60's-70's Optimus 111 Swedish military surplus pressure stove.

Tutorial on the operation of the old Optimus box stove series. They all work the same so this applies to the 111B white gas, 111C & 111T multi fuels as well as the 8R, 99, 199 and Ranger 10. This particular stove is a Kerosene/Paraffin burner but I can see no difference between it or the white gas/Naptha/Coleman gas burner like in the 111B. So I burn white gas and it seems to work just fine. Coleman fuel is easier to find, burns cleaner and almost as hot as Kerosene so I prefer it.

You can buy the latest incarnation of these stoves brand new from A & H packstoves for $199 or a refurb of the older Multi fuel for $120. They are also on ebay brand new for between $140 -170 plus show up at garage/estate sales, camping equipment swap meets for cheap so look for them there and pick up one of these great little "stove in a box" for a song.

I have used these stoves since the mid 70's and still have my first 8R purchased new when I started backpacking on my own. That stove still works great and all's I have ever down is minor maintenance. It has literally cooked hundreds of meals and never let me down. I've bought and used many of the newer high tech stoves that have comes along but always gone back to the old Optimus Box stoves. They are built sturdy, reliable and are fairly cheap to buy. I like vintage, old school gear anyway and have collected 4 of these old Optimus stoves. Good luck with finding one for a great deal. Happy trails!

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