The recent stove reviews list the Coleman F1 Ultralight as the best mini-stove, but that it is difficult get a windscreen (the pie tin type just below the burner) to stay in place and can actually melt the aluminum. Since I much prefer this type of windscreen (as compared to those that stand on the ground), I am looking at the runner-up, the Brunton Crux. Alan Dixon, you mention in your review of this stove that you created your own fully-enclosed windscreen that compensates for it's sensitivity in high wind.

I'm wondering if you can elaborate on the specs of this winscreen. Since the pot stands are attached to the burner head, I see no way of creating a pie-tin style winscreen just below the burner. Does your windscreen then stand on the ground, and you monitor the temperature of the canister?

The burner head on the crux is fairly wide. You might be able to make a cutout for the pot supports and burner and let the windscreen hang below the burner head on wires attached to the pot supports. This would solve the melting aluminum problem assuming you use something like stainless wire which wouldn’t melt. Even if your windscreen ends up tilted at bit it would only touch the pot in one place and would probably work fine. This should work for the Coleman as well.

The following is what I use for the Crux but would work the same for the Coleman:

This is a USE WITH CAUTION ANSWER! According to any canister stove manufacturer the following windscreen is a huge NO NO, with dire warnings about overheating the canister and blowing it up. I use this type of windscreen at my own risk and do not recommend that others use it! Please see the windscreen safety caveat in our stove articles.

Your fist course of action should be to get the stove out of the wind and use it without a windscreen. Cook in a sheltered area behind a rock, tent, large tree trunk etc. If that doesn’t work:

From the Jetboil review
“They fashion a semi-circular windscreen that is open on the leeward side and doesn’t come too close to the pot and canister. This type of windscreen doesn’t retain much heat and does not warm the canister to a significant degree. The result is a compromise. The windscreen is not as effective as it could be at blocking wind and retaining heat but at least there is not much risk of over heating the canister.”

I use a windscreen that goes all the way from the ground to near the top of the pot. I usually make one out of folded heavy duty aluminum foil. I custom make it for the canister, pot, and stove combination I intend to use.

The windscreen is partial cylinder that has a vertical gap (leeward side) to let heat escape, to let me control the stove valve, and to allow the pot handle to stick out. It curls around the pot to with a reasonable gap between the windscreen and pot to let heat escape. With the vertical gap of the partial cylinder and the gap around the top of the pot, enough heat escapes that I do not feel at risk for the canister overheating. I do check from time to time by touching the canister to make sure it is not warming up. I’ve used this type of windscreen for year but I’m very careful.

If it is very cold and very windy I might tighten up the windscreen a bit Using it in a sheltered area behind a rock, tent, large tree trunk etc. helps too. If its warmer I might widen the gaps a bit. Some folks use a hole punch to add holes around the bottom of the windscreen for even better ventilation. Sometimes I’ll put rock under the windscreen to raise it above the ground a bit and add a venting gap.

Again, use with extreme caution and TEST, TEST, AND RE-TEST the temperature of the canister until you are comfortable with using this type of windscreen in many conditions.

-Alan

I recently purchased the Brunton Crux to replace my Snow Peak Giga Stove. I liked the Giga stove with its ‘pie plate’ windscreen and pot stability, but it still had issues with the simmer setting slowly increasing. Now with the Crux, I am looking for a reasonable windscreen and believe I will have to make a custom one.

Having read the cautions about windscreens causing the canister to overheat and possibly explode, obviously Alan’s disclaimer above is one of self preservation as well as a safety reminder. I like his idea of adjusting the gap and venting the windscreen while continuously testing the canister temperature. As far as testing the temp, has anyone found a magnetic thermometer to place on the canister, similar to a forehead thermometer? I think this could be used from one canister to another and offer a more accurate read of the canister temperature. This could also be an advantage when using canisters from different manufacturers which could react differently.

You might try an infrared thermometer. It will measure, by the intensity of radiated infrared, the temperature of whatever you point it at up to about 10' away. The cheapest ones I saw on Froogle were $40.

Thanks for the idea. I found here
http://store.gadgetssoldontv.com/te348.html
It lists for $30 and weighs just over an ounce with battery. It seems to offer multiple uses which include validating the loft and integrity of your bag.

Here's a simple solution I thought of a couple of weeks ago for my Pocket Rocket stove.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/262789881/281041771sGoDGm

Hope it helps.

Dan,
That looks like it would work real well. It keeps the airflow from below without enclosing the canister.
Do you use the wire as a rest on the pot, where they are looped into the windscreen to prevent it from sliding down too far?
Thanks,
Mike

I was searching through to find out how to make a windscreen for my crux, and I would love to see the picture of Dave Kutcher's design. Unfortunately the pictures are removed from the website.
So Dave, is there another place I cold see your design?