I am thinking about purchasing the BPL Firelight 550 (with handles) for boiling water, making tea and preparing FBC meals for weekend or weeklong hiking trips. I'm looking to mate the pot with a lightweight alcohol stove that won't take up much space in my pack (i.e., the stove would fit inside the pot). Ideally, the flame spread of the stove would match up perfectly with the diameter of the pot to achieve some degree of efficient, even heating.

Any recommendations for specific alcohol stoves I should be looking at? TIA...

Chris:

I have the Firelite 550 and really like it. With such a narrow pot, you want to AVOID any and all pressurized alky stoves -- esp. side burners -- as most of the flame jetting out will simply go to waste.

What you want instead is a small and simple open can top burner. Click here for a look see at my set up.

Edited by ben2world on 04/20/2010 19:55:23 MDT.

I use a 55o and Caldera cone. It works very well. I carry the caldera caddy (some don't) and not only is it the caddy but it can be a cup and bowl, too. Plus, whats really cool, is the 550 fits perfectly over one end of the caddy, minimizing volume.

And, most importantly, Rand Lindsly is EXTREMELY sexy!

Caldera cone for sure. I love my FL550/Caldera cone combo. I eventually upgraded it to the Ti version for a more durable and long lasting solution. I also use the caddy kit to store it in, and also get a cup, cozy and another cooking container. A whole lot of useful functionality there.

I partially agree with Ben. With such a small pot, side jets should generally be avoided. I wouldn't say that you should avoid all pressurized systems though...really depends on the concentration of the flame pattern. Minibull makes a pressured jet stove where the jets face inwards, to concentrate the flame into the center of the pot. Check out the link
http://minibulldesigncult.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/1227723

These work even on Heineken pots. That being said, I like caldera cones...even if they are a bit heavier/bulkier than other setups. Theres just zero fiddling with a caldera setup...quick and fairly efficient ( I only say fairly, because I have more efficient stoves, but they have more moving parts etc).

If you are only doing overnighters, where the weight difference between having to use 1 ounce of alc to boil 2 cups, vs .5 ounces, is negligible, then go with Ben's easy open setup. However, if you are out for a long time, then the difference in half ounces of fuel can add up, in which case you might want to look into a setup that allows you to utilize fuel more efficiently.

Edited by Konrad1013 on 04/20/2010 21:05:17 MDT.

One thing about the Caldera system: the cone will NOT fit inside the Firelite 550 pot. You will either need to get the Caldera Caddy -- which utterly defeats the purpose of a compact set up -- or somehow pack that cone separately (and protect it from getting crumpled up).

In my setup (as pictured in the link in my post up above) -- everything (stove, windscreen, spork, 2 BIC lighters, small towel and up to 4 ounces of alcohol fuel) fits nicely inside the Firelite 550.

Konrad:

Truth be told, I haven't looked into Minibull in years -- and the last time around, I bought their "Elite" stove which was recommended to me for use with my SP700 pot. The flames coming out did boil my water -- but also bubbled up my aluminum sheet windscreen!

I'm interested in knowing more about the newer "Atomic" and "Mini Atomic". Did you use either -- or something else?

another for the caldera cone. i have the ti-tri setup for that exact pot and love it love it! extremely efficient!