Over the summer, I put the Toaks titanium alcohol stove cook system with 700ml pot though the paces. Mainly while guiding in Muir’s “Range of Light.”
Though I limit my alcohol stove use and even backpacking stove use overall these days, an I still have an alcohol stove in my quiver.
Why do I still use an alcohol stove on occasion? Because I can fly with it (minus fuel), they work well for a quick solo trip when I want some hot food or drinks, and depending on the trip; sometimes I can procure the fuel easier vs. a canister stove. And when guiding with Andrew, he likes to show the clients something different from the canister stoves they might be familiar with overall; as I tend to say, just another tool in my kit that I like to use as appropriate.
From Amazon.
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When Toaks asked if I’d like to review one of their stove systems, I said “Sure. Why not?”
I went with the 700ml cookset as the size is enough for a solo meal, the cup doubled as a mug for hot drinks (get that classic Sierra cup look!), and the basic windscreen/pot stand with the stove itself allowed some versatility and increased wind protection for larger pots vs. their other windscreen.
At 5.5 oz, this complete set of a stove, pot, handles, spork, windscreen, and stove stand is about the same weight as the dirt bagger classic of the cat food can and Stanco grease pot combo. But it’s not the cookpot that impressed me; it is the stove itself.
And yet everything I use ends up looking dirt-bagger-esque. And I still insist on the Ziploc. Old habits and all that… 😉
I last purchased a more expensive backpacking cook pot sometime in the late 1990s with the MSR Alpine cook set.
Otherwise, I’ve been using thrift store pots, grease pots, or aluminum backpacking pots if I am feeling fancy. 🙂
So, how did I like using a non-dirt bagger pot? Well, it’s a titanium cook pot. It’s light, I boiled water, and the handles made using the pot easier than a separate pot grip or again a dirt bagger method of using a bandanna. And I did enjoy the utility of the pot drinking my evening tea. I also appreciated how well everything fit together so well (including a ti spork!) in a compact package.
From Toaks
And while the pot is light, well made…well, it is cooking pot for backpacking. Others might prefer titanium to aluminum for various reasons. But I am just boiling water at the end.
However, I am more impressed by the stove. The Toaks Siphon Stove puts out more heat while using less fuel than any other individual alcohol stove I used.
From Toaks
While in the Sierra, I consistently found I had to dial back the amount of fuel used overall. Over a three-day tip and a five-day trip, I made hot drinks for every meal, cooked twice a day and never ran out of fuel. And on the seven-day trip (again with multiple meals and hot drinks), if I ended up being more dialed-in with the stove itself, I would not have needed to use some extra fuel for the last batch of hot drinks. I can say I will use the Toaks Siphon Stove for my alcohol stove needs going forward. Though a Caldera stove is more efficient, it is a less versatile system and does not easily accommodate different sized pots or needs. I don’t like to be locked into one system. YMMV.
Overall: If you want a light titanium pot system, the 700 ml set works well for versatility. If you want more stability for cooking or a larger pot, check out the 900 ml system. However, if you don’t need a titanium pot or already have cookpot(s) you use, consider using the Siphon Stove. Thirty-five dollars for a well made, efficient, and high out alcohol stove is not expensive compared to other similar pieces of gear. I will use the Siphon Stove as my “go-to” alcohol stove going forward.
Disclosure: Toaks provided the stove system for my review at no cost.
I’m mostly a canister stove user, particularly on group trips or anytime my wife goes with me. She doesn’t like the fiddle factor of the alcohol stoves. But for solo use, I like the Caldera Cone and Flatcat Gear’s similar product for their stability. Flatcat Gear’s system has a bit more pot versatility compared to the Caldera Cone, where each cone is specifically designed to fit one pot diameter only. The bake/simmer ring for his alcohol stove also gives the system a wider range of cooking abilities compared to just boiling water. It’s interesting to see Toaks using a simple… Read more »
For me, no. But Toaks offers a different pot stand that works for larger pots.
PMags, could you elaborate on the following statement: “However, I am more impressed by the stove. The Toaks Siphon Stove puts out more heat while using less fuel than any other individual alcohol stove I used.” Are you referring to any other alcohol stove, manufactured or homemade, that you’ve tried? I’m having trouble understanding how this Toaks could be “more effecient” given that they’re all basically the same design. Doesn’t Tetkoba show how to make one virtually identical to this on his YouTube channel? I suppose the number and size of the jets could explain greater fuel effeciency, but how… Read more »
Simple: It puts out a lot of heat and boils my water quickly. I am not a gear wonk nor do I keep statistics from boils on my kitchen table. I did not measure the amount of actual heat; it is an observation based on how hot the flames might be. If you want more precise and quantified statistics measured in a controlled setting, I am afrqid I am not that person. I just know what worked for me in the field vs. Other stoves I used in the field. Ps. Sorry, not familiar with who or what Tetkoba might… Read more »
I also like the Toaks stove, but I use it with a heat exchanger pot. All that I’m interested in is boiling water, so I care about size, weight, simplicity and efficiency. The Toaks stove has done well for me.