Sunday 22 August 2010

MSR Reactor in Use



As you'll know if you read the wildcamp report I managed to take the Reactor into the hills for a test. Much of what I've already mentioned re the MSR Reactor is repeated here for clarity together with some additional information so bear with me.

I decided to take a part used 100g cartridge, the one I’d been using to test both the Reactor and the Fly (ti) at home. Unfortunately as it was all a bit rushed I forgot to take my video camera, forgot to take my thermometer and also forgot to weigh the gas cartridge before I left. As I know the cartridge weight after the last recorded test at home I’ll have to assume that it was the still the same when I packed it for the wild camp (I’m pretty sure I didn’t use it after the last recorded test) For what it’s worth it weighed 158g after the final Fly (ti) test.



My usual meths burner set-up weighs 178g and with 100ml of fuel the total weight would be 278g, the MSR Reactor weighs 486g as weighed by myself, added to this was a plastic mug, large plastic spoon and pouch cozy at an additional 113g. I also took a Primus’Footrest‘ to improve stability as I was using the 100g cartridge, this added a further 24g and finally the gas cartridge at 158g brought the total weight up to 781g, almost 3 times the weight of my normal set-up. It has to be remembered that I would expect to boil in excess of 4l of water with the 58g of gas remaining while the 100ml of meths would most likely only boil 2l. Unfortunately that’s a fact of life if you choose gas, you can’t simply take the fuel you require and even if you could choose from a selection of part used canisters you still have around 90g simply due to the weight of the cartridge itself. Although the MSR is large enough to carry a 220g cartridge it isn’t significantly larger than my meths set-up due to the way I carry my beer can pot in a closed cell foam cozy so it easily fitted into my pack (ULA Conduit) horizontally still leaving space at either side and in front.

As it turned out I wasn’t the only one to forget something, Marcus who was accompanying me realised he’d forgotten to bring fuel for his meths stove when we were on route to our proposed camp. While I knew there was enough gas for 2 Marcus has intended to cook sausages and this threw up another issue, you can’t use a regular pot/pan with the Reactor in an emergency in the same way you could with the Primus Eta Express or buy an additional pot support like you can for the Jetboil PCS.

When we finally reached our camp site it was about 7.00pm, and while the conditions were perfect for a wild camp, unfortunately they were also perfect for mountain midges, the Northern Irish variety being no less voracious than their infamous Scottish cousins. What should have been a leisurely evening meal turned into something of a trial by midge and the speed and ease of set-up of the Reactor was very welcome indeed.



I didn’t attempt to record the time taken to boil water as I wear an analogue watch ( I realised afterwards that I could have used my mobile phone!!) but we initially boiled about 1.0l followed by an additional 300ml or so, I can’t say exactly how much but I used all the water in my flexible bottle/bladder plus the contents of my Aquagear filter bottle, total about 1.8l although I did use some to cool my coffee.

Having been used to setting up my meths stove before preparing my meals it felt strange to have everything set-up prior to lighting the stove. The stove boils water so rapidly that you simply don’t have time to mess around, at one point I was taking some photos while the stove was in operation and almost forgot to check on it. It would be easy to waste gas if you aren’t careful as the stove will burn happily until the cartridge is empty. That isn't really a criticism and wouldn't be an issue for those used to gas stoves but when you’re used to metering out exact quantities of meths it’s easy to forget.



The stove was used again in the morning, fortunately there was enough breeze to keep the midges grounded, again 1.0l was boiled which provided us both with hot drinks and in my case Muesli.

We had intended to stop a few times on the 2nd part of the route but the constant attention from midges while on the hill kept us moving. We did however manage a lunch stop on the final summit of the day where again approx 1.0l was boiled, sufficient for 2 cups of soup and 1 coffee.

As I mentioned at the start I can only provide an estimate of water boiled/fuel used, the cartridge was weighed once we got back and was 125g. I’ll estimate that we boiled between 3.0l and 3.5l and used 33g of gas which works out at approximately 9-11g of gas used per 1.0l of water boiled which is fairly consistent with the results I had on the recorded tests at home, slightly better in fact although I suspect that it’s more efficient to boil 1.0l once rather than 500ml twice.

