Name: Jerry Goller
Age: 58
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ' (1.8 m)
Weight: 220 lb (100 kg)
Email address: jerrygoller@backpackgeartest.org
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah

Backpacking Background:

I started camping with my father at age 6 or so. I’ve backpacked, off and on, all of my life. Even in the Marine Corps, I was in the Infantry. I consider myself a light weight backpacker with an average dry pack weight of 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 7 kg), depending on the season and terrain. I backpack year round.

Most of my trips are 2 to 5 days long and in Utah. I also, from time to time, take much longer trips lasting one to two months or more. These trips are usually on the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail.

Basic Product Information

Manufacturer: The Coleman Company
Website: http://www.coleman.com
Product: Xtreme Stove
MSRP: $59.99
Listed weight: 11 oz (312 g)
Weight as delivered: 12.1 oz (344 g) including stuff sack. 11.1 oz (314 g) without stuff sack.

Product Description

The Exponent Xtreme stove is a remote tank canister stove. It uses a three legged design and a fuel canister with a fairly flexible hose in a braided mesh sheath connected to the stove. The stove has an unusually wide stance of about 7" (18 cm) diameter at the base of the legs. The stove folds down to 7" x 4" x 4" (18 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm) so it is a bit larger than other canister or white gas stoves I've used.

The pot stand portion of the stove is curved, as opposed to straight as on most other canister stoves, to provide a level rest even for smaller pots when on uneven ground. Bench tests indicate that this feature is reasonably effective at allowing leveling of smaller pots.

The fuel canister attaches with a 1/4 twist to the valve assembly. This is much easier than the more normal screw-on arrangements. It has locked quickly and positively during bench tests.

Field Testing

Through the course of the field testing I used the stove on three over night trips and approximately 3 hours of outside and bench testing. All testing, both field and bench, was done using an AntiGravityGear 2 qt (1.9 L) pot which is black and has a diameter of approximately 6" (15.2 cm) and is made out of aluminum. The stove was always placed on a fresbee to act as a stove base on snow. I glued a piece of aluminum to the inside base of the fresbee to act as a reflector.

First Field Test: This was an overnight trip in the Virginia Range of the Toiyabe National Forrest in Nevada. The site where the stove was used was at approximately 6500 ft (1980 m). The approximate temperature during the test period was 11 F (-11.6 C). The weather was clear and sunny. I didn’t take water temperature readings, fuel consumed, or boils times, or quantity boiled because this was a familiarization trip. I wanted to learn the idiosyncrasies of the stove and its operation. I also wanted to get a feel for how it would do in low temperatures.

I did not keep the canister warm over night. It was at the ambient temperature of 11 F (-11.6 C). The stove lit immediately and burned with no problem. There did seem to be a slight burn instability (pulsing). I put my hand over the warming fins on the canister valve head and the pulsing stopped. I’ll look for this in future low temperature testing.

Stove with windscreen and pot

Second Field Test: This was an overnight trip in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. The site where the stove was used was at approximately 8,000 ft (2438 m). The approximate temperatures during the tests were in the very low to mid 20s F (-6 to -4 C). The weather was clear, calm, and sunny. I was using the 6 oz. (170 g) small canister. The snow was about 8’ (2.4 m) deep and it was about a week after a 3’ (.9 m) snow storm. Our Utah snow tends to be dry powder. I melted enough snow to fill (6) 32 oz (1 L) Nalgene bottles with about 10 oz (.3 L) left over. This test was conducted in the open with a 7” (17.8 cm) high aluminum windscreen with a 9.3” (24 cm) diameter. The canister was not kept warm through the night and was laying on a 3/8” (1 cm) foam pad I use for setting on snow. The image at the right shows the stove with windscreen and pot.

Through the course of the test I also boiled 3 cups (.7 L) of water for dinner and tea. I also boiled 1 cup (.2 L) of water for morning tea. During this period I consumed 5 oz (142 g) of the canister's 6 oz (170 g) capacity. I boiled way more water than I would have normally used for such a trip. I feel that 2 fuel conservative people could use a single small canister for an overnight trip without any real problem.

Third Field Test: This was an overnight trip in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. The site where the stove was used was at approximately 8,000 ft (2438 m) in the same area as the second field test. The approximate temperatures during the tests were in the low 40s F (22 C). The weather was overcast with a slight breeze. I was carrying one of the large fuel canisters with a capacity of 10.6 oz (300g).

The stove was used inside a Black Diamond Firstlight tent in the vestibule area.

During this test I boiled 2 cups (.5 L) of water for dinner then 1 cup (.2 L) for tea. I boiled 1 cup (.2 L) of water in the morning for tea and melted enough snow to replace the water used with a bit extra for drinking before I snow shoed out. During this test period the stove consumed 1.2 oz (34 g) of fuel.

Bench Test Results: These tests were conducted in my basement shop. The ambient temperature was 68 F (20 C). The water temperature was approximately 49 F (9.5 C). Water boils at approximately 203.7 F (95 C) at the altitude of my house, which is approximately 4300’ (1311 m).

I conducted 3 tests, recording both fuel consumed and time to boil. All tests involved 1 qt (1 L) of tap water. The water was considered “boiling” when it reached 203.7 F (95 C).

In the first test the water boiled in 5 minutes, 17 seconds. The stove consumed .7 oz (18.4 g) of fuel.

In the second test the canister was almost exhausted. The water boiled in 6 minutes, 57 seconds. The stove consumed .5 oz (14.2 g) of fuel.

In the third test a new canister was used. The water boiled in 5 minutes, 26 seconds. The stove consumed .5 oz (15 g) of fuel.

Conclusions from Field Test

I was surprised at the size of this stove. It is noticeably larger than other winter stoves I have used, both white gas and canister. By the same token, it is the most stable stove I’ve used. The wide stance of the legs makes for a very stable platform. Coleman touts the “Curved cooking grates help keep small pots level on uneven surfaces”. I tested pots Stove and windscreen ranging in size from the AntiGravityGear pot down to one that was approximately 4.5” (11.4 cm) and the pots were very stable. But I do think the cooking grates (pot supports) should be made just a little larger. I will be using this stove as a winter stove and will be melting snow for myself and at least one other person. I’ll probably be using a larger pot when going with someone else. This larger pot will be resting on only three points on the cooking grates due to their downward curving design.
The picture to the right shows the stove with windscreen.

I feel this stove gets excellent gas mileage. What it loses in size and weight I feel it more than makes up for in fuel economy and ease of use. This is the easiest canister stove to use I’ve tried and I’ve tried most of them. One quarter turn and the canister is locked on.

I have noticed one little peculiarity. When lighting the stove DO NOT TURN IT WIDE OPEN! I got an impressively high flare up and singed hair on my arm when I did that. Just open the valve enough to hear the gas escaping and it will light safely and easily every time. At least, it has for me.

I didn’t get to use the stove in anything near the low temperatures I had hoped for. My goal for the Long Term Report is to use the stove at temperatures below 0 F (-18C) and with a partner to see how it handles each.

Read more reviews of Coleman gear
Read more gear reviews by Jerry Goller

Field Report

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