Featherlight 700 vs Speedster Stoves: Which Camping Alcohol Stove Wins? 🏕️

[@WalkWithWallace]

⚡️ Useful links: 🔥 Speedsters: speedsterstoves.co.uk 🔥 Wildside: wildsideadventures.eu ⛽️ Fuel I use: ekofuel.org/

[@wsa.international]

Thank you so much for creating this video! We really appreciate everyone who takes the time to share their experience and help the community better understand the FeatherLight 700 Alcohol Cooking System and its advantages. One thing we noticed is that during assembly, the connector tabs weren’t fully slid along to the end of the T-slot. This step is essential to ensure proper stability and performance of the cone. Just also a small clarification regarding efficiency and effectiveness: Efficiency: This is all about clean combustion (enough oxygen to fully burn the fuel) and how heat is transferred to the pot. A clean pot after cooking is a great indicator of efficient burning. Efficiency focuses on saving fuel rather than just faster heating. Effectiveness: This is about achieving quick boil times or heating results, which you measured well in your test. Both are important, and your video does a great job showcasing the system! Cheers, Wildside Adventures Team

[@WalkWithWallace]

Thank you taking the time to offer constructive feedback. 🔥 👍🏻

[@LykaLivao-l5w]

Great comparison! Both stoves have their strengths, but I love how you broke down the pros and cons. Perfect for helping us decide on the best camping gear for our next adventure! 🏞

[@WalkWithWallace]

Thank you, that was the aim so it’s great to hear people are finding this useful.

[@RoseAnneLivao]

Your breakdown of usability, weight, and efficiency was very clear and informative! Thanks for the awesome content 💯

[@WalkWithWallace]

@@RoseAnneLivao thank you RAL 😁

[@RoseAnneLivao]

​@@WalkWithWallace You're welcome! Keep sharing your adventure videos 🙌

[@WalkWithWallace]

@@RoseAnneLivao Will do, thanks. Haven't been out much but hopefully soon.

[@Danilyn_Livao]

Great insights Wallace! 🔥 You really highlight the key differences in these stoves for anyone gearing up for ultralight backpacking. Big thanks for sharing your expertise!

[@WalkWithWallace]

@@Danilyn_Livao thank you ☺️ 🔥

[@Danilyn_Livao]

​@@WalkWithWallace You're welcome! Keep sharing your incredible contents! 🙂

[@residentgeardo]

I recently received my Featherlight 700 in the mail and I agree it can be a bit fiddly. The much easier way to put this together is to first assemble (interlock) the two parts of the cone and only after that close the cone using the four tabs. Also you need to be careful when picking up the cone as the two parts come apart quite easily (as can actually be seen in your video around 7:00)

[@WalkWithWallace]

That makes sense, I’m sure you’d get used to it after a few camps. Would be interesting to hear how you get on with it after a bit of use.

[@steviet3725]

Really good comparison Everyone will have their preferred option But I think no matter what people prefer I think it’s great that people are making the effort to design and produce equipment that none of the big brands would bother making

[@WalkWithWallace]

Thanks Stevie and totally agree. Like a bit of cottage gear.

[@walkingabe]

Nice share , very informative ! Thank you , enjoyed your full comparison 👍

[@WalkWithWallace]

Thank you. 🤩 🔥

[@DalesTramper58]

Good comparison review, informative & no bias, I was wondering what the featherlite was like, you have answered my Questions 👍 I swap between a speedster border kit for short weekend hikes but prefer my trail designs sidewinder ti-tri for longer multi day hikes. I just think the featherlite is too fiddly when I can get the same outcome with the sidewinder.

[@WalkWithWallace]

Cheers mate, to be honest they all do the same job at the end of the day but it’s down to user preference. I wouldn’t change my setup now to another alcohol setup.

[@ootnboots]

Nice one Robin , a good comparison between the two stoves . Like you , i've used the speedster set up for a years now . The Featherlite cone does look a bit faffy putting it together ..I actually just bought the border raider kit a few weeks back ...good video mate ..cheers Stevie

[@WalkWithWallace]

Cheers Stevie, the BR kit will see you right mate. Kev’s got one too.🔥

[@Anjenito]

thanks for the good comparison. Your version of the speedster seems to be different than the Border Raider on the Website, which doesn't fully enclose the pot. If you got both, which one would you recommend?

