Well done. A couple recommendations. 1. no need to use the straw. Open and close the fuel cap. Warm the tank with your hands or inside your coat. Set it down and open the valve. When you warmed the tank you made pressure in the tank that will force fuel up through the jet and dribble down into the priming cup. 2. Install the windscreen when priming. Most of your prime heat was blowing away with the wind. You should only need one prime unless it's REALLY cold and windy. If you are in windy conditions a lot, get a foldable windscreen or use several layers of heavy aluminum foil to make one. Makes a HUGE difference. Notch out the bottom to allow some air in to keep too much heat from reflecting back and over heating the stove. Have a great holiday season?
@@tomsitzman3952 Yeah, some folks are more sensitive to the cold than others. I get it. I actually use a nasal spray bottle full of alcohol for preheating. I remove the dip tube from the sprayer first. I've done it lots of ways. But I agree that alcohol priming is preferred. But if he's using the stove fuel and doesn't mind the soot........ On a sunny day like that, a little soot actually helps. Setting it down in the sun would generate enough tank pressure in just a few seconds, with the black soot absorbing more heat than shiny brass. Haha! You can shove it under your coat, between your legs, anything to raise the tank temp a couple degrees. It doesn't take much at all. You just have to be ready to open the valve before it cools back down. But seriously, it only takes 4 or 5 seconds. One advantage of the tank warming method is that the stove lets you know when it's ready and starts vaporizing the fuel above the valve.
I was just cruising YT about Svea 123's and came upon this video. It confirms what I already know about the Svea and why I need one. On another note....the best part of this video is the omelette. That omelette in the bag is super wombat smart as heck! Very well done!
I would never, ever, EVER, take the fuel cap off that stove after I've primed it even once. Use a fuel PASTE in the priming cup if it is so cold that filling the priming cup with LIQUID fuel isn't enough.
I am 73 years old and have been using the Svea 123r since the 1960's. I figured out a neat way to start it. Just tear off a small piece of paper towel, toilet paper will not work. Roll it long ways between your fingers. Then open the fuel cap and dip the rolled paper towel into the ful and let it soak up some gas. Put the rolled paper towel in the preheating cup, being careful not to let it get near the fuel cap so you don't burn the o ring. Jut light it and open the vaqlve when it gets hot. That way you don't have fuel running down the outside of the stove.
I also notice a lot of people forget that the wire pot-supports can be twisted outward to have a bigger surface area for larger pots.... But great video - thanks for this.
Hi Dave. Great video! I too found the Svea charming. Unfortunately I burned up the internal wick by running it until it was completely out of fuel. I wasn't aware you could do that until I started researching why it was not working properly. The fix is not easy as the stove wasn't designed to be taken apart. Sadly, mine sits on a shelf in my garage. I don't want to discourage your viewers from enjoying this nostalgic stove, but I do want warn them to never let your Svea run out of fuel while it's running. Oh, before I ruined it I used to take a small bottle of Heat that you buy in the automotive department to prime the stove. That way you don't have to remove the cap and release pressure. Happy holidays!
Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your excellent comment, my friend! I am sorry to hear about your Svea. I have always heard to never run this stove dry so I try to be careful, however, from what I've seen, replacing the wick doesn't seem to be a major project. Yes, I use a small bottle of heat for priming often. Maybe check out some of the videos on rebuilding Svea stoves? I think those contain information on the wick. Keep me posted! -Dave
Hi Dave. Consider using a roasting bag instead of the ziplock. They can stand the temp and are meant to have things cooked in them. You would need a twist tie to close it tho. Great work as always.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your nice comment, Kevin! I appreciate the information, my friend! I'll have to give those bags a try! -Dave
You should not need to prime 3 times, normally just holding the SVEA in your warm hands is enough to start the pressure, if not I have found the best way to prime is tie some thick stove rope( fibreglass normally) around the bottom of the riser tube with fine inox wire so it sits into the fuel cup and then soaks up whatever fuel you are using, the fuel in europe is dirty and soots it up. I therefore se denatured alcohol or Methylated spirits which i always carry in a tiny hip flask which looks like a jerry can, holds about 4oz. The rope acts like a sponge and soaks up the fuel and allows you to heat up the riser generator tube more. It will pressurize on 1 prime in the winter. Being glass fibre it does not burn.
