Testing stoves

The Caldera Cone meths stove

I’ve been really impressed with the Caldera Cone meths stove from AntiGravity Gear, an American company. The stoves can be bought at Winwood Outdoor in Keswick.
Many years ago I was an affirmed Trangia user and while these Swedish stoves still offer great value for money they are pretty heavy in terms of the lighter weight gear we expect today. One of the great joys of the Trangia was that you could use it in windy conditions and that it operated without the industrial roar of petrol stoves. The Caldera Cone operates in much the same way.
A sheet of aluminium is coiled round into a cone shape and clips simply together to make the windshield. The pot is then placed into the top opening (you can get different sizes of pots and cones, but they must fit each other). I’ve been using AntiGravity Gear’s 700ml non-stick aluminium pot.
The stove itself, a simple cola-can meths stove, sits inside the cone and when lit heats up a litre of water in pretty quick time. The last time I used it, the temperature was about -2C and 500ml of water took about 4 minutes to reach boiling point. You can’t really simmer with the Caldera Cone but using a pot cozy allows food to cook effectively.
This is a very lightweight unit - the stove itself weighs a mere 15g and the Cone weighs about 32g. You also really need a pot grab to lift the pot from the Cone and it’s worth bearing in mind that meths is comparatively heavy and expensive compared with other fuels, but not restrictively so.
I carry the Caldera Cone with the Cone flat against my back in the pack - I slide it down inside the rehydration pouch – and I carry the stove unit inside the pot, inside a pot cozy, inside a plastic bag.
I’m told that Antigravity Gear now sells a plastic mug in which you can roll up the Cone inside. Other developments that are on their way from AntiGravity Gear include a stove that burns twigs etc.
In short, the Caldera Cone meths stove is efficient, lightweight and simple. It burns silently and effectively and I guess it’s become my stove of choice now.

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