The first of the new Karrimor Gosystem stoves has just landed on
our desk, so we thought we'd do a quick virtual look before testing
it properly over the next few weeks.
Karrimor Gosystem, you may recall, is the new incarnation of
Go-Gas, and this - see pic - is the pleasingly named Mighty Atom.
As you might guess from that name, it's a small, lightweight
canister-top stove aimed at lightweight backpackers and mountaineers.
We've been impressed with Go-Gas burner efficiency in the past, and
we suspect this'll be similarly efficient, but you'll have to wait on
that one.
Built-In Lighter...
So what else can we tell you? At 124 grammes, the Mighty Atom is
significantly heavier than the leader in this category, MSR's neat
little Pocket Rocket, which tips the scales at a mere 85 grammes on
the OM scales, but then you also get a built-in piezo electric
igniter so there's no need to carry matches or a disposable lighter.
Before you scoff, a disposable cigarette lighter weighs almost 20
grammes, so you could argue that the real weight difference comes
down to only 20 grammes odd.
The other plus point of the Mighty Atom is that the folding stove
supports feature serrations which are designed to mesh with
Gosystem's ridged pan bottoms for maximum stability. Claimed boil
time for one litre of water is 3 minutes 15 seconds and burn time on
a 220 gramme standard gas cartridge 2 hours and 45 minutes.
One feature we're not overly impressed by is the chunky plastic
carrying case which is supplied with the stove. It feels as tough as
an old dog's paw pads, but remarkably at 137 grammes is actually
heavier than the stove. This doesn't really matter as you don't have
to carry it with you and Karrimor also include a nylon bag, but it
does mean that when you pick up the closed box, it feels
extraordinarily heavy, something that could backfire in shops.
The price is a very reasonable £30 and it'll be in the shops at the end of this month.
Alastair Dent