In conclusion I have to say that I was very impressed with the stove, on performance/efficiency alone it outperforms any gas stove I’ve ever tried including the Jetboil PCS which is a similar type of stove. I also feel it surpasses the Jetboil in that for no increase in weight it has a greater capacity as the pot easily holds 1.5l and still has about 15mm to spare while the Jetboil can only manage around 500ml if you fill to the recommended level and has a maximum capacity of 1.0l filled right to the top if I remember correctly. This combined with the ability to carry a 220g cartridge makes the MSR more suitable for duo use. The downside with the MSR is that it can’t really be used with standard pot while the Jetboil can, not being able to clip burner and pot together also means it’s easier to use the Jetboil as a hanging stove. In the end though for anyone considering buying a ‘System’ stove I’d fully recommend the MSR Reactor, it does exactly what MSR claim which in my experience is pretty rare.

When compared to a top mounted burner/standard pot and windshield set-up the Reactor seems heavy however as it uses less gas you could probably manage on a 100g cartridge while the basic stove would require a 220g cartridge, depending on the duration of the trip. In so doing the weight difference is reduced as is fuel cost and you still have the ease of use and fast set-up of the Reactor.

Although it isn’t really my type of stove and is heavier than I’d ideally like to carry I would be very tempted and indeed may well purchase one at a later date for winter use. Unfortunately it has to go back to Hendrik but I’d like to thank him once again for the opportunity to test the Reactor and hope that the results and views are useful to someone.

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Wildcamp in the Antrim Hills



I managed to get another over-night wild camp last weekend but if the truth be told I wouldn’t have made it had it not been for the unexpected arrival of the MSR Reactor courtesy of Hendrik. It was a bit rushed even with a weeks notice as we’d been painting at home at the beginning of the week, I was working the end of week shift and I’d already planned something else for Saturday which was my 1st day off. In the end I juggled things around and planned with Marcus to set off on Saturday afternoon around 3.00pm. We arranged for Marcus’s sister to drop us off at Glenariff forest park with the intention of hiking up onto the plateau above Glenariff and setting up camp. We then intended to return to Glenariff on Sunday before continuing on over Trostan and Slieveanorra . From Slieveanorra it would be forest trails decending to the reservoir at Altnahinch where we were to be picked up.

I planned out a route using Quo mapping software and uploaded it to my Garmin Geko late on Friday night and gathered the rest of the kit together. I used the ULA Conduit which I’ve been happy with so far, again I took the Phreeranger with inner tent due to the threat of midges and my sleeping system consisted of the PHD Ultra Minim, full length CCF mat and the PHD Ultra Down vest as insurance. We’d had almost constant rain all week but with the forecast for Saturday/Sunday looking promising I once again took my Trespass Pack-Away Overtrousers and Marmot Essence Jacket. The plateau is really wet and boggy, the last time we’d been there was in December when it wasn’t too bad as the wetter areas were frozen, as then I decided on trail shoes, lightweight Karrimor Pro Run and Trekmates
Amphibian Gore-Tex socks. I had intended wearing a pair of ME Ibex softshell trousers but when Saturday dawned to bright sunshine and blue skies I opted for a pair of Columbia Omni trousers which are light and dry rapidly In the rush I couldn’t find my short sleeve Helly Hansen t -shirt so had to go with a long sleeve Sub Zero F1.



Day 1

The plan was to make a 10.5km hike to Knockore (WPT16) leaving from the roadside at the forest park (WPT001) and skirting the various loughs before crossing the stream near Lough fine (WPT011) where we intended to fill our water containers. The route was chosen to avoid the worst of the wet areas but to be honest the whole area is pretty wet.



We didn’t leave until 3.30pm and it was almost 4.00pm before we set off. It was very warm but we didn’t rush and I didn’t start the GPS until we left the park boundry at (WPT007)
We stopped briefly on the shoulder of Crockravar but didn’t stop for long due to midges, which unfortunately was an indication of things to come. As ever we didn’t follow the route exactly as we altered course here and there to avoid the really wet parts. We made steady progress in spite of the mixed terrain of heather and long grass and soon arrived at the stream (WPT011). We had stopped here in December to fill up on water prior to setting up camp on the side of a small rise about 200m NNE.



