Dual Burner Camp Stove

[Ranger1850]

I am new to the forum and would like to get some feedback on the suitability of a new stove we developed.

We developed this stove specifically for canoe camping and recently attended Canoecopia, a paddlesports show in Madison, WI. To our surprise, we received a great deal of interest in the stove from the car campers in attendance as well as several teardrop manufacturers who were exhibiting. Having no experience in car camping or tiny trailers, I am interested in your assessment on the feasibility of this stove for this application. Specifically, is this stove suitable for car camping and what improvements or modifications would make it more attractive?

The stove was designed out of necessity, as with increasing age we needed to find a way to lighten the weight of our camp stove and reduce the packed volume for portaging. My goal was to maintain the dual burner capability and be able to cook at a comfortable height rather than on the ground as with backpacking stoves. The stove is less than half the weight of a typical Coleman-type stove and 1/10 the packed/stowed volume.

An outfitter in the BWCA saw our stove and they asked me to make a couple of these stove so they could try them out. Fast forward a year and we decided to give it a go at commercializing.

A few photos of the stove are shown below as well a link to our website that provides more details https://www.voyageursoutdoorgear.com

Thanks in advance for any feedback or suggestions.
Joe
p.s. If this post is viewed as inappropriate for this site, please let me know and I will delete it.

[M C Toyer]

That is very interesting. What is the gauge of the aluminum top and wind screen?

[Ranger1850]

It is made entirely from .063" aircraft grade aluminum with stainless steel hinge pins.

[pchast]

Interesting product. How large a pan can you set on that burner? Side by side?

[tony.latham]

[GuitarPhotog]

What does it use for fuel? I saw reference to "2 Primus burners" Do they run off a common fuel source, or require separate fuel canisters?

[Ranger1850]

The cooking area is 20.5" x 12" with the windscreens up. We have cooked with as large as a 12" fry pan and coffee pot at one time but 10" fry pan is our preferred. We also use a double griddle for pancakes, eegs and bacon which measures 11"x19".

The Primus burners accept isobutane canisters as standard and we have adapters available to convert to 1 lb propane canisters. We also have a 2:1 Adapter that allows allows you to run both burners from one canister of fuel.

[GuitarPhotog]

Wow, it looks like Isobutane is more than twice as expensive as propane, and propane functions better at very low temps (sub-zero).

Thanks for your information and I wish you success in your endeavor.

<Chas>

[Ranger1850]

Yes, that is the trade off... Isobutane is more expense but you get a weight savings of over 1/2 pound per canister compared to a same volume (and heat content) Propane canister. This is due to the higher vapor pressure of the propane which requires a heavier gauge steel canister compared to the Isobutane canister. This vapor pressure difference is also why Propane works better at lower temps than Isobutane.

Backpackers and canoe campers tend to be concerned about weight so many prefer Isobutane. Those that are not concerned so much about weight (and cost) tend to prefer propane so we offer the propane adapter.

Thanks for the comments!

Joe

[rivernstream]

This looks like it could be adapted easily for a teardrop galley especially for this of us who prefer a pull out cooking surface. I set my camp chef stove on one of these now and prefer the flexibility it allows to add a prep or serving surface. What fuel does it use? Looks like butane canisters but could it also be adapted for propane or alcohol? I’ve been interested in alcohol as a cleaner fuel source.


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[Dale M.]

The fact everything hangs underneath and requires to be used with a stand, is a turn off for me... What if I want to set it on end of picnic table, what if I leave stand behind.... Most places I shop are more likely to have propane than butane available the is another down side.....To me it looks as if you took a couple of backpacker butane stoves and just put them into a stand....



Dale

[Ranger1850]

Thanks for your comments Dale!

Yes, in designing the stove for canoe campers, we got feedback that they liked to cook at a more comfortable level rather than cooking low to the ground as tables are not typically available in canoe country. Our main goals were to significantly reduce the weight and packed volume while maintaining dual burner capability at a comfortable cooking height.

As we look at other settings such a car camping, we have received feedback to add an option to be able to use the stove without the stand so we are currently working on integrating a short stand into the design.

We also received feedback on the desire to use propane so we now offer propane adapters that accept 1 lb propane canisters.

We chose not to reinvent the burners as there are many very good small backpacking burners readily available. We tested the burner you pictured along with the Primus burner and found the Primus to be most reliable and contained the fewest number of moving parts. The outfitters we talked with also encouraged us to go with the Primus burner given their good experience this this model. They also like the overall clean-ability of the stove compared to the suitcase style two burner stoves.

Thanks again for your comments,
Joe

[Ranger1850]

I have received quite a bit of interest in an integrated folding stand just like the earlier post on this thread. Many wanted the ability to place the stove on a picnic table and avoid the need to carry a separate stand.

After a little tinkering and engineering, I came up with this design. The legs raise the stove 10" when extended and fold against the bottom of the stove for packing, adding 1/4" to the stowed thickness. A couple of outfitters tested the prototypes and provided a few design tweaks which I incorporated into this final version.

[Pmullen503]

I like the integrated stand and that would be my choice. Is it tall enough to use a propane cylinder?

[Ranger1850]

Yes, the legs are tall enough to accommodate propane adapters and 1 lb propane canisters!