Walking Equipment and Accessories

Coleman Fyrestorm PCS Stove | First Look

Coleman's new backpacking stove is a sort of cross between a remote canister one and an integrated PCS system - interesting...

If the ‘PCS’ bit of Coleman FyreStorm PCS sounds familiar it’s because it stands for Personal Cooking System, a term first coined by JetBoil for their integrated one-pot camping stoves.

So the new Coleman is an all-in-one cooking system then? Hmmm… sort of. The FyreStorm has its own dedicated 1.3L hard anodised pot with a transparent lid complete with draining holes plus an integrated windshield and a burner that sits directly under the pot, but there’s one major difference…

No Heat Exchanger

Unlike the JetBoil and similar systems, the Coleman has a remote gas-canister linked to the burner by a braided steel covered gas-line rather than one that screws directly onto the burner and sits directly under the pot.

On top of that, the Coleman lacks a swanky pot-base heat-exchanger and the screw-together pot and heat-shield sit on the burner rather than being attached to it.

Once assembled the Coleman sits lower than traditional PSC-type stoves making it more stable and less fiddly to adjust – image: Jon

There are advantages to this approach. The Coleman sits lower to the ground than other PCS stoves and feels more stable as a result, having the simmer control on top of the canister rather than tucked away on the business end of things makes it easier to use and you can lift the pot and windshield off the burner more easily.

The downsides are that it’s not quite as neat as an all-in-one design. And you can’t use it as a hanging stove if you unaccountably morph into a high-altitude mountaineer

HyperFlame® downward stepped burner has chromed pan supports and a pre-heater tube that runs through the flame to vaporise fuel more efficiently in cold conditions - image: Jon

The stove mostly has a reassuring solid build feel to it, but the piezo electric igniter which sits on the braided steel covered gas pipe feels a little vulnerable and plasticky - image: Jon

Sturdy Build

Mostly the FyreStorm PCS feels pretty solidly built. The burner, which packs away into the pot along with the windshield, has a slightly retro feel, but first impressions are that it packs a decent punch – watch out for a comparative test coming soon.

We like the braided steel covered gas pipe and machined canister attachment too and have no complaints about the anodised pot, it’s urethane caddy and draining lid attachment. If we’re quibbling, the switch for the built-in piezo electric ignition looks a little exposed, but the wiring feels a lot sturdier than it looks, so maybe we’re just being paranoid.

No complaints so far about the lid and mug combo – image: Jon

All-in weight (minus gas canister) is bang on 598 grammes, which is around 100g more than the 500cc larger JetBoil Sumo – the Coleman website says 486 grammes by the way. Then again at £65, it’s around half the price of a Sumo as well and, we reckon, with careful menu choice, should be fine for cooking for two people.

Finally, claimed boil-time for one litre of water is 4 mins 30 seconds in still conditions and 6 min 35 seconds at 3m/s windspeed. That’s comparable on paper at least, to a JetBoil or similar, but we’ll see how it fares in real life use soon.

Initial Verdict

Although it’s not quite a Personal Cooking System as we know it, the remote canister actually adds some additional stability and ease of use compared to a full-on all-in-one system and has a reassuring, sturdy feel to it.

It’s not as light as it’s more expensive rivals and we suspect may lose out a little on efficiency thanks to the lack of a heat-exchanger, but the integrated windshield seems to work well on first acquaintance and you can also use it as a conventional remote-burner stove if you fancy a change from one-pot recipes. Goodby noodles…