Rick,
If I could still get an Xtreme, would you buy it, or look for another model or wait for a hopefully equally light new Coleman model?

Rick,

I didn't see anything in that release (almost 2 years old, by the way) that said the PowerMax canisters were being discontinued. This has been speculated for at least 1/2 of the ten years of these products and they still keep coming. I do wish Coleman would breathe some fresh air into the line (with a Bill-esque 5oz. version or something) but I think that the fuel is still around. It's always been hard to find, but until Coleman says it's no longer going to put it on shelves I'd be hesitant to toll the death knell. It's simply been wrong too many times.

-Curt

Hi EJ,

The Xtreme is a fine winter stove, and a good if heavy all-around stove. I'd only get one now if I needed an easy to use and powerful winter camping stove, and had a steady supply of Max cartridges. Otherwise, I'd probably get one of the several remote inverted Lindal stoves. Lindal is the VHS of cartridges (Max the Beta, har :-)

--Rick

Sorry Curt, I pasted the wrong linkie:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/detail.asp?product_id=9720-725

I only wanted to note the big red "product no longer available" rectangle atop the Xtreme listing.

I agree we don't know what the Max fuel lifespan is, but I'm not hopeful personally.

--Rick

I just came back from the Sportsman Warehouse near me.

We have two Sportsman's Warehouse stores here in San Antonio. The store near me has 1 Xtreme ($64.99) and 2 Expert ($54.99). They have 4 of the large size PowerMax Canisters at $3.49. I asked them if they could call the other store and they have 2 Xtreme Stoves and 14 large PowerMax canisters. I will assume the prices are the same. I did not ask about the Expert Stove at the other store. Sportsman's Warehouse does not have internet sales.
===================Added=======================
Moontrail.com has a better price if they have any left. $52.00 for the Xtreme and $48.00 for the Expert. They also are located here in San Antonio.
==============================================
If you have a Coleman Outlet Store near you they may have some. I got mine there several years ago for around $35 each.

The Xtreme or Expert Stoves are really hard to beat at low temperatures but you need to be able to buy the PowerMax Canisters. If you have an outdoor store near you - you might want to visit and ask them if they will stock the PowerMax Canister or if they can buy them for you. If they say they will or you want to buy a case Coleman maybe able to ship them to you. I think they can be shipped but only by ground.

Edited by bfornshell on 11/20/2007 18:31:45 MST.

Hi Rick,

I would gladly get an Xtreme at a decent price if I can find one (waiting to hear from one store) - I'm gambling on the availability of cartridges in the next few years, but I can always pick up an adapter now. Only question is - how much weight does the adapter add?

Can you give some examples of inverted Lindal stoves you'd recommend? I know the Coleman Fyrestorm is one, but it's insanely expensive. I could probably

they are out of Xtreme stoves

Hi EJ,

I think my adaptor weighed in about 100 grams (3.5oz) it quite heavy I am thinking about making a lighter one.

Tony

Edited by tbeasley on 11/20/2007 19:48:22 MST.

thanks - how much did it cost?

I have three of the adapters.

One weighs 103.5 grams or 3.65 ounces.

Mine cost about $15 each but I think the MSRP was about $25.

Hi EJ,

There's a host of remote canister stoves with generator tubes that can--theoretically or by design--operate with an inverted canister. Here's a partial list:

MSR--WindPro

Primus--Multifuel EX, Gravity MF and EF

Coleman--Denali (in addition to Fyrestorm series)

Snowpeak--BF, Metal Crab (I'm not making that last one up http://www.snowpeak.com/back/stoves/new_stoves.html )

What would be very helpful would be somebody marketing aluminum Lindal canisters. Anybody?

--Rick

Thank Rick. I just snagged a new Exponent Xtreme off of eBay for $55 including shipping, which was a good deal and only a few bucks more than I would have paid at Campmor (Campmor can be a great value because not only do they often have cheaper prices, but their shipping to us is super fast and either free or cheap depending on size of order - I think all orders over $100 come with free shipping). We'll put this to good use in Vermont and the Adirondaks in a few weeks.

Will the Xtreme stove fold small enough to fit inside my Trek 900 Cookset?

Can anyone comment on how well the Xtreme works with the adapter, which lets you use any inverted butane/propane Lindal canisters?

Is there anything you Xtreme owners recommend in particular for maintaining the stove in good condition?

Rick,

The gas burner for the Trangia operates inverted.

http://www.trangia.se/english/2925.original_accessories.html

My local Coleman Outlet Store found 5 Xtreme Stoves at the Outlet Store in Loveland, CO. This morning about 1030 MST I called to confirm that they do have them and YES they have 5.

The bad news - Up to yesterday they were on sale for $49.88.

