Price:
$134.90
Our Rating:
This is a nifty little burner with a clip-off pot support that allows the stove to be packed down for safe and compact transport.
When I first took it out on a camp, I used old, partially-filled gas cartridges. Even though the pressure in these was low, and with the wind howling, I still managed to boil a 1-litre billy in just a few minutes. It did so well, it sucked my cartridges dry in no time.
This is a point to consider when using the Soto – it’s not tardy when it comes to gas usage; it will take all it can get to put out the heat, so make sure you watch it, as it boils a pot so quickly you can easily waste gas if you’re not ready to turn it off.
On a three-day trip up the Rangitata, three of us cooked all our meals on the Windmaster. We found it simmered nicely and will boil that all important cuppa in about 3min, even with the pot lid off.
It also has a nice fold-away burner control lever and, best of all, an igniter, which works even in the wind. It comes with a carry sac and an interchangeable pot support which can be purchased separately for bigger pots.
The clip on pot support, while it works well, may, in time, prove to be a little flimsy, so it needs to be treated with care and stored carefully; however the fabric storage sac it comes with is too flimsy to protect it. The heat output is an impressive 11000BTU and the windshield factor is achieved by using a fully cupped heat reflector directly beneath the burner which impedes the effect of wind on the flame. In addition, the direct straight coupling of the burner head to the gas bottle allows gas to pass through efficiently for immediate flame control.
All up it weighs only 67g. This stove is a real find, one I cannot rate highly enough. The performance is stunning and gas usage is conservative.