Gear Trip Report- Stove System - Chris Townsend

"I've used the Ti-Tri system on long walks for over a decade now....it's simple to operate....ultralight, windproof"

Page 108 - Réchauds alternatifs ultralégers - Johan Andre

"The Sidewinder is something to dream of on paper. In the field he does not disappoint."

Read Full Review Here

Chapter 3 - Camping, Food, and Water - this text by Steve McClure

"These featherweights...are the standard for longdistance hikers, for example, on the Pacific Crest Trail"

Gear Comparitive Review - Stoves - Chris Townsend

"I've used many meths burners over the years. This is by far the best."

Spritbrenner- Randulf Valle

[Editors note:] To be completely honest, I do not read Norwegian so can't accurately summarize what this article says but have it on good authority it says nice things!

The Ultimate guide to lightweight winter camping, hiking and backpacking- Justin Lichter & Shawn Forry

"....for alcohol stove use....by far the most efficient model on the market is the Trail Design's Caldera Cone" (page 48)

"Trail Design's Gram Cracker stove is about as light as you can get.... at 3 grams...." (page 49)

Read Page 48, Page 49, Page 50

Cooking Systems - Skurka's Picks - Andrew Skurka

"When traveling solo in three-season conditions, I rely mostly on [the Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti-Tri] alcohol system I have dubbed 'The Cadillac'. This premium setup is extremely light, fuel-efficient, and durable."

Yosemite to Death Valley - The Gear - Chris Townsend

"For cooking I took the same tried and trusted system that I'd used on ....many other walks, namely the Trail Designs Classic Ti-Tri plus Inferno...."

A Pro's Guide to Your Most Practical and Portable Survival Kit - James Morgan Ayres

"The Trail Designs caldera Cone system is very lightweight and.....generates much more heat than the Trangia......We are currently using an alcohol stove system from Trail Designs and have found it  to work very well."

Read Review on Page 95

Read Review on Page 136

Top Hill Kit Goes Head to Head - Graham Thompson

"Ideal for ultralight backpacking in the hands of those who will treat it with the respect it deserves..."

The Season's Best Gear - Winter Guide: Camp Kitchen

"Most people don't think you can use alcohol stoves in the winter, but with the Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti-Tri Stove System, Justin "Trauma" Lichter and his partner Shawn "Pepper" Forry were able to sustain their 131-day [winter PCT traverse] trek on denatured alcohol, even in temps well below 0° F"

5 backpackers' stoves - Chris's favourite options for camp cooking - Chris Townsend

"The Trail Designs Ti-Tri ... is very much my favourite stove.....The design is simple but ingenious..."

Outdoor Cooker - The Right Burner for the Next Tour - Hendrik Morkel

"The Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti-Tri has accompanied me safelyon most of my tours..."

Camping Stoves - Comparitive Review - Chris Townsend

"I like the foolproof design, the windproof cone and the ultralight weight...the Fissure Ti-Tri is designed to pack inside your pot.....by splitting the cone into two interlocking sections."

Gear Experts - 5 Key Items You Rely On - Liz Thomas
"Keg F....It's stable and sturdy, efficient, and packs conveniently." Page 129

Gear Experts - 5 Key Items You Rely On - Dave Lintern
Trail Designs Ti-Tri Stove:  Page 130

Gear Lightweight Favourites- 10 of the best - Chris Townsend
"Windproof, easy to use and ultralight, this stove unit has seen more use that any other in recent years...."
2-page Cover shot
Page 135

BMC's Summit

What the Pro Takes - Long Distance Walking - Chris Townsend

"Ultralight, windproof and compact, this stove runs on meths, solid fuel or wood. I used it on both the Pacific Northwest Trail and the Scottish Watershed"   

Read Review on Page 18

For Your Consideration - Bikepacking - Ted Smiley

"The Fissure also completely collapses so it can be stored inside a small cooking pot and easily brought along on my excursions."   

Read Review on Page 28

The Backpacking Issue - Special Edition

From the Experts - 5 key items of kit - Chris Townsend

Trail Designs Caldera Ti-Tri Inferno Read the Review on Page 41

From the Experts - 5 key items of kit -Keith Foskett
"One item that has stayed with me for nearly 5 years is my Trail Designs Caldera Cone": Page 42

Lighter, Faster, Stronger - Recent UL Developments and the Future
"I've used the ....Caldera Ti-Tri Inferno on my last two long distance walks.": Page 50

One Swedish Summer - Mark Waring's 1000 mile Swedish backpack
"Mark mostly carried lightweight kit from American cottage industry manufacturers including the Trail Designs Ti-Tri stove": Pages 59 and 60

Cooking On The Move - How to choose your stove

• Cover Shot of Caldera Cone in action: Pages 88 and 89
• Meths - "...my favourite by far is the Trail Designs Caldera Cone": Page 90
• Solid Fuel & Wood - "Trail Designs Ti-Tri can be used with wood which I did frequently on the Pacific Northwest Trail...": Page 91
• Chris's Choices - "Currently my first choice for long-distance walks is the Trail Designs Caldera Ti-Tri": Page 91

Backpack Magazine
Caldera Cone Gear Review - Ted Smiley

"In use on the trip I was very impressed with the performance in all weathers.....It will be my cooker of choice on future trips."   
     Review: Page 15

Scottish Watershed - Gear Report

"Stove choice was ..... the Caldera Ti-Tri Inferno.  This stove works really well in windy weather and is quite fuel efficient.....The Ti-Tri was the same one I'd used on the Pacific Crest Trail so I knew it worked well and was durable."   

Review: Page 47

Boiling water the lightest way possible

"Caldera Keg..... which is the lightest spirit burner and the lightest burner in this review - is the most weight efficient when it comes to boiling limited amounts of water."

(translated provided.....sorry no scan of actual article)

Comparitive Review - Cooking Systems

"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

Caldera Keg and Ti-Tri Sidewinder Review

".....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)

TGO Challenge Trip+Gear Report - Chris Townsend (Editor)

"...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

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

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

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

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)

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

Camping Stoves - Gear Review

"....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

Written and Illustrated by Mike Clelland!

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

75 Days of Testing - Chris Townsend's Pacific Northwest Trail Gear Report

"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

TGO Gear Special - TGO writers choose their all-time favorites

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

Planning a hike on the Pacific Northwest Trail - Chris Townsend

"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

Less is More

"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

From the editors of BACKPACKER Magazine

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

Article by Aaron Teasdale- Riding Loaded

"....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

Mine's a Large One - Beer Can Pot/Stove Review

"....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

On Test - Wood Burning Stoves

"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)

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Stoves - The Finalists - Best for Lightweight

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

Article by Alan Dixon- Extreme Ultralight in the Blue Ridge Mountains

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

Article by Cameron McNeish- Five Favourite Things

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

Chris Townsend review -TGO Best Buy

"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

Ultralight Camp Stove

"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

2007 Ultralight Handbook
Kristin Hostetter - Backpacker Magazine - Gear Editor

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

Chris Townsend review -TGO Best Buy

"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