Field Report:  Brasslite Turbo F Stove
June 12, 2004

Tester Bio

Name:  Mark Orton
Age:  27
Gender:  Male
Height:  5’7”  (1.70 m)
Weight:  175 lb  (79 kg)
E-mail:  Backpkrmn at aol dot com
City:  Vacaville
State:  California
Country:  USA
Date:  April 12, 2004


Backpacking Background

I have been hiking and backpacking my whole life.  Backpacking became a serious hobby for me in the mid 90s.  I have hiked several sections of the Appalachian Trail (AT), taking on 100+ mile (161+ km) sections at a time.  I have also hiked 100 miles (161 km) along the Vermont Long Trail.  Living in California gives me access to some great backpacking opportunities out here, such as the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).   I try to get out at least once a month on an overnight backpacking trip and at least once a week on a dayhike.  Once a year I plan an extended trip, a trip that is at least 100 miles (161 km) long and will take the better part of two weeks. 

In the past couple years I have begun converting to the ultralight way of backpacking.  I am known amongst friends as a gear head, I always have the latest and greatest lightweight gear.  I now have a basic pack weight (without food or water) of less than 10 lbs (4.5 kg). 


Product Information

Manufacturer:  Brasslite
Product Name:  Turbo F Stove
Manufacturer’s Website:  www.brasslite.com
Year of Manufacture:  2004
Listed weight:  0.8 oz (23 g)
Weight as tested:  0.8 oz (23 g)
Listed Dimensions:
  Width of chamber and stand: 2 in (50 mm)
  Height of chamber: 1.38 in (35 mm)
  Overall Height: 2.4 in (60 mm)
Dimensions as tested:  as stated
MSRP:  $25 for the stove, $4 - $6 for the fuel bottle (depending on size), and $5 for shipping.


Field Report Overview

In my initial report I provided my initial impressions of the Turbo F stove.  I told of its overall appearance, and gave a detailed description of how the stove appeared.  Since that information is all found on the initial report I will not be restating it here.

I have been using the Brasslite Turbo F as my exclusive stove for all of my backpacking and camping excursions for the past two months.  I have also used the stove at home to conduct various experiments testing the performance of this stove.  The trips that I’ve taken the Turbo F on include a four day trip to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, a three day trip to Crater Lake National Park, a two day trip to Burney Falls State Park and multiple local jaunts around the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento area.  In the actual report section I provide a more detailed description of the locations, the elevation and the temperatures encountered while using the stove.


Field Testing

My first extended field test of the stove was on a four day trip to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in CA.  Altitudes ranged from Sea Level to 2000 ft (51 m) and temperatures ranged from  38 to 65 F (3 to 18 C).  The conditions while cooking the evening meal were normally cool and breezy.  The winds never got above 10 mph (16 kph). 

This first trip was set up as a base camp trip.  This was a family camping trip which involved my pregnant wife and my 20 month old son.  It was my son’s first camping trip and we didn’t want to be too far from civilization and an easy escape should he not enjoy the trip.  We established our base camp in one of the walk-in campgrounds close to the park headquarters.  From there we would take daily hikes to various areas of the park. 

My camp kitchen for this first extended trip with the Turbo F included my Evernew Titanium 1.5 L (51 oz) pot.  The dimensions of this pot are 7 in (178 mm) wide by 3.75 in (95 mm) high.  I chose this pot over my normal pot, the MSR Titan Kettle, because I would be cooking for three, not just myself, on this trip and would require a slightly larger cook pot. 

The denatured alcohol I used on this trip was the same type of alcohol I have used in all of my previous alcohol stoves and the same type which was used for all of the testing described in my initial report.  The brand is Zip Strip denatured alcohol.  It comes in 32 oz (946 ml) steel containers with a child proof locking cap.  On the back of the container it lists its uses and includes use as an alcohol stove fuel. 

