Type
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Burner. This type includes classic burners - devices designed for cooking during hiking or cycling trips, when you have to carry all the equipment “on yourself”. Accordingly, they have relatively small dimensions and weight for maximum portability, and during operation they use an open fire, thus serving as a kind of replacement for a camp fire. This type is worth paying attention to if compactness is critical for you.
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Stove. Like classic burners, this type of device is intended primarily for cooking in conditions of “separation from civilization.” Their most noticeable difference is their larger dimensions and corresponding weight. Due to this, the plates are much less convenient for carrying over long distances. On the other hand, they are more powerful than burners and are better suited for large volumes of cooking (especially
2-burner models). As a result, the main purpose of the slabs is primarily the so-called. camping tourism, where there are no such strict weight restrictions as on long hiking trips; An example would be going out of town by car for several days. Another distinctive feature of the slabs is their design. While classic burners can differ significantly from each other, all stoves are similar: they have a characteristic flat shape and use cylinders exclusively with collet fastening (see “Attaching the cylinder”).
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Lamp. As the name suggests, burners of this type are not intended for cooking, but for lighting in the dark. Their main distinguishing feature is the presence of a special nozzle. Outwardly, it looks like a wick, but since the vast majority of lamps run on gas (see “Fuel”), the nozzle is more likely not a wick, but a divider: it expands the flame from the combustion of gas and thus provides the required amount of light. The attachments can be impregnated with special compounds that further increase brightness. In addition to all this, many lamps have a protective glass bulb: it protects surrounding objects from the flame, and the flame itself from wind, rain, etc. Some bulbs are made matte, making the light from the lamp more even. The dimensions and weight of the lamps are usually small; they, like classic burners, are mostly designed to be easy to carry.
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Heater. Devices designed for heating can have different purposes: from compact devices for heating palms, slightly larger than a lighter, to powerful models of the order of 1-2 kW (see “Power”), allowing you to create comfortable conditions in a tent or small room . At the same time, this is a rather rare type of burner, because... in most cases, the necessary thermal comfort is provided by other equipment (warm clothing, sleeping bags, etc.), and for the most part, heaters are designed more for lovers of simple “forays” into nature than for professional tourists.
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Stove-heater. “2-in-1” appliances designed both for heating food with a horizontal burner, and for heating a tent or small room in a vertical orientation. In order to be able to install cookware above the heating element, they are usually provided with a taganok grille that can support the weight of the cookware and its contents.
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Wood chipper. Solid fuel stoves that use small branches, wood chips, dry leaves and other “grazing” fuel as fuel. The body of the wood chipper usually consists of small steel sheets with slots at the bottom for air access. The design has a bottom, and the fuel slot of such stoves is slightly raised above the ground - this space allows you to use natural air circulation as a blower. The upper part of the walls in the structure is solid and serves as a wind barrier. Wood chip stoves are used for heating water, cooking in a camp pot, and heating at a rest stop. Sometimes, to increase the efficiency of fuel combustion, this type of burner is equipped with a battery-powered turbocharger. Some models with a focus on tourist autonomy are equipped with an electricity generator from the generated heat with a power bank. It can be used to recharge portable gadgets or power the built-in airflow control system.
Fuel consumption
The amount of fuel required for the normal operation of the burner for a certain time; usually stated in grams per hour. Different manufacturers may calculate fuel consumption differently, but most often it is indicated for normal operation, when the burner produces the power indicated in the documentation (see "Power"). Knowing the fuel consumption and the capacity of the cylinder used (see "Replaceable cylinders") or the built-in tank (see "Filling volume"), you can easily calculate the time of continuous operation of the burner.
Continuous operation time
The time that the burner is able to work without changing the cylinder or refilling the tank. Usually, the characteristics indicate the operating time at maximum power (see above); at lower power, the actual operating time may be longer than stated. However, it is best to evaluate and compare different models by directly claimed battery life.
Another important nuance is that battery life directly depends on the volume of the fuel tank — and many modern burners are designed for interchangeable cylinders produced in different volumes. Therefore, the characteristics may indicate for which cylinder model the continuous operation time is given (and for
multi -fuel models, the type of fuel should also be specified). If there are no such data, the tank capacity required for a certain time can be calculated from fuel consumption: for example, gas consumption of 180 g / h and battery life of 120 min (2 h) mean that the data are given for a cylinder of at least 360 g (400 mL) gas. With other volumes, the time of continuous operation will differ accordingly.
Boiling time for 1 L of water
Approximate time required to boil 1 liter of cold water on the burner. Of course, in fact, the boiling time may differ from the claimed one, since it is affected by the shape and material of the dishes, ambient temperature, etc.; however, this parameter quite clearly characterizes the overall efficiency of the device, it is quite possible to compare different models with each other. At the same time, it should be taken into account that when working with other volumes, the time may not change in direct proportion: for example, if 1 liter requires 300 s, then 2 liters may require not 600 s, but more, but 0.5 L — not 150 s, but less.
Wind protection
The burner has a special
curtaincovering the flame from the sides. Such a curtain can have a different design: it can be built-in (folding), removable, and can even be made in the form of a screen completely separate from the burner, installed directly on the ground. Anyway, the main purpose of this device is to protect the flame from strong winds. In addition, the curtain can be useful for camouflage — for example, when hunting or during a military-tactical game, when the light from the flame can give the user away.
Weight
The total weight of the device. Usually, the specifications indicate "dry" weight — excluding fuel.
Lightness is important on long hikes where you have to carry your gear; on the other hand, ceteris paribus, less weight means either low strength and reliability, or greater cost. The lightest classic type burners and lamps (see "Type") weigh
up to 200 g, in the working position, most of the mass of such a device falls on fuel. However, there are also more massive models. For plates, in turn, lightness is not critical, and most of these models are quite heavy —
1 kg or more. In heaters, the weight can be different — from 60 – 70 g in pocket hand warmers to 1.5 kg (or even more) in powerful outdoor appliances.