Coleman Exponent Fyrestorm Ti Stove – Long Term Report

Personal biographical information:

• Name:  Josh Cormier
• Age: 26
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5’ 11” (1.80 m)
• Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)
• Email address:  swifteagle1 at hotmail dot com
• City: Los Gatos, California
• Date: 3-Oct-06

Backpacking background:

I started backpacking with the Boy Scouts when was 11 and have been camping and backpacking ever since. I’m now geared toward more challenging trips ranging from week-long to weekend in mountainous areas covering from 7-14 miles (11 - 22 km) a day. I would classify my gear as mid weight although now I am trying to move more toward lightweight. I go backpacking at least once a year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well as monthly car camping trips with the Scouts.

Product Information: (information taken from Coleman website)

- Item Description: Coleman Fyrestorm Ti Stove 

- Listed Stove weight: 7.7 oz (218 g)

- Measured Stove weight: 7.8 oz (221 g)

- Listed Stove & pump unit weight: 10.7 oz (303 g)

- Measured Stove & pump unit weight: 15.1 oz (428 g)

- Listed Stove & canister adapter weight: 11.0 oz (312 g)

- Measured Stove & canister adapter weight: 11.2 oz (318 g)

- Measured reflector and windscreen weight: 3.1 oz (88 g)

- Listed BTUs Canister: 14,000

- Listed Boil Time Canister: 3.2 min

- Listed Burn Time Canister: 45 min

- Listed BTUs Liquid: 10,000

- Listed Boil Time Liquid: 3.5 min

- Listed Burn Time Liquid: 75 min

- Listed Dimensions - 3 1/4" h x 6 3/4" w x 6 1/4" d (83mm h x 171 mm w x 159 mm d)

- Listed Pack Size—3 1/4" h x 5 3/4" w x 3 3/4" d (83mm h x 146 mm w x 95 mm d)

- Fuel used: Runs on Coleman® fuel, unleaded gasoline, or butane/propane

- Manufactures web site: http://www.coleman.com

- Year of Manufacture: 2006

- MSRP: $189.99

Liquid Fuel Overview:

The liquid fuel setup for this stove has three distinct steps. The first step is to fill the fuel bottle and connect the fuel pump. This step sounds easy but has proven to require more attention than is first thought. The fuel bottle must be filled to no more than 3/4^th of the way full. If it is filled above the ¾ mark the stove will not properly prime. Once the fuel tank is filled the fuel pump must be attached and tightened enough to keep the air pressure or pressurized fuel from escaping.

The second step is to attach the liquid fuel source to the stove. The connecting hose is covered with a braided stainless steel sheath. That makes the hose a bit less flexible but has caused no problems in my trials. The connection between the liquid fuel source and the stove is made of brass and screws together. After my trials this fitting still screws together with a small amount of effort.

The final step is the most challenging part of using the liquid fuel source. Lighting a standard white gas stove usually requires priming, (overflowing fuel into a catch basin and letting it burn to warm up the stove). This stove does not require the usual priming fire dance, as it has a built in primer. For the convenience of having a self priming stove the user must adhere to a strict set of instructions. I have found that following the instructions exactly usually produce an almost instant self priming of the stove. If I do not follow the directions close enough I usually get a stove flare up and have to start all over. The directions have been placed on a label wrapped around the fuel bottle for convenience, unfortunately the directions are not always on the top of the fuel bottle. The key to a successful first startup is correctly completing the previous steps, setting the flame adjustor to high, and adding the additional 40 pumps once the stove ignites.

Canister Fuel Cooking:

The Canister fuel setup for this stove also has three distinct steps. The first step is to attach the canister to the canister stand by screwing the two together. This step is simple, just remember to close the fuel valve before attaching the fuel canister.

The second step is to attach the canister fuel source and stand to the stove. The connecting hose is the same used in the liquid fuel connections. This hose is permanently attached to the stove and is used to connect all external fuel sources. The connection between the canister fuel source and the stove is made of brass and screws together. After my trials this fitting also screws together with about the same amount of effort it took when the stove was new.

The final step is the most gratifying part of using the canister fuel source. Lighting the stove in this configuration requires turning the flame adjustment to high, opening the fuel valve on the canister stand and lighting the stove. Once it lights it is instantly ready to put the food or water on. I have noticed that as the fuel canister depletes its fuel source the flame output seems to remain constant, this seems due to the inverted canister stand and heating the fuel before it enters the stove. This seems to be a good design and I am happy with its performance. Using the canister fuel source has proven to be the most convenient way to use the stove when I don’t want to mess with some of the hassles of the liquid fuel setup.

