Tramping Equipment: Lixada alcohol/wood stove system...

 ...more goodies for the gear cupboard...

I received another new piece of kit just after Christmas and it is a real beauty. Karen and I were talking about alcohol stoves one evening and about a week later she presented me with a wood/alcohol stove she purchased from AliExpress. It was the Lixada wood and alcohol stove system.

My Lixada wood/alcohol system

The Lixada company is based in China and they produce commercial cooking equipment and outdoor gear both for their own brand and others. They make a range of cookers, stoves and outdoor dining equipment in a variety of materials. 

Brass alloy cooker from Lixada

Their products are readily available on AliExpress, Amazon, Trade Me and from their online store. I have never seen any of their products in stores here but that is not uncommon with these smaller niche producers. 

While Trangia are the most respected producers of this kind of stove there are a multitude of smaller cottage companies producing good outdoor cooking equipment. Quality is often comparable to Trangia without paying for the name/brand on your gear.

Lixada fit right into this category...

Cooker can be sealed with a cap

I thought we could have a look at my stove and see what the build quality and features are...

The Lixada wood/alcohol stove:

The stove comes as a complete package but the individual components can be purchased separately if required. This kit consists of a stainless steel wood stove which also doubles as a stand for the Trangia style alcohol stove. 

Lixada system: part one is the alcohol stove

Lixada system: part two is the wood stove/stand

The wood stove is of the folding type and can be folded down into a square approximately 12 cms by 10 cms. There is an outer frame and two shelves which fit inside the frame to act as grate and alcohol stove holder. There is an attached pin which fits through a hinge to hold the whole stove together. 

Lixada wood stove with shelves inserted

Detail of the Lixada wood stove

Lixada alcohol stove fits in the top shelf

The alcohol stove is the classic Trangia style with a brass alloy burner with a cap and simmer ring. The burner can be filled with de-natured alcohol, Methylated Spirits or alcohol gel to preference. Once lit the simmer ring allows you to regulated the size of flame and hence the heat. 

The shelves can be detached from the main stand

There is a separate shelf  that is designed to hold the alcohol burner unit at the right height to heat a pot, frying pan or cup. The whole kit weighs in at 340gms empty which is a decent weight compared to some cannister stoves or pressurised gas stoves. 

There is a Titanium version of this stove system which would take that weight down below 200 gm's but of course it is more expensive. 

Lixada wood stove with alcohol stove inserted

Both items fold down into small packages and both have a supplied carry bag to protect your gear from soot you might get on the outside of the cooker. You could easily carry the stove in its two bags but I am exploring an alternate carry method...probably a separate 1-2 liter canvas or nylon bag which would hold the stove, cooker and a small bottle of fuel. 

Both Lixada items have a carry bag

The stove can also act as a smaller twig/stick burner with a separate shelf to build your fire on. These type of burners are light as they require no fuel to be carried or separate burners. You just find small, dry sticks and twigs when you stop for the day and light a small fire with them.  

Lixada stove configured for wood

Obviously the disadvantage of this is you must find dry wood which would sometimes be quite tricky in our damp Beech forests. You also need to maintain the fire just like you would a wood burner in a hut...you cannot just leave this and walk away. 

I am not a great fan of wood stoves but I will be using this function in the future. 

You can leave the top shelf inserted using wood 

The alcohol stove comes in three pieces...the main cooker body, a cap and a simmer ring. All are in the same brass alloy and they screw or clip together to form one compact package. 

Lixada alcohol stove components

There is a simmer ring for the Lixada stove

Lixada stove...cap off and simmer ring attached

The alcohol stove can accept a number of different fuels including de-natured alcohol, Methylated Spirits and alcohol gel. Meth's is readily available but the gel and de-natured alcohol will only be available from specialist stores in the larger centers. I will primarily use Meth's in my stove. 

Methylated Spirits is the main fuel for the stove

One liter of Meth's is about $3.50 NZD

I was using my old NZ Army cups canteen when I was filming this vlog (it was the only thing I could find) but it is not the ideal pot to use with this stove. It is a bit too high and narrow so the flames tend to curl up the sides. A large diameter and low pot/pan would work best...

