OWNER REVIEW - Olicamp Xcelerator Titanium Stove with XTS Pot

Olicamp XceleratorTitanium Stove with XTS Pot 


 Reviewer Information


Name: Dan Hotchkiss
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Height: 6’1” (1.85 meters)
Weight: 230 lbs (104kg)
Email address: dhotch-/[email protected]
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Date: October 19, 2016
Backpacking Background: I have been hiking forat least 10 years. My day hikes range from simple, short outings in regionalparks up to 5+ mile days at or above the treeline in National Parks throughoutthe US and Canada. Within the last two years, now that my children are oldenough, I have gotten back into camping after many years away. My campingconsists mostly of overnight outings with my kids, some car camping as well asbackpacking. Having an extremely light pack is not a top priority for me, buteverything in the pack needs to be justified. 





 
Product Information


Manufacturer: Olicamp


Year of Manufacture:2015


URL: http://www.olicamp.com/


 Manufacturer Specs


 Stove -


Weight: 3.5 oz (98g)


Size: 3" x3.5" (76mm x 89mm)


Ignition: Manual


Output: 9,560 BTU/hr(2,802 watts) 


MSRP: $69.95


 Pot -


Weight: 6.7oz (190g)


Size: 32 oz (.95 Liter)4.5"x5.3" (114mm x 135mm)


Hard Anodized Aluminum


MSRP: $29.95


 Combo MSRP: $89.95


  The Olicamp XceleratorTitanium Stove with XTS Pot is a remote canister stove with a 32 oz (.95 Liter) hardanodized, aluminum pot. The system is designed to offer some of the benefits ofa “Jetboil” system, while being significantly more flexible to varyingconditions.


 First and foremost,although this is a remote canister stove, it does not have a “preheat” loop inthe fuel line. As such, do not attempt to invert a canister in an effort tosustain burner performance in cold conditions. This will cause liquid fuel tobe ejected and can lead to an uncontrollable fire. 


 With that out of theway, the Xcelerator Titanium Ultra is a very compact and light weight stove,weighing as little as many direct canister stoves on the market. I measure 3.7oz (105 grams) for the stove, 6.7 oz (170 grams) for the pot and 1.1 oz (31grams) for the lid. Although many people would question the idea of owning aremote canister stove that doesn’t allow for inverted canister operation, theXcelerator offers other benefits, compared to a direct attached canister stove.Namely, stability and the ease of using a windscreen. As I often backpack withmy (inquisitive and antsy) children, having a cook system that sits as stableand low to the ground as possible is highly desired. The fact that the canisteris remote also allows for easy wind-blocking without worrying about excessiveheating of the fuel canister as well. 


 An additional benefit tothe Xcelerator being a remote setup is that the fuel control valve is remote from the burner. Thismakes for easy adjustment of the flame without reaching under a hot pot, or disturbinga wind-block. The adjustment valve has a large range of adjustment too, makingit very easy to adjust down to very low levels for simmering or dry baking.


 The folding legs of theXcelerator provide a stable base for the XTS pot in particular, but alsoprovides ample stability for other pots and pans (within reason) too. Stirringcontents one handed while cooking is very stable, with little concern for thepot sliding off or tipping over.


 The XTS pot is a 32 oz (.95 Liter) hard anodized pot with “jet-boil” like heat exchanger fins spot welded to thebottom perimeter. This should offer increased efficiency, resulting in reducedfuel consumption, and in my direct testing (heating the same quantity of water,starting at the same temp, weighing the fuel canister in-between burns, etc.)the XTS pot did use less fuel than a comparably sized pot without fins, abouthalf an ounce (14 grams) less fuel in the case of bringing 16 oz (.47 liters)of tap water to boil. The finned base has a substantial protection ring of flat metal on the bottom, allowing the pot to sit stably on many different stoves, as opposed to beingmarried solely to the Xcelerator. It can even be used stably with a campfire,if desired. In addition, the ring does a good job of protecting the delicatefins, allowing the pot to be set down on uneven surfaces without worry of findamage.


 The XTS pot has foldinghandles that provide for stable and comfortable handling of the pot, even whenfull of boiling water. The pot has pressed in graduations showing 8, 16, 24 & 32 oz but no metric markings. In addition, a silicone like lid (rubbery, but doesn’tfeel greasy like traditional silicone) is provided. The lid presses tightlydown onto the pot, such that I do not fear the top coming off in my pack, evenwithout the carrying bag. However, one should only set the top loosely on thepot while cooking, as trying to pry the lid off (without burning your fingers)when fully pressed on is quite difficult. The only other downside to the combo is that the Xcelerator stove will not fit in the pot alongside an 8 oz (220 gram) sized fuel canister with the lid on. It will fit with a smaller, 4 oz (110 gram) sized canister though. I have owned theXcelerator and XTS pot for about a season now. I have used it on multiplecampouts, cooking probably 7 or 8 meals with the combo, in addition to heatingwater for cleaning dishes, as well as hot chocolate. It has performed wellboiling water for backpacker bag meals (Mountain House, etc.) as well ascooking noodles, and soup directly in the pot. The precise control over flame height has evenallowed me to dry bake muffins in the pot, on a number of occasions. 


 Over the span of theseason, both the pot and the stove have held up well, all rivets are stilltight, and the anodized coating shows little sign of wear. I expect to get manymore years of service out of them.