The first night we made some Tuna Mac, utilizing some Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and a package of tuna.  I filled the Turbo F to capacity, which is 1 oz (30 ml).  I set the stove upon the reflector base which was constructed as described on the instructions provided with the stove.  I then wrapped the windscreen around the stove and lit it.  My Evernew pot contained 24 oz (710 ml) of cold water from a piped source nearby our campsite.  I placed the pot onto the pot support of the stove.  It felt a little unstable.  Finding a relatively level spot to set up the stove is important to keeping it stable with such a large pot and amount of water.  At approximately 6 minutes I began to see steam rising from under the lid, the water was at a full boil by 8 ½ minutes.  I added the macaroni and removed the pot from the stove and placed the pot into a homemade pot cozy to continue simmering for 15 minutes.  The stove burned out at about the same time I removed the pot, which was about 9 minutes.  After the 15 minutes in the pot cozy I added the tuna and cheese and we enjoyed a great meal. 

Later that night I found two other uses for the Turbo F.  It had cooled off considerably and was now in the 40s F (4 C) and we were a little chilly.  So we got out the hot chocolate mix we had brought with us.  I decided to add .5 oz (15 ml) to the stove.  I set up the stove exactly as I had above, but for this test it was set up on a more stable base.  I did not time the stove for this.  After a couple of minutes the water was getting warm, the exact amount of water was unknown, just enough to fill up a couple of insulated mugs.  When the water got to the temperature we thought was perfect for hot chocolate, I removed the pot from the stove and poured the water into the waiting mugs.  I had obviously added too much fuel as the stove continued to burn for a few minutes after we had mixed up our hot chocolate. 

The second other use I found for the Turbo F later that night was to warm milk for my son prior to putting him down for the night.  Remembering how much longer the stove burned after warming the water for our hot chocolate, I adjusted the amount of fuel used to .25 oz (7 ml).  This proved to be an adequate amount of fuel to heat the 12 oz (355 ml) of milk to a nice warm temperature for my son.  Again, because I was not boiling it, I did not bother to time it.

The next morning I again used the stove to warm water for hot chocolate and to warm milk for my son.  This time I used just the .25 oz (7 ml) that I had used the previous night for my sons milk.  This amount of fuel proved to be perfect for warming the water to the perfect temperature, it happened at just about the same time as the stove burned out. 

That day we did a good hike to a couple of waterfalls, I carried the stove along on the hike, not because we planned on using it during the day, but just to carry it to observe the wear that it may encounter.  I carried it as I would have carried it on any of the backpacking trips I take; it was inside my cook pot, wrapped inside a bandana.  Upon returning to our camp that afternoon, I inspected the stove and as I would have expected, there were no signs of damage from the day’s hike. 

The following days in the park followed the same type of routine.  We would get up and have hot chocolate while my son had his milk; we’d then pack up and go hiking for the day.  I’d, of course, be carrying the stove.  We’d then return to camp and plan the evening meal.  The portion of the meal that required boiling water would be accomplished using the Turbo F and the pot cozy I had constructed.  Later in the evening we’d enjoy another mug of hot chocolate and my son would again have his warm milk.  During the entire time we spent in the park, the stove performed flawlessly. 

I did learn something about the stove on this trip.  I learned that because of the relatively small base of the stove, you need to plan where you intend to cook with a little more effort than with other stove models.  This was exaggerated due to the size of the pot that I was using and the amount of water I was boiling. 

The next trip I went on was in Oregon.  I spent a long weekend exploring Crater Lake National Park and the surrounding areas.  While on this trip I got to do some experiments that I had wanted to do but had thought I wouldn’t get the chance to. 

Crater Lake National Park is gorgeous, but in mid-May there is still a considerable amount of snow on the ground.  The depth at the park headquarters was 91 in (2.3 m).  The altitude of the park ranges from 6450 ft (1966 m) to 8929 ft (2722 m).  The snow allowed me to do some snowshoeing which I hadn’t gotten the chance to do all year long due to an injury early in the season.  I was excited about that.  It also gave me an opportunity to test the Turbo F in some much colder temperatures.  The daytime highs while I was there were in the 50s F (10 C) and the nighttime temperatures dipped to the lower 20s F (-6 C).  I had heard that alcohol stoves perform very poorly in cold temperatures, but had never had the opportunity to put that to a test of my own, until this trip. 

