Bushwalk Australia

Without wishing to start a debate on the best gas stove I have done some research and the Fire Maple FMS 100T seems like a good lightweight reliable gas stove.
For those who use this stove do you have any advice?
Also it seems I will need to purchase it from overseas. On ebay there is a seller in Hong Kong - has anyone used this seller or do you know of anywhere in Australia I can purchase it?
I am after a small, lightweight, gas cannister stove which packs small into a pot and can be used in a varaiety of conditions - mainly in SA and TAS.

Not to rubbish the 100T, though have you looked at the Kovea Spider?

Yes the Spider is also on my shortlist - have you had a good run with this stove?

Phil not wanting to cut in on your thread but I am in the process of buying one myself so this thread is of interest.

Fire maple seem to make quite a few stoves I am struggling to find a difference between some of them other than a little bit of weight. For instance whats the difference between the 100t and the 117t?

Like wise the kovea range seem to be slightly better value albeit a little heavier. They both have the hose for remote attachment. They all appear to be made in china, like moist things these days.

Im starting to wonder if one of those real cheap copies is just as good?

EDIT: I just had a look on fire maples web site, there is a significant difference between the 100t and 177t

The 100T and 117T are completely different designs. The 117T has no capability to operate in inverted canister mode. The 118 does but is a fair bit heavier as it is constructed from stainless steel.

Kovea are manufactured in South Korea and are generally considered better quality than Fire Maple. The Spider is a great stove and packs very compactly. Yes it is slightly heavier (168g).

Strider wrote:The 100T and 117T are completely different designs. The 117T has no capability to operate in inverted canister mode. The 118 does but is a fair bit heavier as it is constructed from stainless steel.

Kovea are manufactured in South Korea and are generally considered better quality than Fire Maple. The Spider is a great stove and packs very compactly. Yes it is slightly heavier (168g).

Thanks strider, I found the official fire maple website and yeh I can see the differences now. I am liking the way the Kovea spider packs flatter.

Thanks Strider - just saw your post on the differences

Where did you buy the Spider from?

philm wrote:Thanks Strider - just saw your post on the differences

Where did you buy the Spider from?

Ebay, but Amazon also have them from time to time.

Once again sorry to go off topic on your thread Phil but Strider are you able to give me some dimensions of the spider folded up?
Specifically how flat does it fold? Thanks in advance.

Spider is a good stove, you can remove the legs and attach something to the base quite easily for a UL scotty style setup.
Watch... the screws will fall out of the base anyway. They need some loctite.

Here is another option, like a lightweight msr windpro: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Bulin-b5 ... 61587.html .. I like the canister connection on these Bulin stoves much better than Kovea/ FMS.

PS, the screw driving dept must be lowly paid, these all need checking & loctite..

My Spider arrived with the screws sitting in the bottom of the bag!

I have been using the FMS-100T for quite some time now and have found the performance to be excellent in all weathers ,good simmer setting it fits neatly inside a MSR Titan Kettle and the 1lt FMC-XK6 heat exchanger pot with room for a small gas can in this one.
Out of my collection of 13 assorted stoves the 100T is my go to stove for all occasions check it out here http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?cat ... t=FMS-100T

Another happy 100T user here. I've had mine for a year or two and of my collection of various alcohol and gas stoves it's the one that comes with me on 4 out of 5 trips. I like how nice and quiet it is compared to some of the roarers I've owned, it's rock solid (easily takes a 5L pot when used as a second stove while car camping), has a full range of adjustment from barely simmering to afterburner and it fits nicely in my pot with a few other cooking related items. Overall it's a good quality and no fuss little stove.

I've recently purchased a $4 adapter for it and can now use the much cheaper gasmate cartridges which are about $1 each compared to the normal canisters which are around $10 each depending on where you get them

phan_TOM wrote:
I've recently purchased a $4 adapter for it and can now use the much cheaper gasmate cartridges which are about $1 each compared to the normal canisters which are around $10 each depending on where you get them

phan TOM any chance you could put up the link to the adapter you got. Would like one to use with my Kovea when I'm car based camping to save buying the expensive cannisters.

