As nice as it is to be able to cook a hot meal on a backpacking adventure, the means to do so can be limited if you don’t come prepared. I always used to rely on building campfires for food until it started raining during one of my camping trips. From then on, I always found that it was best to pack a portable stove with a flame that is easier to control.
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The Olicamp stove is just one of many micro stoves available that can make your cooking experience much more convenient on a camping excursion.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Micro Stove
Consider this scenario you are camping in a secluded area that strictly emphasizes the importance of no-trace backpacking. Wanting to minimize the mess you leave behind, you decide to pack foods that can be eaten whole upon being cooked. However, you forget to pack a stove and decide that cooking over a campfire would be the best alternative method.
Today, micro stoves are proving to be more beneficial than traditional campfires regarding cooking food. They are easier on your equipment, provide a stable flame, and minimize the mess you’ll leave behind. While these might seem like trivial factors, easy, efficient cooking can make your camping experiences more enjoyable.
Not only do you have to go through the trouble of gathering the proper material for building a campfire, but making one hardly constitutes camping without leaving a trace. Any potential cleanup is something to take into consideration before deciding to purchase a camping stove. Once you’ve made the decision to buy one, consider the ideal type of fuel, how light you need it to be, and the type of stove that suits you best.
A Look at the Olicamp Stove
The Olicamp Ion Micro Titanium Stove includes the essential functions for any suitable camping stove. It is lightweight, screws on perfectly to standard fuel canisters, and can support cooking equipment designed specifically for camping. What makes this particular stove stand out is that it is made of titanium.
Titanium is an incredibly lightweight metal with incredible durability. The foldable arms of the Olicamp make it possible for you to cook virtually anything, regardless of the size of your pots and pans! When you are finished cooking, the stove folds up neatly for easy carrying.
Pros:
- The Olicamp can be used with compatible fuel canisters, not just ones manufactured by Olicamp.
- It’s very lightweight and portable for a fuel canister stove.
- Assembly and disassembly is simple and only takes a couple of minutes.
Cons:
- It’s compact size and collapsible pot supporting arms make it easy to lose.
- Limited flame-regulating features.
- Fuel canisters can sometimes fail in unideal camping conditions.
- Consumable fuel can run out without you knowing until it is too late.
Benefits and Features
Durable and Portable
Being able to carry your equipment efficiently should be a prerequisite for buying any piece of camping equipment. This means that you want your micro stove to be light as well as portable. The Olicamp Ion Micro Titanium Stove meets both standards with a foldable set of arms that can easily support a decent-size pot for boiling.
The fact that this stove can fold down into a collapsible, easily storable position makes it seem like the ideal camping stove right off the bat. Olicamp designed this stove in a user-friendly way to avoid unneeded features that may hinder the user’s experience. Even though this stove consists only of the unit itself (no ignition switch, regulator valve, etc.), its strength and size make up for its simple design.
For a camping stove that only includes a screw-on base and collapsible cooking arms, the fact that it consists of titanium alloy metal makes all the difference in its size and weight. The Olicamp Ion Micro Titanium Stove puts emphasis on strength and portability with this stove and delivers on this promise well.
Versatile Canister Use
While it’s recommended to use canisters that are distributed by the same manufacturer as your stove, it isn’t necessary to use your stove with them. As you can tell from the picture below, it is possible to hook up the Olicamp stove to a foreign fuel canister. Keep in mind that if you decide to do this, however, that the fuel you buy needs to be compatible with your stove.
Before purchasing any portable camping stove, consider the type of fuel that you want it to burn. Each standard fuel has its pros and cons both regarding cooking performance and environmental friendliness. Many conventional fuel canisters, including those designed for the Olicamp stove, consist of a mixture of propane and butane.
It’s recommended to buy fuel canisters manufactured by Olicamp since you know it will have exactly what your stove needs. However, if you know your fuels and precisely what you are looking for, you should be fine using other brands. If the threads on your butane/propane canister match those on the Olicamp and have the right proportion of fuels, your stove should be good to go.
Easy to Cook With
The Olicamp stove is so easy to cook with since there is so little to figure out about it. To begin cooking, simply screw the stove into the appropriate fuel canister, fold up the collapsible titanium arms, turn the fuel on, and light near the top of the stove. The wide-spreading arms allow for heat to spread to all corners of your cooking equipment, saving you fuel and minimizing your cooking time.
Perhaps what is even easier than cooking with the Olicamp is setting it up and breaking it down. When all you need to do is screw and unscrew a couple of components together, you have your work cut out for you.
Anything which requires boiling or heating in a small pot is perfect for the Olicamp. While the stove might be able to withstand a decent amount of weight, a lighter cooking load will make your stove go much further. This stove makes setup, cleanup, and cooking much easier and efficient when you’re out in nature.
Alternatives Worth Looking At
Oilcamp vs MSR MicroRocket
Regarding simplicity and affordability, the Oilcamp stove holds a couple of advantages over the MSR MicroRocket. They offer versatility regarding the fuel they can attach to as long as they are connected to canisters with compatible butane/propane mixtures.
The MicroRocket also comes with a handheld ignitor and has a faster boil time than the Olicamp. If you don’t mind carrying some matches and waiting an extra minute for the stove to heat up, the Olicamp still offers reasonable quality for its cost.
Pros:
- The MSR comes with a separate portable ignitor.
- Boil time (3.5 minutes) is faster than the Olicamp stove’s (4.3 minutes).
- Compatible with other brands of fuel canisters.
- Can be lit with external flame sources if ignitor fails.
- Wind resistant.
Cons:
- MicroRocket is heavier than Olicamp
- MicroRocket is slightly more expensive than the Olicamp.
- MicroRocket is less compact than the Olicamp
Oilcamp vs. Etekcity Stove
The Etekcity stove is a less costly and more versatile option the Olicamp cooking stove. The stove itself comes included with a built-in Piezo ignition switch for quick and easy lighting and is compatible with any propane/butane combination canisters with a 7/16 thread. Even in the event of a faulty ignition switch occurring, manual lighting is always an option.
For those looking to save a few dollars while gaining some extra features, the Etekcity might hold some advantages over the Olicamp. However, the Olicamp is made of titanium material whereas the Etekcity stove is made of aluminum alloy. While both materials are great for conducting and spreading heat, titanium tends to be far more durable and lighter.
Pros:
- The Etkicity stove comes with a built-in Piezo switch.
- The Etekicity is less expensive.
- Versatile fuel canister options.
Cons:
- The Etkicity is made of heavier, less durable material.
- Built-in ignition can be a vulnerability in rough camping conditions.
- Slower boil time than the Olicamp.
Conclusion
The Olicamp Ion Micro Titanium Stove is a simple yet innovative piece of equipment that takes the struggle of cooking out of camping. As long as you have a source of fire and the proper fuel canister, this micro stove makes a great piece of camping equipment for those who simply want to cook a quick bite to eat and continue with their adventures in the outdoors.