[@WalkWithWallace]

Hi there, the Border Raider kit is pretty much the same thing but different size to accommodate the taller/narrower pot. The only difference is Gary might use the pin to hold it together rather than the pop buttons on mine.

[@AndyMacaskill]

Brilliant Robin. I made a titanium shield/stand for my titan pot some years back. The offering from Xboil is almost identical, at least conceptually. Now you have given weights and times on these, I'll need to see how my set up compares. Regards price, I cant remember what the materials cost me, but it was back when the Titan pot was eye wateringly expensive. Apart from that all minimal differences, but all good fun.

[@WalkWithWallace]

Cheers Andy, think I’d be tempted by the X-Boil if I was in the market for a new stove setup. If you do a test, let me know the results. 🔥 I should attempt a DIY effort as there’s plenty tutorials on here.

[@MrDancingBishop]

I just drop the top on the base of the Featherlight and it always just slots together. Think trying to do all the tabs individually is the issue

[@WalkWithWallace]

I think you’re probably right, also someone else mentioned they click it together first then do the tabs to create the cone last. Makes sense.

[@RollrightKnights]

I supported the kickstarter campaign for the Wildside Adventures cone and stove. I've yet to use it in the wild but it's pretty easy to slot together in my experience, I slot them both together at the same time then do the tabs at the end. Works fine for me 👍

[@WalkWithWallace]

Good shout mate, I did wonder if there was a knack and or I was all fingers and thumbs.

[@RollrightKnights]

​@@WalkWithWallaceit's still a bit tricky sometimes, there is also the ever present threat of cutting your fingers! 😂😱

[@WalkWithWallace]

Haha, aye extra care required particularly when you’re proper Hank Marvin in a rush 😄

[@davidgidman7561]

Bit disappointed in mine. Pain in the arse to put together and although I paid for the full kit I didn’t get the burner. Had the speedster stove anyway.

[@WalkWithWallace]

@@davidgidman7561glad I’m not the only one who finds it fiddly. If you contact them I’m sure they’ll post out a burner for you.

[@WyeExplorer]

The speedster is ironically slower Robin but comes up the rankings fast for sturdiness. I had that down almost from the start. Good comparison. All the best up there. Mark

[@WalkWithWallace]

Thanks Mark and agreed. The Speedster is easier to work with. Hope all is good down in Hereford mate.

[@WyeExplorer]

@@WalkWithWallace A pleasure Robin - I may get the speedster when I'm back out. Me? Yeah getting fitter.

[@PAADVENTURES1]

Speedster for me Robin! Simplicity is key with these items and at half the price i can wait an extra minute 😊 Paul

[@WalkWithWallace]

Cheers Paul and I concur. I’mm usually doing tent admin as it boils. Hope you’re good mate since the dust has settled on your Munro completion.

[@PAADVENTURES1]

@WalkWithWallace all good mate! Been out a lot and enjoying leaving the camera. Good to take a wee break from filming 👍👍👍👍

[@WalkWithWallace]

@ nice one mate, yeah I enjoy occasionally not filming a trip too.

[@fellrunningguide]

Interesting stuff Robin. I've got both the Speedster and my own DIY split cone. I like that I can fit the cone inside my pot for transport and it's a bit lighter. However the Speedster is quicker and less fiddly to set up, especially with cold fingers. So, there's a place for both in the kit cupboard! PS I like the look of the new Speedster, I've got the old silver one with the "pin" rather than the press studs. You've got to be careful not to lose the pin, I wonder if the new version is as secure. One thing to think about regarding efficiency - did the cone boil water faster because it concentrated the heat onto the pan rather than losing heat to the environment, or did it burn hotter using more fuel? You could test that by weighing the burners, fill them with precisely the same amount of fuel then extinguish them as soon as the first pot boils and weigh them again. That would show which had used used most fuel. That's if you could be bothered! 😂 ATB, Dave

[@WalkWithWallace]

Cheers Dave, There’s definitely pros and cons to both. Down to what the expectation is I guess. I’ve got the pin version too, never lost the pin, that would be awkward. Do you feed it in from the top or bottom? Kev asked me as he’s seen some people secure the pin from below, whereas we do it from the top. Ironically someone else mentioned efficiency vs boil time being different. I’m assuming that the two burners being very similar in size and capacity would burn the very similar. My friend has sold the stove so I can’t revisit it 😆

[@fellrunningguide]

@@WalkWithWallace Never thought to put the pin in from the bottom, I always do it from the top. Can't see why you'd put it in from below, you're probably more likely to drop it if it's in from the bottom. I doubt there's much in it regarding efficiency. I reckon I need 15ml fuel to boil 500ml of water on both versions.

