Okay, I have been digging gear out of the rafters, closets and storage buildings to comply with the Boss's directive of efficient storage. Unfortunately I got side-tracked when I decided to "restore" my two 40+ year old Seva 123s. Actually they didn't need it, but boil times did improve. All I had ever done was clean the jet on every trip and replace the fuel tank gasket periodically (bad gaskets) and the source of most Svea horror stories. So there was a lot of cleaning and polishing over two weeks. I replaced the wick on one stove and the other is still in great condition. Replaced both cap gaskets and that is all after 40+ years!

SVEA 123

In 1971 I bought my first Svea. Then I bought a Hank Roberts canister stove a couple years or so later. The canister stove was okay... it didn't thrill me. When I saw a Sigg Tourist pot set for a Svea (my friend had one) I decided to get the pot set. My friend had to have the Hank Roberts and offered to trade his Svea and Tourist set for the stove because they could not be easily found at the time. No brainer to me :) I used the Tourist set-up for winter/snow and the other for all other trips. The first Svea was my main stove until about 3 years ago.


Both Svea stoves packed and ready to go.


The 123s were first produced in 1955. In 1969 Optimus bought the company and soon replaced the 123 with the 123R, which had a self-cleaning needle included in the design. You can tell the difference because the control shaft points down at approximately 45% angle, also the keys have a cutout on the end to loosen the packing nut on the housing. 123Rs shafts are parallel to the horizontal. People who have used both models say the older ones work better, but I have never used the R series.


Svea inside the windscreen/pot stand.


Svea with a 2.5 quart pot. Once the stove is lit and adjusted you want to remove the key as it gets too hot to handle with bare hands.


You can also cook with the included cup/pot. I usually drank out of a Sierra cup and cooked with an aluminum pot or pan. Sometimes I would use this in the morning to boil water for instant oatmeal and coffee.


Svea nested in the Sigg Tourist, which includes windscreen, stove holder, 2.5 qt pot, 3.5 qt pot, and a lid/frying pan.


Stove inside Sigg windscreen and pot holder. The pots are formed to sit securely into the stove holder and you can stack both pots on top of the stove for fancy cooking, which I have no idea how one would do that :)

Weights
Svea 123 with windscreen 473g or 16.68oz
Svea 123 with windscreen and cup 554g or 19.54oz
Sigg Tourist Aluminum Cookset with Svea 123 981g or 34.60oz


OPTIMUS 731 MOUSTRAP

I bought this stove in the late 70's or early 80's as part of my never-ending lightening up process. It used 100% liquid feed butane canisters. I really like the stove, although it is easy to tip over. I no longer have any canisters left and cannot find any.

One thing I really liked about this stove was its compactness and easy to store in my pack at 7 1/8" X 4 3/4" X 1 5/8".



Mousetrap folded.
Mousetrap opened up. It is leaning slightly to the left. Then canister fits inside the wire bail on the left under under the knob. The canister height would then make the stove level, but you can imagine the stability issue.

Weight of stove is 353g or 11.25 oz.


Bottom of stove. You can see the piercing need that goes inside the rubber tipped canister. This needle can break if one is not careful, which happened on my first Mousetrap, but I bought another one later.

GAZ 106 GLOBETROTTER

In 1985 I cut the tip of one of my fingers down to the bone. Since I was an auto mechanic the doctor ordered me to not work for a week. So I went backpacking. This was a rather strenuous trip. For those who are familiar with the San Jacintos, the trip started by going down Palm Canyon from Ribbonwood and then up out of the desert to the Peak and then back to Ribbonwood. The 2nd day I broke the needle in the Mousetrap rendering it useless. So I hiked over to Idyllwild to see if I could get another stove. Nomad Adventures was in business back then (they are still there and in Joshua Tree). And the only compact stove they sold was the Globetrotter. The Stove used pierceable butane canisters, which meant that once pierced you had to leave it in place. The stove with the canister connected will still fit into the included pots/cups. These are fairly large and will hold a Svea 123 with the windscreen and cup. I liked this stove so much, I bought a 2nd one as a spare, since I figured they would be discontinued some day, which they were... along with the small canisters. I still have a few left.


Stove, canister, pot lifter inside the cup/pots.


The pot supports flip up and the pot sits inside of them, so you really cannot use a larger pot. Notice the built in windscreen, it works pretty good.


Canister removed from stove. You can see the hole in the canister where the stove punctures it. Canister is 100% butane.