Great looking stove I like it I remember when Nathan was showing his off , I like your omelet idea I seen PHARAOH do it also maybe use them freezer bags will help when boiling there a little thicker thanks for the awesome video Dave
Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your awesome comment! Yes, thicker bags would probably be more dependable but I don't make these types of omelets very often. I appreciate the kind words, my friend! -Dave
Every time you remove the cap there is more than a BIT of lost pressure, you lose it all. The only thing you retain is a BIT of the heat which in turn helps you regain that lost pressure.
Well done.. One of my favorite packing stoves.. Mine is over 50 years old now, works perfect.. I prime mine just a little different than you do, pre heating the stove is quick and easy.. I don't think that stove can be beat unless it's the model with the built in pump.. A little more weight.. Well done..
I couldn't agree more, Norman! It's a tough stove to beat and definitely worth the extra weight, being a bit heavier than some other stoves. I am very happy to hear that yours is over 50 yrs old and works perfectly. Have you had to replace any parts? Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your awesome comment, my friend! -Dave
Cold weather tip...Get a little carbon felt and cut a donut the size of the priming dimple. It’ll hold more fuel and you won’t have to prime it over and over.
I have definitely spoke with several people that use the carbon felt technique. I may try it out, however, I don't have too much difficulty in cold weather. Thank you for watching and I appreciate the information, my friend! -Dave
These are nice stoves. I found mine at a 2nd hand thrift store for $1 if you can imagine. I've used it for years. They are quite fun to cook with and as you said, dependable. I use fire starter paste to prime mine. Thank you Dave for another fine video. You never waste time and are enjoyable to watch.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your awesome comment, my friend! Thrift shops are great! You are exactly right, these stoves are fun and dependable. I know the stove itself recommends using fire paste and I've seen some guys use it. I may have to give it a try, especially in this type of weather! -Dave
Great set up you have there Dave. The SVEA 123R is a great stove. That omelette looked delicious. Thanks for taking the time to share a great video. May you and your family Have a Merry Christmas.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your awesome comment, Jeff! I appreciate the kind words, my friend! I hope your Christmas was great and your New year is going well! -Dave
I like the little stove, but now I have to tell myself I have enough Stoves ( but it such a great stove ). The omelette looked so good , really need to give this a try. Have a great Christmas Dave 🔥
Haha..can you ever have too many stoves for the woods? This is the only way that I can make a decent omelette...haha! I hope you had a very merry Christmas, my friend! -Dave
@@tomsitzman3952 That comment was 4 years ago 😂 - MSR 3 , FireBox 7 , Svea 123R ( Ya I picked it up ) , couple of Coleman Stoves , DIY Alcohol stoves. Not sure what the head count is right now. I’m sure I’m missing a couple. Dave did say you can never have to many.
I just stumbled across this video. I've never seen the omelet in a bag trick before (and I'm an old fart)! I think I'll be using this fairly often from now on! Although I have a Svea 123 stove, I don't think I'll be giving up the Trangia alcohol stove I've been mostly using for the last 48 years (I bought mine in 1975). I like the quiet and simplicity of alcohol stoves. Also the fuel doesn't make stuff stink if you spill it on your gear. Just let it evaporate and the smell is gone.
Great video Dave. The Optimus cook kit looks great too. One question, if you’re pre heating the stove to build up pressure and vaporize the fuel, aren’t you losing that pressure each time you open the cap to get more fuel with the straw to pre heat two or three times?
