Reddit mentions of Primus - Classic Trail Stove

Too small is a subjective matter. I've always been a fan of tight spaces and as a kid, loved to make forts and have a cozy little spot to call home for a while. (Feels kinda like a big kid fort that I also get to drive.) To an outsider's perspective, this space looks stupidly-small, but the reality is that I feel like I have plenty of space to live. I consider myself living in an "adventure-mobile" more so than a van-dweller. My dwelling is my truck, sure, but I spend most of my time outside of it. All of my storage can easily be stowed beneath my bed. (The blue box in the photo doesn't fit but I could get a smaller box if needed; plus it's got all my clothes in it so the accessibility is nice. There's additional space underneath that's not visible in this picture.)

How do I cook? I picked up one of these and keep a number of dry foods on hand.

Does it get too hot or cold? The answer is that it depends. My blankets keep me plenty warm; but out here in Southern Utah it is very warm. I keep a spray bottle fan at my side, as well as a cold bottle of water to keep cooled. I also sleep with my sunroof tilted up for ventilation, but that doesn't affect the temperature much. I read somewhere on here about a styrofoam cooler, dry ice, and a fan as a make-shift air conditioner and I'm trying to find more information on that. I don't want to die from inhalation. Might just muscle it out until I can buy something more practical.

Also, it's so easy to be stealth and discreet in here. I've posted in the past how I built my window blackout using Reflectix and a curtain behind the driver/passenger seats. Going to find a link to that post now and put in this comment.

Here's a link to the build process and the window panels.

The platform is 2" taller in this photo as I cut down the height after I got on the road.

I'd be happy to provide how I built the panels for anyone that's curious.

In my opinion it's really nice to have hot food, even on short trips. I cook morning and evening most trips the Primus - Classic Trail Stove https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RHCOP0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_peIgDbG2HNZ70

Its pretty big and heavy but it'll hold a good sized pot, which is nice if you're with a group but normally something smaller like the MSR pocket rocket does just fine. Since you can't always make a fire while hiking dry places like Colorado I'd encourage you to get a small propane stove like one of these.

This article has a bunch of good information on stoves in general for backpacking. https://backpackers.com/outdoor-guides/how-to-choose-the-best-backpacking-stove-for-you/

Something like this though? Nobody would ever know. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000RHCOP0/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1520239387&sr=8-10&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=backpacking+stove&dpPl=1&dpID=51Oely99J6L&ref=plSrch

You should get a portable camping stove like the Primus Classic Trail and isobutane fuel to eat up some food : https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B000RHCOP0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486183208&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=trail+stove&dpPl=1&dpID=41zwhCSmQvL&ref=plSrch

With that, go with beans, diced tomatos, oatmeal, lens, eggs, etc.

I personally use these cookware :
X-Set 31 : http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=X-Set+31&o1=0&o2=0&o3=584-32
X-Pan : http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=X-Pan

Both pricey, but pure awesomeness.

It really depends on how you want your food. Since its a longer trail and you want to save as much weight as you can and get the best value out of your ounce to calorie ratio going the dehydrated route works best. For that all you need to be able to do is boil water to re hydrate the food, so a pocket rocket stove or jetboil will do you best.

I however like having more control over my cooking and having "gourmet" options when I trail hike. The Pocket Stoves and the like are essentially a torch blasting strait up, and have hot spots in the middle. Food burns there, and even on a low simmer, it still would run way to hot. I like using the Primus because its still light weight, and has better heat distribution. It still boils water fast, and though isn't as fuel efficient as a Pocket Stove I'm willing to sacrifice it a bit to have better food. But if all you plan on doing is re hydrating food and don't mind a little bit getting burnt on the bottom, a little pocket stove will do you just fine.

I only use the BRS when I'm out on my own and only heating up water in a large Ti mug or small Al pot. You can put a 2QT on it, but it's ready to tip over, you'll have to hold it steady the entire time.

If you want to cook with normal sized cookware, you can look at something like the Primus Classic Trail. It's quite a bit heavier and bulkier, but it's got a nice wide flame profile that allows better heating of larger pots and pans. The downside is that it's too wide if you're just trying to heat a Ti mug full of water, all the flames will escape up the sides and you lose all that heat. But that's why you also get the BRS or the etekcity stove.

Edited to add:
Check out: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-backpacking-stove/buying-advice

There's a picture of the MSR PR2, Snow Peak Gigapower and the Primus Classic Trail next to each other, you can see the difference in the flame pattern.