Primus Stoves - Intro, ClassicTrail, Express and Micron

Based on the design of the hand-held torch, the first pressurized-burner stove (not the first portable stove) was developed by Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist in 1982 and was called the Primus stove.

Primus quickly became a big name in the industry thanks to its superior performance at high altitude and extreme conditions. The Swedish manufacturer is known for producing some of the safest, most durable, reliable and efficient portable stoves.

The Primus stove became so well known that any stove with a similar design at the time was often called a Primus stove even though when it's not. Roald Amundsen used it for his expedition to the South Pole and Richard Byrd brought it the North Pole.

According to a Adventure Safety International, an independent safety consulting firm, Primus' EtaPower stoves are one of the safest to use. The efficiency of Primus stoves also makes them one of the most environmentally friendly. This also makes it suitable for backpacking especially because you need less fuel.

Backpacker Magazine gave Primus the Editor's Choice Award in 1997 and 2007 to my knowledge. They also won an award from Men's Journal magazine (Best of Everything - Gear of the Year 2007). Primus also manufactures other backpacking gear.

The ClassicTrail Stove is the simplest Primus stove and also the cheapest but still a great backpacking stove in fair weather. It runs on Primus LP butane/propane cartridges which are suitable for high-altitude cooking to a certain extent. LP simply stands for "liquified petroleum" which refer to the butane/propane mixture. Pure propane is too volatile and pure butane is lousy in cold weather. For this stove, it's 70% butane, 20% propane and 10% isobutane.

The ClassicTrail is the spawn of earlier models including the Primus Yellowstone Lite Trail and is also known as the Primus Yellowstone Classic Trail and Primus Mimer which burns hot, at 10,000 BTUs and has a three-minute boil time (sometimes even less).

The stove has a built-in windscreen, which increases fuel efficiency, and is wide enough for a 2.5 liter pan. The flame pattern is wider than in most backpacking stoves, which makes it less likely to burn-in at the center. If you only cook with a narrow cup or kettle, this stove might not be for you.

At 8 ounces, it's not the lightest stove out there but it's light enough that some carry one more as a spare.

This stove is so quite that you might not notice it burning. You should never leave a stove unattended, whether quiet or not.

Don't expect this camp stove to perform well high up in the mountains or in windy weather but for the price, it's a steal.

The Express stove is another simple stove from Primus but compared to the ClassicTrail, this one is so much lighter at just 3 ounces (more or less). It weighs a little bit more if you got one with the EasyTrigger piezo ignition.

Boil time is similar to the ClassicTrail i.e. about 3 minutes. This stove is a miser when it comes to fuel consumption. One canister can last you almost a week if you're not too wasteful.

Unlike many portable stoves, the bulk of the Express stove is actually reduced (to 3.5” X 2.5” X .75”) when folded-up. Another great thing about this stove is that it's compatible with many other canister fuels other than that from Primus. Among them are MSR, Jetboil and Snow Peak canisters.

You might need stabilizers for the canister and the flame might be a bit narrow so it's much more suited for boiling than for even heat. Not recommended for use in temperatures below freezing and high altitudes.

The Micron is very similar to Primus Express, probably the only difference is the name and the fact that the Micron has a titanium version, the Primus Micron Ti 2.5. Both Micron and Express weigh about 3 ounces while the Micron Ti 2.5 weighs 2.5 ounces without the piezo ignition.

Like the Primus Express, you can get one with the piezo ignition or without. These simple stoves may be small but it can give you some serious heat like one of the big boys. You will be pleasantly surprised as to how well the stove performs considering its size.

However, according to one user, it took him one-and-a-half hours to make pea soup at 9000 feet. Still, there was still enough fuel left for coffee in the morning. At least the pot support as strong as in any other canister stove.

Since the design is similar to the Primus Express, the MIcron and Micron Ti 2.5 also fits a variety of canister fuels. Though most canister fuels are heavier than the stove itself.