Surprisingly midges weren’t a problem and we sat around for about 10 minutes before setting off again, crossing a stile and continuing past our previous campsite and following the higher ground past Loughnacally towards Craigatinnel (WPT014) with it’s large cairn known as Turnlys seat. The top of Craigatinnel is reasonably flat with large flat rocky areas so as it was already after 6.00pm and I was getting hungry we decided to set up camp. The view was spectacular with the Irish sea just a few miles to the East and Scotland and the Galloway Hills in the distance . To the North West lay the Mull of Kintyre and to the North Islay and Jura with the Paps of Jura just visible through the haze. Our destination for the following day could be seen with Trostan on the other side of Glenariff and the summit of Slieveanora with it’s radio masts visible beyond, both to the North West , looking westwards the Glenariff mountain plateau stretched out , featureless save for a few of the loughs that remained unhidden and a few of the more prominent high points.

What should have been a perfect spot to sit around cooking a leisurely meal before watching the sun slip behind the hills was almost instantly turned into a trial by swarms of mountain midges. I seemed to be the choice target as although I’d applied some ‘Jungle Formula Family’ insect repellent which kept them from biting the sleeves and back of my t-shirt were covered in them. Marcus wasn’t receiving the same attention which was fortunate as he usually comes up in spots if bitten. Of course midges are annoying even if they aren’t biting so we both ended up wearing headnets and I even started wearing my waterproof jacket to keep them from getting through my t-shirt.

The actual purpose of the trip was of course to test the MSR Reactor and I’d brought along a part used 100g cartridge but Marcus who had intended using his meths stove realised that he’d forgotten to bring fuel. We weren’t too concerned as I was confidant having been testing the Reactor at home that we would have plenty of fuel. The MSR rapidly provided us with enough water and although eating was a fairly rushed affair it was welcome.







We found that walking around reduced the midge problem and as the temperature fell and a slight breeze got up the midges disappeared. I started to feel cold and pulled on the PHD Ultra Down vest and we sat around and were treated to a constantly changing display of colours as the sun finally slipped behind Trostan. A blanket of cloud draped itself over the hills on the coast and from our camp it looked lie a covering of snow. We eventually turned in at about 10.30pm and as I’d been on the go since 7.30am I soon fell asleep. I’d taken the PHD Ultra Minim but fell asleep still wearing the down vest and baselayer top. I wakened around 12.00am ate a chocolate bar and drifted back to sleep.

Day 2. Part 1



I wakened suddenly and instantly felt the heat of the sun, a quick check of my watch, it was 7.30am. I lay for a minute or two slowly coming back to life before the call of nature had me dressed and putting dry feet into wet shoes. It was pleasant just walking around, there was a slight breeze and the midges weren’t around and I took a few photos before Marcus’s head appeared from the porch of the Hike Lite.







With 27km ahead of us and not wanting to tempt either fate or midges we quickly set up our kitchen on a flat rock and fired up the MSR. In no time at all breakfast was being eaten and in good time as the breeze had disappeared to be replaced by the midges, no doubt hoping to have breakfast at my expense. Once again insect repellent was applied and headnets worn as the midges were really swarming as we packed our rucksacks. They were so bad that we didn’t remove our fleece tops until we were under way and then it was a case of getting the job done as quickly as possible.







Our intended route should have taken us back to the forest park by the shortest, straightest route but a desire to stay as high as possible and a need to replenish our water supplies meant that we deviated from the intended route. We kept going at a fairly steady and soon reached Lough Natullig where we were able to fill up with water which was filtered using an Aquagear filter bottle. Surprisingly the midges weren’t a problem so we were able to take our time before setting off again. We continued towards Crockravar but on a more northerly route than the previous day, the terrain was mixture of stony areas, peat bogs, heather and marsh, typical Antrim hills variety





It wasn’t long before we were back at the forest park where we hoped to have a rest and a snack at the coffee shop and it wasn’t until were almost at the visitor center that we met the 1st people we’d seen since leaving the park the previous day.

We spent more time than we’d intended at the picnic area but the weather was great and I treated myself to a carton of Orange juice, crisps and an ice cream with a chocolate bar stashed for later. We emptied out our water bottles and replaced the peat coloured water with cold clear water and set off on tarmac to start the next leg.

Day 2 Part 2



We soon left the park again and continued on a forest trail for a bit before crossing another road and entering the forest that covers the lower slopes of Trostan. The pace had been steady so when we reached the Essathohan waterfall we decided to stop for a few minutes before setting off up the south side of Trostan. I hadn’t been here since January when I came up with my XC Skis and I noticed that a few trees had fallen since then.






