Stove questions come up every week in the store. The default answer is canister. It's right 80 percent of the time. Let's talk about the 20 percent.
Canister stoves
Light, fast to boil, dead simple. The Pocket Rocket and Jetboil both fall here. Screw the canister on, click the lighter, done. For three-season backpacking in temperate weather, you want a canister stove.
Downsides: canisters get weird in the cold (under 20°F they lose pressure), you can't see fuel level easily, and they cost more per cup of boiled water than white gas.
Liquid fuel stoves
MSR Whisperlite, Dragonfly, Simmerlite. You pour white gas into a refillable bottle, prime the burner, and cook. These work below zero, at altitude, and on international trips where canisters might not be available.
Downsides: heavier, fiddlier, more maintenance. You will spill fuel on yourself at least once. Learning to prime without burning a tent pole takes practice.
What I actually use
Jetboil MiniMo for anything under a week in three-season conditions. It boils fast, simmers better than old Jetboils, and packs into itself.
Whisperlite for winter and for international trips. I've had mine since 2012. It's been through the Wind River, Peru, Patagonia, and a handful of January trips in the Smokies.
What to skip
Alcohol stoves. They're trendy, they're cheap, and they will annoy you by trip three. Cold-weather performance is bad, boil times are long, and most public land is increasingly restrictive. Save the weight savings for somewhere else.
Fuel planning
For canister: one large canister is about a week of dinners and coffee for two. Bring one, plus a small backup on longer trips.
For liquid fuel: figure 3 to 4 ounces per person per day for hot meals and coffee. Your fuel bottle should be 20 percent bigger than you think you need.