Thanks

Mick

Check this out http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dual-Butane- ... 0843584947
We have one and it works well for Summer conditions

Mickl wrote:

phan_TOM wrote:
I've recently purchased a $4 adapter for it and can now use the much cheaper gasmate cartridges which are about $1 each compared to the normal canisters which are around $10 each depending on where you get them

phan TOM any chance you could put up the link to the adapter you got. Would like one to use with my Kovea when I'm car based camping to save buying the expensive cannisters.

Thanks

Mick

You may be interested in this gasmate stove http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Backpacker-S ... 7202825312

Done b4 here,http://www.ozstock.com.au/14932/Three-Leg-Gas-Stove-Transfer-Head-Adaptor
Sorry looks like they have sold out
I Have one but have not field tested it as yet.

Mickl wrote:

phan_TOM wrote:
I've recently purchased a $4 adapter for it and can now use the much cheaper gasmate cartridges which are about $1 each compared to the normal canisters which are around $10 each depending on where you get them

phan TOM any chance you could put up the link to the adapter you got. Would like one to use with my Kovea when I'm car based camping to save buying the expensive cannisters.

Thanks

Mick

I got this one - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/191252442264 ... 1439.l2649

Pretty much the same as the one corvus has except it looks like mine is metal so it probably weighs marginally more (if that's an issue)

Is there a remote adapter base and hose so I could use my MST pocket Rocket

Dan, my kovea spider measures 100mm x 100mm x 30mm folded. This picture makes it look a bit bigger, but it's not...

phan_TOM wrote:

Mickl wrote:

phan_TOM wrote:
I've recently purchased a $4 adapter for it and can now use the much cheaper gasmate cartridges which are about $1 each compared to the normal canisters which are around $10 each depending on where you get them

phan TOM any chance you could put up the link to the adapter you got. Would like one to use with my Kovea when I'm car based camping to save buying the expensive cannisters.

Thanks

Mick

I got this one - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/191252442264 ... 1439.l2649

Pretty much the same as the one corvus has except it looks like mine is metal so it probably weighs marginally more (if that's an issue)

It is fine for car based camping. Just bought the adapter. The above gasmate stove also comes to mind.

Be sure to keep the notch on the collar pointing to the sky. Otherwise you'll suck up liquid fuel..

Strider wrote:Be sure to keep the notch on the collar pointing to the sky. Otherwise you'll suck up liquid fuel.

The 100T is designed to be used with the canister inverted for cold weather anyway so will this be an issue? or maybe I'm missing something

dplanet wrote:It is fine for car based camping.

Why just car camping? I bought the adapter so that I can use the cheaper gasmate canisters all the time, for hiking and car camping

I wasn't targetting that first comment at any stove in particular.

I would still rather decant the fly spray cans into the bushwalking style canisters. The former are very lightly constructed and I just couldn't trust them enough to rely on them over several days.

Strider wrote:I wasn't targetting that first comment at any stove in particular.

I would still rather decant the fly spray cans into the bushwalking style canisters. The former are very lightly constructed and I just couldn't trust them enough to rely on them over several days.

+1

Bubbalouie wrote:I would still rather decant the fly spray cans into the bushwalking style canisters. The former are very lightly constructed and I just couldn't trust them enough to rely on them over several days.

...and they leak if you lose the lid or if it comes off

Strider wrote:I would still rather decant the fly spray cans into the bushwalking style canisters. The former are very lightly constructed and I just couldn't trust them enough to rely on them over several days

I'm just comparing the two now and honestly I can't tell there's that much of a difference, for me there's definitely not enough to go to the effort of decanting one into the other. I can't imagine puncturing or even denting either of them without some effort. Nor can I see the valve getting damaged if due care is taken. Might be a problem if your style of descending is to throw your pack down each lead before you climb down after it!

icefest wrote:...and they leak if you lose the lid or if it comes off

I'm guessing that's if something comes into contact with or gets squished against the gasmate valve while it's in your pack That could be a drag but it raises a question, would it be okay to leave the adapter permanently attached to the fly spray can to protect the valve while you're travelling along. What does everyone do, put the adapter on before each use and then remove it or just leave it on?

The valve is activated as soon as the adapter is connected. So no.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say activated, gas shouldn't just start freely flowing (and I haven't notice it)? I thought it was activated only when the stove connector was threaded on, that's when I usually notice a small discharge of gas anyway

The fly spray cans also don't really attach that securely. It's just a clip on thing.

I have wondered if Roger Caffins stove will work with them, if I cut off the needle flush with the rest of the container.