Camp stoves: Coleman classic vs Triton

[MNlad]

I purchased a Classic long before it was a "Classic." Now, 40+ years later, it still does yoeman's work whenever I go camping. It will probably be around longer than I am.

[auld argonian]

I have two of the propane Coleman stove…one "old" one and a copy of the stylish "new" one….what can I say….I run into these end-of-the-season close out sales and who can pass up a stove for $17? Of the two, the older one is the most functional, has the most room for larger pots and is, more importantly, easier to clean. The stylish modern one is a back up now and the old one goes along when heading "up North". I also picked up (again on one of those end-of-season sales) a Coleman unit that's a one piece griddle with the gas powered base underneath it…great for doing breakfast for four people because of the size of the griddle and the evenness of the heat….clumsy thing because the feet are permanently mounted on it but I'm car camping so it's a kind of an extravagance.

I would suggest that anybody pick up one of those little single burners that screws onto the short butane/propane cannisters, though. Got one of these and it's perfect for the coffee percolator…and I urge the use of an actual percolator when you're camping…it just seems right and the smell and the ritual of using one is reassuring in the age of cloud computing.

If it seems like I'm obsessed with cooking while camping, it's all true….I love it. Have a wok and stir fry while I'm out…do a lot of fun things but, as I say, I'm car camping so I have the room for all the crap that I need. I have pared it down to backpacking kit when any real camping is involved and I'm cool with that but I'm just a cooking junkie when I can work out of the back of the mini-van.

I know that there will be the rugged traditionalists among you (this IS Xmarks….) who will swear by the REALLY older Coleman stoves that take liquid fuel. Okay…whatever floats yer boat…not a big fan of lugging flammable liquids around nor am I a fan of the smell. I do have a friend that has the fifty year old liquid gas Coleman that his dad owned and that he steadfastly keeps in working condition. I have watched him fidget with this diabolical contraption and then recoiled in shock when he finally puts a match to it and a fireball shoots fifteen or twenty feet up into the air…hoping that I will not be a first hand witness to the start of a forest fire. Of course he blames that on his not having the "adjustments" right and that Coleman doesn't offer a "legacy" program whereby you would mail your antique stove to them and they would totally refurbish it for FREE because you're such a loyal customer. I once explained that Coleman would much rather sell him a new stove than fix his old one for free no matter how good the "advertising" it is to see one of their fifty year old products still goin' strong. But, as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore sez in Apocalypse Now, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Anyway, for those with patience and stalking skills, I suggest keeping an eye on Target stores during inter-seasonal clearance time…that $60 stove often ends up on the end of the aisle rack marked down to under $20.

Best,

AA

[Tarheel]

I must agree with AA on one point. Nothing beats "Cowboy Coffee" in a percolator on a small wood fire beside the camp feasting area. Mixing a few dried cow chips into the embers adds heat, flavor and bug repellant.