Primus EtaPackLite stove

by Andy Bowman

I want to start off by letting everyone know that I am very loyal to the gear that I use. For some reason I have never been the kind of person that just has to have the newest gizmo or hiking gear. Please do not get me wrong, I do like knew stuff, but I am pretty set in my ways.

One of my oldest and strongest instincts revolves around what type of stoves I am willing to use on the trail.  I have tried pretty much everything there is from white gas all the way down to home made alcohol stoves.  When the dust settled from my youthful experiments it was white gas stoves that had won the day.  Alcohol stoves came in second, but they are not really ’stovey’ enough for me. Canister stoves were dead last.

It took just one night at 12,000 feet in the Sierras with a nearly empty fuel canister, terrible winds, and a lukewarm pot full of crunchy trail food to convince me that I would never use one of the damned things again.

Guess what? The Primus EtaExpress stove arrived in the mail the other day and I have decided to rethink my outlook on canister stoves. The main reason is that in my view, Primus has taken the time to rethink them as well.

Primus EtaExpress Stove

The first part of this system (the EtaExpress is much more than just a stove) is the burner portion of the stove. It screws onto any size Primus LP gas cartridge, has three folding pot rests, and a pizo ignition system.  I like easy ways to light stove because I hate to get my fingers torched and having a built in way to light any stove is always a plus to me.

EtaExpress 1 liter pot and frying pan lid

Next thing that I found in the box was the EtaExpress 1 liter pot and frying pan lid.  Both have folding, rubber coated handles and fit together rather well. According to Primus the stove, canister (fuel cartridge), and windscreen all fit inside the pot.

Wait? Did I just type windscreen? I think I did. One of my biggest gripes about canister stoves was that windscreens were a big NO-NO because the canister could overheat.

EtaExpress Wind Screen

After a few minutes of handling all of the EtaExpress parts and getting over the initial worry that someone at Primus had a mind reading machine that they had been using on me, I started to get excited about this stove.

It appears that someone sat down, made a list of everything that everyone hates about canister stoves, and then put the EtaExpress together to solve the problems.  I really wanted to get everthing assembled so that I could see how it all fits together and to take a super cool picture to post, but I could not even find any brand of Propane/Isobutane cartridge around the house to use.  That was a bit of a downer for me, but I plan on getting a Primus cartridge sometime this week and taking this stove out on my weekend hike.

Most importantly, I am excited to see how well it works. My white gas stoves are probably plotting something at this point, but this looks like it could be the perfect system for me on those shorter weekend and day hikes. Now all I need is the chance to get out and see if my excitement keeps on going.

Another Update

I have been putting the Primus EtaExpress stove through the wringer over the last month.  It has mainly been used on my bird watching hikes and for mornings while I waited for my fishing trips to begin, but it has been used.

Everything All Packed Away

Something that really jumps out about this stove is the fact that it all goes in the Eta pot for a nice packable package.  I carry a shoulder bag (lumbar pack) when I day hike and bird watch which puts my space at a premium. I have to be able to get food/snacks, water, stove, pot, fuel, and binoculars into what little room I have. The EtaExpress stove really makes this much easier to do.

The temperatures here in Texas have been from about 80 F to over 100 F during the last month and the stove has worked wonderfully. I really regret that I will not be able to get it into the mountains to use it in more severe environment, but for Texas it is doing a great job.

One of the most satisfying times I have had with this stove was on a recent fishing trip to Lake Conroe, which is north of Houston. Five of us were waiting near the boat ramp at 4:00 a.m. and the other four gentlemen were griping about the boat being late and the fact that they should have stopped for coffee.  I laughed and told them to hang on because I have to deal with this ritualistic griping on every fishing trip.

Out came the Primus EtaExpress from the back of the car and it was quickly set up with on the ground with the windscreen facing the lake. There was a slight breeze coming off the lake so it was good to have some way to block it out.  Everyone gathered around as I turned the knob, and then flicked the igniter. The igniter has never failed to work which really makes me happy. No more fumbling for matches when all I have to do is turn the stove on and hit the igniter. There were some definite gasps of awe as the stove fired up and within two and a half minutes I have 40 ounces of boiling water. Once I added the coffee bags and let them soak, almost everyone had a round of hot coffee. I fired the stove up and finished off the second pot of coffee just as our friend and his boat arrived to take us out on the lake.

