Burner love
Primus Ulti Stove System 1.0L
Price: £284.99
I can’t claim to have pushed Primus’s Ulti system to the limit. It is, after all, designed to perform in harsh conditions – high winds, bitter extremes of temperature – while the weather in the mid-Essex countryside in late April was, as usual, rather agreeable.
However, it’s soon apparent why this stove might be your friend in the face of an imminent blizzard. Unpacked, it comprises a one-litre pot, its lid and a puck-shaped burner about 13cm across, which has three fold-out legs and a remote hose to connect to a canister. The tripod feels very stable, and unlike some competitors – notably the much-loved MSR Reactor – you’re not having to balance everything on top of the canister itself. So it’s unlikely to topple over, and it’s not going to blow out, thanks to innovative catalytic-combustion tech that creates a 3,000W infrared heat source. Instead of a blue flame at risk of being extinguished, a fierce red glow is spread evenly across the burner’s surface.
