Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Coleman Fyrestorm Ti Stove > Chuck Carnes > Initial Report

Coleman
Fyrestorm Ti
Stove

  Initial Report
by Chuck Carnes
Report Date: September 11, 2006

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Name: Chuck Carnes
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft. 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)
E-mail address: ctcarnes1(at)yahoo(dot)com
City, State, Country: Greenville, South Carolina USA

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
I love the outdoors – I’ve spent time camping in the outdoors since I was born, and have been actively hiking and backpacking since then. I consider myself a lightweight hiker, usually carrying 20 – 30 pounds (11-13 kg) for hikes up to a week in length. I hike at an easy pace, averaging 2 mph (3 kph). I am a one-man tent camper for now. I like to carry a single trekking pole when I hike to help relieve stress to my legs and knees. I like to get out on the trail as often as I can.

PRODUCT INFORMATION BY MANUFACTURER
Manufacturer: Coleman
Model: eXponent Fyrestorm Ti
Year of manufacture: 2006
URL: http://www.coleman.com
Listed Weights:
Stove - 7.7 oz (218 g)
Stove & Pump Unit - 10.7 oz (303 g)
Stove & Canister Adapter Weight - 11.0 oz (312 g)
Actual Weights:
Stove - 7.6 oz (215 g)
Stove & Pump Unit - 26.6 oz (754 g) (bottle 2/3 full of fuel)
                                 11.6 oz (329 g) (bottle empty)
Stove & Canister Adapter Weight - 10.5 oz (298 g) (without canister fuel)
                                                                                                                   
Listed Size: 3 1/4 in (h) x 6 3/4 in (w) x 6 1/4 in (d)
Actual Sizes:
Stove pot supports - 5.75 in (14.5 cm) wide
Burner Base at bottom of legs - 7.25 in (18.5 cm) wide
Stove Height from bottom of legs to top of pot supports - 3.75 in (9.5 cm)
Canister Adapter Base - 8.0 in (20.0 cm)
Canister Adapter Height - 3.0 in (8.0 cm)
MSRP: $189.99 USD                

INITIAL IMPRESSION AND PRE-STARTUP
After receiving the Coleman Exponent Fyrestorm Ti in the mail, I was so excited to finally see one of Coleman's design on a backpacking stove. The contents came packaged very nicely and secure. The contents in the box were as follows:

* Burner stove
* Tripod canister adaptor
* 22 oz fuel bottle with pump assembly
* Aluminum windscreen and heat reflector
* Spare parts
* Instructions in different languages
* Fuel bottle cap for storage or transporting
* Stuff sack

I have cooked with multi-fuel backpack stoves before so I was familiar with the parts and assembly of the Fyrestorm. The total weight of the package was lighter than I expected. On first look and inspection of the burner stove the material and design seems very thought out. The legs rotate easily around the burner and snap into their respective locations. The fuel bottle attaches easily to the flexible burner fuel line by way of a knurled coupling that screws directly to the fuel pump assembly. While the fuel bottle is resting on its side, the flexible fuel line allows the burner's legs to rest on a flat surface.

The tripod canister adaptor is very light and attaches easily to the fuel line by the same knurled coupling as the fuel bottle. I have not purchased a butane/propane canister to review the attachment of the canister to the canister adaptor. The adaptor's legs also rotate around to snap into their respective locations. The wide tripod style seems to give great support and stability to the canister. I will follow up with this in my Field Report.

The instructions that come with the Fyrestorm are picture and word discriptions of the assembly and lighting procedures. The windscreen and heat reflector fit nicely around and under the stove and the windscreen has a notch on the bottom to allow the fuel line and the adjuster valve to be exposed for operation.

Everything except the fuel bottle fits nicely in the stuff sack that is provided. If I did some creative packing, I might get the fuel bottle in as well. For pre-startup for this stove, everything seems to be in working order.

STARTUP
For demonstration purposes, I will briefly describe the procedure of starting the Fyrestorm multi-fuel burner stove.

Fill the fuel bottle 2/3 full of Coleman fuel. Screw on the fuel bottle pump assembly and be sure assembly is snug tight against the lip of the bottle to prevent fuel from leaking in this area. Place thumb over hole at the top of the pump assembly and proceed to pump 30 - 40 times. At this point check for leaks around the pump assembly and the fuel bottle.

Attatch the fuel bottle to the flexible fuel line from the burner by screwing together. Again, check for fuel leaks in this area and also listen for a hissing sound. DO NOT light if any of this is detected. Place the burner with legs in their open position on a flat or secure surface. If all is secure, be sure the fuel adjuster valve is open completely (this is the big wire triangle just under the edge of the burner).

