Vargo Triad
Erin and I continue to find ways to lighten our load for our trip on the PCT, and we are now working on the stove problem. Here are the options we’re considering:
AntiGravity Gear Pepsi Can Stove (.4 oz) 12$
Two of my favorite thru-hikers use this one, which is to say, I’m pretty impressionable and will do what all the cool kids are doing. But this stove is super light and, as I lack the fine motor skills necessary to make my own, buying this one for 12$ doesn’t seem so bad.
Making our own
This has not proved entirely successful for me in the past. I can create a stove that works successfully over weekend trips, but I wouldn’t trust it over the long haul. You might think that I could make my own pepsi can stove for cheaper than the Antigrav one, but then you have no idea how many root beers I burned through trying to fit my stove together.
If I do try it again, I will use one of the tutorials from Mungo Says Bah or Jurey Studios. Third time’s a charm, right?
Vargo Triad Titanium Stove (1 oz) 32$
I really like this one. It has built in top and bottom legs, and there is a video on the Vargo site that shows how you can make the stove pretty steady. And Section Hiker gives a pretty positive review of it (again with the following the cool kids).
This stove got mixed reviews on rei.com, but it seemed like those people were judging the Vargo Titanium against traditional backpacking stoves. They are two very different categories, and you have to have different expectations.
I’ve batted around the idea of getting the Evernew Titanium Stove (1.2 oz), but it costs 46$, which is a little too rich for my blood. (And I can get the Vargo at a discount because I work at an outdoor store now.Hooray!)
We still haven’t ruled out Erin’s Snow Peak Giga Stove, but it weighs in at 3.75 oz, and the canisters seem to add to much weight relative to the amount of fuel. Not to mention that finding canisters isn’t as convenient as finding alcohol. This is going to be a tough call.
As always, I’d love feedback on these decisions. 