Things I Like:

• The stove can use liquid fuel or canister fuel without any major modifications
• The canister fuel output is constant thanks to the inverted design and the fuel heater (generator)
• The stove is light and durable

Things I don’t like:

• The liquid fuel setup is a bit touchy when lighting
• The O-rings start getting torn up after several uses
• The flame adjuster does not adjust the flame low enough

Concluding thoughts:

I have used this stove on all my overnight trips with elevations ranging from 0 – 9000 ft (0 - 2743 m). The places I used the stove range from Seacliff State Beach to Emigrant Wilderness (elevations stated above). I also used the stove at the Salinas Posse Grounds and of course in my own backyard. The stove has been used in one or the other of its configurations in temperatures ranging from 40 - 89 F (11 - 32 C). I have used the stove in one or the other of its configurations 12 times and have used it to: boil water (lots), reheat Sloppy Joe meat, cook Pancakes, cook Grits, reheat stew, and fry fish. The stove performed with more than enough heat for all applications. In the case of the Pancakes it would be nice to have a lower adjustment for the flame.

I wish this stove came with more durable O-rings for the fuel bottle. The included O-rings tend to get “eaten” when the fuel pump is being screwed into the fuel bottle. Even though the above O-ring looks bad, the fuel bottle still seals well and does not leak fuel. The stove itself has held up well to the many uses I put it through. All the fuel connections are still easy to screw together and all the seals still hold against leaking. I still have all the connector protective caps and place them over the connectors every time I put the stove away.

The wind screen and reflector are still holding together after many times being folded and packed away. The reflector has developed several tears in the center where the folds are tightest and become creases.

Dependability:

Does the stove consistently fire up without any repair or adjustments?

·        Using the canister fuel source, it does. The liquid fuel source is another story. Even after using the stove several times I still have to constantly tweak the stove during start up to keep the stove from flaring up and to get a consistent blue flame.

Does the stove hold up well under use?

·        The stove and all its components have proven to be durable through the many times I used it and packed it. The only exceptions are the windscreen and reflector. The reflector has developed a tear in the center where it gets folded over and over. The windscreen has held up but has many creases from countless folding.

Will the stove be able to hold a 1 Quart pot with stability?

·        The stove was very stable with a 1 Quart pot of water on the pot stand.

Does the stove keep from getting carbon clogged when using white gas?

·        I did not have any issues with the stove becoming clogged due to carbon buildup from the white gas.

Is the stove easy to take apart and repair?

·        The only work I have had to do on the stove was to twist the flame adjustor several times to clear off any carbon that may have built up.

Does the stove work with the butane fuel in cold weather?

·        I have not been able to test the stove in freezing conditions but have used it to cook on some cold mornings. On these cold mornings I could not tell a difference between warm or cold weather burner output when using the butane fuel.

Efficiency:

Is the stoves flame fully adjustable to conserve fuel?

·        The flame is adjustable using the flame adjustment wire, however I do wish that the adjustment would go lower.

Is the weight to dependability/usefulness ratio favorable?

·        The stove is light weight thanks to the titanium parts, it is also durable and has not failed me yet

Does the stove cool down quickly so it can be packed away?

·        The stove burner does cool quickly because it is made of thin titanium. It still takes several minutes for it to be cool enough to pack away.

Do I constantly have to pump the white gas when I am cooking?

·        Once I get the stove properly primed and fired up I have not had to keep adding pressure to the fuel bottle.

Ease of Use:

Is the stove well thought out?

·        The stove seems to have all the necessary attachments and parts needed to make its use simple. I would like to see the pot stand extended further over the main burner, my titanium coffee maker falls between the pot stand right now.

Is the stove easy to setup and takedown?

·        It is both quick and simple to setup or takedown the stove using either fuel source.

Is the stove easy to light?

·        Using the butane fuel, yes.

·        Using the liquid fuel, it takes practice and a fair amount of luck to get it right the first time.

Is the process of connecting the stove to the fuel source straight forward?

• Yes, the threaded connectors are straight forward.

Is the instant start for the white gas easy to use and prevents overfilling primers?

• The instant start for the white gas is a neat addition, however it is not easy to get right.
• There are several cases where a flare up will most likely occur and fuel will possibly leak on the ground.
• If the bottle is not pressurized enough
• The bottle has too much fuel in it
• The stove is restarted after shutting it down

Thank you to Coleman and BackpackGearTest for allowing me to test this fine item.

Josh Cormier