Pathfinder Ti Review: A Tiny and Inexpensive Camp Stove

The Pathfinder Ti is an ultralight titanium camp stove that packs down small and weighs less than anything we’ve used before. Plus, it’s one of the most affordable canister stoves on the market. Find Miles’ thoughts after using one this winter here, including how it stacks up against other tiny stoves he’s tried…

When Grayl sent over their new UltraPress Ti Water Filter for me to check out, they included a few odds and ends that I wasn’t expecting. Along with their USA-made BottleLock Hip Pack and adjustable Loonie Bin Cage, there was also a tiny gray box that I must have missed during my initial unboxing. After digging through some gear bins recently, I came across the mystery box and realized it was actually a tiny camp stove—one of the smallest I’ve seen—called the Pathfinder Ti camp stove.

I’ll admit I was a little confused at first. The box makes no mention of Grayl, the stove itself has both the Grayl and a Pathfinder Ti logo on it, and there’s not a whole lot of information about it online. It seems the stove itself is primarily distributed by a company called Self Reliance Outdoors, an online store that mainly stocks outdoor survivalist-type gear. A few other online shops sell the same stove, and the Grayl co-branded version was brought onto their web store to coincide with the launch of their UltraPress Ti water filter since it doubles as a pot thanks to its titanium construction.

pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review

The Pathfinder Ti camp stove is a tiny little thing. As the name implies, it’s made from titanium but has aluminum and brass components. It packs a punch for such a tiny stove, pushing out up to 9,200 BTU, which falls somewhere between the 4,000 to 11,000 BTU range of stoves I regularly use. It weighs next to nothing at 26 grams (28 grams claimed), and the only comparable stoves I could find appear to be rebranded (or potentially the original) versions of the exact same stove, mostly available on Amazon.

The Pathfinder Ti stove shares a similar design to other tiny folding canister stoves, including the Primus Micron Trail and Snow Peak LiteMax. It has a replaceable O-ring inside the canister end of the stove, the wire flame adjuster has three full rotations to dial in the output, and the three pot supports fold up and then down along the sides of the stove for transport. When folded away, it’s about the same length and width as a box of matches (2″ x 1.5″) and lives inside an included stuff sack.

pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review

Like most foldable canister stoves, the Pathfinder Ti doesn’t take much effort to get going. The stove threads onto your favorite isobutane fuel canister, the pot supports are flipped up and friction-fit firmly into place, and the flame adjuster then controls the fuel output and flame size. The serrated teeth on the pot supports provide some grip but won’t stop a pot from being knocked off, and the tiny 20mm wide burner head provides a direct flame.

The stove is great for boiling water, which is generally all I expect from a tiny canister stove like this. Its flame adjuster allows some room for simmering, but I found any wind had a tendency to almost blow it out. So, for the most part, I’ve left it wide open. If I was bringing this stove on any type of longer trip, I’d be packing a small windshield as well. While the burner head is small, the small angular shields actually do a surprisingly good job at spreading the flame so as not to create a small hot spot on the bottom of your pot. I had 500 milliliters of water boiling in well under three minutes, which is right on par with other lightweight canister stoves.

pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review
  • pathfinder ti stove review

Pathfinder Ti or BRS 3000T?

The $17 BRS 3000T Stove from Amazon, which is identical to this one, claims roughly 36 minutes of burning time for a small 100-gram canister and 1 hour and 15 minutes for a large 220-gram canister. They also show their stove weighing in at 25 grams, so it’s safe to say that the BRS 3000T and the Pathfinder Ti stove are, in fact, the same products. Besides a small price difference, some may opt to purchase from Grayl or one of the other US-based distributors to work with someone locally for warranty issues or other customer service requests.

In an earlier post here on the site, Josh Meisnner included the BRS 3000T (pictured below) in his cook kit roundup and described it as “tiny, flimsy, and cheap. Mine has been perfectly reliable, but I wouldn’t trust it for any extended trip except as a backup. Your mileage may vary depending on the copy.” There are some similar reports online, and while the Pathfinder Ti isn’t quite as common, it’s safe to say stoves of this nature are best used as a backup or the occasional low-risk overnighter. Logan has also spent some time using one and says it’s pretty impressive for its size, although loud and not the best at simmering. He even listed it as a top pick in our 2021 Gear of the Year awards.

BRS 3000T STOVE

Pros

  • Impressively lightweight
  • Packable
  • High output boils water quick
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Reliability is questionable according to some reports
  • Not great with wind
  • Great for boiling but not for simmering or complex meals
  • Output: 9,200 BTU
  • Material: Titanium / Brass
  • Weight: 26 grams
  • Place of Manufacture: China
  • Price: $27.95 at Grayl or $17 at Amazon
  • Manufacturer’s Details: Grayl.com

Wrap Up

Compared to stoves I’ve used from bigger, more reputable brands, the Pathfinder Ti (or BRS 3000T) is close but not equal. Generally speaking, I find the stoves from brands like MSR, Primus, and Jetboil to be slightly more sophisticated in their design and construction. My cook kit is something I want to be 100% confident in, and finding various co-branded versions of the same stove on Amazon doesn’t instill much confidence in me. With that said, if you’re looking for an impressively lightweight and packable canister stove, the Pathfinder Ti ticks both boxes. It boils water quickly, adds hardly any extra weight to your setup, and so far has held up pretty well. For simple, close-to-home campouts and weekenders, I think it could fit the bill for lots of people. Plus, that price tag is hard to beat!

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