Comparison of performance BPL Firelite Ti Wing and Caldera Cone using the BPL Trapper Mug

Recently I have completed 2 four day trips on the Skåneleden in Sweden. I have used Esbit as fuel for each trip but have taken different stoves so as to compare the performance of each in real life conditions. In both cases the temperatures experienced ranged between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius and the stoves were sheltered from the wind, often on the floor of the Vindskydd (windshelters). I have been using Esbit because it is easily measurable and thus makes it easier to determine just how much is needed to be packed.

The two stoves used have been the BPL (USA) FireLite Titanium Esbit Wing Stove and the Trail Designs Firelite SUL 475 Trapper's Mug Caldera Cone using the Gram Cracker for Esbit. The pot used in each case was the BPL USA Trapper mug a 475 ml pot weighing 37 gm, there is no lid and I used a piece of Aluminium foil.


BPL (USA) FireLite Titanium Esbit Wing Stove, windshield, and reflector plate (as shown in the picture below) = 26 gms (not including the Trapper mug)



Trail Designs caldera cone, gram cracker and Caddy (optional extra) and Trapper Mug
i. Total weight with caddy = 117 gms (not including the Trapper mug)
ii. Total weight without caddy = 37 gms (not including the Trapper mug)

The advantage of the caddy is that it can be used as a bowl and a cup, the disadvantage is the weight.


So how do they compare with my style of cooking, which is boiling a cup of water in the morning for coffee, making a cup of soup in the evening as well as a cup of coffee and a "freezer bag meal" where about 400 ml of water is boiled and then added to noodles mixed with other ingredients. In a day I would heat to boiling about 1600 ml of water that is 4 mugs. I normally carry a mixture of 4 gm and 14 gm Esbit tablets and for heating water in the morning I found I could use 1.5 tablets (6 gm) with the Caldera, but needed 2 tablets (8 gm) with the BPL Ti Wing. In the afternoon one 14 gm tablet was the ideal option for both stoves especially for the Caldera where I was able to boil 2 pots of water whereas for the Ti Wing I was able to boil 1 pot with the second almost boiling.

In summary, for the BPL Ti Wing I needed a total of 38 gm of Esbit whilst for the Caldera I needed 34 gm of Esbit, in each case there would be a little in reserve and as the weather gets warmer there is the potential for further savings. The following chart provides an overview of the weights for a 7 day trip using each stove and with or without the caddy. Unsurprisingly the Caldera with caddy is the heaviest and remains so. By the end of the third day the Caldera is a slightly lighter option than the BPL Ti wing, however using these figures after a week the difference is only 17 gms taking into account the original weight of the stove and the differences in the weight of fuel used.

So which option is better? Well as always it depends on your preferences, but if weight and packability are your highest priority then the BPL Ti wing is the best option, however, if you want to say that you are carrying the lightest option then the Caldera over a 7 day period is better. The Caddy of course provides additional options in food preparation and may on some trips be the best option especially if you are sharing the kitchen.



We will continue to explore these alternatives as well as other stove options, but most importantly getting out there is more important than counting the number of grams of a stove you are carrying.

MSR Pot and Ti Tri Caldera in wood burning mode

Holdfast has asked about the use of the wood burning option on the Ti Tri Caldera so here is a picture showing how wood can be added to the fire, note that there is also a Ti base plate that extends beyond the cone to protect the ground from scorch marks. Two titanium stakes are used to raise the pot to close to the rim of the cone.
The benefit of the Ti Tri is if you are relying on 2 fuel systems, such as alcohol and wood, but if wood is you one and only fuel then the Bush Buddy from Canada may be your best option.

Kust till Kustleden: Östafors to Glimåkra

I was able to get away for 4 days to the coast to coast trail in northern Skåne, Sweden. The Kust till Kustleden is the northern walking trail of the Skåneleden system and connects Sölvesborg in the east with Ängelholm in the west a total of approximately 300 kms. A trip report and photos are coming. I will also be providing an update on the Shangrai La 3 as well as comparison on the of the BPL (USA) Trapper mug with the Caldera and the BPL Titanium Esbit Wing Stove

GoLite Shangri La 3

For a while now I had been considering the Golite TiPi offerings, firstly the hex and then the Shangri La 3. Finally got around to purchasing a Sage Green Shangri La 3 the first observation when it was erected is that there is a lot of space inside, in actuality there just about 6 square meters of floor space. However, its size is also its disadvantage the Shangri La is a ground area hungry shelter and requires a site that is at least 3 metres by 3 metres and preferably one that is 4 x 4 metre site. For this reason the shelter had limited use on my recent trip along the Ås till Åsleden. Notwithstanding its area hunger the shelter is undoubtedly the ideal shelter should you be looking for extra space.