My US pattern cups canteen on the stove

A round pot/pan would fit the Lixada stove better

This cup is old...I got it from the NZ Army back in 1987 and I have used it since. Versions of this cup have been in use from the late 1940's right up to the present day and I think it shows the soundness of the original design that it is still useful. This particular pattern is from the Vietnam War era (mine has a manufacturing date on it of 1972).

US cups canteen...over 40 years old now!

The Lixada wood stove is of a folding design and the frame is held together by a pin that fits into an open hinge on one corner. It has a length of wire attached so it can be secured to the frame. If you ever lost the pin it would be easy enough to fashion a new one from some wire.

Preparing to disassembly the Lixada stove

Here is the Lixada wood stove disassembled into its various parts...there is the main frame, a pin and two shelves. You remove the pin and then fold down the main frame into a flat shape using the hinges on each of the corners. The components then fit in the nylon pouch provided with the kit. 

Individual components of the Lixada wood stove

...this pin holds the wood stove together...

Shelf for burning wood on the Lixada stove

Folded up Lixada stove ready for storage

All the necessary elements of the Lixada system

This is a decent looking stove and I decided I would find an opportunity to use it as soon as possible. 

Using the Lixada alcohol stove:

There was a fire ban at Kaituna Reserve where I was taking these photos so I could not trial the stove there. It has been hot here in Canterbury and all of the grass and under growth is super dry. I don't fancy the moniker of "man who burnt down 600 year old forest' attached to my name... 

There was a fire ban at Kaituna Reserve

Instead I drove over Gebbies Pass on the way home and stopped at the Allandale Reserve near Governors Bay. There was no fire ban here so I sat at one of the picnic tables and fired up the stove. 

Allandale Reserve in Lyttelton Harbor

I was only using Methylated Spirits this time but I will take the stove out soon and try it burning sticks and twigs to see how it works. 

Kit needed to use the Lixada stove system

Boiling water on the Lixada stove...alcohol stove being used

I filled my cups canteen and set about boiling some water to hydrate a Cup Noodle I had in my bag of gears. I would probably use this stove for heating water so boiling a litre and then making some noodles seemed like a good trial. 

Alcohol stove lit and heating my noodle water

...Alcohol stoves have a slow boil time...

These stoves are not the most efficient means of heating food or water. In all it took nearly 7 minutes for the stove to heat up a liter of water in my old cups canteen. If I was using a wider more shallow pan it would heat quicker but you would still be looking at 5-7 minutes to boil. 

Water starts to boil in the Lixada stove

Eventually the water reached a boil and I used the supplied simmer ring to douse the stove. There is a useful handle on the ring to make it easy to place it over a flame. You need to wait for the stove to cool before screwing the cap back on as it gets really hot. If you do it too soon you will melt or perish the rubber O ring on the cap which makes it leak proof. 

Flame doused using the simmer ring

These Fantasic Noodles need about 5-10 minutes to fully hydrate so cover them back up with the lid and leave them till they are ready. 

Water added to my noodles from the cups canteen

Once cool the alcohol stove can be removed

This photo shows how the pin holds the whole unit together...it has a large coil of wire on the end to make it harder to loose. If you ever lost the pin it would be easy enough to fashion a new one from a length of heavy grade wire. 

Note: Pin holding the stove together

After use the wood stove folds down into the nylon pouch supplied with the kit and it is a compact item to put into your pack. I will be buying a new bag for this stove so that I am able to carry the wood stove and the alcohol cooker in the same bag. 

Lixada stove folded and ready for storage

Detail of the top of Lixada alcohol stove

Fantastic Noodle time....I like these noodles but they are nowhere as good as a genuine English Pot Noodle. You can sometimes buy Pot Noodle from supermarkets here in Kiwiland but I haven't seen any for a while now...Tomato and Beef are my favorite. There are also some cheap off brand local versions available as well as good quality Japanese and Asian noodles here in New Zealand. 

Bon apetit folks...!

