shigadeyo

I bought this stove since the similar Brunton Flex did not work out for me due to stability issues. The Optimus Crux has a better locking mechanism, so the stability of the folding mechanism is not an issue for this stove. However, the one I ordered from Backcountry.com seems to be defective. When the regulator handle is folded closed, the valve is actually open by about 1/3 of a turn. This is not good because typically one would not unfold the handle until after threading it onto the fuel canister (as shown in their video demo). However, doing so caused fuel to start spewing out! I contacted Optimus and they have confirmed that this is a problem with this particular stove. They offered to replace the stove, I already need to return the Brunton Flex stove already, I am just going to retun it to Backcountry and find something else. I hate having to pay shipping costs to replace an item that is BRAND NEW and UNUSED, but defective. Anyway, this stove is light-weight, folds down, and is quite stable. The holder pouch isn't quite as nice as the one that came with the Flex, but this stove is very similar and about $10 or so cheaper. Also, it has a 2 year warranty according to the included information rather than the 1 year listed on the Backcountry.com web site.

Good size, good name, very light-weight. However, it is about 1/8"-1/4" too short to hold a 220g fuel canister and a Brunton Flex or Optimus Crux collapsible stove. As a result, I will be sending it back and getting something different. The lid stays on tightly and the handles are nice. However, other dislikes include: it does not have graduation marks stamped on it; no storage bag included; price is ~$10 than Ti pots of similar size.

This spoon is fantastic! It is just the right length, very light-weight, relatively inexpensive, and unlike the GSI Rehydrate spoon, the bottom of the spoon (the bowl) is actually spoon-like so that it can be used to eat runny items and soup. The very bottom is somewhat flat which is great for getting into the bottom seam of food bags. This spoon is nearly IDENTICAL (it has the Backcountry.com name etched into it rather than another company's) to the others long-handled Ti spoons available (e.g. REI, Sea to Summit, etc.), but is nearly HALF THE PRICE!

Unfortunately, I will be returning this stove to Backcountry.com. I really like the concept and features of this stove, but the stove that I received was very unstable. I didn't even get a chance to use it once. After receiving it, I unpackaged it, attached it to a fuel canister, and set a pot of water on top of tis. The pot would only make contact with three of the four pot supports making it quite unstable. In addition, the play in the folding mechanism aplified the unstability even more. I contacted Brunton about this and they suggested that I try another one. So, I ordered a second from Backcountry.com and it had the same problems, maybe even a bit worse! Rather than pay to send these stoves to Brunton for repair (they are both BRAND NEW and never even used once), I have decided just to return them both to Backcountry.com and try an Optimus Crux instead (similar stove, only 3 pot supports, different locking mechanism).... Also, this stove is now MADE IN CHINA.