[@WalkWithWallace]

No, I’ll stick to pinning from the top. 😂 Yeah I’d use about 15ml but probably 20ml in winter.

[@markalanshaw4950]

Hi Robin, Enjoyed video! I have a question to ask, would a alcohol stove work inside a baked beans can? Or does the alcohol stove need oxygen to work, I have a few foldable wind shields but a tin can would be a perfect wind break! If it would work can you do a time trial! Cheers Robin, kind regards Mark!

[@WalkWithWallace]

Hey Mark, I’m not sure that would work tbh. It would be quite narrow, tall and not very stable. Whereas the stoves in this video are really stable and secure once water is added. A windbreak from Speedsters is pretty cheap. 🤔

[@markalanshaw4950]

@@WalkWithWallace Hi Robin will you try it for me! A tin can would be a great wind barrier with a pot sitting on top! Cheers Mark!

[@WalkWithWallace]

I think I’ll pass. You’d have to figure out a way for the flame to breathe as well once your pot is placed on top. Sounds like a fire hazard 😆

[@totomesch1940]

Fair comparison. I'd say that with a lot more use you'd become pretty adept at putting the cone together. I've seen a couple of other outdoor YT's who use cone systems and they put them together in seconds. The Featherlight system isn't cheap but it is more of a bespoke product, engineered really well and weighs next to nowt in your backpack. ATB

[@WalkWithWallace]

Totally agree with you, you’d definitely get the knack after a few uses and the time spent developing is second to none but my only concern is the Featherlight system won’t take a beating over a prolonged time.

[@Belbury101]

A good comparison video , But there was a glaring mistake. Efficiency is nothing to do with how fast it takes to boil, but rather how much fuel the system uses to boil a certain amount of water. What you were calling efficiency was actually just the boil time. Which is a different metric. The only way of testing the efficiency would be to weigh the stoves including the fuel you put in them before you put them and also after you sniffed them, to see how much fuel they used to do the boil. I'd still prefer a cone system, but the Speedster might actually be the more efficient setup. But you haven't measured that. I suspect they are similar efficiency, as I've used Cones for 15 years, and also bought a Speedster to compare, some years back.

[@WalkWithWallace]

I understand and agree with what you're saying and if I added to the test; weighing each burner before and after the test this would have made the results more conclusive. However, whilst the test wasn't totally scientific, the boil time surely goes hand in hand with efficiency as we were not comparing apples and pears here but two very similar 30ml spill proof burners with the same amount and type of fuel.

[@AyrshireFlyGuy]

Are you always this boring, or did you make a special effort on this one?. Anyone who is interested in using stoves knows what Robin meant.

[@Belbury101]

They are probably not far apart in efficiency. But It is absolutely incorrect to say that the faster one is the more efficient. If two cars drove somewhere and one got there faster, would you say that it used less fuel than the one that got there afterwards? It might have, but with two similar cars, It's very unlikely. We all know if we drive faster our cars mpg drops - I.e it's less efficient. It's as simple as that.

[@WalkWithWallace]

@@Belbury101 thanks for replying 👍🏻

[@AyrshireFlyGuy]

@Belbury101 Gimme an hour, I'm off for another sleep after reading your latest post.

[@Dazck9s]

Speedster stove for me, I've got his original one. I've used it for 8 years now and the guy who makes them is quite local to me and has sometimes delivered the odd bit of kit to me.. What I saw in this vid is the minute it took to set up to boiling point the 700 equals the time of the speedster stove Set up to boiling point ATB Daz

[@WalkWithWallace]

He’s a good lad, always helpful. I could probably get my time down to put the 700 together, but a minute or so isn’t important to me as I do things in the tent as it boils.

[@bencoombes2711]

What's down jacket are you wearing the the first shot please?

