My stove failed at 9,000 feet, now I prep differently

Was up near Mount Evans last month, wind was brutal, and my canister stove would barely hiss. Took 40 minutes to boil two cups of water for instant oatmeal. Anyone else switch to a liquid fuel stove after a high altitude failure?

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jasonf351mo ago

Honestly that sounds miserable, but yeah, once you hit that altitude, canisters just give up. I switched to a white gas stove years ago after the same thing happened to me and never looked back, even down low now. That thing roars in wind and cold, way more peace of mind when you're stuck shivering and just want hot food.

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felix4141mo ago

Four thousand meters up on Rainier and my canister stove put out less heat than a candle in a snow cave, lol. I remember sitting there for forty minutes just staring at lukewarm water and questioning every life choice that got me there. @jasonf35 you're not wrong about white gas, I finally broke down and bought one last season and the thing feels like it could torch a jet engine. My only issue is I'm a complete klutz with the priming pump, I've singed my eyebrows twice now trying to get the thing going. Still beats eating cold ramen at 14,000 feet though, that's a special kind of sad I don't miss. Maybe I'll just bring a blowtorch next time as backup, safer for my face.

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