As for the pole, I always thought that the hiking poles were the way to go. I use Pacer Poles and Neil Johnstone at BPL USA provided the way to go.



For a ground sheet I use a Gossamer Gear Polycro sheet that has been modified for the shelter.

So the weights are

Shelter (no pegs, ropes etc) 705 gm
Pole (extra section) 36 gm
Groundsheet 110 gm

Total weight, not including stakes 851 gm, lighter than my beloved Integral Designs Uni Shelter.

This shelter will be my preferred winter shelter because of its space and its sturdiness in adverse weather, though I agree with Chris Townsend, a double ended zip in the door would make this the perfect shelter.

Long Winter nights in a tent

As winter approaches in the north the nights get longer and more time is spent in a shelter or tent. Usually I carry a book with me but I find that reading by torch light far from ideal. In the past I have carried my iPod Nano and listened to music. On this occasion I decided to take some of the Podcasts from Outdoors Station to listen to, as I have always found it difficult to concentrate on them at home. The first podcast I listened to was the Cape Wraith Trail. Listening to the story was relaxing with the sounds of the skylark, the sea as well as the background music interspersed throughout the episodes. Given that the nano battery life is pretty good these days it is apparent that listening to podcast at the end of a day on the trail with a long night to come allows the walker to unwind and consider the following days plans. Furthermore, the information included within the podcast provides ideas for the next trip whether it be in relation to gear or location. I now need to find more podcasts of similar content for my next trip.

A Tale of Two Water Filtration Systems: Aquagear and Aquamira Frontier Pro

On a recent trip along the Ås till Åsleden I carried both the Aquagear Water Filter and the Aquamira Frontier Pro Filter. Why? Well it seemed like an ideal opportunity to compare these filters when hiking on lowland trails where the water is more likely to be affected by chemicals than bugs.

Some basic facts

The Aquagear is a bottle and filtration system weighing 160 gm (when the filter is wet), the bottle, according to the label holds 18 fl. ozs. but delivers a little less than 500 ml. I use the bottle along with a 500 ml Platypus bottle. Thereby carrying not more than 1 litre (1 kg) of water at any time. The amount of water carried depends on the location and one day on the Ås till Åsleden I crossed very few streams and consequently had very little water left at the end of the day.

The Aquamira Frontier Pro is a filtration system and weighs 68 gm with wet filter, an added 1 litre Platypus would take the weight to about 95 gm, a weight saving on the Aquagear.

The primary differences between the 2 systems apart from their physical weight are;
(i) Aquagear has a filter pore size of 2 microns, whilst the Aquamira has filter pore size of 3 microns.
(ii) The Aquamira has a Pre filter of porous plastic micro filter, the Aquagear has a mesh filter for removing large particles such as leaves.

My experiences:
When I arrived at the campsite on the second night on the Ås till Åsleden I found that the well was almost dry and required a lot of pumping to get water up from the bottom of the well to fill the Platypus bottles, but I also noticed that the water was very red probably from rust so I immediately seized the opportunity to test out both filters. Very quickly the Frontier Pro stopped flowing, the pre filter had “clogged” with the very fine rust sediment however, the Aquagear continued to flow albeit slowly. Both filters did provide crystal clear water the Aquagear required less effort and time to provide sufficient for the evening and the following morning. Admittedly if I had more pre filters for the Frontier Pro then I would have had sufficient clean water but I would probably have “clogged” up these as well. To me though the final test came the next day when I had access to crystal clear water.

With a couple of rinses I was able to remove most of the colour from the water in the Aquagear bottle whilst cleaning the pre filter of the Frontier Pro was less successful, but it did improve the flow rate.

In summary, could I have done things differently, possibly but it is apparent to me that whilst both options may filter out most of the stuff in the water, it is my opinion that the Aquagear provides not only the filtration capacity (within the prescribed limits) but also allows for field cleaning which does not require me carrying extra pre filters when the first one is no longer useable.

From now on I will be carrying the Aquagear and if necessary Aquamira tablets for use when I am concerned about the real nasties which are not removed by either filter.

Ås till Åsleden

Just back from 5 days on the Ås till Åsleden in Skåne, Sweden. The Ås till Åsleden (Ridge to Ridge Trail) is part of the 1000 km long Skåneleden trail system which celebrates its 30 year anniversary this year. It was a great trip, but I must remember to check the hunting calendar next time, as my first day out coincided with the first day of Moose hunting season.

There will be more to come in the following days including reports on some gear including "How to entertain yourself on long dark nights", "My experiences with 2 water filtration systems", "Golite Shangri-La 3 first thoughts" and "Cooking with a small pot"