Once out of the forest we headed straight for the eastern side of Trostan but hadn’t gone far when something caught my eye. Unbelievably it was the remains of an old car. There wasn’t much left and clearly it had been there for a long time but although I’d passed it before, probably as close as 100m I’d never noticed it. The engine appeared to be missing, not that the presence of an engine would make getting a car into that position any easier as there’s nothing but soft peaty ground all around. It must have been a pretty large car as it had disc brakes at the front which would be unusual for a car of that age, it looked like at late 1960’s early 1970’s model. There was nothing to indicate what it was but I took a photograph of the front wing which might aid identification later. What really surprised me was the condition of the chrome on parts of the trim and the rear lights, it was as good as new so I guess they must have known something about chrome plating back then that has since been forgotten.



We continued up winding our way through the peat hags and although we had seen a car parked at the roadside we still hadn’t seen anyone on the hill. Before long we turned westwards and soon the summit cairn came into view where we met a couple with a young child. We stopped to chat but soon instead of midges we were faced with flying ants. I took responsibility for attracting them and moved off to set up the stove for what was to be our last stop of the day. As time was running out we’d decided not to take in Slieveanorra but simply to take the shorter route continuing along the forest track through Slieveanorra forest back to out pick-up point.



After a cup of soup and a coffee we packed up and started down the way marked trail towards the road. This was without a doubt the most unpleasant part as it was really muddy due to it being part of both the Ulster Way and the Moyle way. It was just a case of getting on with it as was just past 3.00pm and Marcus had already phoned to arrange the pick-up for 4.00pm. Once we reached the road we followed it for about 500m before entering Slieveanorra forest and the final few kilometres of forest trail to the reservoir at Altnahinch.



While it made a change to walk on dry firm trails the flying ants were a problem from time to time if only as they prevented us from stopping. We soon rounded the final corner and saw the gate a few hundred meters away, it was almost 4.00pm but we climbed the gate and set off down the final stretch of road and had only just reached the car park when Rosemary arrived, timed to perfection. A final photo was taken, packs placed in the car and we were on our way home.




It was a good outing even though we had to shorten it, the MSR Reactor proved to be extremely efficient if heavy. The midge problem was dealt with although I’d like a head net that worked better with a bush hat so that’s on the list of gear to get. I was glad I’d taken the inner tent even if it did mean carrying the extra 200g or so over the bivvy bag. The trail shoes were fine once again but unfortunately I think one of my Gore-Tex socks is leaking, wet feet wasn’t the problem as such although it rules out using my shoes in winter. The problem was that my wet sock must have creased up in the hollow between my big toe and the ball of my foot and was just starting to cause a blister. It didn’t matter as it only became noticeable on the last few hundred meters but if it had occurred sooner it might have been a problem. It’s something to consider now as we intend to have a weekend trip to the Cairngorms the last weekend in September/start October.

Monday 16 August 2010

MSR Reactor, Gear Test



Some of you may have seen the MSR Reactor tested over at Hendrik Morkel’s blog, Hiking in Finland and it’s thanks to Hendrik that I’ve had the opportunity to try the MSR Reactor myself as he made it available to other bloggers on the basis that they had it for 2 weeks before sending it on to someone else.

I hadn’t previously tried this stove system although I did own a Jetboil PCS which I eventually sold and while I haven’t tried the Primus Eta Express I have tried the 1.0l Eta Power pot. Neither the Jetboil nor the Eta Power pot impressed me, both failed to achieve anything like the advertised performance. The Reactor interested me though as the burner head is quite a unique design as it matches the diameter of the pot almost exactly, MSR also claim that the valve/regulator is designed so that the performance stays pretty much the same regardless of the amount of fuel remaining in the cartridge. I’ve previously found that the performance of gas stoves drops off significantly once the cartridge is less than ½ full even on the Jetboil.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the idea of using a heat exchanger was introduced by Jetboil or Primus but you’d be wrong, MSR were in fact working with heat exchangers as long ago as the late 1980’s with what was then known as the XPD Heat Exchanger.



A Scan of a Flyer I Recieved 1989-90

The heat exchanger was basically an adjustable corrugated sleeve that fitted around the outside of one of their standard pots in an attempt to reduce heat loss, an improvement in efficiency of up to 25% was claimed. I never actually used one but they were still listed on the MSR website last year and are still available from some retailers.


