The many replies to this query help to point out that eating and cooking are among the most personal aspects of backpacking, so that one's choice of stove depends largely on how one likes to eat while hiking. There's simply no 'normal' answwer to this question. btw, my own choice of stove has been an MSR pocket rocket for the past decade. I assembled a whole methodology of food and auxilliary gear around this stove and it still works well for me. I have no opinion about how well it would work for anyone else.