Bear Bones Ultralight 22g Meths Stove

£18.00

While compressed gas cookers are undoubtedly more immediate, controllable and easy to use, there are moving parts to break, extra weight, waste, cost and eco considerations. Meths cookers on the other hand have no moving parts, relying on smart design to heat/pressurise the liquid fuel and emit jets of flame.

At 50mm wide the Bear Bones cooker easily supports a 450ml mug at 90mm diameter, with a maximum recommendation of 150mm-wide vessels.

A 30ml helping of fuel burns for about 10 minutes, so filling the provided 100ml bottle to the brim (155g) gives you half an hour's water heating for 199g. Reviewer Mike Stead measured about six minutes to heat 450ml of ambient-temperature water (about 15°C) to a rolling boil, and about three minutes to 'hot enough for coffee/tea' temperature. So that 200g kit is good for about 10 brew-ups.

Overall, for £18 the Bear Bones Meths Stove is a great bit of kit if all you need to do is heat water. The component parts split up easily amongst different bags for ultra-light, compact setups if space is at a premium. You can ditch the windshield if you know you'll use it in sheltered conditions, and if it's just a day trip or overnight you might only half-fill the fuel bottle.