Apex II

The unit tested was an APEX II by PEAK 1. This unit is designed for backpackers, it is lightweight and uses standard aluminum fuel bottles. The Stove runs off of standard Unleaded gas or "white gas". With an optional "generator" it will run off kerosene also.

We carried the test model outside to try it for the first time. ALWAYS familiarize yourself with new equipment AT HOME before staking your comfort/life on it. We are very glad we did, since this stove had a faulty pump. The leather used to force air into the fuel bottle was slightly deformed and let air leak past it while trying to pump it to pressurize the fuel bottle. This was frustrating, having to disassemble the pump. But it was easy to do and easily corrected while here at the house... it would have been much different in a cold tent with no light in a snow storm.

The instructions say that if you see any liquid fuel at the burner head, DO NOT light it, so of course when I saw fuel there, I lit it (Hey, had to see what would happen). It flared up for about 20 seconds, but not bad. The flare quickly calmed down and the unit produced a roar like a tiny jet engine (This is normal on HIGH)... once this baby gets going it COOKS!!!!!! We found that we could boil a quart of water on this little stove faster than we could on the electric stove in the house!

Once you get used to this little stove you WILL fall in love with it. It is so tiny and fuel efficient that you will wonder how you camped without it. In a survival situation you can pull a little fuel directly from your vehicle's gas tank to power it. A bottle of gas lasts a LONG time. Our survival plans revolve around one type of fuel, Gas, this way we only have to store one type of fuel... HOWEVER, all of our survival equipment is "multi-fuel" where possible so we can have a wide range of fuel options in case our primary fuel is not available. This stove fits right in!

The unit comes with one aluminum fuel bottle, a complete parts kit and FULL instructions for use/repair/maintenance.

This unit can be purchased at any of your better sporting goods stores and is normally priced between 50 and 60 dollars.
You can also view (or purchase) this unit at:
Campmor.Com



The Down Side:
The gas can be messy if you have to work on the unit before use. Also, when disassembling the unit after use, the gas smell fills the air and gets on everything. To solve this problem, we just got a tiny aluminum case to put it all in after use. But plan to have to wash your hands. This little unit is noisy for it's size when set to "High". This could be just our reaction to so much intense flame from such a small stove... it seems too noisy compared to it's tiny size. Turning the flame down some eliminates this. The burner is under a lot of pressure for such a tiny unit, but it DOES boil water fast when on high!!!!

Would WE Buy It?:
Yes, This unit is great once you get used to using it. It is well designed and engineered. It's tough and light weight.

Technical Specs:
System includes stove, hose, pump and 22 oz. capacity fuel bottle. Unit weight is 19 oz., Weight with full fuel bottle is 35 oz. Burn time 1.6 hrs. on full burn. Input rating: 6,500 BTUH (high)

OTHER:
We suggest buying an extra fuel bottle. We also found that this unit fits VERY WELL into one of the popular "belt bags" (available at Wal-Mart for a few bux) that have the pouch for a water bottle. Ours has two water bottle pouches and we slip a fuel bottle into each one, and put the stove and accys in the main compartment.

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