This is the sum of all the items you need to use this stove...the stoves, alcohol and wood. I am in the market for a small resealable bottle to carry my Meth's in and I will be looking for one that holds about 500 mls of fuel. That would be enough for 5-6 boils...

Final look at the Lixada stove system

This is a decent stove system and I will taking it out on a few excursions going forward. It is probably best suited for camping trips when I have time to spare for the slow heating times. I will be sure to showcase it the first time I take it out for an actual trip. 

YouTube: A look at the Lixada Stove System

                 Lixada alcohol stove in use

The MSR Windburner Stove System...

 Outdoor themed Christmas gifts for Jon.....

I got my usual haul of tramping gear for Christmas and I thought I would have a look at one of the items I received. My partner Karen brought me a MSR Windburner/Windboiler personal stove system after several discussions about them over the last couple of months. I really appreciate the thought and love involved in this purchase...it is certainly a gift which will see much use.

Setting up the the MSR Windburner to boil some water

I currently own five other stoves but have long wanted to buy myself a personal stove system but could not justify the expense of these units. They are all expensive...ranging into the hundreds of dollars depending on the system you choose. 

The Windburner and other cookers of this type are self contained...all of the elements pack into the main pot to make one relatively compact package. I store mine in a lite weight sil-nylon stuff sack to keep all my camp cookery items together. 

The MSR Windburner packed for transport...

Let's have a closer look at the Windburner, discuss its use and how it will fit into my tramping style. 

The MSR Windburner stove system:

I have long coveted a personal cooking system after watching people using them in huts and campgrounds. In particular I was envious of a couple of my hut mates at Casey Hut last year who were using a MSR Windburner and an MSR Reactor stove. The short boil time compared to my Firemaple Ti stove had me curious as to how one could be incorporated into my tramping equipment.

I visited the new Casey Hut II in the Poulter Valley last November

The Windburner system contains the following items: a 1 liter hard anodised aluminum pot with carry handle sleeve, a burner head with simmer control, a hard plastic lid for the pot, a canister stand and a 500 ml hard plastic cup. You will add to this a lighter, 110gms Iso-butane canister and a drying cloth. 

The complete Windburner stove system.....

Here are some statistics about the MSR Windburner;

• 430 gm's without the gas canister, 550gm's with canister
• 1 liter pot as standard- also 1.8, 2.5 and 4.5 pots and skillet available
• excellent simmer control through quality pressure regulator
• Integrated 500ml BPA free cup
• Packed sizes is: 18cm(H)x 10.5cm (W)
• retail price is $299 New Zealand dollars at most outlets

An accessory I brought to compliment my Windburner is a new coffee mug..the Sea to Summit X Mug. My previous hard plastic mug could fit inside my old cooking pot but adding it to the bag I keep my Windburner in makes for a super bulky package. The X mug is one of those foldable silicone cups and folds down into a package about 5 mm thick. 

I will let you know how it works once I take it out for a trip. 

Sea to Summit X Mug...

The average boil time for a pot of water is much less with these personal cook systems as they have windshields and heat exchangers to more efficiently use the heat produced. These stove are hard for the wind to extinguish as the flame of the burner head is protected by the wind shield. Quicker boil times mean less gas to carry....and a lighter pack!!!

The heat exchange vanes on the Windburner pot...

I have seen tests where a pot of water can be boiled in less than three minutes on a personal cook system while your average canister stove needs 5-6 minutes to heat the same volume. The Windburner/Windboiler system is the most efficient of these with an average 2 minutes and 30 seconds to boil .5 liter. This is half the time of the similar Jetboil system.....

Detail of the Windburner stove system

The Windburner system can be packed away and stored inside the main pot....the burner head, canister stand, lighter and a 110gms Isobutane canister can be easily stored inside the pot. This means less bulk as the gas is not stored separately and the whole system is in one place ready for use.

Illustration of how the Windburner nests in the pot

 MSR recommend you use their proprietary gas canisters but in reality all the brands are the same size and the contents are similar so any type can be used. My personal choice is Kovea gas canisters as I seem to get longer burn times out of them. The Windburner will accept all three gas canister sizes (110, 230 & 450 gm's) but only the small ones will fit inside this pot...

