One of the true pioneers of the portable camping stove has released its lightest stove ever. The all-new Micron III backpacking stove from Swedish gear innovator Primus weighs a flat 2 ounces and folds so small it can nest inside your open palm. Screw it atop a gas canister and it fires out 2,600 watts of flame to cook up backcountry meals for one or two people.
While there were several portable expedition stove designs that predated the 1892 model developed by F.W. Lindqvist and J.V. Svenson, the duo declared theirs the world's first soot-free kerosene stove and thus named it "Primus," meaning "first" in Swedish. Not only did the invention help kickstart the portable stove market, it launched a brand that would go on to become an outdoor industry cornerstone supplying historic expeditions like Roald Amundsen's first ever trek to the South Pole in 1911 and Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary's first summit of Mt. Everest in 1953.
Over 130 years later, Primus is still hard at work innovating in the portable cooking space. So whether it's an ultra-slim reverse-tripod stove, windproof polar expedition stove, or tiny ultralight backpack cooker, it's always worth keeping an eye on what the brand is up to.
That's never more true than when its latest launch is described in superlative terms like "lightest ever." In the case of the Micron III, it's not the market's lightest ever, as there are currently lighter backpacking stoves available, such as this titanium 1.5-ozer (43-g) from OliCamp, but it is Primus' own lightest, cutting nearly an ounce off the original Micron to weigh in at an even 2 oz (58 g). It also tickles the scales a little less than well-established competitors like the 2.6-oz MSR Pocket Rocket 2 and 2.5-oz Optimus Crux Lite.
Primus also calls the Micron III its most packable stove ever, and to put some specific dimensions to its palmable form, the stove measures in at just 2.4 in (6.2 cm) long by 1.8 in (4.6 cm) in diameter. The trio of folding pot supports and the foldaway output dial pack around the central burner cylinder to store away comfortably in virtually any pocket, backpack compartment or bicycle bag.
Few things torch calories like a full day of hiking, pedaling, skinning or otherwise muscling your way across tens of miles of wild ground, so a proper backpacking stove really needs to work when you need it. The Micron III unfurls in a matter of seconds, screws atop the compatible gas canister and lights with a quick spark. The standard Micron III will require an external spark from a lighter or match, while the slightly heavier 2.6-oz (73-g) Micron III Piezo comes with its own ignitor. Either way, the large, wiry flame control is designed for easy adjustment, even with puffy ski gloves on.
The burner puts out a wind-resistant 2,600-W flame, and Primus estimates a boil time of 2.5 minutes for a half-liter of water or under four minutes for a full liter. From there, you just have to use said water to bring your freeze-dried meal to life. Fed in full.
Primus introduced the Micron III last month in Europe for a price of €69.95 (approx. US$82). More than simply the latest rendition of the Micron backpacking stove line, the new launch promises to be something of a pivot in response to the changing winds of the outdoor market.
"The shift toward minimalist adventure is reshaping how we think about outdoor kit," Primus said in its Micron III announcement. "Whether it’s wild camps, bikepacking weekends or long-distance solo hikes, more people are stripping back to the essentials."
That's interesting to note because for years we've watched Primus focus a lot of attention on expanding its heavier duty gear offerings for motor vehicle-supported adventures like overlanding, van life and base camping – sleek but rugged dual-burner stoves, portable grills and folding fire pits. It sounds like we can expect the brand to put ultralight backcountry basics back into the driver's seat moving forward, which sounds like a plan – it certainly has some experience to offer in the area.
Source: Primus
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