EtaPackLite

 

Product Description

From Primus:
EtaPackLite™ is a stove that really deserves its name - it’s extremely small and easily collapsible. The stove consists of a base with a burner and piezo ignitor, windscreen, a 1.2 liter pot and a lid which can also serve as a colander with its bayonet fastening. All the components can be packed into the pot, leaving room for a 100 gram LP gas cartridge and even a Primus spork. Primus’ fuel-efficient burner and the EtaPower pot cut down on weight in your pack by cutting down on fuel. To protect the non-stick coating, a graded bowl made of hygienic, environmentally friendly polypropylene is included. The bowl also makes an excellent serving bowl.

Features

From Primus:

* Weight: 596 g / 21 oz.
* Output: 2000 w / 7150 BTU/h
* Boiling Time: 2.5 min
* Burn Time: 119 min on 230 g / 8.1 oz LP gas cartridge
* Dimensions: 170 z 125 mm / 6.7" x 4.9"
* Ignition: Piezoelectric
* Suitable for: 1-2 people

MSRP: $115

Review

Oh the joys of winter testing…canister stove testing, that is. Unfortunately for the stove, the cold weather was a bit more than it proved ready to handle…but it took on warmer temperatures with much more gusto. Don’t get me wrong: nobody expects a canister stove to hold up very well in colder weather, but I had to give it a try! I put the EtaPackLite to the test against my trusty old Brunton Raptor in the cold, snowy UP winter, using Primus’s so-called “4 Season Formula” PowerGas. Much to my dismay, neither stove was able to get a full rolling boils going in any temperature I tested. The EtaPackLite was able to get the water very, very hot- but not boiling. (The Raptor, on the other hand, could hardly keep a flame going in 15 degrees…) Moral of the story: take a multi-fuel stove next time you are going to be in 30 degrees or less.

However, once temperature became a non-issue the EtaPackLite was able to show off its advantages. The stove comes as an all-in-one kit, with a pot, bowl, heat reflector and strainer/lid included. This combination claims 80% heat transfer efficiency, and that efficiency shows well in warmer summer-type conditions. The stove is easy to set up, and very stable when in use: it is low to the ground and connects to canisters with a hose, giving it an advantage with its ability to hold wider cookware sturdily. Boil times were out-of-this-world compared to my Raptor (which I have never had any complaint against!) and cleanup was a piece of cake with the non-stick cookware. (Word of warning to any health-conscious folks out there: keep the canaries away.) If that wasn’t enough, the whole system is a featherweight 21 ounces, which is tough to beat with a stove/cookware combination of any kind, especially one that packs this much power in a little package. The only downfalls I have noticed are: the pot is a little on the small side and if you want more options in cookware (eg: frying pan, etc.) you’re on your own. Having proved itself in testing, I am excited to get this thing out on the trails for some real-world field tests once the snow melts!

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