The Ulitmate Ultra Light stove?

By Hikin_Jim,

Is the Ti-Tri Caldera Cone the ultimate ultralight stove system?

Hyperbole? Am I being a little "over the top?" Maybe. But maybe not. Let's check it out. At the end of the post, I'll discuss why I think this triple fuel system is so darned useful that I really do consider it the ultimate lightweight stove system, particularly for mixed elevation (above and below the elevation where fires are permitted) backpacking.
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The Ti-Tri Caldera Cone in wood burning mode.

Well, to get started, we're going to need a pot. All Caldera Cones are designed to fit with a particular pot. The Caldera Cone shown in the photo above will only fit an Evernew 1300ml titanium pot -- unless by odd coincidence there's another pot out there with the exact same dimensions. Check the Trail Designs website for which cones will fit with which pots.

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An Evernew 1300ml titanium pot

Now, notice that in the title of this post, I refer to today's stove system as the Ti-Tri Caldera Cone. "Ti-Tri?" What the Dickens does that mean?

Well, "Ti" is short for "titanium" and refers to what the cone (not necessarily the pot) is made out of (titanium), and "Tri" refers to the fact that this is a triple fuel stove system. This stove system will run on three fuels: alcohol, hexamine (e.g. ESBIT), or wood. Now, if you've seen my previous posts on the Caldera Cone (see links at the bottom of this blog post), those were all aluminum cones. Aluminum Caldera Cones will warp and or melt if they get too hot, so you can only burn low heat fuels like alcohol or hexamine in them.

On the other hand, titanium cones can handle heat just fine. With a titanium cone, you can burn wood. Why might burning wood be an advantage? Burning wood is an advantage because you don't have to carry it on your back. I mean, think about it: When was the last time you saw fuel-grade alcohol welling up out of the ground? When was the last time you picked fuel off of the ESBIT tree? The point being that if you use alcohol or hexamine, you're not generally going to find it out on the trail. You have to carry the fuel with you. Wood on the other hand is frequently available from your surroundings.

To read the rest of the post go here.