Howdy, Campers. With the goal of most serious packers to get their pack weight down, some things have somewhat fallen by the wayside. Specifically in this instance, the high BTU camp stove and separate liquid fuel bottle. There are however times when such a setup is appropriate. They handle cold temps, and windy weather much better than a screw on lightweight stove and pressurized isobutene bottle.
The older stove/bottle setups left many things to be desired as well. Foremost among these being a need to “prime” the system with liquid gas until the gas was traveling up the center pipe correctly. This was not only a major fire hazard (what self respecting man would be satisfied with 3 or 4 measly drops of gas when we could fill the bowl and watch the flames temporarily consume the entire apparatus and make its way toward the fuel bottle so you can play a game of “will it or will it not explode killing us all). Then there was the soot that was left behind. One touch of that stuff, and anything it came in contact with left a permanent reminder of the trip. And lets not forget the feeling of total bewilderment as to how many times you should pump the gas canister to pressurize it. 10, 25, 50?? You really had no idea.
Enter Soto’s newest stove, the Muka. For those who have read my articles on the Pocket Torch and OD1-R regulated micro stove. This is a company that not only creates, but more importantly it innovates. The Muka stove is a quantum leap in gas bottle type stoves. Why you ask? Many reasons, but let’s look at the best.
- Runs (awesome) on regular unleaded gas. No more runs for white gas, it’s not needed. In fact, the manufacturer recommends unleaded gasoline.
- First, and my personal favorite, NO more need to prime the stove. Yes you heard me: no, nada, zip, zilch, niet. Soto has implemented a system which pre-atomized the fuel, they call it the “generator”. And, once lit, it continues to do so until you shut it down.
- An integrated pressure gage (I’ll pause for applause here). As you pump the gas bottle and the pressure grows, a little button on the bottle begins to pop out, and once you can see the red stripe you’re done. What a concept!
- No more complete take down and cleaning before you put away or stow the stove. replacing the need to prime with gas, with Soto's Generator the stove means no more carbon deposits to clean off (Yay!).
- And how is this for awesome… a way to de-pressurize the gas cylinder without having to slowly turn the stove interfacing pieces until you hear that little hiss (and pray that air is all that comes out)
- The depressurizing mentioned above serves a few other purposes. It shoots a high pressure stream of air through the lines clearing them entirely. This means when you shake down camp and store the stove it doesn’t need to come right back out at home to be cleaned (Double Yay!) This can also act as an emergency shut off if things seem to be going sideways for some reason.
- Ignition to cooking time, under 10 seconds! Need I say more?
So campers, for what this trail rat’s opinion is worth, this is one of the most well engineered retools of a product yet. If you pass me on the trail and just can’t get that ultra light rig to light, come to my camp and we’ll do this thing up right!
Until next time friends, I’ll see you on the trails.
Quick Tip: When your packing, remember to keep the heavier items in the main pack and as close to your spine as possible. Medium weight items can be packed on the bottom, such as a sleeping bag compartment. The lightest items should fill the rest of the space in the pack and anything that rises above the shoulder line. This will help keep your center of gravity centered, especially if you have felt like the pack is pulling “back” on you, this shouldn’t be the case.
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