Optimus Svea Stove

My non self-cleaning model was purchased in 1972 for $14.95 & it is still used on car camping trips to date. (I have since started using canister stoves to lighten my backpacking load).

This was my first stove & it has never failed me on any occasion. One particular time was @ a camp @ 12,600ft. After setting up camp, we started to prepare supper. Everyone else was using a Bluet/Camping Gaz butane stove & I was using my Svea. The wind was blowing the other stoves out & with the addition of a cold night approaching, it was time to get food preparation in order. My stove heated all the water for our camp of four people with plenty of power to spare. After that trip, my camping companions all purchased a Svea 123. The only change made to this stove over all these years is the addition of a self-cleaning needle inside the burner/valve assembly. A true classic in every respect!

(Use an Optimus Mini Pump to help with preheating & pressurization. To use in winter months & on snow, place a small piece of closed-cell foam underneath to help the pressurization process & to keep the stove bottom warm).

Have two 123's. The first one acquired in 1970.
While winter camping in the Adirondacks about half way up Blue Mt. in '72 my buddy blew it up.
They do need to be finessed for use at -20 and a 25mph wind (hey, later that night it fell to -40 and the wind kicked up to about 40mph, I have no idea what the wind chill was) and my friend was not experienced using one in those conditions.
He got too heavy handed priming it and did not open the valve enough to vent the building pressure.
Soon it was enveloped in flame and sounding like a 747 on takeoff, we could no longer go near it. Then the tank started blowing up like a balloon and we headed for cover.
The emergency pressure release valve, a solder plug in the middle of the cap finally melted and blew out, at which point we had a 15' geyser of flame spouting up at a 45 degree angle that melted my aluminum windscreen/cook set into a puddle of slag.
My buddy looked terrified that I was going to flay him alive. I was just happy that no one was hurt, no other equipment was lost and he had another stove and cook set in his gear.
Once the stove cooled pliers were needed to remove the blown cap. A replacement cap, the original brass windscreen installed and new load of white gas and she was humming along again as our second burner 1/2 an hour after armageddon.
Never had any further repercussions from that incident and she still roars 40 years later. Except that all those sharp creases and folds were blown out resulting in a very fat and balloon like Svea with approximately a 20% greater fuel capacity.
When my health made me hang up my backpacking boots and car camping with the family became my milieu, I went for a second Svea 123 knowing I can depend on her through thick and thin.

Please do not use stoves in tents, had this happened in our tent even if we escaped burn injuries nighttime conditions were deadly. We were well equipped for -20, even -30. When we unpredictably encountered wind chill conditions in the area of -85... Well, just to survive we had to pull out all our spare clothing to supplement our Holubar Royalight sleeping bags (anyone remember Holubar? Pre-Eddie Baur Holubar.) in a three wall expedition tent and still came closer to Brokeback Mountain than either of us cared to.

For my money this is the most relaible stove in the world. The design is time-tested over 100 years. It's a little heavier than some options, but nonetheless it's the one I always have with me. I do own a few Whisperlites and Colemans, but the Svea 123 is THE stove as far as I'm concerned. I still use one I've had for over 30 years. Only gripe I've EVER had about it is the aluminum pot- I hate aluminum as a cooking surface.

I'm waiting on delivery of a Backcountry.com titanium 700ml pot/lid, if I got the correct dimensions, this pot will slide right over the stove, resting on the stove's flared base. The lid looks like it'll fit upside-down over the bottom of the stove, and a 1/2" strap will hold it all together. I'll give an update as soon as the order arrives. -Taylor

I've had my SVEA for 27 years! No other stove I have owned has equaled its performance and reliability. I was checking my gear the past week for the Spring/Summer camping season (I don't do winter anymore at 56 and every major joint replaced!) and it suddenly occurred to me that the only piece of gear I haven't replaced is this stove! Not even any repairs have been needed. Well, I may finally break down this year and polish it! Honestly, the design is bullet proof. The engineering design follows the KISS Principal (Keep It Simple Stupid) which means fewer parts to break. Several buddies talk of "low drag, high speed gear". They look at the SVEA's "other generation" design and say its antiquated. But when I'm cooking and they aren't I asked, "Who is high speed and low drag now?" If you want reliability you would be hard pressed to find a better stove in it's class.

