Gear Flashback: Our Flat Cat Gear Bobcat Titanium Stove System

When we were preparing for our PCT thru hike in the spring of 2012, we were looking for an alcohol stove that would give us great performance and utility while still being packable and durable. We experimented with several homemade options including the well known Fancy Feast/tuna can stove that is popular with a lot of thru hikers because of its size and weight. We decided to go with a Bobcat titanium stove system purchased online from Flat Cat Gear.

We initially purchased the stove because of the complete system approach: We knew it would integrate perfectly with our 1.3 liter Evernew Pot and that the screen, stove, and all other accessories would nest neatly inside the pot. We also purchased and tested out a Trail Designs Caldera Cone stove, but really liked the packability of our Flat Cat and found it to be equally efficient. The Caldera we looked at had to be stowed in its separate plastic container/caddy which was a deal-breaker for us because we like our cooking system to be one unit including the pot. The Flat Cat pulls this off beautifully.

After 5 months of daily use on the PCT (we typically only cooked dinners) and a week-long test hike in the Smoky Mountains, we’re still sold on the stove. One add-on piece that we did not initially see ourselves using that much was the simmer ring. We had some snap trouble with the windscreen and Jon, the Flat Cat gear guru, gave us a simmer ring to try while working out the windscreen issues. The ring really helped us with rice and pasta meals and made the titanium stove run about triple as long on the same amount of fuel. The minimal weight gain of the simmer ring paid off dividends as we could adjust from “full boil” mode and dial back the intensity of the stove for other dishes.

Overall, the Bobcat system did an admirable job coping with the rigors of an extended trip (156 consecutive days). The stove itself is really a work of art and this lends to its durability as it is one solid piece of metal. Although the stove and screen could have easily held up inside a small storage sack or loose in our packs, we liked how it nested in our pot and it shared the space with the simmer ring, dish rag, lighter, and fuel measuring cup with room to spare!

We can recommend both the product and the company because Jon at Flat Cat is committed to making great products and he is always trying to make his designs better. A perfect example of this is how he repaired and replaced our original Flat Cat windscreen. Our snaps were failing because of their position on the windscreen and the fact that the titanium version of the stove runs hotter. He spent a lot of time rooting out the cause of the problem and adjusted the design as a result. We loved the stove to begin with, but his changes and willingness to improve has made the stove even better.

We hope to finally fill in some details on our “Gear” page on this site showing what we used for our PCT thru hike, and the Flat Cat Bobcat will certainly find its place among our items!