Unlike Jetboil and Primus MSR only have one stove using the heat exchanger although for 2010 they have released an additional 2.5l pot which is designed to be used with the Reactor, unfortunately they haven’t as yet released a sub 1.0l pot for solo use. The Reactor is quite heavy compared to a basic top mounted cartridge stove and basic pot combination, the listed weight is minimum 515g although I weighed the one I’m testing and it comes in at 486g including cleaning cloth which makes it a few grams lighter than the Jetboil I had. Like the Primus Eta Express it can hold a 220g gas cartridge, the Jetboil can only hold a 100g cartridge and with a cartridge and the burner stored in the Reactor’s 1.5l pot there’s still room for a few extra items. I found that I could store a 100g cartridge in a Tibetan titanium 550ml pot place it in the Reactor and still manage to fit the burner in.


Information Regarding Suggested Performance

My 1st impression on receiving the Reactor was positive as the information on the packaging is quite clear about the conditions that MSR test the stove in, they also give an indication of the performance you can expect in a variety of real world conditions. This is something I haven’t seen before; most manufacturers simply give the time taken to boil a given amount of water, usually 1.0l but with no mention of the test conditions.


Unique Burner Design and Easy to Use Valve

The burner is a pretty unique design and is reasonably quiet in operation, the flame is quite soft but after about 20 seconds the entire burner mesh glows red and the sound of the stove changes slightly. There isn’t a Piezo igniter which some will take issue with but to be honest I‘ve removed igniters in the past to save weight. The valve has a short distance of travel, about 1 and ¾ turns and has a good sized plastic grip which fold flat for storage.


Heat Exchanger, The Welds are Extremely Uniform and the Build Quality Excellent.


Measure Marks, Maximum Recommended Quantity 1.0l

The Reactor comes with a 1.5l pot which incorporates a heat exchanger and windshield, the maximum fill level is marked at 1.0l but it should be possible to use the 1.5l capacity as there is about 15mm to spare. The pot comes with a clear plastic lid which is said to be Heat-Resistant although I wouldn’t want to get it too close to the burner. There’s a flexible rubber knob on the lid which prevents you getting burned when lifting it off. The handle and means of keeping the lid firmly fixed to the pot for storage is quite clever, there’s a small length of stainless braided wire with a ball end which locks into a slot on the foldable handle. The handle itself locks in the open position and stays cool even at full boil. I’m not sure if a stuff sack is supplied, I didn’t receive one and there’s no mention of it on the packaging, it did however come with a small cleaning/drying cloth. The standard of finish was very good with extremely neat welds where the heat exchanger is welded to the pot.


Clear Plastic Lid and Rubber Knob, The Lid also Has a Single Vent


Clever Method of Securing the Lid


Handle Locked in Position

The 1st test was conducted in my garage using a new 100g cartridge simply to provide a comparison with previous stove tests. I weighed the cartridge before starting, used 500ml of water at 17°c and timed how long it took to bring the water to 99°c, I need to point out that the water was 10°c colder in some of the previous tests. The cartridge was then weighed to establish how much gas had been used. The stove was used at maximum output and the result was certainly impressive, it took 1min 55secs to reach 99°c and used 7g of gas.



Of course the real test is in real world conditions, the MSR doesn’t have a separate windshield although to be honest it doesn’t look like it needs one as the flame can’t be seen once the pot is placed on the burner. The only place wind could enter is via the small air holes around the burner head or via the exhaust vents around the base of the pot just above the heat exchanger but I was pretty confidant that the performance wouldn't be affected too much. The only area that I felt heat could be lost was the pot itself.

I tested the Reactor again, this time outdoors just prior to testing the GoSystem Fly (ti). Once again the results were very good indeed with 500ml of water (16°c) brought to a boil in 1 min 42secs using 7g of gas. The result was surprisingly better than the indoors test.



I’ve found that most basic stoves aren’t fuel efficient at maximum output as it depends on the pot used whether the heat produced by the stove is being absorbed by the pot or whether it’s being wasted either due to the flame pattern being wider than the pot or the pot simply being unable to absorb the heat at the same rate as the stove produces it. To gauge the efficiency of the Reactor at full power I tested it again with the valve open 1 full turn rather than the maximum 1 ¾ turns. As it turned out the stove used exactly the same amount of gas although the boil time was as expected, slower. This suggests that the pot matches the burner almost perfectly which is a very good result indeed. An additional test was with an almost empty 100g cartridge. With only 10g of gas remaining I repeated the previous test but once again the Reactor performed very well indeed, using 6g of gas with a slightly increased boil time, clearly MSR have somehow managed to regulate the pressure so that there’s minimal difference whether the cartridge is full or almost empty. With a 100g cartridge I would expect to be able to boil about 8.0L of water, easily enough for one week’s solo use with no appreciable drop in performance as the gas is used.

