Suggestions for white gas stove and pot lifter?

This past weekend some lowlife stole my MSR Dragonfly stove. They ignored the fuel bottle right next to it. They also went into my tent and took an old, torn pair of shorts... ignoring the Western Mountaineering sleeping bag and Big Agnes insulated air core pad. Thieves are idiots.

So I need a new stove. I have an alcohol stove for when I'm going ultralight, but I prefer white gas for expeditions and cold weather trips and car camping. The Dragonfly was a great stove... very reliable and simmered like a champ. Two drawbacks were the weight and loud roar at full throttle.

I'm thinking about getting a Simmerlite to replace the Dragonfly. I've cooked with one about 20 nights, so I'm familiar with them. They are quiet and relatively light and use fuel bottles I already own. They don't simmer very well, but better than a Whisperlite.

What do you all think? Other options to consider? I'm open to canister stoves, but it seems like I'll spend hundreds of dollars on canisters over the life of a stove. A one month trip with a white gas stove costs about $5 for fuel.

And one last thing. I need a pot lifter too. It was in the stolen stove bag. Should I just go with the standard MSR pot lifter? Get some titanium variant? Attempt to not spill my pasta on the ground while using a bandanna or mittens? Replace my ancient pots and get the kind that have folding handles built in? I need a solution that can reliably lift a full 2L pot.

Thanks very much for all your thoughts!

I have an MSR pot lifter that I have no use for. PM your address and it will be on its way later this week.

Sorry to hear about your loss. If you had the funds to pick up a DragonTamer cap for a Dragonfly, you'd have something. I know the guy who sells them on the bay of evil, but they normally go for more than the stove. I have one on my DF, so quiet and will simmer for a long time unattended closely. I'd have to think a little on a replacement stove. I have a used Brunton Nova and a pre-Nova stove the Optimus 11 Explorer with a regulated silent burner, unfortunately they are pretty rare and I got lucky to pick one up for my collection. I know many who have the setup for the Trangia stoves and associated windscreens/pot supports. That may be something to look at, although a bit bulky with all the windscreens then needing pots on top of that. I'm guessing you have a large pot for melting snow or for cooking for a group. I collect the older stoves, so I may not be much help with newer stoves, the DragonFly from 99 and my Nova being my newest models.
Duane

Potlifter--you can buy a generic one or use a pair of pliers or a Leatherman with pliers.

Bummer about the theft, but you should be thankful he doesn't know about Western Mountaineering!

Thanks to PerryMK at least I'm set for a potlifter. General purpose pliers tend to be lots heavier than special use pot lifters, and I've seen pliers bend aluminum pot rims.

Duane, do you recommend just keeping my eyes open for a specific older stove? I could make do with an old whisperlite that I have lying around until then. My assumption was that modern stoves like the simmerlite would be lighter than older stoves since that has been the trend with most gear. But if it isn't the case, I'm willing to wait for a good quality used stove.


Thanks All!

You mentioned spending more money for canisters than for gas, so I was guessing you did not want to use canisters. There are some very high powered Coleman isobutane type stoves that are discontinued. I never would have thought of them until I started collecting stoves. For small canister stoves I was given a non-working F1 Exponent, has more btu's than other brands of its type, then I also picked up a new F1 Exponent Power Boost stove that blows that one out of the water, it has around 23,900 btu's if I recall correctly. When I use the regular F1, I have to get my coffee stuff ready before I put the water on to heat up it is that fast. Off to clock in for work now. Later.
Duane

Oh yeah, I do want to avoid canister stoves. Just don't know by name which models are white gas, which are canister, which are alcohol, etc.

My DF is my newest MSR stove with the addition of a Superfly and a regular vintage WL, I have around 20 MSR stoves in my stove collection, mostly older models. Maybe someone else will come along with a suggestion, I have a lot of old kerosene burners too. Some of the newer stoves that do good have roarer burners, but some will simmer, although silent burners would simmer better. On my lunch break, so short of suggestions other than many like the small, super light canister stoves that have come out. Check out the Omnifuel and some like that one. I know I read about someones Primus and it was too loud and they were selling it. If you use the Simmerlite, try low pressure in the fuel bottle if you are not aware of that technique to simmer. On a group trip last winter with a new bunch of folks I went with, they used all Simmerlites, I had my DF to melt snow. For the cooking/melting they did, the Simmerlites were fine.
Duane