As a kid backpacking with my dad, our gear was as small and light as it possibly could have been. Without dating myself too much, my first backpack was an external frame, my first tent (which I still have) was from REI and despite being made for backpacking still came in at 7lbs. And my stove, well that required me to lug around a bottle of essentially gasoline as I stumbled and slid over rocks. This was all in the late 1990s, and the secondhand gear I used, combined with my age kept me ignorant to the changes that were happening in the ultralight space.
A Small Start
The Gigapower Stove (mine is manual, but it also comes with an integrated auto-ignighter) made its debut in 1998 at the Outdoor Retailer Expo in Salt Lake City Utah. At the time it was so small, so unlike anything anyone had seen that attendees thought it was a scaled down sample, only to be astonished when it was lit up that this was the full-size working model.
Later that year, it would go on to win Backpacker Magazine's Editor's Choice award, fueling American awareness of Snow Peak and ultimately setting forth the path to where they are today.
A deeper dive into the history of the Gigapower Stove can be found at Snow Peak's website.
A copy of the 1998 Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice at the 2023 Snow Peak Way Museum set up by Kōrogi.
A Simple Setup
After getting my first Gigapower Stove, I wasn't entirely sure how it would integrate with my camping and backpacking setups. For camping, I had my Iron Grill Table - far bigger and able to hold larger cookware or cook using different fuels. For backpacking, I had a Jetboil, which was incredibly light, efficient and fast. Slotting a new piece of kit in between two imposing pillars was something I needed to think on.
The only way to figure that out was trial by fire. So, throwing it to the center console of my car I figured I would just have it with me and find something along the way about what its purpose was.
A morning of coffee made in the back of my camper van.
A Single Serving
It was with the stove safely tucked in my center console that I would come to understand where it shines: everywhere. That isn't to say it's the best stove in every purpose, there are better stoves in about every measurable capacity except one, its size. Everywhere is literal, it fits everywhere and therefore it can go everywhere it a way my Jetboil couldn't.
This realization came to me as I set out for a day of fishing on small streams near Mt. Hood. Being a but of a walk from the car, I had to carry everything with me - and with another reel, extra line and flies taking up much of my bag, I wanted to keep the rest of it as light as possible.
At the top of an old fire lookout tower, the wood burning stove was not in use, the Gigapower was.
The Gigapower allowed for that in spades. With separate components, I was able to pack the kit in to the unused spaces of my bag - something the Jetboil wouldn't allow due to its required proprietary container. Here, I put the stove in one pocket, the fuel + mug in another and slotted the windscreen in to a third space.
Moments like this started to become more commonplace. Heading on a hike? Grab the Gigapower. Going for a picnick? Gigapower. Taking an overnight camping trip and want to pack light? Gigapower.
Quick camp meal of Miso, rice and salmon heated with the Gigapower.
A Satisfying Staple
Leaning in to this adaptability, I've since kept the Gigapower around at all times. People are surprised to find me using it in addition to the IGT, but as a movable compact burner that entirely fits hidden away in the storage components, its invaluable.
And this modularity isn't required to be exceedingly large either. I've found that smaller pieces that also can fit in a single bag, like the Ozen Solo table make for a fantastic addition, especially when surfaces are uneven like the rocky shore of a riverbank.
Final Thoughts
Snow Peak's Gigapower Stove Manual or Auto is a piece of kit I have found myself not wanting to life without. It's typically rubber-banded to my Titanium Sierra Cup for an all-in-one package that allows me to drink a quick cup of tea of coffee just about anywhere I go.
Specifications:
- Weight: 2.64oz (Manual) 4.23 (Auto)
- Size: 4.17x2.63"
- BTUs: 10,000
- Time to Boil 1L of Water: 4:30 (approx)
- Includes: Lightweight plastic shell