Ursa Designs Clikstand-S 1 (Complete Stove Set)
Initial Report by André Corterier

Personal Biographical Information:

Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 78 kg (172 lb)
Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany
DATE: 2004-07-16

 

Backpacking Background:

I began backpacking in my late teens using Europe’s „InterRail“-System – weight hardly mattered, as we were on trains a lot. I usually traveled through southern Europe during summer, for about three weeks at a time, moving from campsites (often without tent) to youth hostels etc. I recently rediscovered backpacking and have started out slowly – single-day 15 mile (24 km) jaunts by myself or even shorter hikes (pushing a stroller uphill through the woods). I am getting started on longer hikes, as a lightweight packer. My gear is either old or really new – nothing in between.

 

ITEM: Clikstand S-1
Year of manufacture: 2004
Manufacturer: Ursa Designs
URL: http://www.clikstand.com/
MSRP: 51.95 $ US for Clikstand, windscreen and burner
MSRP: 42.95 $ US for Clikstand and windscreen

Weight Comparisons - scale accurate to 5 g (.2 oz)
Clikstand listed weight: 91 g (3.2 oz)
Clikstand measured weight: 95 g (3.4 oz)
Windscreen listed weight: 32 g (1.1 oz)
Windscreen measured weight: 30 g (1 oz)
Stove (by Trangia) listed weight: 67 g (2.4 oz)
Stove (by Trangia) measured weight: 110 g (3.9 oz) (incl. cap w/ O-ring, simmer ring and extinguisher)
0.9 l Titanium Pot / Lid (by Evernew) listed weight: none given
0.9 l Titanium Pot / Lid (by Evernew) measured weight: 100 g / 40 g (3.5 oz / 1.4 oz)

Arrival/Packaging:
The Clikstand Stove Set arrived in a box filled with what looked like the shredded remains of a small book. Packed into these I found instructions; the sides and bottom of the Clikstand set and the windscreen, all packed into Ziploc bags; the Trangia burner and the Evernew Titanium (Ti) pot. Someone seems to have gone the extra distance to make sure I'll be the first one to put scratches on these.

Product Description/First Impression:
You may want to look at the pictures provided by the manufacturer (link above). The items looked exactly like what I expected from the website - only smaller. Especially the pot - I thought, "Gee, this is small." Checking proved that the pot, which has "300" and "600" markings on its side which turned out upon checking to correspond to ml volume (about 10 and 20 fl oz, respectively), holds exactly 900 ml (30.4 fl oz) when filled to the top edge where it widens to accommodate the lid. I am doubtful whether that will allow me to cook the kind of meal I need after a long days' walk. I will find that out. As the pot is provided as a free add-on, I will not and cannot hold this against the Clikstand manufacturer. I guess it's a marketing thing - look, all of this gear fits in a pot this small. You can see it on the website and of course, I tried it immediately. It fits. Neat.
The lid of the pot is just that - it cannot double as a pan. Too bad. The reason for this is its shape on the one hand and a plastic-covered handle in its center on the other. The same plastic covers the pot handles and, at first testing, seems to provide adequate heat insulation.
The windscreen is a longish, flat piece of reflecting metal which rolls into the pot. Its length is such that in use, it stands on tabs on the sides of the Clikstand, rather than the ground. This allows the windscreen, while (just) slim enough to fit into the pot, to cover the area just above the burner to just above the bottom of the pot. It is very close to the edges of the pot, which should allow it to work very well, but precludes the use of a pot with a wider base (the website says it will accommodate pots up to 140 mm (5.5 in) in diameter, which seems accurate). Maybe I can get a larger volume pot with the same diameter...
The instructions suggest to keep the Clikstand sides in its Ziploc bag to prevent scratching the windscreen. I wonder why scratches on the windscreen would be an issue. As I know the windscreen will get scratched regardless, I plan to disregard this advice.
Assembly:
I first tried assembling the kit without instructions. That was simple enough, as I had seen on the website what the assembled Clikstand is supposed to look like. I didn't time the effort, but it seemed to me no more involved than setting up a standard burner attached to a canister by a hose. Should I have run into problems, there were assembly instructions provided, who charmingly enough seemed to have come from a laser or maybe even - dare I say it - ink-jet printer. It includes pictures. There are no instructions for the pot - duh - or the burner. While the Clikstand still seems small to me, I still believe that its three corners should give it good stability. The assembled product feels sturdy, once the sections have snapped into place, it does not flex. I find this reassuring, as I will want to stir boiling liquids balanced atop it. I wonder whether the small tabs which fit the Clikstand together will soften up with wear. I will see.

