by "Berang" (berang)
Published 08/26/2017 at 06:16
by "Berang" (berang)
Published 08/26/2017 at 06:16
Tags: not a car
STARS: 0
TBH, at this point, I’m not surprised when I find anything that has a dedicated following, no matter how banal it might seem. But I do find it interesting when something has an international cult following. Like the Svea 123 camp stove.
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I’ve been gathering gear for a road trip through the southwest this october, and decided to pick up an old Primus 71 camp stove off of ebay. I’m not knowledgeable about these things. I thought Primus stoves were famous for burning kerosene, which would be advantageous for me, as I could fuel the stove with the same stuff my lanterns take.
Well it turns out, while the most well known Primus stoves burn kerosene, the particular old model I scooped up doesn’t. It burns white gas (coleman fuel). Of course I didn’t bother to look into this until after I spent money on the thing. And as tends to happen, when attempting to correct my ignorance on the subject of camp stoves, I fell deeper and deeper into google hell, learning all sorts of stuff nobody should really care about. The Primus 71 is a relative of the Svea 123 stove, both Primus and Svea were bought up by the company Optimus. Optimus still produce the 123 today, and it has a surprisingly (at least to me) huge cult following.
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There are of course people who collect things like Coleman lanterns and other camping gear, but the Svea also seems to popular with users/enthusiasts, not just old folks with a compulsive need to own every paint and decal variation of a particular model of thing.
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insomnia is just pushing me deeper into this hell
out of google and into youtube
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"barnie" (tlanarch)
08/26/2017 at 07:03, STARS: 1
Mom got a Svea 123 for us in about 1970. We used that thing all over the trails of NC, TN, VA, walking the AT and many of the smaller trails off it. I used it on scouting trips. When I decided to cycle up the east coast in 1978, it was in my pannier. Worked like a champ. Every Shell and Sunoco station had white gas in those days and it took pennies to fill. Carried a small aluminum fuel bottle in a cage under my downtube. (RIP Nelli, my trusty steed)
Then as I was cycling back south, I got caught in a snow storm. Stopped under a ‘culvert’ on the Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Roanaoke VA when that stove failed me. It was too cold outside (I was watching icicles form on the road signs and tree limbs) to light. Ate freeze dried stew and blueberry cobbler out of the bags cold. My water was freezing so I had to really stir the chunks to make coffee. If not for the hunters who came by at dusk, I may have frozen right there - by then I didn’t care anymore.
Went and got an MSR mutifuel stove, don’t remember the model. It still serves me today. Still have the Svea in working order but it is a wall hanger now.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
08/26/2017 at 08:07, STARS: 0
I love my little piece of shit camp stove. It was like under $20 but it has been reliable and is lightweight. The gas can is heavier than the stove I’m pretty sure.
"Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
08/26/2017 at 08:59, STARS: 0
I have two backpacking stoves. A plain old MSR pocket rocket and a jetboil I was given by a vendor while working in a sporting goods store.
The camp stove that I still love though is the one I call “the tank.” It’s a three burner, white gas Coleman stove I got from my grandfather. It was built in the early 60's. I need to do a little work on it now because the outer burners have been acting up, but otherwise it’s been great in the 20 years I’ve had it. I do wish I had one of the folding metal stands they made for them though.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
08/26/2017 at 09:03, STARS: 0
I’ve been using a little $10 MSR stove for the last twelve years and have no complaints. You just have to get creative when it is windy out. I’ve done a few 3k+ miles camping road trips with a family of four along with countless weekend trips. Can’t even count hiw many times I’ve backpacked with it. I bought a big Camp Chef for road trips, but ended up ditching it. It’s extremely compact and it allows you to attach different size fuel cans for different uses.
"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
08/26/2017 at 11:24, STARS: 0
Growing up, my parents had the two burner version of that - maybe a slightly newer model. It is a tank.
"Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
08/26/2017 at 13:43, STARS: 0
Yeah, this one was built in either 63 or 64. I got a lantern about the same time from him that’s about the same age. I still have it’s box and original receipt too. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get to get it to work.
"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
08/26/2017 at 17:26, STARS: 0
I wonder if they still use the same mantles. I imagine they are getting less and less common.
"Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
08/26/2017 at 19:35, STARS: 0
They have two styles that are still fairly easy to get and a couple others that I know for sure are still made but tougher to find. The ones for mine built in the 60's are still sold even in Walmart. They can be used on most current lanterns which helps.
The newer design uses a metal clip; the older style gets tied in place. You can use the tie on style on lanterns made for clip on style but not always the other way around.
Oddly enough I have a propane lantern that I bought around 2000 that I can only get mantles on Amazon or direct from Coleman.
"Berang" (berang)
08/28/2017 at 04:24, STARS: 0
This is what I remember using as a kid. Great for cooking enough bacon in the morning for two families.
"Berang" (berang)
08/28/2017 at 04:29, STARS: 0
Interestingly, I found a video addressing the problem of getting these stoves going in freezing temps:
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In the Primus version, the entire stove fits into the wind shield, instead of the shield sitting on top of the tank, which probably helps a bit when it’s windy or cold out.