On one of my dayhikes I packed the Turbo F with me and found a great spot on the hike up to Garfield Peak.  The wind was blowing very strong, probably 25 mph (40 kph).  I dug a hole in the snow to provide a bit of a wind break for the stove.  I tested the wind break ability with my lighter, holding it inside the hole and it seemed to work pretty well.  I set up the stove, using the reflector base and the windscreen for my MSR Titan Kettle.  This cook pot is right at the lower end of size requirements to be used with this stove.  The pot measures 4.25 in (108 mm) wide by 3.5 in (89 mm) high and has a maximum capacity of .85L (28.7 oz).  The smallest recommended width for the Turbo F is 4 in (102 mm).  The MSR Titan Kettle is the cook pot I use most of the time, it’s my solo cook pot. 

After setting everything up, I added .75 oz (22 ml) of denatured alcohol to the stove.  I added about 12 oz (355 ml) of water to my pot.  I intended on seeing how long it would take to boil this amount of water at this temperature and altitude, while cooking on the snow.  I would estimate the altitude to be about 7300 ft (2225 m) and the temperature to be about 35 F (2 C). 

I lit the stove and waited to see the steam start rising from the spout on the Titan Kettle.  The fuel burned for an extraordinarily long time, over 10 minutes, however it never brought the water to a boil.  When you consider that this same amount of fuel has brought much larger quantities of water to a boil in warmer environments, even under such windy conditions, it seems that the cold and snow under the base play a significant role in flame production.  I didn’t want this to be an isolated test, so I allowed the stove to cool and retested the stove, this time utilizing 1 oz (30 ml) of fuel and still using just 12 oz (355 ml) of water.  Again, the same result.  The water did not boil and the fuel burned for a much longer time than would have been expected, about 12 minutes. 

I would like to point out that the instructions provided with the Brasslite Turbo F, state that when lighting this stove on a base of snow to place a .5 in (13 mm) thick piece of fiberglass insulation under the reflector.  I knew this to be the case and tested the stove without the insulation to see how much of an effect the snow had on the stove.  I have seen a Turbo 1 used on a Reflectix base with great results.  The insulation under the stove allowed the stove to heat to the point that the fuel became vaporized efficiently.

Additionally, correspondence with Aaron, the maker of the Turbo F, has shown that he is in the process of redesigning the Turbo F.  Upon learning of my results in the snow, this is what Aaron had to say, “Incidentally, returning a preheat pan to the design of this model would go a long way to helping it perform better under these types of conditions. The preheat pan was reluctantly removed to save the max amount of weight, but I'm not
happy about having done so. When the Turbo F is redesigned (and it will be soon) I intend to put the preheat pan back.”

I returned to camp, which was at a much lower and slightly warmer altitude of 5000 ft (1500 m).  Here I used the same fuel quantities and water quantities as the tests on the slopes of Garfield Peak inside Crater Lake National Park.  The biggest variable was that this time the test was performed on a dirt surface and not on snow.  The temperature was approximately 50 F (10 C).  The results of both tests showed that the snow did have a major effect on the way the Turbo F burns the fuel.  In the first test, the stove boiled the water in just less than 5 minutes, and burned out in about 6 minutes.  In the second test the stove boiled the water in about 5 minutes again, but burned out at just over 7 minutes.

The final extended trip I’ve taken during this test period was to Burney Falls.  It was on this trip that I decided to test various types of alcohols while hanging out at camp.  On a warm, sunny afternoon I gathered three types of fuel to test with the Turbo F.  I had brought along my normal fuel, Zip Strip brand denatured alcohol.  I had also picked up some Ace hardware brand denatured alcohol suitable for marine stove fuel.  The fuel recommended by Aaron, the inventor of Brasslite, was the HEET in the yellow bottle, so I stopped by an auto parts store and purchased a bottle of that. 

