Wind Screen

I have a Primus stove that uses cartridges. I was looking at wind screens and saw that cartridges can be dangerous with the wrong screens. I have not used a cartridge stove before and did not know this.

I would like to ask for recommendations for a wind screen that would be safe for this kind of stove.

Short answer: none.

A bit more extensive answer: you should never enclose the canister (cartridge) completely. I have seen people use sheets of foil or metal (such as the windscreen that comes with the MSR Whisperlite) to encircle roughly half the canister, with the downwind side completely open; this would appear to be OK, as long as you keep the screen 3 or 4 inches away from the canister. The other type of windscreen I've seen is one that attaches to the burner head and only reflects heat upward, to the pot. (For an example, look for the windscreen Snow Peak makes for its Gigapower stove. Also, if you look at the "systems" like Jetboil or MSR Windburner - and I think there's a Primus ETA system - you'll get an idea of how those windscreens work.)

As far as what I do, I'm lucky - in the Ohio/Indiana/Kentucky region where I backpack, I'm always in the woods. That blocks a lot of wind right there. It also means lots of fallen trees (and we have some boulders, too.) I just put my canister stove on the downwind side of one of those, and don't have any real problems with breezes blowing out my stove. Putting the stove on the downwind side of my body usually does a pretty good job, too.

Thanks Glenn, that makes things simple. I too will be in the woods. My high altitude, exposed ridge days are behind me.

In addition to the Primus there is a cheap knockoff on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Lixada-Foldable-Windshield-Cylinder-Cookware/dp/B07V3CZ6YC/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=lixada+stove+2%2C300&qid=1594303344&sr=8-2

There is discussion of it on another forum and unlike the Primus, the Lixada looks like it can fit other manufacturers stoves.

Other stoves with an integrated pot (like the Jet Boil) also tend to have some windscreen like characteristics.

If you want to take the un-recommended approach and use a standard windscreen watch the gas canister like a hawk and feel it constantly. If the canister is comfortable to touch it probably won't blow up.

This issue is one reason a remote canister in my opinion is a better stove even though they are a bit heavier. I got a Kovea Spider. It is still pretty lightweight and the pot is more stable & lower to the ground. The pre-heat tube allows liquid feed (canister is upside down). And... of course being remote allows the use of a windscreen.

I made a DIY windscreen for my older model Pocket Rocket which does not enclose the canister because the entire windscreen sits above the canister and the design blocks most of the heat from being deflected downward. It does work and is safe. But I have no idea how well it would work with any other canister stove, including newer Pocket Rockets.

It consists of two pieces, a base which is basically a flat circular piece of aluminum flashing, cut to size for my cook pot, and a windscreen, which is a cylinder that fits down onto a raised lip around the circumference of the base.

I cut a triangular-shaped slot out of this flat circle, with the narrow apex of the triangle at the center of the circle. This allows me to slip the base around the neck of the stove, above the Lindal valve area and just below where the pot supports connect. When it is attached the stove should come up through the center of the base piece and the slot should be positioned above the regulator, so it will not interfere with your ability to regulate the flame.

As I said, I know this DIY design works with my own stove and seems entirely safe. The canister exterior sometimes gets frosty when this windscreen is being used, so I know it prevents the canister overheating. You'd need to experiment with it and see if you can design something that works safely with your Primus.

If you mean a burner that attaches directly to the canister on top as opposed to a remote burner with a fuel line, then a foil windscreen that wraps around the pot and leaves an inch or two space between the windscreen bottom and the ground should be fine. A tightly wrapped windscreen that doesn't allow airflow from below could conceivably heat up the entire works, cartridge included, but sufficient airflow should keep the fuel adequately cool.

cheers,