heat
output,
ease of use v options for different styles of cooking (as opposed to
just
boiling water) and most of all, how much space does it take up in my
pack! It
took me only a few minutes of playing with the EtaPackLite for my
thoughts to
start to consider that maybe I had finally found the 'perfect'
combination for
my outdoor cooking needs. Yes, I was immediately impressed with the
construction, feel and design of this system.
SummaryMy
initial impressions of the Primus EtaPackLite have been
good. Overall I think it is a well designed and simple to use outdoor
cooking
system, or is it a stove?? I am not quite sure. I think the fact that I
can use
other types of cookware means it is a stove, but the use of the pot
makes it a
system. Either way it was super fast at boiling a couple of liters of
water.
For me it is appealing to be able to interchange cookware and be
creative with
what I prepare in the back country. I am sure that a super ultralight
die hard may find this a heavy and chunky unit but I like it so far. Field Report4th January 2011 Field Locations & ConditionsI commenced my field
testing of the
Primus EtaPackLite stove on 3 outings. The first of these was a 3 day
bushwalking trip to summit Mt Anne (1,425 m/4,675 ft) in South West
Tasmania.
Unfortunately the weather was unseasonably cold, with snow/hail falling
and
temps dipping to around -1 C (30 F). We camped at around 950 m (3,116
ft). Performance in the FieldSo far I have used the EtaPackLite to prepare a range of food ranging from simply boiling water for drinks (using the supplied pot) to cooking some juicy steaks and fish with a frying pan. As I experienced in my initial test at home, this stove is capable of boiling water rather quickly. In a couple of instances whilst at Mt Anne, I was able to set up the EtaPackLite and boil a couple of liters of water (enough for a few of us to have a soup or hot drink) in less time than my mate was able to set-up, prime, light and boil water using his MSR Whisperlite. Given the cold and somewhat un-enjoyable conditions, this was very handy as it meant I could spend more time inside my dry and warm sleeping bag reading a book rather than standing out in the wind and rain. Also on this trip we prepared a tuna curry type dish (eg, we forgot some key ingredients and had to make something out of nothing!), some re hydrated potato, fried some salami and prepared some rolled oats for breakfasts. For this trip I packed a full 220g (7.76 oz) canister assuming it would be heaps! I was very wrong, as my slightly warm breakfast on the last day will attest. I was using an isobutane/propane blend gas, which I understand is best for the cooler conditions. It was not a Primus canister, but I have never had issues with my other gas stoves using various brands of canister. Over this trip I was cooking for 2 and the entire canister was used.
SummarySo far I have enjoyed using the Primus EtaPackLite stove. I am now more convinced that it is in fact a stove and not a cooking system as I have successfully used other non-proprietary cookware on the stove. I have been impressed by the ease of use, in particular the non-stick coating resulting in simple clean up. I have been very disappointed by what I feel is poor fuel consumption but this may simply be my error rather than the fault of the stove. My other annoyances are of a minor nature and would not at this stage prevent me using the stove further. I am now firmly in our Summer months so hopefully the warmer weather will allow me more time to get out and cook up a storm!
Long-Term Report1st March 2011 Field Locations & ConditionsI concluded my field testing of the Primus EtaPackLite stove on an overnight walk in the Mt Field National Park in addition to taking it along on a couple of day walks in the Mount Wellington Park. As we have been in summer, temps have been good, ranging from around 10 C (50 F) to highs in the mid 20’s C (Mid to high 70’s F). I had no rain and little wind during my outings. Performance in the FieldAs was the case in my Field Report, my use of the EtaPackLite has been enjoyable. Although a little bulky for day outings, it was handy to be able to throw the stove in my pack with a decent sized frypan and have a makeshift BBQ sitting on a rock overlooking the city from Mount Wellington. At the time I had friends visiting from interstate who just loved the view. As the EtaPackLite has such a wide base, it was easy to find a good spot on a flat rock to sit the stove on and cook away. As I was using a large frypan, I was not able to use the windshield. This didn’t appear to cause too many issues as there was very little breeze.
My overnight walk to Mt Field East was a pretty simple affair. The walk from the carpark to Lake Fenton is only about 45 minutes of relatively flat track walking. There is a small hut at the lake shore which became overnight camp. Elevation is about 800 m (2624 ft) and the weather was fantastic, bright blue skies and warm weather (23 C/73 F) during the day and about 14 C (57 F) at night. There was no wind. As a result, sitting by the lake and preparing a meal was a genuine pleasure, a reminder of why I love getting out into the wilderness. Given I usually use sheltie (white spirit) stoves, I found the EtaPackLite was great as I didn’t have the lingering odour of the fuel and, given it was a bit dry, the extra risk of fuel causing a fire. As we were not carrying packs very far, this was a gourmet affair, we cooked steaks for dinner and had eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast. A real treat! I was able to also whip up some popcorn late in the afternoon to enjoy with the beers that had been chilling in the lake. The bowl that usually lines the pot was good to throw some popcorn in after it was cooked. The strainer holes on the lid also made it really easy for steam to escape and helped me from overcooking the popcorn. On this particular trip we mainly used a frying pan but the pot was also used to boil water for drinks and washing dishes.
During my initial field testing I experienced what I felt was very poor economy from my fuel canister. During the trip to Mt Field I purchased a new 220 g (7.73 oz) canister just to see if I would have the same consumption issues I experienced during my Mt Anne trip earlier in my testing. I managed to use nearly a full canister on this short trip. However I was using the stove in a much different way, and the weather was a lot warmer. I had a lot more success in achieving stable simmer and lower flame setting, which enabled us to cook toast (it was great!). This is mainly about finding the ‘sweet’ spot with the control valve and also accounting for the excess gas in the fuel line when making the adjustment. Consumption was pretty high, with only about 30 g (0.96 oz) of fuel left in the canister, however we did have the stove going for long periods of time so I actually thought this consumption was relatively reasonable. I did have to invert the canister a few times towards the end of the canister to maintain a high flame output.
The overall condition of the stove is still very high. There are clear signs of use from the discolouration of the pot supports and scratching in the bowl from storing the windshield. The pot looks as new and I have been extremely impressed by the durability of the non-stick coating. I get the impression that the pot would last for many years with minimal extra care. The ignitor has remained an issue, usually requiring a bend back in place to make it light. I always carry a lighter or matches regardless of being able to light a stove with on board ignition so this isn’t so much of an issue. As highlighted in my field testing, a couple of the pot supports have become loose. This is still the case but no others at this stage have become loose. The whole unit still functions pretty much as it did from the first use out of the box. Final SummaryDuring my testing of the Primus EtaPackLite I have found it to be a really enjoyable and versatile stove. Given I have had such success using multiple types of cookware, including the pot, I am finally comfortable calling the EtaPackLite a stove rather than a cooking system. There is certainly no doubt about the quality of the construction, I am sure I could rely on the stove for many years to come with next to no maintenance.
The ultimate question: Will I continue to use the EtaPackLite into the future? Without a doubt I will, depending on the weather and my expected cooking requirements. If I am simply boiling water, probably not but if I want more heat control, the ability to use multiple types of cookware and am not too fussed about carrying fuel canisters, I will definitely pack the EtaPackLite.
This concludes my testing of the EtaPackLite stove. My final thanks to Primus & www.backpackgeartest.org for the opportunity to test this product.
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