Swedish outdoor gear company Primus was represented on Everest in 1953 by the mountain’s pioneering super-duo, Sherpa Tenzig Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary.Four decades before Norgay and Hillary topped out on the highest mountain on the planet, a Primus stove warmed food for Roald Amundsen and his team when they became the first men to reach the South Pole back in 1911. In other words, some of the greatest explorers and adventurers of all time have relied on Primus to keep them fed while out in the wild, and at first glance, the new PrimeTech 1.3L Stove Set is poised to carry on that tradition.
There are two, 1.3-liter anodized aluminum pots in the kit, one of which comes equipped with the company’s PrimeTech heat exchanger. While some may leave behind a pot to shave ounces, backcountry guides, hut skiers, and remote base campers will appreciate the versatility that two pots affords them. In addition to the pots, the set contains a lockable pot grip; t-bar piezo igniter, heat reflector, and a carrying case that doubles as a pot insulator. It also comes with a heat-resistant silicon strainer lid that fits both pots for added versatility. The entire set has a trail-weight that comes in at a tad under two pounds.
The stove itself is fastened to the bottom of a full-surround windscreen. The pot supports sit just below the lip of the windscreen and each pot nests nicely inside the protective barrier. There are foldable extensions on each support that can accommodate a larger pot or fry pan as needed. Simmering and precise flame control are made possible by a fuel regulator, a feature that is becoming increasingly popular on stoves in all form factors. The 10” fuel line allows for more flexibility in stove placement and stability. It also makes it easy to invert canisters when fuel pressure starts to run low.
I haven’t fully tested the PrimeTech system yet, but I’m happy to carry multi-pot systems that allow me to prep ingredients in one pot while cooking in the other. I prefer to make multi-ingredient meals in the backcountry. I like to kick off my boots, watch water boil, and slowly imbibe my calories with a side of laughs and a helping of solitude. If you’re like me, keep an eye out for a full review the Primus PrimeTech 1.3 Liter Stove Set at a future date. I plan onputting this stove through its paces in the weeks ahead with the hopes of providing more insights into how it performs at a later time.
Primus has introduced a number of new lightweight backpacking stoves this year, all of which I would love to get my oven mitts on. As much of the outdoor industry looks to get smaller and lighter, the company should be celebrated for remaining committed to a line of backcountry cooking products that still champion group-cooking practicality and tradition. After all, not everyone in the backcountry is sprinting to their next thru-hike record or advocating for hyper-light stoveless cooking.