Kovea Spider Stove Review

Summary:

Efficient in low temperatures, the Kovea Spider Stove is a lightweight, compact and relatively inexpensive remote canister stove, suitable for 4-season hiking and backpacking trips. It weights just 6 ounces (170g) and fits into a small carrying bag.

The wide, foldable legs provide superb stability, which allows you to cook with a variety of pot sizes.
The Kovea Spider has very precise flame control that goes from a slow simmer to a rapid boil, which makes its fuel consumption more efficient.
The average price is about USD $55. Other similar stoves in this category, like the Optimus Vega or MSR WindPro II are priced a bit higher at USD $80-$105, which makes the Spider a great choice if you want to also save some money.

First impression:

When I took the Spider out of the box for the first time, I was impressed by its size. I was amazed! I can honestly say that this is the most compact remote canister stove I’ve ever held in my hands. I was also happy to see a Piezo igniter included with the set.

Field Data:

I’ve had a chance to test the Kovea Spider Stove on several backpacking trips, including our adventure in Sarek National Park. I mostly used the stove to boil water and rehydrate food. It performed very well and became one of my favorite pieces of outdoor cooking gear.

Boiling time:

There are many different factors influencing boiling time: air temperature, altitude, initial temperature of water, cookware used, how full the gas balloon is, etc. We tested the stove in actual field conditions with the air temperature ranging from 0C to +8 . . . +10C with an initial water temperature of about +3C . . . +5C.

The Kovea Spider averaged 7 minutes 32 seconds to boil 500ml of water in a thin, hard-anodized aluminum pot. Its fastest time was 6 minutes 15 seconds and the slowest was 8 minutes 45 seconds. So far, cooking for 2 people on a 9-day hike, we used only one 14 oz. / 450 g gas balloon (We used the original Kovea gas balloon).

Tech Specs:

Manufacturer: Kovea Co Ltd
Average Price: USD 86.00
Weight Listed: 6 oz/170 g
Actual Weight: 6.10 oz/173 g
Fuel type: Isobutene mixed
Ignition: manual
Fuel consumption: 130g/hour

Pros:

– Quick to set up and easy to use
– Lightweight
– Extremely compact
– Stable enough to hold multiple pot sizes
– Excellent simmer control. Actually, flame regulation in Spider works better than in other stoves tested by us.
– Has a pre-heating tube

Cons:

– Slow average boil time (but this is not that I’m taking care of seriously)
– There is no special holder or base for using the balloon in an inverted mode. Flame regulation in such a position could be a little bit tricky.
– Windscreen is needed to improve stove’s efficiency, however one was not included.