I was so happy to backpack for 5 weeks with this stove. So light! So easy to use! Such a relief to not have to poor alcohol into a fussy stove after a long day! The fuel canisters lasted WAY longer than we thought they would, especially if you cook on a lowish setting and use a windbreak/heat reflector. 4oz canister made a boiled dinner and coffee for 2 people for about a week. 8oz lasted us almost 2 weeks!

Used the six liter tank every day for a month getting water for camp on the AT. Due to the lip-lock top, I would never put this into my pack. Originally purchased the tank due to worries about far water sources. By filling this at camp once in the evening, my boyfriend and I were able to re-hydrate, make dinner, brush teeth, and take 2-3 liters out of camp in the morning.

Filtering water out of this tank was much easier than filtering out of the 10L sink we carried before, and there was no plasticy sink taste.

Filling the tank was sometimes a challenge at springs. If the spring was not piped out (or the pipe was low) we would have to try to let the tank fill through the spout, moving rocks to make the stream deep enough to fill the big tank. Often I would simply resort to scooping the last couple liters of water into the tank by hand, since we filtered it anyway.

Walking back to camp (up to .3 miles and up to 350 vertical feet) was often enough to make the bag pop open, but VERY careful and thorough sealing made this happen much less frequently. All in all, I was happy to have this, it just needs to be used within its natural limits.

My boyfriend and I used this set for about 5 weeks on the A.T. this summer and had very few complaints.

The pot itself is a pretty handy size. On most nights, we cooked both of our dinners in it at the same time. This might make it a bit big for actual Soloists, but, on the other hand, we often ate with lone hikers who were eating the same amount by themselves as the two of us ate together. It'll do a box of mac and cheese and have room to mix in a couple packets of tuna. It can also fit 2 servings of Ramen, if you use a bit less water. The only time that we had to cook twice was when we needed 4 cups of water along with whatever we were making (for instance, in order to make Knorr sides in the Stroganoff flavor).

The pot will hold your 4 or 8 oz fuel canister, and a lighter, along with the handy plastic measuring cup/bowl that it comes with. We ate out of the pot itself, drank tea from the cup in the mornings, and the two of us never needed a second bowl.

The spork is a piece of crap, and broke within a week, but add a couple lexan spoons, and you've got a full kitchen for 1 or 2.

This year I hiked about 500 miles of the A.T. I wanted to try on my pack with weight in in before buying, so I went to a retail store where I found two main contenders: Osprey Ariel and Gregory Deva.

I loaded each pack, and wore both before deciding on the Osprey. Why did I like it? It looked nicer, it was cheaper, it was lighter, and it held more. I also found the hip belt on the osprey pack to be more comfortable, though I was a bit worried about the chest strap, which didn't feel great against my collar bones. In the end, I figured hips were more important than collarbones.

After 75 miles I returned the Ariel 65 pack for the following reasons:
1. Front mesh panel ripped right out
2. Major bruising of collar bones: weeks after my 75 mile excursion they were very tender
3. Some part of the pack dug into my lower back, causing a scar that I still have.

I upgraded to the Gregory Deva. I liked the smaller size (I still was carrying a pack larger than many thru hikers), the abundance of pockets (Ariel has 1 main pocket and 1 top pocket), and the PADDING.

Deva weighs a pound more, but it is a pound I was happy to haul for 400 miles. Where the Osprey pack dug into my back, Gregory literally put a pillow. The "load lift" straps made the load much more adjustable. Over the course of the day, I would often wear it in two positions, which brought relief for collar bones and back muscles. With the Deva pack, access to my water bottle became an option due to the clever hidden nalgene sized holder. Front access, alone with 2 side pockets and a front pocket made use of the pack more convenient. I no longer had to take everything out to get my sandals or pack cover.

The hip belt was not as good as my osprey hip belt had been, and sometimes it was painful. Some days I would have to readjust a few times to make it feel ok.

I'm 5'6'', apparently with a short torso, as I needed size small in both packs. Gregory's hipbelts are sized according to the size of the pack. The size small waist belt was good for me, but by the end of the hike, it was pretty close to being pulled all the way together. I usually wear size six, not particularly thin for a hiker...skinny girls, especially with longer torsos, should make sure that the belt with get small enough for them.