Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > AntiGravityGear Stove Accessory Pack > Thomas Vickers > Field Report

AntiGravityGear Universal Alcohol Stove Accessory Pack Field Test Report

November 28, 2005

Tester Background:
I grew up in the piney woods of southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the mosquito-infested woods behind the house. My style has evolved and over the last 4 or 5 years, I have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping bags and tents, just lighter versions). While I have flirted with lightweight hiking, I feel that I am more of a mid-weight hiker now. My philosophy is one of comfort, while carrying the lightest load possible.

Usage:
During the first part of this test, I used the AntiGravityGear Universal Alcohol Stove Accessory Pack exclusively on day hikes.  I managed to cook at least 12 meals and heat water for numerous cups of hot tea.  I am pretty clumsy and dangerous when it comes to abusing hiking gear, but   I haven't broken any part of the Accessory Pack yet, which is a good sign that it's rather durable.  I have done a majority of my testing with the alcohol stove that  AntiGravityGear provided, but that will be changing in the next phase of the test as I shift to using my own home made stove more.  

Fuel Bottle:
I was excited when I first saw the fuel bottle. It is small enough to fit just about anywhere in  my lumbar pack. For the first part of this test, it was carried exclusively in an exterior mesh pocket.  I didn't want to take the chance that the lid or flip up spout would leak and this seemed like the safest spot to carry the fuel bottle.  Using the fuel bottle in the field was much easier than I expected.   The bottle is flexible enough for me to squeeze it and dispense fuel quickly through the flip up spout into the measuring cup. Best of all, it doesn't leak.  At this point I would carry it on the inside of a pack if needed because I feel secure about the lid's ability to keep fuel inside the bottle.  My one concern about this is whether or not the flip up spout will begin to leak after continued usage, but that is something only more time testing will show.  Overall, the fuel bottle is nice. It carries more than enough fuel for day hiking and in most cases it carries more fuel than I would use on a typical weekend camping trip.  My one problem with the fuel bottle came when I needed to fill it.  Because the bottle is so tall and skinny, it becomes very top heavy when a funnel is inserted into the neck of the bottle.  As I put more fuel into the bottle, it became more stable, but the initial filling is a rather tricky maneuver that is best done on level ground where spilling some denatured alcohol is not a problem. 

Windscreen:
I don't know much about windscreens, but I do use them.  With that little disclaimer out of the way I can say that I have no clue as to the correct manner for putting a windscreen around a pot.  With the AntiGravityGear windscreen I unfolded it, wrapped it around my pot, pressed it into shape around the pot, then got on with my cooking.   As with any windscreen I have used, it keeps the breeze off my stove and I assume it helps the stove cook faster.  I do know that it keeps my fingers out of the hard to see flames of my alcohol stoves which I see a definite plus.  I also like the fact that this windscreen folds up small enough to fit in the bottom of my pot along with my stove, pot holder, primer pan, and sometimes a pot stand. 

Primer Pan:
I think this item is just pure genius.  Primer pans have always been a part of my alcohol stove kits, but I could never figure out how to stabilize the stove (hold it still) and reduce the primer pan weight.  The AntiGravityGear design is perfect.  The center of the pan is cut out and the interior edges of this hole are raised. 

Not only does this cut the weight down, but it holds the stove securely in place. With the AntiGravityGear primer pan I add  2.5 ml (0.08 fl oz) of alcohol to the pan, light it, and the stove kicks on rather quickly.  Since there is not a lot of wasted space under the stove for the fuel to seep into and hide, I think this adds to the quick start ability of the primer pan.  I really wish I had thought this design up myself.  The primer pan hasn't suffered any damage so far from the fuel or stove and it also fits nicely into my cooking pot when not in use.

Fuel Measuring Cup:
This little beauty is just a great extra to me.  It isn't a necessity, but it does allow for exact measurement of small amounts of fuel.  This means that I don't have to go with my standard "half a squirt in the primer pan" method of lighting the stove. I was actually able to measure how much fuel (or how little) that I needed to prime the stove.  It also lets me measure how much stove fuel I use.   This doesn't have to be quite as accurate as the primer fuel, but I do feel that having this measuring cup allows me to ration my stove fuel much better because it takes the guess work out of the process. 

Impressions:
The AntiGravityGear Universal Alcohol Stove Accessory Pack is great.  The fuel bottle is small enough to carry inside or outside of any pack and the rest of the kit easily fits into a 1 liter (1.06 US qt) pot for storage.  All parts of the Accessory Kit have proven very durable so far and the next phase of the test will definitely put the durability to the test.

I want to thank AntiGravityGear and BackpackGearTesters for the chance to test the Universal Alcohol Stove Accessory Pack.

Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > AntiGravityGear Stove Accessory Pack > Thomas Vickers > Field Report