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Reviews > Cook Gear > Cook Sets > Clikstand Universal Stove System > Mara Factor > Field ReportWeb site: http://www.clikstand.com/ Manufacturer: Ursa Design, 2004 Tester: Mara Factor Gender: Female Height: 6’1"/185 cm Weight: 220 lbs/100 kg Age: 38 Home: Medford, MA (near Boston) Date: September 21, 2004 Email: m_factor@hotmail.com Web: http://friends.backcountry.net/ m_factor Background: I have been hiking and backpacking extensively since 1989. Weekends frequently find me in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Longer trips I've taken include such diverse locations as Copper Canyon, Mexico; Annapurnas, Nepal; Olympic Mountains, Washington; Austrian Alps; Paria Canyon, UT and AZ; Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Crest Trail, and a 1999 thruhike of the Appalachian Trail. As a lightweight backpacker, I do not forgo comfort or safety. I weigh all of my equipment and carry only items necessary for each trip. My ~13 lb (6 kg) summer base pack weight includes a Nomad lite tent, alcohol stove, Big Agnes sleep system, ULA P-1 backpack or Kelty Vapor backpack, and a filled jacket. Description: The Clikstand is a universal stove system comprising a stove, pot support, and windscreen. Please see my Initial Report for further descriptive information about the Clikstand. Home testing: I did quite a bit of testing in my kitchen in order to have a somewhat controlled environment in which to test various configurations. All of my tests were conducted with Pure Denatured Alcohol. All timed tests were performed on top of my stove, with a window fan on low exhaust. The fan ensured any fumes would be pulled outside while not providing any significant breeze. The kitchen was approximately 75 F (24 C) for all tests. All water was premeasured, sealed in a Nalgene or Gatorade type bottle, and allowed to cool to refrigerator temperature overnight. Each bottle contained 2 c (473 ml) of water. Each test of an alcohol stove was performed with 1 fl oz (30 ml) of alcohol. Each Esbit test used one .5 oz (14 g) Esbit tablet. I tested three stoves, the Trangia that came with the system, a soda can alcohol stove, and a soda can Esbit stove. All stoves are the same height, 1.5 in (4 cm). The Trangia stove includes the burner, simmer ring, and screw on cap. It is manufactured by Trangia. The soda can stove is a "pressurized" version with three small holes in the center which allow the alcohol to slowly drain into the insulation filled interior. It requires a few drops of alcohol to burn outside the base of the stove to warm the alcohol and produce vapors to burn. The Esbit stove was simply the bottom of a soda can cut off to be the same height as the Trangia and soda can stoves. I performed all tests with both the standard .9 l (.95 qt) Evernew pot and a 1.3 l (1.4 qt) Evernew pot. The larger pot required I use a different windscreen. I used an MSR windscreen that sat directly on the ground. Without punching holes in the windscreen, I just ensured there was enough room for air to flow down to the burner.
In addition, I also tested the following four configurations with the Trangia.
Field use: My field use of the Clikstand was limited to a couple of short trips to the White Mountains in New Hampshire and Maine as well day trips on local trails in the Middlesex Fells. Conditions were mostly warm, dry, and unremarkable. Having tested the Clikstand system at home, I did not expect any surprises on the trail and did not have any surprises. I enjoyed having the Trangia burner with me for these short trips as I had no need to carry an additional fuel bottle. Items cooked: Lipton Asian Sides, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Tasty Bite Indian boil-in-bag dishes with Minute Rice. Observations: As I suspected in my Initial Report, assembling the three outer walls of the Clikstand has gotten easier over time. While 1.5 in (4 cm) seems good for alcohol stoves, I suspect the height is a bit too high for the Esbit tablets which themselves are about .5 in (1.3) cm thick. A slightly shorter stove might work a bit better with the Clikstand and enable the tablet to burn faster. The Trangia stove has a lip that allows the stove to sit in the Clikstand pot support. This means that if the Clikstand can be set up level with three points of contact, the surface of the ground does not need to be level under the stove. While I have not tried this, I imagine it would be fairly simple to construct a soda can stove with a few tabs extending above the stove. They could then be bent outwards so the stove could rest on the stand like the Trangia. As a corollary, for areas where the ground is reasonably level and the Clikstand support is not required to keep the stove level, soda can stoves can be easier to light as the stove can be lit first and then the Clikstand support placed over the already lit stove. Trangia seems to burn at full speed until it burns out. Other stoves slowed significantly at the end. The flame burned higher than the pot on occasion. Recentering the pot on the stand usually controlled that. With the Clikstand, I found the simmer ring difficult to use. When fully open, it allows too much flame to simmer. If I close it to the point where I will have just enough flame once the simmer ring is on the stove, and then drop it on the stove, it snuffs out the flame. If I drop it on the stove while open and try to close it while the stove continues to burn, I find it difficult to get the appropriate leverage on the cover and have given myself minor burns from the lip of the hot Clikstand. To make matters worse, I rarely dropped the simmer ring directly onto the burner and often found myself doing some tricky maneuvering with the burning alcohol stove just to get the simmer ring to sit properly. The Clikstand has held up well and the only change I've observed is the discoloration due to the exposure to the flames as the stoves have burned. My four year old nephew, with whom I shared a box of Macaroni and Cheese during a local day hike, was fascinated by the stove and incredulous that we could sit on a rock and prepare the Mac and Cheese then and there. I must admit, I don't usually consider it "fun" to prepare meals on the trail but with him, it really was fun. Likes:
Dislikes:
Summary: I am somewhat torn between the convenience of the Trangia and the light weight of a soda can stove. I think both definitely have their uses and both have a place in my gear room. The Clikstand provides a sturdy and solid base. It packs small and provides a more stable pot stand than many canister stoves. The system is a good option over heavier liquid gas stoves that have parts that require maintenance. Lighter pot stands can be fashioned at home but are rarely as stable as the Clikstand. The windscreen is easy to use and perfectly sized for the suggested system configuration. Stored in the pot, there is no need for fiddling with rubber bands, or folding, unfolding, and forming cylinders with flat windscreens such as the MSR windscreen. My concern about the non-stick surface inside of the pot being scratched by the windscreen and other components is, so far, unfounded. Read more reviews of Ursa Design gear Read more gear reviews by Mara Factor Reviews > Cook Gear > Cook Sets > Clikstand Universal Stove System > Mara Factor > Field Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||