Reviews of Trail Designs in the Press

"The Caldera Cone is an ingenious design that surrounds the burner with an ultralight windshield into which the pot fits so most of the heat is retained inside.....It has become one of my favourite stoves."
     Intro: Page 90
     Review: Page 91

".....weight wise this system is a home-run and not just for long trips.  Imagine how much of a weight difference this will make on day hikes."
     Original article - Page 58 and 59 (in Norwegian)

"...I took the same Caldera Ti-Tri Inferno stove unit I'd used on the Pacific Northwest Trail.....I used the stove in the doorway of the Trailstar and it worked well regardless of the weather, the cone being an excellent windshield."
     Original article - Page 33

2013 - Petersen's Hunting
Annual Gear Guide
Editor's Choice - Sidewinder Ti-Tri

"It's nearly weightless, shields the flame from wind, increases efficiency, and stores inside the short/fat pot of your choice.....it may be the coolest, lightest and most unique outfit out there."
      
     Review - Page 58

TrailGroove
Issue 1 - Mar/Apr 2012
Review of the Trail Designs Ti-Tri Sidewinder

"...a well crafted reliable product that has few, if any competitors....you'll be hard pressed to find a better alcohol stove system, and we feel you'll be satisfied if you choose the (Ti-Tri) Sidewinder system for your cooking needs."
     Review - page 45
   

The Last Englishmen
Hiking 2,650 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Keith Foskett

"There was one piece of gear I didn't want to compromise on and that was a stove.  Trail Designs' Caldera Cone System is fantastic.   It is beautifully simple, light, efficient, well-constructed and bulletproof."
     Page 313 - available now at Create Space
   

April 2011 - Opdag Verden Magazine (Danish)
Equipment Testing - Ultralight Innovation
Volcano From Yosemite!

"One can find many burners that can cook a half liter of water in three minutes but this is the coolest that weighs 63 grams and folds smaller than a coke bottle.  Trail Designs own thumping Caldera brand is more fun.... and more modern than anything on the market and we love it already."
     Review - Page 52 (article in Danish)
   

August 2011 - TGO Magazine
Cooking Systems for Lightweight Backpacking - Chris Townsend
TGO - Best Buy
TGO - Recommended

"Caldera Cone stove systems have been my favourites for several years now.   This model is the one I used on the Pacific Northwest Trail Last summer......"
     Intro - Page 98
     Review - Page 101

"....Caldera’s cone captures and maximizes heat from three potential sources: wood, alcohol, and esbit (a solid fuel tablet)......this versatile system requires much less fuel than petroleum-based systems so it’s more weight-efficient for backpacking.."
     Online review here

"Another system for maximizing efficiency is the amazing Caldera Cone system......Highly recommended."
     Scan of relevant area on Page 99

"The Caldera Ti-Tri Inferno stove was one of the great successes of the walk as I really enjoyed using it."
     Original article - Page 85

Caldera Cone Stove System
".....after years of using petroleum fuel and cartridge stoves I've returned to meths for long distance walks. This is due to the ingenious Caldera Cone...."
     Equipment Editor Chris Towsend article - page 5 800K

Trail Designs Caldera Keg
"This cooking system is particulary unusual....because it ousted my lighter homemade beer can stove system from my kit list. It managed this unprecedented feat by being the most powerful and fantastically efficient meths stove system I've ever used."
     Ultralightweight Specialist Eddy Meechan article - page 10 900K

"I've been impressed with the Caldera Cone stove unit in recent years.... However wood will be the easiest fuel to find for most of the walk so a wood-burning stove would be a good idea. As there may be places with no sticks and for when rain makes a wood stove impractical I've decided on a Caldera Ti-Tri Inferno...."

Original article - pages 74-75
Original article - page 76

"Record holder.....the Caldera Keg from Trail Designs, is the lightest stove system on the market."