Weights
Gaz Globetrotter Stove 298g or 10.51 oz.
Gaz Globetrotter Stove with pots and handle 565g or 19.93oz.


In the 1980's I also bought a MSR Whisperlite for more extreme winter conditions and for car camping. I never have been completely thrilled with it, as there is too much "fiddle-factor" and too much required maintenance. But I still have it and it has never let me down. I guess I am so used to the ease of the 123 that I mentally never got over it. Many people complain that the Seva is too difficult to use, but after 40 years of use it is simple to me.

One huge problem in the deserts where I hike is wind. The Whisperlite does as well as any stove in wind with the aluminum windscreen. But again, I just never warmed up to the stove. So I bought a remote canister stove in the 1990's for desert work and car camping.

GAZ TRISTAR

This is a really cool stove. Remote canister so a windscreen can be used, such as the MSR alumium screens. Piezo-electric ignition and it can hold a large pot. With a "heavy" Gaz 470 canister I did many two week trips on a single canister. It also was great to use car camping to supplement a Coleman camping stove.


Gaz Tristar Stove with bag 462g 16.30oz


There is a thin piece of foam in the bag and the instructions, which I still have, say to place the canister in the back when using in snow and not to turn the canister in any position but vertical. I never tried it in snow, due to past experiences with canister stoves.


Gaz Trailstar Stove w/o bag 407g 14.36 oz.

Two other stoves I owned in the past were a Gaz S200 (don't know why I bought it and I think I gave it away), and a Gaz 270 Turbo another lighten the pack stove, which I eventurally gave to my son.

TODAY

Other than still using these old stove once in awhile for nostalgia sake, my go to 99% of the time stove is a Calder Cone GVP, usually with Esbit. I also sometime use a Snow Peak GigaPower. In winter I am most happy with a MSR Dragonfly, although last winter I used a MSR Wind Pro with an inverted canister. This winter (if it ever snows) I will go back to the Dragon Fly.

FAVORITE STOVES

Even though I rarely us it, the hands down choice the Svea 123. Unbelievable reliability and it looks like a piece of art. Next is the Gaz Globe Trotter, but canisters are almost impossible to find. However I will continue to use the Caldera Cone and Stove Peak due to weight considerations.

I was given an "old" 123 (not the R) with the "climber" windscreen and cup about 30 years ago. Worked fine then, still worked fine last year.

I also have a similar Primus with an Eidelweiss cookset. Unfortunately I can't find the pot support and windscreen sections.

Jim,

The cook sets are okay if you are melting snow and stuff. Really too heavy. But the basic stove with the included windscreen/pot holder is really a nice piece of engineering. And it is a great feeling when that stove starts to "thump, thump, thump."

People used to complain to me that the Svea was so noisy. Well the first time I lit up my Dragonfly, I thought I was on an airfield standing next to a F4 taking off.

Anyway, great classic stove. And they can be still be bought new from Optimus, only I don't know how good they are and haven't seen one of the newer ones in person. And actually they are heavy! But mine is like an old friend, only more reliable :)

I picked up a one owner Svea 123 two years ago then another a week later from one of the members here who posts some on another tiny bp chat room of sorts. Nick, your two are a little newer than my first one. Your two have the rings on the vaporizer which came out after the one I have. Mine has a plain vaporizer, a sign of the older version. I did pick up with my second 123 the kit, so I'm set, have yet to use the set though. I have an old Coleman 9C, two burner stove from the '20's and a Primus 96 from the '20's also among my collection. See if this works.

I have an Optimus 8R somewhere. Noce blue all metal clamshell case with brass stove and tank. Great little stove that roared like a jet engine, didn't hold enough full to finish cooking anything, extremely heavy, prone to spectacular flare ups, and built to last forever.

I quit using it after purchasing an MSR Whisperlite some 25 or 30 years ago. The MSR purchase was in combination with a new tent as a flare up took out the vestibule and most of the front door of an old Black Ice mountaineering tent.

Anybody remember Black Ice? They were Snow Lion before that and made some of the best sleeping bags in the late 60's and early 70's. I still have two seviceable bags of theirs that my kids use. Construction is on par with Feathered Friends and Western Mountaineering, and I would add Katabatic to the list as well.

It was my dads....
...
ready to cook!
i think it would be cool to retro-fit this thing to use modern fuel sources...

I have a few old Hank Roberts canisters in my garage.

--B.G.--

Ive never seen this thing in use...i think it would be cool to get it up and running again....