The temperature outside was approximately 60 F (16 C) and the wind was calm.  All of the tests were performed using my solo cook pot, the MSR Titan Kettle.  I performed three tests with each of the fuels and the results listed here are the average of those three tests.  First I tested the HEET automotive fuel additive.  I added .75 oz (22 ml) of fuel to the stove and 16 oz (473 ml) of water to the pot.  The water was brought to a boil in 5 minutes and the stove burned out in 5:50 min.  Next up was the Ace brand denatured alcohol.  I used the same amount of fuel and water.  The Ace brand brought the water to a boil in 5 min and burned out in 5:05 min.  The last test was with my regular brand of denatured alcohol, Zip Strip.  The Zip Strip boiled the water in 4:30 min and burned out at 5 min.

These results show that there is not a significant difference between the three types of fuel I selected.  This does not, however, mean that there may not be a bigger difference when selecting a brand of fuel I did not test.  When comparing the fuels and the cost of them, there does become a distinct winner.  The winner when you compare the price is the recommended fuel, the HEET.  At just $.75 for 12 oz (355 ml) it is by far cheaper than any of the other fuels tested.  This puts the HEET at just $.06 per ounce of fuel.  The Ace brand denatured alcohol was the most expensive, costing $4.00 for 32 oz (946 ml), or $.13 per ounce of fuel.  The Zip Strip was in the middle of the road at $3.50 for 32 oz (946 ml), or $.11 per ounce of fuel. 

I have also used this stove while out on local dayhikes and mountain biking rides.  It has always performed consistently for boiling water.  The results I’ve seen in the field have all mirrored the results demonstrated on the initial report. 


Summary of Observations to Date

The Turbo F has done something that many thought was impossible, it has matched the soda can stove weight, while improving on the soda can stove’s durability and life expectancy.  The Turbo F fits into the ultralight philosophy very nicely.  It is the perfect lightweight stove for solo trips.  Through my testing it has also proven to be fairly well suited to providing the heating power for cooking for two. 

This stove is very well made.  Barring the one scary fall it took the day I received it, it has not been damaged in any way.  It has seen well over 100 miles in my backpack and still shows no damage.  With a small amount of care in packing, I would expect this stove to last for many seasons, definitely outlasting the often-compared-to soda can stove. 

The stove is very easy to fill with fuel and to light.  This is a vast improvement over the previous lightweight model produced by Brasslite, the Micro.  The Micro required you to insert the top of the fuel bottle nozzle into a very small hole to fill the reservoir, the Turbo F allows you to fill through the mostly open top of the stove.  The result is much less spilled fuel, and a lower chance of starting a fire when lighting the stove.  This stove also does away with the pressurized chamber, which eliminates the easily lost screw that was used in the Micro model.

The fuel bottle supplied with the stove is great.  All of the models of fuel bottle offered by Brasslite are great.  They are easy to use and easily allow you to see how much fuel you have left in the container.  They also make measuring the fuel very easy.  The dispensing mechanism is awesome, it allows you to squeeze the bottle and fill the dispensing reservoir to the desired level of fuel.  I would recommend any of these fuel bottles to anyone looking for a new fuel bottle.

I have enjoyed using the Turbo F, and will continue to use it on all of my backpacking excursions from here on out.  It has become my favorite toy!  When camping near anyone else in a campground it always gets a lot of looks and people question how it works.  When I explain it to them and they finally get to feel how light it is, they are all amazed!


Long Term Testing Plan

I have now been using the Turbo F as my exclusive stove for over two months.  It has been a wonderful experience being given the opportunity to test this stove.  I will continue to test this stove over the next few months. 

I have plans to spend a long weekend in the mountains near Big Bear Lake late in the month of June.  I also plan on a weekend trip during the month of July.  In August I will be embarking on a cross country journey stopping in 5 states along the way.  The Turbo F will accompany me on all of these trips. 

I plan to learn more about the stove, what makes it function better or worse.  I plan on trying out different reflective surfaces and windscreens to see if they make any difference. 

I also plan on trying to cook a gourmet meal using the Turbo F.  To this point I have only used it to boil water, which is its primary purpose.  However, I would like to give it a shot at cooking a true meal, to put it to a true test.

Look for the results to these tests and more quantitative testing in my Long Term Report.

Again I would like to thank BackpackGearTest and Brasslite for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this test.