Original article (in German) - page 98 450K
Original article (in German) - page 99 550K

Caldera Kitchen
"This alcohol stove system has it all: utter simplicity. Wispy weight. An ingenious packing system.....But what makes the Caldera unique is the way the system is integrated: The aluminum windscreen forms a rigid cone which supports (the) pot perfectly suspended over the burner - and efficiently captures the alcohol's BTU's."

Original article - page 6 300K

"Caldera Cone and Stove - 4 stars - Add on a dedicated kettle and this is perfect for super light backpacking."

Original article - page 109 700K

"It's incredibly efficient, it's ultralight, and I think for meths stoves it's absolutely brilliant."

Video Article

"....Caldera Keg-F Alcohol Stove System. At 6 ounces, this is the simplest, slickest, most efficient ultralight stove system available."

Original article - page 37 1MB

"....on longer trips and on occasions when it's particularly windy The Caldera Keg has proven itself to be outstanding......"

Original article - page 100 900 K - page 102 1MB

"While not designed primarily as a wood stove, the Ti-Tri works pretty well with a fire inside. The cone does the same windshield, chimney and pot support job as with a meths burner. The weight is very low and the cone is more flexible and easier to use than the standard version. One could say that this is the luxury Caldera Cone."

Original article - pages 107-110 900 K (PDF file)

"It's a remarkable piece of kit......if you want to travel ultralight it is probably one of the best things you are going to find."

Trail Magazine Video Review

Trail Designs Caldera Cone Stove
"This is a remarkable product. It's based around a tiny meths stove that weighs only 16g.....(and) the addition of the Caldera Cone transforms the performance by acting as a windshield, supporting the pan and funnelling the heat to the base of it......The whole cook set (with MSR Kettle) weighs in at 180g which is lighter than most burners! It's neat and compact too making it ideal for ultralight backpacking."

Original article - page 78 83 K

Alan Dixon does a sub-5 pound FSO trip and includes the Caldera!
"The light weight and high fuel efficiency of the Caldera system is hard to beat.....Weight of the whole system, including fuel bottle (less fuel) was around 3 ounces."

Original article - page 82 760 K
Picture of the gear - page 80 840 K

Caldera Cone Stove
"Another relative newcomer to my gear shed but I wonder how I managed without it for so many years. This super-duper lightweight meths stove is the modern equivalent of my old, and much-cherished, Trangia stove."

Original article - page 81 250 K

"Last July I reviewed the original version of this stove and gave it a Best Buy. The latest version is even better and weighs 12 grams less as the material is lighter....the new one has a dovetial join that slides together (and) the air slots now only run along one side..... The combination of stability, light weight, fuel efficiency and wind resistance makes the Caldera Stove the best meths stove for backpacking in my opinion, suitable for any length of trip any time of year."

Original article - page 84 480 K

"The Caldera Cone Stove System from Trail Designs is an ultralight, fuel-efficient alcohol stove system. It is stable, wind resistant and weighs less than two ounces.....The Caldera Cone fits most popular titanium pots and mugs and functions as a combined pot stand, windscreen and heat exchanger. It is easy to disassemble and pack."

Original article - page 54 321 K

Caldera Kitchen
"This alcohol stove system has it all: utter simplicity. Wispy weight. An ingenious packing system.....But what makes the Caldera unique is the way the system is integrated: The aluminum windscreen forms a rigid cone which supports (the) pot perfectly suspended over the burner - and efficiently captures the alcohol's BTU's."

Original article - page 83 2703 K

"I'm impressed with the Caldera Cone Stove system. It's easy to use, efficient in cold and windy weather and ultralight. I'll certainly be using it in the future. I recon it's the best meths stove around at present."

Original article - page 104 411K

For her April 2007 attempt to do the 3300 mile Alpine Challenge, Judy Armstrong chose the Caldera Cone system for her food prep. This article in TGO discusses her gear (only supplying the page that mentioned the Caldera). You can also read more about the plan on her website.

Original article - page 95 881k