Now, the burner is ready to light. While holding a lit match or lighter near the burner cup, slowly open the fuel valve on the side of the fuel pump assembly. The burner should light and have a nice size yellow flame. When the fuel starts to burn out the flame will get smaller and vaporization will occur and that is when you get a hot blue flame for cooking. This blue flame is maintained by pumping the fuel assembly a few times and adjusting the flame with the fuel adjuster valve. All of the instructions for lighting are printed on the side of the fuel bottle for quick reference.

As for my actual initial start up, I did not find it that easy to start. I followed the directions but found out that I had the fuel adjuster valve closed while I was opening the fuel valve. This created build up in the fuel line and when I finally figured out the adjuster valve was closed, I opened it, and I had an excess of fuel streaming from the fuel line, into the burner cup and dripping beneath the burner. I closed the fuel valve and left the adjuster valve open and lit the burner. I did have a good size yellow flame that I had to let burn for a few seconds until it was down to just the edge of the burner.

I adjusted the adjuster valve and realized there was not any vaporized fuel coming out so I started to pump the assembly in hopes that the flame would not go out. Well, it did. So, I decided to start completely over. I allowed the burner to cool down and I wiped the fuel from the bottom of the burner and I started over. This time I made sure I had the valves opened correctly and attempted to light the burner. This time it worked. After the flame died down I started to get this very nice blue flame. I opened up the adjuster valve all the way and the sound that this burner made, let me know that it is hot and it is ready for cooking.  

TEST PLAN
Over the course of the next four months, I plan to go on several overnight trips to Jones Gap in South Carolina. The elevation will range from 1,500 - 1,700 ft (457 - 518 m) and the temperatures will range from the low 30's F (0 C) to the mid 80's F (20's C). I will also be going on a few overnight trips to the Wilderness Area in the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. There the elevation will range from 6,000 - 7,000 ft. (1,829 - 2,134 m). The temperatures there will range from the mid 20's F (-10's C) to the low 60's F (10's C). Some of the things that I will be looking for in this stove area as follows:

Since I was unable to purchase a canister before this report, I will note boil times in my Field Report of both the liquid fuel and canister butane/propane fuel. I will mostly be boiling water for dehydrated foods and experiment with more wide spread custom meals rather than just boiling water. The first thing that will be important to me is boiling times. How fast can I boil a 1 cup, 1.5 cup and 2 cup pot of water? What is the boil time versus the fuel consumption? What difference will it make under different weather conditions and with different fuels? How fast can I melt snow or ice? If I do not encounter this before the Long Term Report I will lab test this with shaved ice. How fast can I prepare a hot meal? Will it make a difference if it is thick like stew or chili or thin like soup? If so, how much difference? I will test their statement on the web site which basically states the Coleman Fyrestorm stove can have a boil time of 3.5 minutes using liquid fuel and 3.2 minutes using canister fuel. I will note temperatures of the outside weather, altitude and fuel type with these tests.

Efficiency:
Another thing that I feel is important in a stove is the efficiency of the fuel and what makes it efficient. I will test the Fyrestorm for its efficiency by calculating the difference in weight of the canister, before and after temperature change in the water, and then calculating calorific gain along with an energy conversion table. I know a wind screen certainly helps the efficiency of the stove and so I will do two separate tests for this reason. Will the wind screen help at all? Does the ground temperature have any affect?

Usability and Functionality:
I certainly like a stove to be reliable, easy to set up, light and clean. Both the fuel and canister setups appear to be simple and easy to do these things. Are there any sharp objects that I have to watch for as I retrieve it from the case or unfold the parts? How easy is it to clean the stove? Do I have to be concerned about any parts getting corroded and not working properly? How reliable is the stove? How easy is it to light? Does it light on the first try (most of the time)? Will the adjuster valve wear out quickly? What different size flames do I get? Can I get a flame low enough to simmer but not go out? Does the flame stay mostly in the middle or does it wrap itself up the sides of the pot (this will depend on pot and flame size)? Will the flame simmer down quick enough to prevent boil over.

Miscellaneous:
Is the pot balanced and stable on the fins? Do the ridges on the pot holder fins cling to the pot well enough to keep from sliding off? Can I use different brands of fuel canisters? Does the stove and canister hold up well to dents and scratches that might take place in the field? Can I repair the stove in the field? Are the parts easy to disassemble? Do I need a tool for this?

I hope to answer all of these questions in my Field and Long Term Report.

Thank you Coleman and BGT for giving me this opportunity to test this stove.

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Coleman Fyrestorm Ti Stove > Chuck Carnes > Initial Report