[@WalkWithWallace]

Hi Ben, it’s the Rock Front Nord jacket. I did a short vid a few weeks ago. Due them a review at some point. kzbin.info5f2mAtNdbYo?feature=share

[@neemancallender9092]

Speedster I had a screen made for my Trangia 27 pots and kettle Excellent setup Also minimal heat loss at the sides

[@WalkWithWallace]

Gary is good that way. He’s made a bespoke windscreen for one of wider MSR pots that I occasionally use.

[@milesfromanywhere.]

Speedster for me, why change when I’m more than happy, cheap as chips too , cracking stove 👌

[@WalkWithWallace]

💯 mate, a 1 litre bottle of bioethanol last me ages 🔥

[@Thoughts_from_a_Small_Island]

The Featherlite is very similar to the Stormin Norman Cones, unfortunately no longer available. Another alternative would be the Vesuv cone as it’s a one piece design and easier to assemble.

[@WalkWithWallace]

Yeah, Norman sadly passed away a few years ago. I liked the look of the rivets for the upper part to rest on. Not sure how easy it is to rivet titanium. 🤷🏻 I’ll check out Vesuv, as there’s X-Boil too.

[@benvickery]

I’ve got a speedster stove and I take it on all my wildcamps. I’ll be sticking with it as £99 for the featherlight is a bit steep. I do like its design though.

[@WalkWithWallace]

If you’ve already got a Speedsters or similar, I don’t see the point in changing unless you’re moving to gas. 🤷🏻

[@benvickery]

We all like shiny new kit though 😂and I do like the way it folds away into the pot.

[@WalkWithWallace]

That’s true. I do like a new pot. 🫡

[@BrokenBackMountains]

Speedster for me. I use it with a foil windscreen and it does me well.

[@WalkWithWallace]

Ideal mate, that’ll keep the weight down even more.

[@BrokenBackMountains]

​@@WalkWithWallaceAye, I use the speedster wire tripod. Don't have to rely on a specific windshield.

[@theecanmole]

Have you watched Tetkoba's channel on DIY pepsi/coke/soda can stoves? Some of his stove designs are beautiful! Check out his "easy capillary hoop stove" of ECHS. It can boil 350 ml in 4 minutes! It's a bit fiddly to follow his instructions but it's worth perservering. After a couple of attempts I made a stove that boiled water in about 4 minutes 20 seconds. 😄

[@WalkWithWallace]

Gave him a sub, hadn’t heard of him before but I once had to make a makeshift stove out of a can when I forgot my burner. Lucky someone left a can in the bothy.

[@Fellmandave1]

Nice one Robin.......Gas!

[@WalkWithWallace]

@@Fellmandave1 cheers Dave, but alcohol for the win 😜

[@philb3059]

Think I'll stick with my MSR DragonFly.

[@WalkWithWallace]

That’s a decent bit of kit to be fair!

[@bencoombes2711]

Cheek out greencraft make your Owen super light upstand and wind shield

[@WalkWithWallace]

Found him, will have a look. 🔥

[@Kev_Russ]

Nice comparison vid bud. Moan the Speedster. 🔥

[@WalkWithWallace]

Cheers mate 🔥

[@southcoastoutdoorsuk6301]

Nice comparison, the pot diameter massively comes into play as the featherlite is 20% wider helping with quicker boil time , would be good to put a X boil into the mix Hit me up if you want me to organise that as I sell them Atb Col Outdoor Gear Essentials

[@WalkWithWallace]

Cheers mate, do the X-Boils come in different sizes depending on pot or do you buy a full kit?

[@southcoastoutdoorsuk6301]

@ they come in different sizes depending on which pot , but you can also use a wider pan on top of any of them as well

[@WalkWithWallace]

I’ll have a look mate.

[@mrwes100]

😂

[@WalkWithWallace]

🤷🏻

[@themunrobagger]

Speedster all day long mate, that cone looks a pain in the hole!!!!!😊😊😊

[@WalkWithWallace]

I’m sure you’d get used to the cone after a few shots, but I’m sticking with Speedsters.

[@geoffcresswell4815]

was a hiking channel now selling crap . lol . unsubscribe

[@RollrightKnights]

Give over, he's not selling anything, it's a review 🙄

[@WalkWithWallace]

lol, bit sensitive Geoff. Nobody is forcing you to watch the reviews. Cheerio 👋🏼