This scenario is what I really like about this stove.  It does not take up a lot of space and it boils water fast and easy, no matter where I am. I can get the stove assembled in just a minute or two and soon there after the water is boiling.

My personal style does not include a lot of gourmet cooking when I go outdoors. My time is usually limited and spending too much of it making something to eat or drink is a waste for me.  The Primus EtaExpress stove really addresses this issue pretty well. While I will not swear I love canister stoves, this one has so far proven pretty damned valuable in my world of being outdoors in a compressed time frame.

There is more to come, but so far this little cook system has impressed me. It fills a valuable role by being compact, easy to use, and fast.  If I wanted to do more than boil water for fast food and drinks, I am not sure how I would feel about the Primus EtaExpress, but I will save that little experiment for next time.

Back Again

ETA Express Stove Assembled

It seems like somewhere along the line I lost an update on this stove. I have been using it all summer for everything from dayhiking to making coffee before fishing trips.  This stove is so small and easy to use, I have carried it with me in my car everywhere I have went,  just in case I had an excuse to use it.

The compact nature of this stove has made carrying not only easy, but very convenient as well.  It takes up almost no space and with the windscreen, stove, and canister tucked into the pot, I do not have to worry about rounding up all the parts since they are or should all be already available.

In my last post I made a small error. Somewhere my small mind got wrapped around the amount of water I could put in the pot. It is not 40 ounces as I reported, but more like 30 ounces and if there is anything else in the pot (food and water) it is more like 25 ounces.

Still, even at 30, 28, or 25 ounces of water, I can get the contents of the pot to boil in only 2.5 minutes. This is one test that this cook system has met on pretty much every occasion that I have fired it up. Now the temperatures have ranged from 80 F to 100 F, but I am pretty sure that in colder weather it is still not going to take too long to boil water with this stove.

I have not burned through a full canister of fuel in years, but I have used this stove so much over the last couple of months that I am on now on canister number two.  I did want to use a Primus canister at some point, but I have not been able to get my hands on any, so I have been forced to use two other brands of canisters. The good news is that both brands work very well with this stove and finding fuel is rather easy because of it.

Pour Spout on Pot

One other thing that I reported on in my lost update was the pour spout on the pot.  While this little detail may not be important to everyone, the fact that I use this stove to  heat water for beverages that get poured into cups makes it very important to me. It is something that does not require too much extra effort from the manufacturer, but makes using the pot that much easier.  So  not only does it heat my water quickly, but I spill a lot less and that means I do not have to make extra beverages, which in turn saves fuel.

What I would love to see for this stove is some sort of hanging system. This would make it possible to use while standing or even on a boat.  Being able to safely use this while on a fishing trip would impress my fishing geek buddies even more and would definitely make me even more popular.

Overall, I feel that this stove was designed to address what most “canister stove haters” dislike.  It has a wind screen that is durable, easy to store, and most of all, WORKS. It lights quickly and easily with the auto-ignitor, and boils water FAST.

I have had on little issue with this stove that I worked out and it makes me feel a lot better about the Primus Eta Stove.  When I got back from a trip to Galveston, I washed the stove to prevent corrosion, but after a few days I pulled it out and tried to use it. The ignitor did not work and I had to resort to matches and I was more than a little annoyed.

My first impulse was to scream that the piezo ignitor had broken, but after testing it in the dark (I saw the spark) and putting my finger on it (I felt the spark) I knew that was not the case. I was all ready to change canisters when I read the instructions that came with the stove. I took the EtaExpress apart, cleaned the burner jet, and reassembled the stove in less than 20 minutes. PRESTO!!! It lit with one click of the button and I was happy.

While I have no problems tearing apart my white gas stoves, this was my first experience with a canister stove. The directions were easy to understand and they even listed the exact size of wrench (6 mm) that I would need to remove the burner jet.  Overall, this was a great experience. The only frustration I encountered was when the stove would not work and getting it fixed was pretty easy, even for someone with no tool skills.

I have really enjoyed working with this stove. I can see how it is going to be a favorite of mine when I go on short or spur of the moment trips. The entire system stays together, the pot is just the right size for me, and it does what I need (boil water) perfectly.  It also helped me make some huge strides toward trusting canister stoves again.  I would not hesitate to take this stove along on almost any trip I take.