The Optimus Nova Stove is a multi-fuel stove that weighs less than a pound. This stove has received many awards and has proven itself in the field for many hikers and backpackers alike.

I've owned the stove for about two years and have used it about a dozen times. It has performed well in snow, wind, and in temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The stove is a multi-fuel stove, able to burn white gas, kerosene, or diesel, but I've only used white gas with it.

This stove has large fold-out legs that will support the largest of pots and provide a very stable base. The primer cup contains glass wool that acts as a wick and makes pre-heating the stove a breeze. One of the neat features that I really like is being able to flip the bottle so the fuel and pressure can be bled off. This eliminates most of the fuel in the line, giving you a dry stove to pack away, and eliminating the smell of gas that usually lingers with other stoves. The Optimus Nova Stove doesn't come with a fuel bottle, but you can pick one up at a reasonable price. Optimus offers three different size bottles that fit this stove and I typically use the smaller, 0.4 liter bottle to cut down on weight. This size bottle is more than adequate for my 3 day hiking trips.

The flame on the Optimus Nova Stove is adjustable but I do have trouble getting it to a "simmer" level. I'd say that the range is from low to high. It can boil a liter of water in under 4 minutes. Once, when I had the stove setup on snow covered ground, I discovered that the snow didn't melt much as I prepared my dinner meal. The majority of heat from this stove is directed upwards with very little heating under the stove itself.

The stove is made of all metal parts; no plastic found here. This makes it very strong and durable. I've dropped the stove once or twice and never had any problems with broken parts or inoperability.

The stove folds up to about the size of the fuel canister. It comes with tools for field maintenance, a wind screen, as well as a large carrier pouch to hold the stove and all accessories. The stove easily fits inside my MSR pots so it doesn't take up any additional space in my pack.

The Optimus Nova Stove is my second liquid fuel stove and I am very pleased with it. It requires very little maintenance (I've only had to clean the jets once so far) as well as being small and light weight. This stove has it all: lightweight, performance, durability, and ease-of-use. If you are in the market for your first liquid fuel stove, or looking to replace your current stove, then I would highly recommend considering the Optimus Nova as your next backpacking stove.