Review: $8 Amazon backpack stove and GSI Halulite Kettle

This review is of the first backpacking stove I purchased a couple years back. I got it off amazon for about $8 and paired it with a $22 GSI aluminum kettle. This $30 combo has proved effective and reliable over the past 2 years or so, it has only recently been replaced by a JetBoil Zip for no other reason than I thought the JetBoil setup is “neat”.

Specifications
Street price $31.40
Combo Weight w/o gas 284g
Combo Weight w/ gas 480g
Energy output (kW) 3.5
Energy output (BTU/hr) 11942
As tested fuel consumption 100g consumed in 12 minutes
Pack volume 91.89 Cubic Inches
Graduated Markings None
Advertised capacity 1 quart (32 ounces)
Instructions (pdf) N/A

The kettle is made by GSI out of “Halulite”. GSI claims the Halulite aluminum allow is as light as titanium but conducts heat better and more evenly. It sports a hard anodized finish that resists scratches. The lid handle and bale are coated in a silicone like material that does a pretty good job at insulating your hands from the heat. The lid is very secure, if not a little hard to get off without burning your self. The detent that keeps the bale upright is a bit stiff but has loosened up some with use.

The stove doesn’t have a brand name, I assume its made in china and is probably a copy of a brand name stove. It has some pretty good reviews on Amazon. Overall I think its an amazing stove for the price, its very light and compact. It was not built to exacting standards, the pot supports don’t all touch the pot (see pictures below) but amazingly its pretty darn stable even with the full 32 ounce kettle sitting on it. A great upgrade would be to get a JetBoil canister foot. The output is pretty impressive at almost 12,000 BTU. I have noticed that the flame is stronger to one side but when boiling water that doesn’t seem to matter much. If you are using a frying pan you may want to keep an eye out for hot spots.

In my tests I was able to boil 16 ounces of water in around 2:45 seconds with an air temp of 65 degrees. It did 8 ounces in about 1:10 in the same air temp. I did not get a time for a full 32 ounce kettle.

The theoretical fuel consumption should be 100g of fuel (6615 BTU) in 33.23 minutes. This would suggest that a small 100g canister should be able to boil 16 ounces around 12 times for a total of 6 quarts.

As tested fuel consumption was lower, I boiled a total of 24 ounces in my tests (about 3 min total burn time) and the stove consumed 25g of fuel. That gives us a burn rate of 7.2 seconds per gram of fuel. That suggests a full 100g canister should be consumed in 12 minutes, that would give us the capability to boil 16 ounces about 4.3 times. Admittedly that doesn’t sound right but its what the numbers show. There is liquid fuel lost every time you attach and detach the stove from the canister so I am sure that plays into this number. If you are not quick with the canister change you will loose more fuel. However, this stove does put out a ton of heat (11942 BTU) which does equate to fuel consumption.

Fuel canister weight

  • Before Test: 196g
  • After Test: 171g

Despite the fuel consumption if you are looking into getting into backpacking and don’t want to invest a ton of money into your kit this is the way to go. The stove has been reliable and the price cant be beat. The kettle is great and can even be used on a regular stove, I keep it in my RV because of its low weight compared to traditional stove top kettles. In my opinion a bug out bag is not complete without this $8 stove and a couple of gas canisters.

Bottom Line
Pros

  • Low cost combination
  • Reliable function
  • Kettle holds a lot of water, you could make an MRE and still have enough hot water for coffee
  • Stove has built in piezo ignitor that has functioned flawlessly

Cons

  • As tested fuel economy is low
  • No graduated markings in kettle means you must use another vessel for measuring
  • Stoves pot supports are all different heights
  • Flame is stronger to one side
  • More susceptible to wind than a Jet Boil

Amazingly stable considering the supports don't all touch

Amazingly stable considering the supports don’t all touch


The supports almost all touch

The supports almost all touch


Get in your home! Stove and 100g canister fit perfectly.

Get in your home! Stove and 100g canister fit perfectly.


Stove folded up

Stove folded up


Unfolded

Unfolded


DSC00206-sm


Leave a Reply

best blogs
best blogs