Out-Zone Spider 3200E (Alocs CS-G04)

Protected from wind and from tipping over

I was looking for "one more" gas burner, powerful enough, remote canister, preferably sitting near the ground, with sufficient wind protection. Especially wind protection.

After looking at various options from the usual suspects, I spotted this Out-Zone Spider 3200E model. Other names I've come across are Prologic Blackfire Inspire and Alocs CS-G04, which might be the original. I don't know if all come from the same source, or if there are clones about.

The picture at the website was similar to the Blackfire, but what arrived looked more like the Alocs. This was not especially promising, but I didn't bother to return the product as only the legs are different, and these might offer even more protection.

The valve part looks the same as in many other models, the rest is quite alien.

At first I paid attention to build quality, the legs are slightly skewed to this and that direction. Folding the legs in and out was not very satisfying. The piezo igniter was in a slightly bent angle, which I corrected.

In natural habitat, who cares if the legs are a little wonky.

Interestingly, the included manual is the first one I've come across where it directly says a gas stove produces carbon monoxide. Remember boys and girls, do not use camping stoves in poorly ventilated or enclosed places such as a tent.

After all my initial negativity, trying the Spider a couple of times it does actually work and produces a quite powerful blue flame, nominally 3200W. (Compare to the 2800W of Primus Mimer) The parts give more protection from wind than the Mimer-type non-existent shield.

Generally the manuals of screw-on models forbid the use of wind shields. In a remote stove like this it's hardly a problem, in case I should need an added wind shield. But, again, why not use a Trangia at that point.

Could be used in this position, too

This model is not a big deal to set up. Just fold legs, screw in the gas canister, open valve, strike piezo and off we go. Although the build quality may not be very precise, with this low height I can be quite confident it doesn't tip over.

The legs can be adjusted in-between fully open and closed positions and they will stay in that position.

I am a little conflicted about the burner part. It looks like it was from something much better. It's nice because the material doesn't become colored from the flames.

The flame is not very subtle, so perhaps it's better for boiling water than for frying. To my eyes it looked blue and clean enough.

The flame looks like it's "jumping" from point to point?

Someone at Classic Campstoves is quite critical of this (or similar) models. It's true the stove doesn't have a prewarming tube. Obviously I haven't yet tried it in cold weather.

In another session, boiling about 3.5dl of water took a little longer than I would have expected, couple of minutes. The modest wind was likely not to blame. Using the small Trangia pot means some of the heat might have been lost.

Now I can't find anything negative to say about this kind of spider/low typology. Fiddling with the gas hose can be a little annoying after getting used to the simple screw-on models. The remote canister also has benefits, like adjusting the gas flow remotely.

Waiting for the food to prepare and the burner to cool

The Adventure Food carbonara wasn't all that tasty, maybe it has more nutrients than the Knorr varieties. Finding the oxygen absorber patch took a while. The water is boiled and added to the bag, stirred and after 8 minutes it is stirred again, it's ready.

This is almost cheating! If I had to wait longer for the water to boil, it might have been a little annoying. After the waiting the food is still quite hot, but it gets lukewarm rapidly. Eating the soggy remains from the bag bottom is not very appealing.

This was another time I got to explore the combination of (rental) scooter and a minimal burner setup. I didn't make a point of timing it, but after finding the spot it was likely all done in under 30 minutes.

Mustikkamaa, Helsinki