Caldera Cone system

I hear people talking about this system. What is so great about it? The ones I have seen take up a lot of space vs a reg alcohol stove and windscreen.

I use an alcohol stove with a aluminum foil windscreen and haven't had any problems.

I use the Caldera UL Compact system and everything (cone, stove, alky bottle) all fits inside my pot, thus the whole system takes up no additional space.

As for the positives to the systems, it is just more efficient. Since there is no space between the pot, windscreen and stove the heat "stays in" the cone heating your pot more effectively which reduces the amount of alcohol needed and reduces boil times.

http://www.traildesigns.com/caldera-ulc.html

Efficiency is what I have heard also. It is a system and can be designed to work with many different pots. A couple I know who are doing the ADT are using it with the Esbit fuel set up.

[quote=ChrisFol
I use the Caldera UL Compact system and everything (cone, stove, alky bottle) all fits inside my pot, thus the whole system takes up no additional space.

As for the positives to the systems, it is just more efficient. Since there is no space between the pot, windscreen and stove the heat "stays in" the cone heating your pot more effectively which reduces the amount of alcohol needed and reduces boil times.

http://www.traildesigns.com/caldera-ulc.html [/quote]

I have never seen one fit inside a pot. It is always sticking way out of the top since the cone is so much taller than the pot

Doesn't an aluminum foil windscreen do the samething?

The UL Compact system is designed to fit inside the pot that it was designed for.

A generic aluminum foil windscreen does just what it is suppose to do; block wind. What it doesn't do is keep the heat inside and optimize fuel consumption and heat distribution.

Mine is the Ti version. Opted for that mostly because it is stronger and very flexible (does not kink)
Recently I purchased the Caddy, it wasn't out when I ordered mine (very early adopter...)
That caddy now takes the full system : pot/stove/cone/fuel bottle/lighter/stakes (for wood burning mode) and my kitchen cloth.
As I do "boil in the bag" kind of cooking, the bottom of the caddy is now my bowl and the top is my cap. No food taste remains once washed. I prefer that over the bags because it it easier to handle (for me) , easier to keep the food hot during re-hydration time (just pile spare clothing around it, and I do not ever have to wash the pot because I only boil water in it. That means that my tea does not taste of tomatoes or curry.
BTW, I never had another system that efficient particularly in cold/windy conditions. It is a lot more stable also than most (IE less chance of spilling your food)
Franco
Forgot to mention, yes I like it....
Note that the pot is outside the caddy and so is the lid..
There is a short cone version that fits inside the pot but it isn't as efficient.

I will probably continue to use my many stoves depending on what I feel like taking at the time... but the Caldera Cone is a fuel miser. Works real well in wind. I got one to fit a pot i had already. The caddy doubles as a couple of cups or a cup and bowl. I can fit the spork and a towel in with a small fuel bottle.

The Caldera is nice and stable when cooking, and good in wind.

I side by side tested them in the field with my brother's caldera cone system, versus my penny stove and foil windscreen. In three days on the trail we didn't really notice any measurably practical fuel consumption difference between the two .. (and we were cooking the same foods) To be fair the penny is pretty darn efficient too.

I do like it for the stability, but I don't like how much space it takes.

Here's what we tested - this:



versus



Anyway, mainly due to that experience, I've stuck with the penny stove.

Franco,

thanks for the picture of your setup.

I do freezer bag cooking so I wouldn't those plastic containers. If you didn't use the containers how would you carry the cone?

My pot looks to be a lot smaller than yours which is why I probably say those setups look large to me.

Are there any plans out there for making your own Caldera Cone system? I've run a search in the MYOG threads but I've not come up with anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VerP7-aiEBw

youtube has instructions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VerP7-aiEBw

Download the application here:
http://www.brothersoft.com/cone-layout-85539.html
Enter your specs, print (it will probably come in several pages to stick or tape together).
You have one perfect template to cut out material, just add some extra for assembly.

Thanks Cook and Boomer for the video link. Very well done, clear and concise directions. And thanks Frenchie for the cone template. I'll soon be busy measuring, cutting and, hopefully, cooking!