I disagree! How can you say "most of us" re-ration 4-5 days? That is a very short ration period. My typical ration is 9-10 days. One week book-ended by two weekends is very common for those who work and have the one-week vacation. 8-9 days is also what I can stuff in one bear canister (mostly required here in the Sierra). On the other end, a weekend trip 2-3 days is probably the most common. Thing about the weekend trip is that food and fuel weight is minimal, regardless of type of stove, thus less critical.

I say take whatever stove you feel most comfortable cooking on, and one that matches your cooking style. Long distance through hikers are NOT the norm. They have a very specific style where the 4-5 day ration may be the most common. I bet the thru-hiker vs Average Joe backpacker is 1000:1.