Name: Pam Wyant
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight: 165 lb (77 kg)
E-mail address: pamwyant(at)yahoo(dot)com
Location: Western West Virginia, U.S.A.

Backpacking Background:

As spring 2006 looms on the horizon, I'm beginning my third year of backpacking, and I continue to love it! So far, I've progressed from day-hiking and single overnights to weekend trips, but I'm planning a longer trip for spring '06. Hopefully it will be a section hike of the Appalachian Trail! I hike and backpack mainly in the hills and valleys of West Virginia, and use a hammock sleeping system. For a two-day trip my typical pack weighs 22-30 lb (10-14 kg) including consumables, and I’m striving to lighten that a bit.

Manufacturer: AntiGravityGear Year of manufacture: 2005 Date of Delivery: September 17, 2005 Listed weight of kit: not available Kit weight as delivered: 2.5 oz (71 g) Manufacturer Website: http://www.antigravitygear.com/ MSRP: $7.95 US	Features: Light weight components Fuel bottle available in blue or green Flip top on fuel bottle with 8 fl oz (237 ml) capacity Windscreen folds flat or wraps around fuel bottle for storage Primer pan to help stove reach maximum temperature faster Measuring container lists tsp/tbs, ml, cc, fl oz, and dram
Components: Fuel bottle: no listed weight measured weight: 1.1 oz or 31 g Windscreen: listed weight 1.1 oz or 31 g measured weight: 1.2 oz or 34 g Primer pan: no listed weight measured weight: 0.2 oz or 6 g Measuring container: not listed, but included measured weight: less than 0.1 oz or 3 g	Measurements: Fuel bottle: 7 in (18 cm) high x 1 3/4 in (4.5 cm) diameter Windscreen: 4.5 in (11.5 cm) high x 26.5 in (67 cm) long Primer Pan: 3.25 in (8.5 cm) diameter x 3/16 in (0.5 cm) high Measuring container: 1.5 in (4 cm) high x 1 7/8 in (5 cm) widest diameter

For a detailed description of the AntiGravityGear Universal Alcohol Stove Accessory Pack and additional photos, please see my Initial Report.

Field Test Conditions -

This report covers information during the final phase of my test of the AntiGravityGear Universal Alcohol Stove Accessory Pack.
For information on field conditions and use during the field test phase and field use photos, please see my Field Report.

During this phase, I have used the Accessory Pack components while day-hiking in western West Virginia and southeastern Ohio, in elevations ranging from approximately 700 to 1200 feet (200 to 350 meters). Temperatures have ranged around freezing to the upper 50 F (10 C) range, in dry weather and in snow. Pack weight including consumables was around 7-10 lb (3-5 kg). Locations have included Charles Fork Lake, Mountwood Park, and the Kanawha State Forest in West Virginia, and the Lake Vesuvius area of Wayne National Forest in Ohio.

Use -

In this phase of the test, I've used the Accessory Pack components exclusively with my homemade "SUPER CAT" stove, and with the smallest pot from my GSI anodized aluminum boiler set. I've found these ideal for my needs, light in weight, compact, and easy to pack. I can store the primer pan in the bottom of my cook pot, set the "SUPER CAT" stove on top of it, roll the windscreen around the fuel bottle and cap it with the measuring cup, and place the fuel bottle inside the "SUPER CAT". I still have space to add matches, a scrap of foil and a ground protector made from a scrap of an old fire protection blanket. The pot then fits into a small mesh bag, giving me a complete "kitchen" in a package a little over 5 in (13 cm) x 7 in (18 cm).

Primer Pan -

As I've settled into a routine of using this set with my "SUPER CAT" stove, I've found this small and lightweight component very handy for holding the stove steady and for catching any fuel that may leak out the side holes of the stove as I pour the denatured alcohol in, allowing me to fill the stove to capacity without worrying about the excess alcohol getting where I may not want it. It also holds enough fuel to "prime" the stove by lighting a few drops placed in the pan, helping pre-heat the alcohol in the stove, and getting it boiling (and burning) faster. It has a few discolored spots now from the numerous times I burned it, but has no dents or dings.

Windscreen -

I've found I prefer wrapping the windscreen around the fuel bottle for storage for space savings and to keep from having to bend and unbend it each time I want to use it. This also helps keep it more rounded to fit my pot better. For information on the way I cut and fit the windscreen to my pot, please see my Field Report. The windscreen has proved durable, even in the small fold where the ends fasten together, and it still fits my pot well. I've found I never needed to add extra ventilation to the windscreen. It's always worked just fine without it. Using the windscreen seems to help my stove burn more efficiently, trapping most of the heat against the pot. One thing I really like about the windscreen is that it doesn't seem as sharp or as unwieldy as my former roof flashing windscreen, and I feel less likely to cut myself when using it.

Fuel bottle-

The fuel bottle has held up very well, without major dents, and has never leaked or spilled accidentally. It holds enough fuel for a weekend trip of dehydrated dinners and twice daily hot beverages, or a dozen or so hot beverages during day-hikes. I find the flip top pour cap especially useful to direct the fuel where I want it to go.

Measuring cup -

The measuring cup fits neatly over the top of the fuel bottle for storage, effectively taking up almost no space. I used it a lot during the field test, but have either become less cautious or lazier in this phase of the test, and haven't been using it lately. Since it weighs so little, I do still carry it along.

Final Conclusions -

The AntiGravityGear Universal Alcohol Stove Accessory Pack is a good fit with my backpacking style, providing maximum utility at minimal weight. This set is a winner, and I plan to continue using it constantly for backpacking and occasionally for day-hiking.

Likes –

Light weight
Durability
Utility

Recommendation for improvement –
Provide instructions for cutting windscreen

Thanks to AntiGravityGear and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test the Universal Alcohol Stove Accessory Pack.

Read more reviews of AntiGravityGear gear
Read more gear reviews by Pamela Wyant

Long Term Report

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