Paid $60 for a fancy backpacking stove and it barely boiled water at 9,000 feet

Took it on a trip to the Sierras last month. Thought I was getting an upgrade from my old BRS3000 but this thing was a total dud. Flame kept flickering in any breeze even with my wind screen. Took like 15 minutes to boil a cup of water at camp. The cheap $15 stove I had before worked way better. Anyone else get tricked by a pricey backpacking stove that just couldn't handle altitude?

3 comments

3 Comments

patb1220d ago

You ever wonder if these companies actually test their stuff at altitude before selling it? I remember buying a fancy water filter once that cost a small fortune, swore it would work in any creek or stream. Got up to about 10,000 feet in the Winds and it clogged up after the first liter. Had to switch to iodine tablets for the whole trip. Sometimes the old, cheap gear just knows what it's doing, and the new shiny stuff is all marketing. Might be worth sticking with what works, even if it weighs a few extra ounces.

wyattrobinson2d ago

Does anyone else think these companies know exactly what they're doing when they charge more for gear that barely works? They count on people assuming price equals quality, especially when you're new to backpacking and don't know better. I've seen the same thing with cheap vs expensive sleeping pads - the expensive one sprung a leak on the first night while my old foam pad held up through half a dozen trips. BRS3000 is just the standard for a reason, it's simple and works. Honestly feel like half the backpacking industry is built on selling solutions to problems that barely exist if you just use the basics.

samwalker20d ago

Grabbed my old BRS3000 again after that same kind of letdown with a pricey stove that promised the world but couldn't even boil a cup of water at 8,500 feet in the Sangres last fall. That cheap little thing just chugged along perfectly fine through wind and altitude, no fuss at all. I think these companies focus too much on fancy materials and lightweight specs (which look great in a store) but don't bother testing them where it actually matters, you know? My trick now is to just skimp on the stove and spend the saved cash on something that really matters, like a better tent or sleeping pad. Honestly feel like the whole backpacking gear industry is just selling us overpriced problems most of the time. The BRS3000 has been my go-to for years now and I've never had it fail me once, even in rough conditions.