I just happened across this info (that backcountry.com sells the Svea 123R) while searching for a replacement gasket for my Svea 123. I had to respond. I purchased my Svea 123 new in 1972. I still use it today. While I do own an MSR Dragonfly, the Svea is, from my experience, far more reliable. I have never had an issue with it (other than to replace the Viton gasket in the fuel cap). I have used my stove in the High Sierras, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Arizona desert, all over Alaska (used it many times to cook freshly caught salmon and halibut), and Utah's desert and high country. The stove has NEVER failed to operate as designed. To be sure, there are lighter and more appealing stoves, but the Svea 123 has to be the most dependable backpacking stove ever made. I continue to use the stove partly because of all the good memories, but it's more than that--I never worry about the stove failing when there is no room for failure. It's that dependable. As far as priming goes, I learned early on that the best way to prime it is to pour some fuel on the tank and then light it. Sometimes in very cold weather I have to do this twice. I purchased the Optimus Mini Pump with this stove but have never used it, preferring to prime it as described. I paid $25 (if my memory serves me well) for this stove 40 years ago. There are few pieces of gear that function so well for that many years. Every decade or so I polish the stove with brass polish. I just bought a new one (just for the halibut) from backcountry.com for my 72-hour kit.

My Svea 123 is 31 years old. First backpacking stove I ever owned. Now I have 7 stoves (gulp!). Haven't used it in a decade except to fire it up to keep it in good shape. With the optional pump to prime it it's a great stove. ULTRA reliable.

Can't belive it's so peicey now. I must have paid $30. for it in '78. I still have my much-used companion SIGG TOURIST cookset that was made for the SVEA 123. Brings back old memories.

I bought my Svea for one reason; Colin Fletcher who was my backpacking hero when I was a kid, used one. (Although, even then I preferred my little propane Gerry stove, and eventually lost my Svea). So, for whatever reason I decided to get one.

To be blunt, this stove is heavy, is unstable, performs poorly in wind, takes a long time to boil water, and is very hard to light. Oh, and forget about trying to simmer anything. If you are buying it for efficiency or performance, you would be much better off with an MSR Dragonfly for white gas, or the MSR Reactor for propane. I wish things were different, and that this stove had been somehow upgraded. But it has not.

To be fair, in addition to sentimental value, the stove is durable, and does not require pumping. This internal pressurization is also why it is slow to boil water.

So, I am putting this review out so people know the truth about the stove, and why some of us old-timers might have one. It is a durable, but poorly performing cantankerous stove that is very outdated. But if you want to cook on a piece of backpacking history, go for it.

I bought mine in 1970 for less than $7.00. Have used it for no less than several hundred nights of backpacking. Also have an Optimus Model 80 of similar design. Only problem ever was a need to replace the gasket in the fuel cap. Truly the most reliable piece of backpacking equipment I have ever owned!

I went to Philmont in 1984 as a young boy with my Svea. After Philmont, I went on to other things and did no backpacking until my boys got into Scouts. My parents had my old backpack, and in it was my Svea. I literally did nothing to it, but it fired up on first start with 20+ year old white gas in it, and has run like a champ since then. I've still got the unopened all "moving parts" repair kit, but to date, have not had to do a thing to it. This is an amazing stove, and it is what I learned to cook on. The designers should have gotten a Noble Prize for something.

