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| Primus Mimer Stove |
Since the few attempts with spirit, I have switched to the cleaner gas burners. Despite not planning to go this route, I now have two of them.
Comparisons between gas and spirit aside, I'll focus on the Primus Mimer Stove, which was inviting with its wide-format gas burner element – no more blowtorching the middle of a frying pan?
This is one of the models which directly connect to the gas canister, and at 205 grams it could be considered an ultra-light solution. That is, if I don't carry the Trangia pieces around. The other burner weighs 180g but in practice requires the Trangia windshield ecosystem.
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| Still shiny and speckless |
Although the gas worked for heating water quickly, it began sputtering when more was required, a 10-minute ordeal of cooking pasta. In fact the flame died on occasions and required reigniting. At first this seemed to be due to wind, another theory was that gas canister was growing colder.
Trying another burner with smaller element showed that perhaps the gas in itself wasn't to blame. I guess the wide-format elements are more susceptible to problems in this weather, and it's not an accident the elements are smaller in most models. But this is all rather thin speculation from this one experience.
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| Primus Mimer Stove in action |
It was still possible to finish, but it is clear this combination is not for winter cooking, not even in this mild -1°C weather. The Primus Mimer instructions do not say anything about winter use, but there's a symbol on the box that suggests it's a "3 season" solution.
Ultimately the frying pan was not even tried in this session, even though it was one motive for getting this burner. This will have wait for better conditions or at least more appropriate gas.
In sunlight it wasn't possible to see the flame, which is understandable, but there were times I couldn't even hear it, which was a strange sensation. Most of the time Primus did give the usual, reassuring noise.
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| The shores of Arabia |
Some other considerations: the gas adjustment valve is positioned quite close to the center of the burner, but in practice this wasn't really a problem. Still, a better placed adjustment knob might have been welcome.
Balance is another slightly worrying thing when working with this type of burner. You have to be careful when prodding the food, as the stack certainly isn't as sturdy as a Trangia-type windshield contraption.
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| Chair and the carry bag |
Another item which I've had for a while, is a collapsible chair. Robens' Geographic High Silver Grey promised light weight and easy operation, and on those counts it delivers.
At 370 grams, the trade off is that it's on the small side, but fortunately I am not super-huge and still weigh less than 90kg, far from the suggested maximum 120kg capacity.
Not saying it is perfect, and I'm still collecting experiences, but I've been able to forget about it while sitting and that is a good sign. It also hangs nicely from the bag, adding very little to total encumbrance.
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| A random dog I couldn't see while shooting. |
The session took place in Kuusiluoto in Helsinki, a popular spot for wintertime outdoor activities. We took the route back over ice. This felt a little suspicious at first given the mild winter, but so many people were crossing it, it was obviously not likely to break.