Thank you for the kind words! Yes, there is a bit of lost pressure every time the cap is removed. If the weather isn't as cold, it doesn't make much of a difference, however, in colder weather, I carry a small bottle that I use for priming to not remove the cap as much. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by! -Dave
Thank you for the kind words, my friend! I appreciate you taking the time to stop by! I have found the cup swap to work really well and I think you will enjoy the switch. Nice to hear from you! -Dave
mikemorgan is dead on. Another hint for SVEA owners is to optimize the priming cup. Unscrew the stem as you would for maintenence, and add a stack of felt/fiberglass felt donuts (such as battery terminal insulators). Easy DIY. Then when the fuel dribbles from the jet to the priming cup the felt gets soaked instead of just running off. Its cleaner than firepaste, although I've done that too. Next - the aluminum windscreen with vents at the bottom. Last - to clean and polish...simply immerse in an epsom salt bath. These things last for decades....I've added a BernieDawg minicap to mine...
Thanks for sharing Dave. I’ve really enjoyed using mine over the past few weeks. There’s a real vintage explorer feel to the stove that makes me smile when I take it out of my pack.
Hi Dave! Glad that pouch is still doing the job for you! Another cup that's great for this stove is the GSI Cup/Pot, and it's quite similar to the Walmart cup you use here. Wish I could avoid the shipping nightmares I've seen between the US and Canada, as right now both that Optimus cookset and all the Pathfinder gear is almost double the cost of what you folks in the US pay. But I'm trying out some of the new Stanley gear on my stove so we'll see how they turn out. One question, though: when you were using the Pathfinder pot, why didn't you move the 3 pot stands outward? For bigger pots and pans I always have to do that.
Thank you for the pouch recommendation, my friend! Definitely sounds like shipping nightmares to Canada, my friend, but Stanley makes some excellent products! I've used the Bush Pot on the Svea a lot and the pot stands don't necessarily need to be turned outwards. They actually hold it pretty well but if I was cooking something heavier or a larger meal, I definitely would have turned them out. I appreciate you stopping by and leaving your awesome comment! -Dave
Folks, beware of anyone who makes omelets in a ziplock bag and eats them with a pocket knife! Kidding! I really enjoyed the video, as it took me down memory lane to 50 years ago when my father had an Optimus 80. You can't mistake the sound of that stove, and it still performs well against today's white-gas stoves. It think I'll give your cooking method a shot, but might look for a tougher bag.
Super, this was very helpful. I had little success getting mine to light, now I know how to do it. I'm going to get one of those pouches too, great information! I am enjoying your videos a lot.
I am happy to hear that I could be of some assistance, jon! How has it been going? Any easier for you? I have found the key to be in making sure the stove is nice and warm prior to lighting it. Have you been able to pick up the Condor pouch? Keep me posted, my friend! -Dave
Hey Dave: after watching your videos on the 123 I ordered one, it arrived just last week. Your videos appreciably shortened the learning curve, Thanks! Kindest regards and best wishes, Pink
I am very happy to be of assistance! How are you liking the stove? As you can tell, I cannot get enough of mine! Please keep me posted, my friend, and I look forward to talking with you again soon! -Dave
Hello again my friend, used the stove on a trip to the MS gulf coast, performed flawlessly. If you ever find yourself down here make sure to look me up. Gulf Islands National Seashore is a definite must see!
Been hiking / backpacking since I was 15. My Svea 123 been with me every step. You have a great channel. It’s good to learn something new. Keep the vids coming. 👍
Another wonderful video my friend. I am still recovering from all my issues. I hope to be out backpacking in about a month or two. My feet are all good they don’t hurt anymore. But this past Saturday I had a heart attack.No tissue damage. Thank you Jesus. I always love watching your videos and now it’s helping me to recover. God bless you have a merry Christmas. John
Thanks for the informative video. I always enjoy seeing the Svea in action. There should be one in the Smithsonian. I'll give your omelet a shot too. Thanks again
I prime mine with the wind screen on and I will heat the tank with my hands and don’t need the straws, it will put fuel out of the jet. But I have been using both of mine since the 1960’s. I have heated MRE’s in plastic before many times.
