Brasslite Turbo II-F
Long Term Report

Biography
Name: Matt Mauceri
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Height: 5'7 (170 cm)
Weight: 140 lb (64 kg)
Email address: dirtyhippieboy(at)yahoo(dot)com
City, State, Country: Holland, Pa, USA
Date: 4/04/04

Backpacking Background: I’ve been backpacking now for eleven years. I’m usually a quick escape artist who often has a pack waiting in the car for the minute I’m done work and will have a day or two off. I try to keep my pack weight to a minimum, and I’ve upgraded parts of my gear list, but I’m not yet an ultra light guy, just someone who is working to get there.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Brasslite
Year Manufactured: 2004
Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.brasslite.com/
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $30.00
Listed Weight: 1.4 oz (39.69 g)
Actual Weight Measured: 1.5 oz (42.52 g)
Listed Height: 2.25 in (57 mm)
Actual Height Measured: 2.25 in (57 mm)
Listed Diameter of Chamber and Stand: 2.4 in (60 mm)
Actual Diameter of Chamber and Stand Measured: 2.4 in (60 mm)
Listed Diameter of Pre-Heat Pan: 3.0 in (75 mm) 
Actual Diameter of Pre-Heat Pan Measured: 3.0 in (75 mm)

Testing Conditions

I’ve had the opportunity to get a lot of use out of this stove during the time of year when I might not get out on the trail enough. I’ve used this stove on two weekend trips on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, a few rock climbing day trips in the fall, and on a five day trip in the Mojave National Preserve in California. I’ve tested the stove in all types of weather from sunny skies to snowfall, and from temperatures ranging from 28º F (-2º C) to 70º F (21º C). I got to use the stove in the shelter of a lean-to, and on the open desert floor of a windy canyon. Elevations for the testing period ranged from 1500 ft (457 m) to 5617 ft (1712 m).

 

Appalachian Trail – Lehigh Gap, Pennsylvania

Appalachian Trail – High Point State Park, New Jersey

Ralph Stover State Park – Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania

Haycock Mountain – Nockamixon, Pennsylvania

Mojave National Preserve – California

 

Testing

The Brasslite Turbo II-F stove has joined me on almost all of my adventures during the last six months. I was excited to bring this stove with me on my trip to the Mojave Desert in January, since the denatured alcohol is easier to find than specialized camping fuel. The stove has showed no wear over the testing period and the soot that did accumulate over time was easily wiped away with a wet rag. The simmer sleeve adjusts a little easier, but does not slide around freely, so I don’t have to worry about it getting moved accidentally. 

On the first two overnights I used the stove my fears and apprehension about using an alcohol stove were put to rest. I knew that I would be able to boil some water in almost any condition, and I would not go hungry. My trip to the Mojave Desert was the ultimate experience for testing this stove. The menu I planned for the trip included one dehydrated dinner, but two dinners that would require some real cooking. I was even so bold as to include pancakes for breakfast one day.

One of the things I liked best about the stove from the first time I read about it, was that fuel was easy to obtain. On the Mojave trip I had a late flight, and would have missed the closing times of any store that would carry white gas, or gas canisters by a few hours. I was able to pull into the first supermarket I saw and buy a can of denatured alcohol. I was already excited.

The first morning, I tried to make pancakes using the simmer function. The stove worked great, and started up with no problems on a cold morning in the desert. The pancakes were not the best, but mostly because the pot I was trying to cook them in made it almost impossible to flip them, but I didn’t burn them and that was the important part for me. I had filled the stove with 1 oz (29.57 ml) of fuel and put the simmer ring on the closed position, and it burned for quite some time. Because of the size pancakes and the fumbling around I was doing to flip them, I refilled the stove to keep cooking. The refuel process was super easy, and the stove was running great as soon as it was lit. Because the first fill had heated the stove up, the refuel seemed to be more efficient and burn for longer.

Refueling the stove was something that needed to be done for both of the dinners I cooked. Both dinners required boiling and then simmering for longer periods of time. Again the refuel process was really no problem at all, and added an extra minute to the cooking times, but the meals I made were so much tastier than the dehydrated stuff I usually cook.

On two nights, I got to use the stove in fairly windy conditions. The first night was along the Hole-In-The-Wall trail camped near some boulder formations in a very open desert area. I cooked next to a large boulder offering some shelter from the wind, but found once the stove was lit and warm that the wind may have made the boil time longer, but there was no danger of it being blown out. I only needed to boil water for this night, so the wind was of little concern. The next night we camped in the middle of the Kelso Sand Dunes. We camped on the saddle between the two largest dunes, and had some very nice winds constantly blowing. Dinner was a rice dish, which would require a long simmer time. I got the stove lit with no problems, but the wind blew the flame around so much I had to refuel the stove twice to get my meal finished. This wasn’t a very big deal except that it used about twice the fuel I would have expected. The five days I spent in the Mojave Preserve were really three small backpacking trips in different areas of the park, so I was able to refill my fuel every time I drove to a new place and so I had 8 oz (237 ml) of fuel with me for each section of about three meals. The stove capacity is 1 oz (29.57 ml), which is enough to bring water to a boil. With the longer simmer times and boiling I was doing I was planning on filling the stove twice for every meal.

I was using a 28.74 oz (850 ml) pot and found that 1 oz (29.57 ml) would not bring the full pot to a boil. The directions that came with the stove stated 1 oz (29.57 ml) of fuel were required to boil 24 oz (710 ml) of water, but I found that while cooking for two people that was not really enough water for us.

While hiking along the Hole-In-The-Wall trail I got to use this stove at an elevation of 5617 ft (1712 m). This was the highest elevation that I used it at, and found no difference using the stove at this altitude than at 1500 ft (457 m). 

 

Final Thoughts

My reason for wanting to use this stove was to lighten the weight of my pack, but still be able to cook a more complicated meal. I found the simmer ring to work very well in adjusting the flame to make simmering possible, and allowing me to cook at lower temperatures. This stove has made my backpacking experiences more enjoyable, which is always what I’m looking for in a new piece of equipment. When backpacking with two or more people, I’ll use this stove if my pack weight is my main concern, or I’m in need of a stove with readily available fuel. The limited fuel capacity is the stoves only drawback for my using it with a larger group. I’ve found that the amount of water I would like to be boiling exceeds the fuel capacity of the stove when cooking for two people. I am excited to be using this stove when the weight savings will be most appreciated, on solo excursions. While the 1 oz (29.57 ml) fuel capacity may not boil enough water for two people all the time, it will certainly be more than enough for just me.  I never did get to test this stove using methanol instead of denatured alcohol. The denatured alcohol worked better than I had initially expected it to, and the methanol was twice as expensive when I was making my first fuel purchase.