Duane,

I don't collect stoves, other than what I bought for my use. However when I "refurbished" I did some research, as I was concerned about strong cleaners damaging the graphite packing (never found the answer). If your windscreen is the original it will have "Svea 123" engraved on it. If it is engraved "Max Sievert" then it is really old.

That looks like the Hank Roberts I traded as explained in my original post. Go to Hiking Jim's website. I think he conerted on of those.

Bob,

Would you be interested in selling them?

Snow Lion -- they were excellent bags. Think they may have made tents too.

"Would you be interested in selling them?"

It might be kind of tricky to ship them.

--B.G.--

Bob,

Used to be you could easily ship them via USPS ground. I'll check further if you might be interested.

You are correct Nick on your post. Mine is about the third model out I'm guessing. A Sievert 123 would be nice, but I have three 123's now, one is a very used "R". Maybe down the road I can pick up a Sievert model. I do have a Sievert 16, but it has a Coleman burner that I need to resolder a leg back on. At least I fettled it and it works except for needing the leg reattached. Later this winter as I only acquired it late summer.
Duane

Nick, nice collection.

i've got an old optimus 99 that i inherited when my stepdad died. (along with a jansport D2 external) I have used in on a few trips and it works pretty well, but it isn't the easiest thing to prime. being that the priming cup is so far from the fuel tank. I'm sure an accessory pump would help quite a bit. It is pretty efficient and works well, and simmers great. These days I only really use it for car camping, its pretty heavy.

I had a SVEA 123R that I really wish I wouldn't have sold as it is such a cool stove.

I'm looking for a trangia duossal now and may have a line on one. Apparently they are really nice for cooking with the stainless layer inside the pot. I want to experiment with some "real" cooking in the backcountry.

Like you , Nick, I have gone to a GVP setup with esbit and really like it for boiling and the weight is hard to beat. It is my main bping stove these days. Although, I did use a Jetboil recently and am amazed at how easy and efficient they are. I can see why they are so popular, and with the sol-ti the weight isn't too terrible.

@Nick
Sadly my Primus doesn't have the "Climber" style pot support/windscreen. It's just the bare stove. The SVEA windscreen doesn't fit either.

Just saw the old Sigg Tourist set with the Svea! Goodness! I got one of those in 1973, and we used it for years and years! Backpacking, canoeing, camping, cross-country travel, everything! What memories!

Thanks for putting those pictures up!

I got a primus stove in a blue metal can in about 1967. It was $10! It worked for many many years, and was a pretty decent reliable stove. The lid flipped up, and the front wall hinged down for operation.

Still works just fine

0. Woodfires, Sterno cans
1. Optimus Svea 123, whitegas, ’71-’01, 15.7 (stove only) + 3.5 (16 oz. fuel bottle)=19.2 oz.
2. MSR Model 9 (precursor of the XGK) for melting snow in winter (no simmer)
3. Optimus Nova, multi-liquid fuel, ’01-, 20.5 oz. w/ windscreen & 16 oz. fuel bottle
4. MSR WindPro, remote canister, ’06-, 14.7 oz. w/ windscreen & empty canister (4.7 oz.)
5. Optimus Crux, top mount canister, ’04-, 9.2 oz w/ windscreen & empty canister

I had one of those Mousetraps too. A bit sketchy to use.

I have a piece on stoves on my site.
http://40yearsofwalking.wordpress.com/2010/08/31/stoves-through-the-years/

Edited by abhitt on 01/25/2012 06:17:45 MST.

Thanks Alex, I see you have a 9 also. Those old MSR's still run great. Just wish I could get a white pump.

Duane

Alex,

That is a really nice progression over time. All excellent choices. I agree on the MSR stoves, although I haven't had any problems with a single one. One thing is that when one uses a certain stove for a long time, they get really good at using it and how to deal with any idiosyncrasies.

Hey, there's some NICE stuff on this thread. You guys might just start me breaking out my vintage stove gear. :)

I too like the Svea 123, Hank Roberts, and the GT106. I've got an adapter for my GT106 which allows me to use modern threaded canisters. I've also got an adapter for my Hank Roberts (my all time favorite old gas stove) that allows me to use modern threaded canisters.

Nick, your memory is good. I do have a blog post on the Hank Roberts Mini Stove -- converted to use with modern canisters. I've been really surprised how popular that post has been -- one of the top ten posts on my blog. I get inquiries all the time on adapters to convert it to modern threaded canisters.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving