Along with other things I collect, I have a small collection of 30+ vintage backpacking stoves, some over 80 years old. Among the simplest and most reliable are ones made by the Primus Factory in Sweden. The one I have here is a Primus Factory No. 71.
The stove pictured above on the label is like the one Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay used on the first climb of Mount Everest. The No. 71 stove I have is made of heavy brass, burns white gas, and has very few parts, making it rugged and reliable. This stove was originally sold in 1948 and by today’s standards is heavy. Most of the backpacking stoves made today use compressed gas cylinders with a butane/propane mix. Today the Primus Factory still makes stoves but they are far different than the ancient No. 71 that I have here. I suppose if all the Primus Factory products were displayed on a table you could see how they evolved and stand out from the rest of the stoves on the market.
Oh, and I almost forgot, here is a little puzzle for you to solve. A geochecker shouldn’t be necessary because the answer will be obvious if you have solved the puzzle correctly.
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