Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Coleman Exponent Xtreme Stove > Jerry Goller > Initial Report

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: 12.15 oz (344 g) including stuff sack.  11.1 oz (314 g)  without stuff sack.

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.

The stove base is noticeably taller and wider than other stoves of this type I've used. Although this means the stove sits higher above snow or my tent floor, it also means it doesn't fit in any of the pots I normally use in winter. Both the pot rests and the stove base are more than wide enough to provide a stable base for any pot I own.

Quick bench performance tests indicate that the Xtreme stove is capable of maintaining a very low simmer flame. It appears to be able to maintain a flame of a size smaller than any liquid stove I've used and as small, if not smaller, than other canister stoves I've used. This might prove to be an excellent fuel saver when snow melting. 

The stove also comes with a Green Key allowing me to easily puncture a used canister so it can be flattened for easier pack-out.

The canister is particularly easy to put on and take off as it just require a 1/4 turn to lock instead of actually screwing it on as with most other canister stoves.

Although this stove is a canister type stove it burns the fuel from the aluminum canister as a liquid, not as a vapor as do most other canister stoves. According the manufacturer, this allows the Xtreme to operate in much colder temperatures than other canister stoves. I will be testing these claims in the Uinta and Wasatch Mountains of Utah this winter. Winter use is my primary interest in the stove, as I cook and melt snow in my tent and am always looking for canister stoves to use in this situation. Canister stoves tend to have no flare up or preheating requirement like white gas stoves. But white gas stoves generally are capable of operating at much lower temperatures than canister stoves.

I will be testing to see if the Xtreme is perhaps the best of both worlds for winter camping.

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Coleman Exponent Xtreme Stove > Jerry Goller > Initial Report