Clikstand Universal Camp Stove - Long Term Review
Laura and I have been using our Clikstand stove for the past few months and I feel like I can give it a real thorough review. We were sent both the titanium and steel version of the Clikstand with their respective windscreens, as well as a package of Esbit tabs and the solid fuel adaptor. Read the preview post I did on the Clikstand a few months ago for some photographs of the individual parts compared to the Trangia storm cooker.
The titanium and steel versions are identical except for weight. The weight savings is surprisingly noticeable even for a non weight-weenie like me. Bottom line, if you have the scratch, get the titanium version. If you don’t, then get the steel one and rest any existential doubt about quality or functionality since they both work great.
The Clikstand has a clever adjustable two position windscreen. You can increase the diameter of the windscreen by adjusting the notch. It works well, IF your pots and pans fit within the windscreen. The official Clikstand site sells a variety of pots which will work within the diameter of their windscreens - everything from aluminum, non-stick aluminum, hard anodized aluminum to various titanium models.
Where you run into problems with the Clikstand windscreen is if your current set of pots and pans are too big. Laura and I are using an old set of pots and pans that are too big to work with the windscreen. So we’ve been using the Clikstand with our old MSR windscreen. The combination works great, doesn’t add a whole lot of overall weight and is still very compact.
We’ve used the Clikstand in various situations from sand, dirt, blowing wind and fresh snow and the Clikstand is super stable base for our cooking. Fellow campers are constantly amazed when we pull it out and assemble it and break it down.
Our preferred way to light the Trangia alcohol stove is with a firesteel. There is a little technique involved in getting good hot sparks (place striker at 45 degree angle, long strong strokes - don’t flick it), but once you get it down it’s pretty easy. The advantage of doing it with the firesteel is that you never run out of fuel, you can make hot sparks even if it gets wet and it’s easy to manipulate when its cold and you are wearing gloves.
Alcohol stoves do get a little hard to light in cold weather. We’ve found that you have to get the stove to lighting temperature before the denatured alcohol will catch. We’ve done this by keeping the closed stove in a jacket or pant pocket, warming it up with body heat, or you can heat the bottom with the flame from a lighter or you can blow with your warm breath directly over the alcohol (don’t inhale the fumes!) - each of these methods will help you warm up a cold stove.
The Clikstand is easily one of our favorite pieces of gear and I highly recommend it. If you’re starting your cook kit from scratch, make sure your pots fit the windscreen. If you have your own pots and are worried they won’t work with the official Clikstand windscreen, don’t fear, you can use it with the MSR windscreen.
Conclusion: Highly Recommend
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Russ:
Thanks for the clickstand review.
How does your paella pan work with the clickstand? Are you able to use it with the MSR Windscreen?
What brand of pannier is the large one seen from the back side in your last picture? It looks brown in the picture and is sitting on top of a red bag.
I love what you guys are doing. Happy trails!
Thomas
Thanks Russ…I have been sitting on the fence on about a clickstand. I have a variety of other stoves, but have been considering a alcohol fueled stove for a variety of reasons. I guess the Clikstand stove is now on my have to have list….
Aaron
I bought the clikstand with some Christmas money, and have yet to use it. I have a pot that fits in their windscreen, but it is a little on the small side. The clikstand windscreen seems to be very specifically set up to allow air to flow in at the bottom and then up to the pot - when you use the MSR screen do you find that the stove still runs efficiently? or does it lack some efficiency because there isn’t as clear of an intake as with the matching windscreen?
A question about the Trangia burner. I remember reading a recommendation that between 10-15% water should be added to the fuel to reduce soot. I was wondering how effective that was and whether the soot that I saw on the pots is just due to constant usage?
Howdy. I’ve never heard the 10-15% water recommendation before. It seems like that would make sense but I’d think it would make the fuel pretty inefficient. I’m not too concerned with soot (as you can probably tell from the pans). We tend to cook over a campfire as well so they get a majority of the soot from that.
What’s the advantage of the clikstand over the mini Trangia?
The mini trangia stand is pretty small and unstable, in addition to being easily effected by winds, and not concentrating the heat as well as one might hope. If you were using a small pot.
I have a trangia that I use regularly, but don’t have a Clikkstand (yet).
In past, I’ve had problems with my trangia creating horrible amounts of soot when using isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) from various drug stores. I switched to using methyl hydrate (aka methanol) from the hardware store, and it burns virtually soot free. Hope this helps!