Tested: Primus Lite

The Primus Lite is a very light weight stove system at 360g, which is lighter than Jet Boil, one of the similar system stoves on the market at 417g. The stove boils 0.5 litres of water in 2 minutes and 45 seconds. It has its own Piezo lighter and the bottom of the pan has a heat exchanger to make the system really efficient.

The stove can burn for 59 minutes on 100g of fuel. This system is designed for boiling water for dried food and making cups of tea which it does very efficiently. I have found you can, on one boil make the 300ml you need for an average dried food packet and still get enough for a cup of tea.

The boil time is so quick that you can cook two dried food meals in just over 5 minutes. As a result the stove can be used for two easily, despite it being described as a solo stove. And in theory, 24 dried meals out of one 100g can is incredibly efficient. This efficiency is due to the Primus ETA system which locks the stove into a heat exchanger to get the most heat out of the little stove. The stove packs up with a 100g gas can in it to 13cm tall and 10cm wide which you hardly notice inside your pack.

This stove is the most efficient in its class; less gas to be carried = less weight carried. The wind guard on the outside of the burner is designed so that it works outside your tent; although I have found this massively reduces the efficiency on windy days. The stove is very robust compared to the competitors with that renowned Primus build quality, it’s very reliable. I think the build quality, pack size and efficiency make this the best stove in its class.

If you look closely, you can see that the Primus Lite looks right at home on an impromptu bothying trip.