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#160968 - 01/23/12 03:45 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
Jim,

based on the cone I have I would need the larger sized Ziploc container. The one in your picture looks like a medium. So far I haven't found a large container made by Ziploc

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#160972 - 01/23/12 05:07 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
How tall is your cone?

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#161008 - 01/24/12 08:42 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
I don't have it with me but it sticks out of the Medium size ziploc container (like the one in your picture) by 1/2" to 1"

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#161023 - 01/24/12 10:53 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
Originally Posted By Ewker
I don't have it with me but it sticks out of the Medium size ziploc container (like the one in your picture) by 1/2" to 1"
That sounds normal. Mine sticks out 5/8". I then fit the lid of the Ziploc over the rim of the cone. It's sufficient protection.

My Caldera Cone in a Ziploc container:


I examine the various options in What "Color" is your Caldera? if you're interested.

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#161029 - 01/24/12 11:39 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
I hadn't noticed that picture showing your cone sticks out of the container. That looks about how far mine is sticking out. I will have to double check once I get home to see if it fits inside the top like you show.

I do like the Ziploc container more than the one that comes with the cone. If my foster pot set will fit in that one I will swap it out


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#161119 - 01/25/12 04:18 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
It works pretty well even though it sticks out. The Ziploc is a better fit in my opinion for a rolled cone, the Ziploc is easier to clean, and of course the Ziploc is cheap. smile

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#161454 - 01/30/12 09:06 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
Lat night I finally got around to try out the cone and stove with my pot. I noticed that the pot is a little hard placing it in the cone. I had to put the pot in the cone then sit it all over the stove. Does this get easier the more you use it?

The pot we use is a 1650ml which is for 2 of us. I put 3 cups of cold water (from the fridge) in the pot. I read the direction which calls for 15 to 20ml of fuel for 2 cups of water. I put 30ml of fuel in the stove and fired it up. I place the cone/pot over the stove and waited. The water never got to a boil. It got hot but not boiling. I wanted to try it again with 40ml of fuel but we had the grandkids dropped off so I had to stop. Hopefully I can get out there tonight to see if the 40ml of fuel will work.

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#161487 - 01/30/12 10:35 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
Originally Posted By Ewker
Lat night I finally got around to try out the cone and stove with my pot. I noticed that the pot is a little hard placing it in the cone. I had to put the pot in the cone then sit it all over the stove. Does this get easier the more you use it?

The pot we use is a 1650ml which is for 2 of us. I put 3 cups of cold water (from the fridge) in the pot. I read the direction which calls for 15 to 20ml of fuel for 2 cups of water. I put 30ml of fuel in the stove and fired it up. I place the cone/pot over the stove and waited. The water never got to a boil. It got hot but not boiling. I wanted to try it again with 40ml of fuel but we had the grandkids dropped off so I had to stop. Hopefully I can get out there tonight to see if the 40ml of fuel will work.
It's a little bit fiddly to get the pot into the cone, but you get used to it. In some ways it's nice since I can pick up my pot and cone as a unit by just grabbing the handles on the pot. I can move it over as a unit and use my Sierra cup to snuff the flames out.

I usually figure about 25ml of HEET for 500ml of water. Usually less works, particularly if I'm using a higher ethanol content fuel, but 25ml always gets two cups to boil. 35ml will probably work for you, and 40ml should definitely do it.

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#161879 - 02/09/12 01:11 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: ringtail]
QiWiz Offline
newbie

Registered: 02/06/12
Posts: 11
Loc: NE Ohio
I'm a big fan of the Caldera Cone. Have migrated to the Ti-Tri versions so that I can use a twig fire as backup if I run out of alcohol or Esbit, or if I am melting snow in the winter. I have two, one that fits my larger 1.3L Evernew and one that fits my Stanco aluminum greasepot (and also fits a 900ml Evernew BTW).
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#161924 - 02/09/12 10:28 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: QiWiz]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
Originally Posted By Rob Kelly
I'm a big fan of the Caldera Cone. Have migrated to the Ti-Tri versions so that I can use a twig fire as backup if I run out of alcohol or Esbit, or if I am melting snow in the winter. I have two, one that fits my larger 1.3L Evernew and one that fits my Stanco aluminum greasepot (and also fits a 900ml Evernew BTW).
Hi, Rob,

I tried out a Ti version for the first time a few weeks ago. It was really nice to be able to use wood.

The Ti-Tri Caldera Cone



HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#164782 - 04/09/12 10:43 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
Originally Posted By Ewker
Lat night I finally got around to try out the cone and stove with my pot. I noticed that the pot is a little hard placing it in the cone. I had to put the pot in the cone then sit it all over the stove. Does this get easier the more you use it?

The pot we use is a 1650ml which is for 2 of us. I put 3 cups of cold water (from the fridge) in the pot. I read the direction which calls for 15 to 20ml of fuel for 2 cups of water. I put 30ml of fuel in the stove and fired it up. I place the cone/pot over the stove and waited. The water never got to a boil. It got hot but not boiling. I wanted to try it again with 40ml of fuel but we had the grandkids dropped off so I had to stop. Hopefully I can get out there tonight to see if the 40ml of fuel will work.


after using the Caldera Cone this weekend I am not impressed with it. It took 70ml of fuel to boil 40 ounces of water. That is not effective IMO. I will be cooking for two people so I am beginning to think a canister stove is going to be the best option for us.

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#164810 - 04/09/12 08:15 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
Originally Posted By Ewker
after using the Caldera Cone this weekend I am not impressed with it. It took 70ml of fuel to boil 40 ounces of water. That is not effective IMO. I will be cooking for two people so I am beginning to think a canister stove is going to be the best option for us.
That's odd. That seems unusually high for a Caldera Cone.