The good news is - when I was talking to them I asked if they would still sell the stove at the sale price. YES, they will.

The stove will cost $49.88 plus state tax and shipping and the total is expected to be about $62.00 maybe a bit less. I asked about out of state and no sales tax. They said have to charge the state tax unless you are a "tax free" whateve? If you are you know it and you can ask them about it.

If anyone wants one of these stoves you can call 1-970-593-1693 and ask for Ken. Tell him what you want and remind him if necessary about the sale price.

They ship UPS.

Bill, that was very kind of you to find those. I'm sure people will snap those up.

Can anyone comment on how well the Xtreme works with the adapter, which lets you use any inverted butane/propane Lindal canisters?

Is there anything you Xtreme owners recommend in particular for maintaining the stove in good condition?

How small does the Xtreme fold up? Anyone know the dimensions? I guess I'll find out in a few days, but I'd love to know if it will fit in my Trek 900 cookset.

The xtreme stove will not fit in that cup.

Hi John,

Will it fit in a Trek 1400, which I'd be most likely to take in winter? What's the folded size?

> There should be a Spotlite Review of the Adapter coming in the next few days.

It has now been published:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/powermax_adapter_spotlite.html

Yes, it took a long time coming, but it took a long time for Coleman to get the Adapter to me.

Cheers
Roger

Edited by rcaffin on 11/21/2007 15:02:20 MST.

I posted what is below this back on 01/29/2006 in my Modified Xtreme Stove thread. I had been able to buy 3 of the adapters at $15 each from Coleman. I don't know why they sold them to me that cheap.

It is almost funny that a "Review" is now coming out on an item that is going on 2 years old.

I am sure it will be up to Rogers high technical standards and give us all something interesting to read.

My short (spin = opinion) on this gadget is that I would not waste my time or money on one. Every time I connect it to the control valve it scratches my finger. The edges are sharp but I guess you could file the sharp edge a bit and do two things. Keep it from scratching your finger and lighten it a bit.

The Xtreme with the PowerMax Canister is hard to beat in really cold temperatures if you don't like using a liquid fuel. But adding the extra weight of the adapter to use the Xtreme in warmer weather seems a no-brainer. For warmer temperatures there are many very light stoves to pick from.

After I lightened my Xtreme stove I just designed my own version of a very light stove to use the PowerMax Canister. I also have an adapter that will allow me to use the PowerMax Canister on several other stoves.


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From Coleman:
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NEW ADAPTER EXPANDS FUEL OPTIONS FOR X-STOVE OWNERS Coleman® Exponent® X-series stoves are getting new fuel canister alternatives. The ingenious Powermax® Fuel Adapter allows any X-stove to run on conventional, more readily available butane-propane fuel canisters. That gives traveling adventurers the option of powering their stoves with either Coleman’s proprietary Powermax fuel or standard, threaded butanepropane blended canisters.




The innovative new adapter also effectively converts the LP canisters into a liquid-withdrawal fuel system to mimic the performance advantages that the Powermax system and X-stoves delivered – namely consistent performance throughout the life of the fuel cartridge including strong performance at higher altitudes and in below-freezing temperatures. The Xstoves broke important performance barriers often associated with butanepowered stoves and conventional vapor-withdrawal systems.

The lightweight aluminum adapter attaches to an X-stove fuel connector and two swing-out legs provide a stable platform for the fuel canister. In a 180-degree departure from standard usage, the threaded butane canister is inverted and attached to the adapter upside-down to allow a liquidwithdrawal method of fuel-feed to the burner. (Historically, LPG canisters of butane or butanepropane blended fuel used in conventional upright position rely on vapor withdrawal. There is pressure inside the canister. When the stove valve is opened, it allows the vapor to pass to the burner for combustion. Colder temperatures decrease pressure and degrade performance. A liquid withdrawal system draws the blended fuel in liquid from the pressurized canister, carries it via a copper fuel tube to a regulator that passed above the burner, which heats it and converts it to a vapor before feeding the vaporized fuel to the burner. The system results in reliable performance when temperatures drop below freezing, and it is less affected by altitude than vapor-withdrawal systems.) The Powermax Fuel Adapter will be available for the ’06 season with an MSRP of $23.
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The following is my comment on this product:
This adapter should open up a lot of possibilities for the MYOG folks. A comment has been made that it looks a bit over engineered. They should have asked us to help. The price is right and I hope to get one as soon as they are available.

Edited by bfornshell on 11/21/2007 14:58:44 MST.

My REI in Pittsburgh had a bunch of PowerMax fuel. I picked up five 170g bottles. They had about six more 170g and about thirty 300g bottles. I just bought an Xtreme today, and I figured I better stock up. Hopefully these will be around for awhile there so I can resupply further into winter to have enough for next winter.