Windburner stove accessories:

There is a wide range of accessories for the Windburner/Windboiler systems which can be used on either of these two systems. There are several different sized pots built to work on these stoves. The pots range from 1 liter right up to 4.5 liters with the 1 and 1.8 liter being the most commonly used. 

A wide range of pots exist for the Windburner system...

Another accessory for the Windburner is a French Press attachment to make coffee using your Windburner pot. These come in both 1 liter and 1.8 liter versions. You just add your coffee grounds to the hot water insert the press and gradually push it down to extract the final product. Sounds like a lot of faffing about too me but I am not a connoisseur...give me a nice 3 in 1 and I'm happy...

Coffee press for the Windburner system...

MSR also make a skillet which works with your Windburner/Windboiler systems...it has an integrated wind shield on the bottom to stop your burner blowing out. I have heard mixed reviews of this...it cannot easily be used with other cookers and is heavier than similar Jetboil skillets. 

The MSR Windburner skillet

You can use other pots on a Windburner but you need to buy a separate pot stand which fits on the burner head...the gap introduced by this stops the pot from extinguishing the flame. They cost about $40 NZ dollars and are available in store or online. 

Using the MSR Windburner stove:

These units are made to heat water for drinks and dehydrated/freeze dried meals..freezer bag meals like polenta, instant spuds/rice, cous cous and rice noodles are also an option. You can cook in the pot but it will not be all that easy as it is tall and narrow. This will probably affect the planning and tone of your tramping trips at least where food is concerned...

Personal cook systems work best with dehydrated meals...

Using the Windburner is easy...unpack the system, attach the stove to a gas canister, fill the pot with water, light the stove and fit the pot to the burner head. Pour the hot boiled water in that gruesome dehy meal and Bob is your uncle and Mary your aunt. 

Very easy to use, little to no clean up and everything is readily to hand. Simple as....

Unpacking the MSR Windburner system...

Unlike some other MSR stoves the Windburner does not have an integral Piezo igniter...you need to light the stove with an external flame. You can use a ferro rod, lighter or matches to do this or you can invest in a separate hand held MSR piezo igniter. 

I brought my MSR igniter from Bivouac Outdoors here in Christchurch for less than $15 NZ dollars and it will work most times. These igniters are not great in wind or heavy rain so always have an alternate flame source....a lighter or matches!!!

MSR Piezo igniter for canister stoves...

The head of the Windburner stove has a fantastic safety feature...a thin metal wire that glows when the stove is running. During the daytime it is very hard to see if the stove is burning on the lowest setting but this glowing wire is obvious. When operating at full capacity the whole burner head will glow....as seen below. 

The Windburner stove face in use...

There is a vented heat exchanger on the bottom of the Windburner pot which efficiently distributes the heat over the bottom of the pot. This helps to lower boil times as well as making the flame more wind resistant. 

The vanes distribute the heat more efficiently...

Going forward I will primarily be using the Windburner for short overnight trips and trips where I am camping and cooking outdoors. These stoves are almost impossible to blow out so they suit the rigors of camp cooking. the are also perfect for any Alpine adventures or tops trips where wind can play havoc with simpler gas canister stoves. 

The Windburner would be perfect for windy places like Travers Saddle...

The stove is heavier than my usual cook system (430 gm's verses less than 200 gm's) so not ideal for the Te Araroa or the Great Walks. Weight is important in both these situations so a lighter option would work best...

Most Great Walks have cookers provided...here Howden Hut, Routeburn Track

In those situations I will still use my Firemaple Ti stove, Sea to Summit cup and Toaks Ti cook pot. Talking about Great Walks...most have gas cookers provided so a pot and eating utensils is usually all you need to carry... check the facilities offered before you go. 

The Windburner stove in action:

I will put images of the Windburner system out in the field and in use as I gradually incorporate it into my tramping program. 

Watch for images of the Windburner in the field...

So far it has only seen action on my recent trip to the Abel Tasman Inland Track...

Brewing up using the virgin MSR Windburner stove near Wainui Hut

Please come back for more images soon...