Primus stoves are well-known and well-loved in the backpacking, camping, and overlanding worlds. Overland Journal’s Richard Giordano recently tested two of their lightweight options for building a simple and straightforward mobile kitchen.
Primus Lite XL Stove System
A Lightweight Backpacking Stove With Plenty of Features
Primus promises the Lite XL stove system is lightweight, fuel-efficient, and sized just right for two. On paper, those attributes are exactly what I want in the backcountry. I don’t want to cook an elaborate meal after a long day of trekking. I want boiling water to make coffee, tea, a dehydrated meal, or ramen – and I want it now. Honestly, it’s usually the lack of cleanup and general laziness after a long hike motivating that bias towards speed, but sometimes it’s the swarm of hungry mozzies or midges.
A nifty piezo ignition lights the stove, and the integrated heat exchanger does a quick job of boiling a liter of water in mere minutes – five, to be exact. In 12-knot spring winds on the Scottish coast, it took about 50 percent longer to boil a liter of water. If required, the regulator allows for a very low flame, meaning food or drink can be warmed without burning a thin layer to the bottom of the pot.
The combination of the wide gas canister supports and lower center of gravity provided by Primus’s Laminar Flow Burner Technology, plus the stout locking/unlocking system, means the stove is very stable, even when the pot is filled to the brim. Looking to cut some weight? Leave the handle behind to drop a few fractions of an ounce as the cork-lined insulated pot sleeve, made from G-1000 ECO Lite fabric, allows safe handling of the pot.
Screw-on pegs are included, so technically, you can use the stove with any small camping pot or pan. I don’t see this feature as something that I would use, but these pegs offer some redundancy if you take this stove car camping or overlanding. If your main cooker fails (or you run out of primary fuel mid-meal), you’ve got this to lean on.
For two, the 16.2-ounce Lite XL is a simple and robust stove that boils water at will in a relatively compact size. For more frequent solo adventures, the smaller 0.5-liter 12.3-ounce Lite may be a more suitable option.
$139.95 | primus.us
Primus Moja Single Burner Stove
An Exercise in Camp Cooking Simplicity
The compact Primus Moja single burner stove is a great option if you’re lacking space (or just trying to reduce weight) in your overland vehicle. I selected the Moja as a secondary stove since our pop-up camper has an integrated induction cooktop. We don’t want to cook pungent food in the camper so the Moja can be set up in the great outdoors – let’s be honest, who wants bedding that smells like cooked salmon?
The stove is relatively lightweight at 5.1 pounds but covers most cooking needs. One pot meal? Done. Breakfast tacos on the beach? No problem. If you have a large group to feed, you can remove the lid, throw on a wok or griddle, and let the 10,200 BTU output produce a mighty stir fry or crab boil.
The lack of piezo ignition makes the lighting process a little difficult, especially with a large pot or pan on the stove – let’s be fair, I’m only being picky here because the two-burner Primus Tupike (which I adore) has that feature, and I’d prefer not to live without it. Another wee problem is the lack of wind protection. I’m currently using isobutane canisters (easily found throughout Europe), but since they’re expensive and fairly small, cooking in the wind can use excessive amounts of fuel. Setting up a precarious windshield with a cutting board is my current go-to solution. It is effective, if not elegant. For North American customers, this stove uses 1-pound propane canisters or the available propane tank adapter hose but includes an adapter for isobutane canisters.
The Primus Moja may not be the perfect single-burner stove, but I haven’t found one I like better. It’s small and basic enough to be brought along as a secondary outdoor stove, but the quality of construction, ease of cleaning, and good looks allow it to work as a primary stove just as well.
$135.95 | primus.us
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