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Brunton Raptor
| Initial Report |
March 22, 2005 |
Personal Biographical Information
Name:
Michael Herman
Age: 21
Gender:
Male
Height:
5' 11'' (1.8 m)
Weight: 185 lb (84 kg)
Email: Backpackman (at) mailbolt (dot) com
Location:
Northwest Indiana
Backpacking
Background
I stated camping with my family in the car and the RV when I was real young.
I did a lot of camping with the Boy Scouts and then did my first backpacking
trip (three days) with my dad when I as 13. From then on I took a backpacking
trip once a year until high school where I started going more often. Now in
college I do many outdoor activities with the outing club. I backpack often as
well as other activities such as caving, adventure racing, kayaking and
climbing; however, backpacking is my primary activity.
My backpacking style is
packing light but not ultralight (yet); however, I do not skimp on eating well.
I continually want to find ways to get better meals on the trail while not
adding much weight. I also don't want to shortchange myself with low living
conditions just to save a couple of ounces (grams); I want to find other ways to
reduce weight while staying comfortable.
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Product Information
Product: Raptor
Manufacture: Brunton
Year of
Manufacturer: 2005
URL: http://www.Brunton.com
Listed Weight: 5 oz
Measured Weight: 5.4 oz (153 g) for the stove only 1 oz (28 g) for the
case
Description: Butane canister stove with piezo ignition. Outputs 11,000
BTUs and has a burn time of 90 min on high.
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Initial Impression
The stove arrived in a small package that contained
the stove box. I was impressed with how small the box was. In the box was a case
for the stove with the stove inside the case and instructions in English and a
second language which I only know isn't Italian. The instructions were too large
to nicely fit in the box so they were stuffed into the bottom of the box
wrinkling them a bit.
After removing the stove from the case I unfolded the pot supports I was
impressed how compact the stove was able to et when the supports were folded in.
Without the canister attached to the bottom of the stove it measured 2.5 in (6
cm) tall and 6 in (14 cm) wide. When the pot supports are folded in the stove
measures 1.5 in (3 cm) wide. Near the bottom of the stove is a red push button.
This is for the piezo ignition. When this is pushed it creates a spark from a
metal bin close to the burner to the burner. This will ignite the fumes when the
stove is turned on. After pressing the red button several times (around 30) I
did not once see a spark. Next to the red button is a wire loop that is
used to turn the stove on and adjust the flow. The wire loop is fairly sturdy
and is designed so that the loop wants to always be straight out; however, you
can move it in close to the burner so it stores compactly. You are able to turn
the wire loop two full rotations giving me the impression that changing the flow
of fuel can be done in small increments for the perfect flame. I will test this
and report on my results in later reports. The bottom of the stove is threaded
for a butane canister to be screwed in. The construction around the threading
looks and seems sturdy. Further reporting on the fit of the threading to the
butane stove will follow in future reports. The stove did
not come with a canister.
The case for the stove is black with a Velcro opening. On the back is a loop
strap. I am not entirely sure what the purpose of the strap is except maybe to
put on your belt. The sides of the case are semi-rigid giving extra protection
to the stove. I will be carrying the stove inside the case while backpacking for
the first half of the test and during the second half I will see how the stove
fares without the case.
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Test Plan
Testing
Locations
I will be testing these pants in Indiana
during the summer and spring. The weather is very humid and hot, up to 100 F (38
C). I will also be testing this stove on my backpacking and outdoor adventures.
This may include West Virginia, New England and California. The exact conditions
of these locations will be provided after I have gone there. I will also use
this stove on the
trips I do not have planned yet.
Testing Plan
I will be using this stove during the next six months for all my
camping needs. This includes backpacking and car camping. I will use it to heat
water for soups and dehydrated meals along with actual cooking I perform while
backpacking. This may include pancakes, eggs burrito mix or other interesting
items that requires a variety of different heat settings. I will report on how
the stove performs in all areas of cooking from simply boiling water to making a
fresh chili on the trail.
Some of the things I want to test:
After looking over the item I thought of a couple additional
things I will be looking for while testing. I want to know how even the flame is
while ignited. I also want to make sure that the wire loop doesn't get hot while
using the stove. I am also curious how well the piezo ignition works.
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Read more reviews of Brunton gear
Read more gear reviews by Michael Herman
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