I use a Caldera Cone with a 850ml MSR Titan kettle with a tight lid. I can easily boil 16 fl oz of water with 18ml of green denatured alcohol or 24ml of HEET. Proportionally, it should only take about 45ml - 60ml to boil 40 fl oz of water, depending on what kind of fuel you're using. Your fuel usage sounds a little high.

What kind of fuel are you using? Do you have any photos of your set up in use?

You're boiling 5 cups at a time (1.25 qt) it sounds like. That is a bit more than the average alcohol stove user. Usually, when I boil that much at once I take a stove that uses a petroleum based fuel.

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#164843 - 04/10/12 10:23 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
Originally Posted By Hikin Jim
Originally Posted By Ewker
after using the Caldera Cone this weekend I am not impressed with it. It took 70ml of fuel to boil 40 ounces of water. That is not effective IMO. I will be cooking for two people so I am beginning to think a canister stove is going to be the best option for us.
That's odd. That seems unusually high for a Caldera Cone.

I use a Caldera Cone with a 850ml MSR Titan kettle with a tight lid. I can easily boil 16 fl oz of water with 18ml of green denatured alcohol or 24ml of HEET. Proportionally, it should only take about 45ml - 60ml to boil 40 fl oz of water, depending on what kind of fuel you're using. Your fuel usage sounds a little high.

What kind of fuel are you using? Do you have any photos of your set up in use?

You're boiling 5 cups at a time (1.25 qt) it sounds like. That is a bit more than the average alcohol stove user. Usually, when I boil that much at once I take a stove that uses a petroleum based fuel.

HJ


I am using denatued alcohol and the pot I use is a Titanium 1650ml pot. This pot is larger than what most people use but I am cooking/boiling water for 2 people.

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#164845 - 04/10/12 11:18 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
Is it a tall, narrow pot?

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#164850 - 04/10/12 12:41 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
Originally Posted By Hikin Jim
Is it a tall, narrow pot?

HJ


http://www.backcountry.com/backcountry-titanium-cookset-1650ml

Pot Dimensions:14.5 x 8 cm
Fry Pan Dimensions:14 x 3 cm

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#164855 - 04/10/12 01:23 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
OK, obviously not a tall, narrow pot. Worth asking, though, since a narrow pot can have wasted flames going up, around the sides.

Not sure why you're having to use so much alcohol. Like I say, if I'm going to be regularly boiling more than a liter or so, I'll typically switch to a fuel other than alcohol (wood, white gas, or canister gas usually).

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#164860 - 04/10/12 03:40 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
Originally Posted By Hikin Jim
OK, obviously not a tall, narrow pot. Worth asking, though, since a narrow pot can have wasted flames going up, around the sides.

Not sure why you're having to use so much alcohol. Like I say, if I'm going to be regularly boiling more than a liter or so, I'll typically switch to a fuel other than alcohol (wood, white gas, or canister gas usually).

HJ


I am thinking about trying a different alcohol stove (old whitebox) and seeing how it works compared to the one supplied with the cone. I have nothing to lose by it. I may send an email to traildesigns and tell him how it is working and see if he has any ideas.


Edited by Ewker (04/10/12 04:45 PM)

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#164862 - 04/10/12 04:32 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
A Whitebox stove is typically faster but also usually requires more fuel.

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#164864 - 04/10/12 04:46 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
can't be any worse that now...just sayin

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#164865 - 04/10/12 04:57 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
lol. Well, I'll be curious to hear how it goes.

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#164894 - 04/11/12 12:33 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Hikin Jim Offline
member

Registered: 12/16/11
Posts: 230
Loc: Orange County, CA, USA
And you might indeed want to talk to the guys at Trail Designs. Rand is usually really helpful.

HJ
_________________________
Backpacking stove reviews and information: Adventures In Stoving

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#164896 - 04/11/12 09:18 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
Originally Posted By Hikin Jim
And you might indeed want to talk to the guys at Trail Designs. Rand is usually really helpful.

HJ



I sent him one this morning

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#164902 - 04/11/12 12:39 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Hikin Jim]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
I got a reply back from Rand.

"That isn't an unreasonable amount of fuel for 5 cups. Alcohol doesn't have as high a heat content as petroleum fuels.....and while the Caldera Cone maximizes the use of the available heat and minimizes wind effect.....so is the best alcohol solution out there.....in the end, it is still limited by the amount of heat available in the source alcohol."

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#164920 - 04/11/12 10:45 PM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: Ewker]
topshot Offline
member

Registered: 04/28/09
Posts: 242
Loc: Midwest
I assume you're using the stove made for the cone, but at that much water you may be past the point of diminishing returns.

What brand denatured are you using and is it fresh? You might try some Yellow HEET just to be sure.

I assume you're using the frypan lid?

The titanium also doesn't help in this case since it doesn't transfer heat as well as AL.

If you still can't get it to work, I'd remove your drink water from it and boil just your food water first and then boil your drink water while letting your food hydrate. 2 smaller boils are usually more efficient on fuel (if you don't have to prime any) than one bigger one, regardless of stove type. I've had a Windpro that couldn't boil 3 quarts when I was testing some worst case stuff.

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#164923 - 04/12/12 09:14 AM Re: The "Magic" of the Caldera Cone [Re: topshot]
Ewker Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/09
Posts: 222
Loc: Tennessee
topshot,

Yes i am using the stove that came with the cone. I do cover the pot with the frying pan lid so it keeps the heat in.

I use either Crown or S-L-X denatured alcohol. Can't remember which brand I have now. I have thought about going back to the Yellow bottle of Heet. I think it is better to use.

Your idea of boiling the water for meals then drinks is a good idea. Guess I just want to get it over with at one time. We are going out again so i will give that a try and see how that works out.

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