Trying Out:
I first set the burner up at night, on my balcony. I poured a little bit of denatured alcohol into the burner, put it into the Clikstand, and found that I could not light it with a standard lighter. The Clikstand's uprights prevented me from moving the flame close enough to the surface of the alcohol. This was with the burner maybe halfway filled. I had read somewhere that pouring a little alcohol onto the outside ring of the burner would make it easier to light and consequently splattered a little alcohol on this, as well. I'm not sure if I should chalk it up to inadequate lighting, a poor fuel container or lack of manual dexterity, but I was apparently overly generous. Moving a light close to the stove caused it, the Clikstand and about a hands-width of floor in every direction to go up in flames. As this was tiled balcony floor, I wasn't overly concerned, but resolved to be extra careful both about pouring the fuel and about clearing the floor area of combustibles in the future. By the time I was done reprimanding myself, the excess alcohol had burned off and the stove had settled to a comfortable burn. I fitted it with its windscreen and the Ti pot filled with water and proceeded to boil the latter. It was a calm night, almost no wind. Blowing on it from the side seemed to indicate the windscreen was doing its job. It seemed to take a little less than 10 minutes to boil about 900 ml (just under a quart) of cool tap water. I noted that with the stove mostly filled, there was quite a bit of alcohol left to burn when the water had reached a boil. I guess that with experience I should get a good idea of how much alcohol I need to pour to boil a given amount of water. Allowing the excess alcohol to burn off was like sitting at a campfire. It had most of its charm, light and warmth - while not the same as the real thing, definitely an improvement over a gas burner. I like it.

Fitting:
As mentioned above, the Ti pot is small and will contain Clikstand, windscreen and burner. This makes for a MUCH smaller package than my previous burner, hose and canister contraption. It also weighs less than half of it (less than a third if I include the pot in my calculation). This is excellent. I am not quite sure about the cap w/ O-ring, simmer ring and extinguisher, however. The cap with O-ring looks as though it should be tight enough to fill the burner with alcohol, screw on the cap and transport it like that. When I tried this, I wasn't convinced it works as my nose seemed to detect a lot of alcohol smell. However, I may not have been sufficiently careful to pour into the burner only. I am unsure how to test this, also, as I am loath to do so in my pack. I will think of something, eventually. It seems like something I would want to know - depending on required burn times, it might be possible to dispense with a fuel bottle entirely for, say, a weekend trip by myself if I only need to boil a small amount of water two or three times, by filling up the burner and using the extinguisher once the water boils. If this does not work, I guess I can save a comparatively (none of this weighs a lot) large amount of weight by leaving the cap and extinguisher at home.

For the Future:
I will find out whether the Clikstand provides as much stability as I think it will. I will find out about the tightness of the cap. I will find out what approximate fuel amounts / burn times are in the field. I will find out whether the pot is adequately sized. I will find out how the windscreen performs in real life. I will try different pots, also - the old (heavy, steel) pot I used to use, though only for comparison's sake - with a Ti pot handy, I won't be carrying it anymore. I am considering buying an aluminum pot with the same diameter and higher sidewalls. (I do not own another stove which I could use in conjunction with the Clikstand.)

I plan to use the stove primarily dayhiking in the local area, temps mostly between 10 C and 30 C (50 F and 86 F) for the Field Report, probably down to -5 C (23 F) for the Long Term Report. I have a few weekend trips planned also, mainly a four day trip in late October. Elevations will be between sea level and maybe 500 m (1700 ft) unless my trip through the Alps materializes, humidity and precipitation are anyone's guess.

Pros: Light. Simple. Small. Did I mention light?

Cons: Pouring alcohol is more involved than opening a valve. Fuel may stink up my pack.