Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Camping Gaz Bleuet 270 Micro > Owner Review by arron robinson

Owner Review - Camping Gaz BLEUET 270 MICRO

Backpacking Background:  Camping and hiking since 11, I've been in a constant search for the perfect balance between usability durability and weight. These days my camping is generally a mix of Boy Scout style crew camping, kayak or canoe camping or light to mid weight hiking. I generally carry 20-25 lb (9-11.3 kg) and sleep in a hammock system.

Product information:
Manufacturer:   Camping Gaz (Coleman)
Year of manufacture:    2000
URL: http://www.campingaz.com/
Listed weight: 7.05 ounces (200 grams)
Weight as delivered: 7.5 ounces (213 grams)
Fuel Type: Butane/Propane mix (proprietary cartridge)

Product description:
The Bleuet 270 Micro is an extremely small stove that can be carried in a pants pocket. It runs on canisters containing a butane/propane mix. The unit itself consists of 4 fold-down heavy gauge wire supports for a pan, an adjustment knob, and a valve which attaches to the opening in the CV 270 or CV 470 Gaz canister. These canisters sell for around $5.75 USD for 8 oz (230 g) of fuel and which are rated by the manufacturer to burn at a rate of 1.3oz/hr, (38g/hr).

Field information:
I bought this stove while revamping my gear a few years back. One of the reasons that I purchased this particular stove was the fact that it was small, lightweight and was compatible with a lantern that fit these same criteria. I wanted to be able to pack in one fuel type and be able to use it for both functions and the stove/lantern combination allowed for this. The stove is my family's primary stove in our camping trips as it is fast to heat water and is easy to control. The Bleuet stove has been used and performed admirably on camping trips in the Rocky scrub areas in the North Georgia Mountains [4,800 ft (1460 m) above sea level] in freezing weather with gusty winds, on the Florida Panhandle coast at 100 F (38 C) humid weather at sea level where sugar sand can be the enemy which finds it's way into everything, Northern Germany and Denmark spending the days in the hardwood forests in rain at a temperature of 55 F (21 C), canoe trips on the Edisto River in South Carolina surviving submersion in the river, and backpacking trips throughout the Southeastern US.

A typical camping trip for me is to eat a hot meal in the morning and evening, and eat lunch on the trail.  In many cases my foods are not dehydrated boil-and-eat, so a little more preparation is usually involved, which generally means heavier gas use. I am also generally cooking for three people. Packing style varies on my camping trips. Generally they are not what I would consider ultralight, or even light, as I generally carry a 25 lb (11.3 kg) pack. As such, weight is not really a consideration but size is.

Summary:
This stove has been the mainstay of my kitchen gear for the last 4 years. I switched to it from an older white gas stove, which was considerably heavier, and forced me to carry more weight and bulk due to it's construction (having the tank built into the stove). The compact design of the Bleuet 270 Micro allows for sharing of fuel as well as a more compact pack-down.

The stove's performance has been dependable in all types of weather conditions, with a slight degradation of performance in temperatures less than 45 F (7 C). Fuel consumption is another pleasant surprise with this stove. Early on, when first using the stove, I had been packing multiple canisters in order to make sure that I had plenty for both the stove and lantern. As time went on, I realized that I was packing out a lot of untapped fuel. As it goes, a single 230 g (8 oz) fuel canister can easily contend with at least 2 weekend camping trips with heavy use in both cooking and lighting. This allows for a lighter pack weight. As far as cooking goes, there is ample control with the stove to have full control of the meal, enabling a rolling boil, or a slight simmer, whichever is required.

This does not mean that I do not find any faults with the equipment. I am still not extremely comfortable hauling compressed fuel. I think that this type of fuel is best utilized in car or possibly canoe camping situations where there is less risk of falling or crushing damage to one's pack.

All said, I feel that this is a great choice for most of my camping situations, offering dependability, control and compact design with my only reservation being in situations where falling or shock could rupture the fuel canisters.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my experiences!

Arron Robinson

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Camping Gaz Bleuet 270 Micro > Owner Review by arron robinson