As far as performance is concerned the MSR Reactor performed really well but usability can only really be assessed while actually out on the hill so a wild camp is on the agenda.

So far the performance of the MSR Reactor has been excellent, as has been the efficiency and based on my experience I’d certainly recommend it over the Jetboil and Eta Power pots to anyone who needs a fuel efficient fast boiling stove. It’s heavy but if you consider that a 100g cartridge could easily last for 1 weeks solo use the weight becomes more bearable. The efficiency is good enough to make it useable for 2 people and it compares favourably weight wise with both the Eta Express and the Jetboil PCS.

The question is would I actually buy one? to be honest I’m not sure. The combined weight of a cooking system based around the Reactor including a mug, spoon, cozy, lighter and 100g gas cartridge would be around 750g. The 100g cartridge would allow me to boil about 8.0l of water. My current meths set-up, See Here including windshield spoon, mug, lighter and cozies etc weighs 172g and to boil 8.0l of water I’d need to carry 400ml of meths which would weigh around 400g bottled for a total weight of 572g. As my trips are usually only 1 nighters I only carry 100ml of fuel so the weight of my current set-up including fuel is only 272g. If I was making regular week long trips the ease of use and fast boil times might just make the 200g and the £125 asking price worthwhile. In truth I can’t afford to spend £125 on the Reactor although I feel it's worth it and undoubtedly I’d like one if only because I admire what I see as a genuinely good product that fully lives up to the manufacturers claims. If MSR were to release a Reactor downsized to suit a 100g cartridge rather than a 220g cartridge with a subsequent reduction in weight but while still maintaining the performance/efficiency then I’d buy it and sell off all my other gas stoves and quite possibly my multi fuel ones as well.



Compared to a Basic Stove Set-Up

Wednesday 11 August 2010

GoSystem Fly (ti) Take 2

I looked briefly at the GoSystem Fly a while back but hadn't really tested it as I couldn't get 100g gas cartridges locally which meant a 90 mile round trip to Belfast and Cotswolds. Not wanting or needing to have them meant postponing the test but I recently had the opportunity to test another stove so bit the bullet and got the cartridges.

Initially I hadn't been too impressed with the Fly as although is about 30g lighter than my current cannister top stove it isn't as compact and also as the burner head is wider it doesn't really suit my pots of choice, the 750ml Alpkit MityMug or 550ml Tibetan titanium pot/mug. To try to match the flame to the Mitymug I had to turn the stove right down which resulted in a pretty slow boil time. I do however have the Snow Peak compact cookset and the smaller of the 2 pots pretty much matches the flame spread of the Fly so I gave it a try.

I ran the firt test indoors using a similar procedure to my previous tests, of the C-3 Mini Stove and Jetboil PCSC-3. The water temperature on the C-3 Mini Stove was only 7.2°c however rather than 16.5°c so the Flyhad almost a 10°c advantage to start with.

The performance was pretty good and even allowing for the difference in water and ambient temperature was almost 2 mins faster than the C-3 Mini Stove/Mitymug and with an even better performance over using it with the Mitymug. Interestingly both stoves used almost the same amount of gas at 8-9g. I think illustrates the importance of matching the burner and pot. It also illustrates that the Fly has a bigger Jet as it can deliver the same amount of gas in a much shorter time. Video of indoor test below.



Having tested it indoors I decided to try it outdoors following the same procedure but using a windshield as I would in real world conditions. It wasn't windy but there was a bit of a breeze. Unsurprisingly there was a fair increase in boil time at 4.09 mins but somewhat surprisingly the gas usage didn't increase accordingly as it only use 11g. Video of outdoors test below.



The Fly (ti) suits the Snow Peak pot well and there's plenty of room for a 100g cannister and the stove with space left for additional items. The combined set is pretty compact as although it's wider than the Mitymug set-up it's shorter.

To be honest I hadn't initially been impressed with the Fly but with the Snow Peak pot it's very good indeed and at a combined weight of 220g for stove, pot and basic windshield isn't an awful lot for a gas set-up although I'd still prefer to use meths if at all possible.