I bought my first Svea 123 in 1979. I used it often for a few years before life got too busy to backpack. 32 years later, I was asked to go Camping with a few Army Special Forces friends. Aside from the fact that I had not changed the feul for over 30 years, that white gas fired right up! Once I remembered that one needs a proper headspace for fumes (e.g. do not over-fill), it was sputtering blue flame so hot that it melted the aluminum windscreen that came with it!. Fortunately, the base and wind scren are now Brass with new models. 4700 BTU is serious output without regard to altitude or temperature. I wouldn't trade it, sell it and in fact I bought a new one from Backcountry.

Indestructible! I have had mine since childhood, 35 years, it still out performs many of the newer models and uses self contained liquid fuel eliminating wasteful canisters used by others.

I'm biased here, because the roar of this stove is the soundtrack to the outdoors as long as I can remember. I was given mine when I was ten, and spent hours on the back porch learning its quirks and how to light it. I own several other stoves, and they have their purpose, but this stove is the best I own. It clanks around, it's tarnished, it's bulky and on the heavy side, but I go back to it every time. I like the comfort of knowing I have a hot meal or a hot cup of coffee, whatever the conditions or temperature. It's earned it's spot in my pack.

I have one of these-have been using it on and off for almost 30 years-overall, a great stove. The only reason I gave it four stars was that (I'm surprised no one has mentioned this), in order to get it to light properly, with proper pressure, is that you need to either "preheat" it, from the outside, or use the little fuel pump that you can buy for it. Also, almost every time you light it, you have to be careful, as it practically explodes until the excess fuel is burned off, and the pressure stabilizes itself. It is also hard to simmer on this stove-though I admit it heats up food/water quickly, and works EVERY time.

I bought my first Svea 123 in the late 70's and have never been let down. For priming I simply carry a plastic eye dropper (stores in the lid) and squirt enough fuel into the base of the burner to fill the recess. That little metal mother always lights. To much fuel in the recess = huge flame, so don't sit to close to it when igniting. The lid sucks for cooking, but works perfectly for protecting the bendable upper parts of the stove. I also own a Wisper Light, but don't trust it do to the multitude of plastic parts. My 123 is the only camping equipment that has not been upgraded over the years, because it's simply the best stove on the market in my opinion.

Quick Review!
Backpacking with hot food is GOOD!
My friend bought one in 1976.Went backpacking for 2 weeks in the Rincon MT. range outside Tucson, Az! Grass Shack!Great Hike by the way.This little stove works great ran B-L-D for two weeks on 2 pints? of white gas.Little finiky at first with priming etc. but you figure it out quickly.If the old ones are still out there working they must be indestructible.Looked at new lighter stoves $$$ get yourself a timeproven stove you can probably give to your grandchildren!!!

I have been using my SVEA since the late 60's. It has NEVER failed to start and burn. My kids do not remember a time without it (30+ years old these days.) Small and portable, it can cook for 4, more in a pinch. I must've purchased 12-15 replacements over the past 25 years. Wisperlites, simerlites, alcohol stoves, kerosene stoves, etc... I always go back. Not really a true ultra-light, but, if it don't work, you are carrying excess weight. The SVEA always works.

My Svea's(5) have never failed me over the years.....no repairs, or problems to date..... they just keep on roaring. Larry

Had mine since the late sixties. Hours and hours of burn time. Was a guide up here in Alaska for many years. Finally replaced the burner about 9-10 years ago. Yep, still the same parts. Still using it. Will burn unleaded or Avgas in a pinch but needs frequent cleaning when using avgas due to lead deposites. I carry a 1/2" x6" dia. piece of blue foam to put under the stove in snowy conditions helps keep up the fuel pressure. I tried a couple different stoves but keep coming back to this one. Jim

Does a good job of making coffee but has a dangerous side effect if not careful. When done making coffee after 17 minutes of continuous operation, I had to place cup on the unit to shut it off. On-off key would not shut it off. Even after putting cup on unit to cut off flame, unit would still output gas. As the unit sat there on my stove in the house, hissing gas, it burst into flames. This would have been a disaster if I had it in my tent. I had to place a pot over the hold thing to kill the flames.