Firemaple Stove & Hans Butane Cylinder

Raja brought for me from England a Firemaple titanium stove for camping. Model name is FMS 116T. It's a very small lightweight stove that's less than 50 grams. It comes in a cool little hard plastic case. It has a threaded bottom that sits on the cylinder. 

To use it with I bought a Hans butane cylinder off Amazon. The cylinder has 230 grams of gas in it. Only experience will tell me for how long it will last. The stove fitted perfectly and the flame seemed very good. But this rig is good only for some very basic cooking on the field like an omlette or tea for one person. Not for any serious cooking. I have to look for some utensils to go with this rig. 

In case you have never used these gadgets (like me) when you screw on the stove on the cylinder a bit of gas comes out with a scary hiss and the unmistakable smell of cooking gas. Please do not panic but keep turning it. It goes off in half a second. This point was written in the literature that came with the stove. 

Another point to note for newbies, when you are tightening the stove on the cylinder, keep the cylinder upright. Because what's inside is liquid. If you keep it inverted the liquid will come out when you are turning the stove on. The liquid becomes gas when it comes in contact with the atmosphere. I learnt it the hard way.

Here is a youtube video that I made on how to use the cylinder and stove. I am afraid I got the spelling of Hans wrong in the video.

The only problem with this set up seems to be the fact that Hans is apparently the only company in India that makes these mini cylinders. Kabsons has small cylinders for domestic cooking which are not feasible to carry on the trail. They come in 2 Kg sizes. I tried to look for a local solution to this in Lake Market. They seemed violently opposed to the idea of a small portable cylinder, saying it will never work here. They obviously have no clue about adventures and the requirements of camping. I am sure customers like me don't make up for a large market size.

However, it might be possible to locally refill these cylinders. Have to enquire around. In a worst case scenario I can use an adaptor on a small tubular canister and use my stove. However, how stable that set up will be for making an omelette or tea is open to question. The canisters are cylinders with a very narrow base.

Coleman has something similar but they need Coleman stoves. I believe the threads are proprietary and monopolistic. Though there might be an adapter available somewhere. 

These 230 gm cylinders cannot be brought in from abroad either because apart from the cost, they will not be allowed in an aeroplane. Which is another problem for domestic travel. If I want to use this I cannot travel by plane.

Black Diamond Moji Tent Lantern

During my Stok Kangri trek of September 2018, where I used my own tent for the entire duration of the trek, I realised a hanging ceiling light for the tent is a serious requirement for smooth camp life. Upon research I found Black Diamond has a few models and this Moji with 100 lumens should be enough for me. This is the most basic and no frills model. I asked my friend Raja Biswas to bring it for me from the UK which he did, like he always does. Unfortunately Raja does not accept money from us for these small items. I think it would have cost him £14, which is an insignificant amount. Moji comes in different colours. Raja chose the most understated colour grey. Thanks for that :-)

The light is smaller than a cricket ball and extremely light. Officially it weighs 122 gm with the batteries. It works with 3 AAA batteries. I hate that it uses an odd number. I wonder if they sell these in odd number. I have to go to the grocer and check it out. The unit didn't come pre-loaded with any battery. Have to buy new ones.

The battery chamber

The battery chamber is easy to open and close. The grey top has a screw on system. It works very smoothly unlike, let's say, my Petzl Tikina.  

There is just one switch to turn the power on or off or change the intensity of the light. I believe it can be used in various settings from 4 lumens to 100 lumens (I am yet to use it properly). The battery life will vary accordingly from 100 hours to 10 hours. In a small tent like mine, I don't think I will need a flood of light all the time. 

My tent does have a pocket on the ceiling where one can place his head torch and it will give out a diffused light. However, I didn't like it. Unless I was going to an expedition where every single gramme counted, I would carry the Moji. Even if I was not using my own tent. This is a very handy thing to have during a hike into the wilderness of Himalayas, even if you are not carrying your own tent. You can use it under various situations. Commercial trekking agencies can give you a tent but they don't provide any light inside. Even in dining tents, available light is pathetic.

A trekking gear has to be light, compact, dependable and hardy. This is light and compact, no doubt. BD is generally a dependable brand. I have two of their items and both are very nice - a head torch and a pair of trekking poles. Whether it is hardy can only be judged after I have used it a few times in the field. The packaging says it offers IPX4 water resistance. This means it is protected against splashing water. So I can use it in rains and dripping water will not spoil it. I cannot immerse it in water and get away with it. I don't think these situations will arise under normal circumstances. Let me see. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Batteries 
I bought three AAA Duracell batteries from the grocer. Each costs Rs 36. The light looks very nice and bright at the highest. Even at the lowest setting it's decently bright for a small tent like mine. The button has to be long pressed for the brightness to be turned up or down. One press is off or on. It has a brightness memory. That is, the lantern lights up from the last set brightness when you turn it on. Here is a photograph of the lit lantern.

At the lowest lumen of 4