Snow Peak GigaPower Manual

Summary

This is a great product, and is an essential item on all of my trips. The stove is sturdy yet lightweight and is bombproof.

The stove is easy to setup. All you do is twist the supports up. Although it is a manual stove, it is good enough to light with anything from matches to lighters or a fire steel.

The burner is very adjustable and has good simmering capabilities. The stove boils super fast and also simmers just as low as you want it to.  

This stove is very stable. You could easily put large quantities of water on the stove. I do recommend using a flat surface as it will wobble while cooking. The stove packs down to about 3.5x1.5 x1.5in. The large flame adjuster works well and is capable of being adjusted with gloves.  

This stove is bombproof. One time, I dropped it off of the deck (about 15 ft) and it still works.

I got this stove at my local outfitter, Little River Trading Company, at retail. I have had this stove for two years and it still works just like new.

Do you want to see it in action? Check out my video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daCMVBIzmTc .  

This product definitely belongs in your backpack on your next overnighter.

Summary

For several years now I have had this stove and it is my favorite. It's got a Savages Approval.

Many years ago I received this stove and a couple of other pieces of gear for Christmas. Within seconds I had it set up and was wasting fuel to see how well it boiled.

To ignite is easy just turn on the gas and bring a flame to the ignition and yes, these stoves can also be purchased with an automatic ignition system, but I personally prefer the manual, you're more than likely to be packing a lighter or fire steel anyway.

I live where the wind can be a cruel thing, but this stove seems to hold up quite nicely. and not only that but this stove has been in some tough terrain and it is still looking quite nice. The cook time was amazing. I have a fast setup system to my fishing pole and this stove was boiling water before I had gotten down to the lake to throw my line out.

This stove has really been put to the test of how it can hold up to a savage, and has gotten my thumbs up and approval. This stove was made to live in the Rockies and I say let’s see what else it could handle.

Got this stove 5 years ago and it's never failed me. Added a piezo, which has also worked very well, although I always carry a backup lighter. Depending on expected conditions, I also carry the windscreen.

Not the lightest stove package, but nice and compact, very sturdy (note 4 pot supports vs 3 on many other stoves), and a nice light plastic stove container that takes lots of stuffing abuse.

Although there are other lighter and more efficient stoves out there now, this is all in all a very good and reliable stove, especially given its low cost.

It's a good stove, light, compact, and with a hard plastic carrying case. Most of the manual is in Japanese and the only warning label on the carrying case is also in Japanese. It fits easily inside the Trek 900 Ti cookware. The flame is very powerful and difficult to adjust very low. Overall good.

Update: December 15, 2010

I was going to buy the titanium version with peizo but, being a budget minded college student, I convinced myself that the exponential jump in price for the tiny drop in carry weight was not worth it. Money will be the death of my back on the trail, I swear.

Not a whole lot to say about it, the stove boils rapidly and heats evenly. Can be a trick to turn down super low and puts out so much heat that you must be careful not to burn your food. Most backpacking stoves are this way though.

It's reliable, never had a single issue with it. Packs up super nice and fits inside my Snow Peak 700 cook pot along with a fuel canister, first aid kit, ligther, toothbrush... etc. Very nice stove.

Used exclusively in three season conditions, I recommend this stove for anybody wanting a basic, no-frills unit that you can rely on for a long time.

You can get the auto version, but I don't need the extra do-dads to make me happy. I can adjust the flame to almost any situation, but I never have to crank it up full bore to get a little water boiling. I even sautee fiddleheads and wild mushrooms in a little olive oil with my main course.

The low output levels could be a little easier to find, but once you get a few uses out of it it's a non-issue. Go ahead, buy it.

The stove is tiny, very light, and powerful. The flame is wide, so if you've got the right cookware, pancakes come out nice and evenly cooked. The flame control is pretty good; you can turn it down to a simmer, but I've found that the flame tends to creep up just a little after you get it low (not a big deal).

One thing: you need the windscreen. Even a light gust will significantly prolong cook time, as there is absolutely no wind protection without the separately sold windscreen.

All in all, this is a great stove. The four pot supports are thin yet sturdy. I agree with previous reviews - you probably wouldn't want to use this stove to cook for many people, but for one or a handful, it should be fine.

I got this stove about 18 months ago and have gone through about 15 small canisters for fuel (so I have used it a lot). The GigaPower has done extremely well when it's just me and another person, but it seems to take a little while longer to heat up my bigger meals. I guess that is understandable considering its size and weight.

As for performance in the wind, it does ok if you use a small wind sheild similar to the ones that come with MSR stoves. I cooked a meal at the top of MT Holmes in Yellowstone in pretty high winds and with the wind screen the cooking time was only increased by a small margin.

My only complaint about the stove is the fragileness of the pot holders. They seem to bend and stay out of shape if you are not carefull when opening and also storing the stove.

I would definitely recommend this stove to anyone who wants a light well performing stove that is not too hard on their equipment.

As with the Snow Peak Auto, it performs the same way--AWESOME! I can't believe how fast this little stove boils water. I'm very, very pleased with the simplest of innovations--it makes life that much more interesting.

I don't have any pros and cons to write about this product, however I wouldn't recommend using this stove for a myriad of people, however I did cook for four people and it performed perfectly!

Highly recommended for the serious backpacker!

This stove is great. It folds up so tiny it will fit anywhere. I never go on a trip without it. It has never let me down and even worked at subzero temps (had to warm the fuel canister with body heat first). This thing will put off some heat too! Best stove for the money.