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

Coleman
Fyrestorm Ti
Stove

  Long Term Report
by Chuck Carnes
Report Date: January 30, 2007

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)
                                                          17.5 oz (496 g) (with 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                

LONG TERM REPORT
For my final field testing I went to Shining Rock Wilderness Area in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. See my trip report below:

Trip #3:
Location: Shining Rock Wilderness Area
Elevation: 5,700 ft (1,737 m) - 6,000 ft (1,829 m)
Temperature: 50-55 F (10-12 C) day, 25-35 F (-3 - 1 C) night
Weather Conditions: Cold and dry. No rain. No breeze.
Duration of Trip: 2 days, 1 night
Length of Trip: 7.0 miles (11 km)
Meals cooked: Dehydrated Spaghetti and with meat sauce
Report: For this trip I only took canister fuel and the canister fuel adapter base along with the stove since I knew all I was going to do was boil water for my dehydrated meal. In my Field Report I mentioned that I was hoping to cook for a large group with this stove but things changed and we ended up having to cook our own meals. I have had success with white gas fuel stoves in the past with cold weather and I wanted to see how well the canister portion of the Fyrestorm cooking system would work on a cold night. I waited until the temps dropped below freezing before I started the stove. This gave me an opportunity to monitor the activity of the stove below the freezing mark and to see how the propane acted at these temperatures. The temperature was 29 F (-1 C) at ground level which is where I did my cooking.

I placed the canister adapter base and the stove on a smooth, flat dirt area. I opened the required valves for lighting and held a lit match at the burner and the stove lit immediately. The stove produced a nice roaring sound as I placed the pot of water on the burner fins. Since there was no wind I did not need the wind screen. After about 2 minutes, small bubbles began to form in the bottom of the pot. I decided to pour my meal in the pot at this point because I do not like my meal scorching hot. I went to turn down the fuel valve so that I could achieve a simmering flame and I found that the flame would not go this low without the valve being completely closed. As much I adjusted the valve, I could not achieve a low, simmering flame. I continued to watch my meal so that it would not boil over at any point. The water and my meal finally came to a rolling boil after about 3 minutes. Occasionally I would have to lift the pot off of the base to keep from a boil-over. The meal finally re-hydrated and I was able to eat a very hot meal.


FINAL THOUGHTS
I have to say that I really like the Coleman Fyrestorm stove. Both with the white gas fuel set up and the canister set up, I am able to cook just about anything that I want in the field. As long as I am willing to carry the ingredients, I was able to have anything from Fettuccini Alfredo with grilled chicken to a simple dehydrated meal from boiled water. I think that this system is very versatile and that one could use this stove in any kind of condition or circumstance.

Some of the questions that I had in my Initial Report are listed below with answers in the Field Report in red. The Long Term answers are in blue.

Efficiency:
Another thing that I feel is important in a stove is the efficiency of the fuel and what makes it efficient. 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? Yes, as noted in Trip #2, I placed the windscreen around the stove and it cut the boil time almost in half. Does the ground temperature have any affect? At this point, I don't think it does. As seen in my Trip #3, the stove was at ground level but it didn't seem to have any effect on the boil time.

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? I have not experienced any sharp objects or edges that I have had to be careful about. How easy is it to clean the stove? So far, I have not had to clean the stove other than wiping the bottom of the burner pan of residue. Do I have to be concerned about any parts getting corroded and not working properly? Not a concern yet. How reliable is the stove? The canister set up is very reliable but the fuel bottle and pump assembly is a little bit trickier. How easy is it to light? The canister set up is easy to light but again, the fuel bottle is a little bit harder. Does it light on the first try (most of the time)? Most, if not every time. Will the adjuster valve wear out quickly? Not yet. What different size flames do I get? The canister set up seemed to give me a variety of flames and a very good low flame that I was able to simmer with. The fuel bottle set up did the same. On the Trip #3, I was only able to get one size flame, medium to high flame. Can I get a flame low enough to simmer but not go out? Yes, I was able to achieve this with both set ups. On Trip #3, I was not. 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)? Mine was mostly in the middle since I had a wide pot that I cooked in. Will the flame simmer down quick enough to prevent boil over? At this point I have not experienced this. I did start to experience this on Trip #3 until I decided to lift the pot before boil over.

Miscellaneous:
Is the pot balanced and stable on the fins? Yes, I found the pot to be very stable. Do the ridges on the pot holder fins cling to the pot well enough to keep from sliding off? Yes, at least for my pot it does. Can I use different brands of fuel canisters? So far I have only tried one brand. Does the stove and canister hold up well to dents and scratches that might take place in the field? They have so far. Can I repair the stove in the field? I have not had to repair the stove thus far in the field. Are the parts easy to disassemble? I don't know yet. Do I need a tool for this?

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

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