Best for simple meals for 1–2 people in harsh conditions

Plusses: Large and wide pot, solidly made, versatile
Minuses: Poorly fitting insulation sleeve

426g minimum, 510g with bag and cup

Features: The Alpine Pot Wide is an integrated burner stove with a large volume (1100ml) pot and piezo ignition. There is a heat exchanger that interlocks with the stove, and which, along with a security lid, makes the stove safer to use in a tent, on uneven ground or in windy conditions, because the pot cannot fall off the stove. A carry bag, small cup and adapter for using the stove with an ordinary billy are included.

Construction: This stove is well made from quality materials, and it feels more sturdy than my Jetboil, while having 100ml more pot volume and weighing roughly 60g more. It feels as though it will take the knocks and last a long time. Aside from the piezo ignition being quite exposed, there is little that could break.

Power: In my unscientific room temperature kitchen test, it took 170 seconds to bring 500ml of tap water to a rolling boil – which is fast, but still slower than an MSR Whisperlite or my old Jetboil Zip, which took 120 seconds. Perhaps more important than the stove power, though, is the heat exchanger and wind-defeating design of the burner unit, which will always make stoves of this sort more efficient than a standard canister stove.

In use: This type of stove is arguably the most versatile for a range of conditions. The fuel control allows easy simmering, and its adapter allows it to be used with any type of pot. It’s just as at home in a hut as it is clutched in your lap during a rainy lunch stop under the shelter of a boulder. I have often used mine in my well-ventilated tent, which is inadvisable with non-integrated or non-canister stoves. The wider 1100ml pot makes it easier to cook slightly more complicated meals than freeze dri. It’s a good stove for parties of two, but due to the pot’s depth, it’s still not ideal for cooking meals that might require a lot of stirring or sauteing. At its heart, it’s still basically a very efficient water boiler. My only gripe is that the pot’s insulation sleeve fitted poorly and would barely stay done up, but this is likely a quality control issue rather than a design flaw.

Value: For this class of stove, the Alpine Pot Wide is great value, albeit slightly less refined in its build.

Verdict: This stove will be appreciated by those who regularly go in a party of two, and for people after a good-value stove that can be operated in challenging conditions.