Thank you for watching, Urlock! Our winter was moderate until it really started last week! I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and leave your awesome comment, my friend! -Dave
Another Awsome cooking with your Svea 123 Brother 👌 I love those vintage roarer burners, so reliable in any weather conditions. Personaly I prefer to prime them with denatured alcohol because it doesn't leave soot on the burner. Merry Christmas to you and your family Dave🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄
Nice to hear from you and thank you for the kind words, brother! I love the roar burners, as well, and I concur about their reliability in the cold. I tend to carry a separate bottle of HEET for priming, most of the time. I hope you and your family enjoyed your Christmas and I hope to talk with you again soon! -Dave
Very nice showing/explaining I aleays like to ser your own modifications and afaptations and compilations on gears, very tailored tonyour needs Thanks for sharing, always funn an dinteresting to watch Cheers
Thank you for the kind words, Isaac! I appreciate you stopping by and I am very happy that you find my videos interesting! Amazing what experience teaches you about modifications and adaptation! -Dave
I took one to Iraq (GW1) no facilities, pre-internet, etc...The little SVEA happens to run well with aircraft fuel, which as a pilot I had plenty of... It was perfect to boil some water for a hot cup of coffee/cocoa and to heat up my MRE rations. Really held up well. I still have it and fires up without any problems. I added (back then) the pressure kit and that was a game changer. It cost me around $60 USD and that was money well spent. Thank you for your review.
NEVER use an additional external windscreen with this stove!!! The one that is on the stove is designed for the correct temperature of the device. An external windscreen will increase pressure and may cause an explosion. I have seen pictures of Svea 123 stoves with the bottom blown out from using a second windscreen.
I am happy to have made your Saturday Morning a bit better, my friend! It's nice to hear from you and I appreciate you taking the time to stop by! -Dave
Thank you for the kind words, my friend! You will absolutely love the omelette in a bag! I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and leave your awesome comment! -Dave
Dave I think you're the most awesome outdoor presenter in the whole wide world. I love you man. keep up the good work. Greetings from Hong Kong . / dwell
I have seen you use this stove before she looks like a winner. I like the omelette in a bag idea. Thanks for sharing with us & keep enjoying the great out of doors my brother. - Marco
@@HighCarbonSteelLove Dave you are an awesome human being you have been with me since day one when I started my channel there's no words to express how much I appreciate you, who you are and your channel. Thank you my brother and always best wishes to you and keep enjoying the great out-of-doors 👍
Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your very nice comment, my friend! Yes, Pathfinder Bush Pot has been excellent over the years! You are going to love the Svea stove! Let me know what you think when you pick one up! -Dave
Great video my friend. Love the stove. Great idea priming it with the straw. I'll have to remember that for priming my Optimus 8r. Merry christmas and God bless.
Thank you for the kind words, Robert! The straws seem to work really well when the weather isn't too cold. In bitter type weather, I carry the yellow HEET separately so I don't need to keep opening the cap. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by, my friend! -Dave
Hi Dave. I think that I watched your videos more on another profile years ago. I notice that you haven't put a video up in years. I hope that you are well and enjoying a good life.
Hey Clark! Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your very nice comment, my friend! Great to hear from you and to get another A++ comment! -Dave
I used a similar Optimus 80, which is the same stove (but with a less fussy support frame) from the same company. I don't think they make that model anymore. For decades, I ran many gallons of straight low-octane gasoline through it while backpacking and travelling in a lot of countries before the stem finally clogged up with fuel varnish. You can buy gasoline just about anywhere in the world. I only had to take 15 minutes to ream that stem out with a 1/16-inch drill bit to unclog it and get it running again. The hardest maintenance part was dealing with the rubber seals in the fuel cap/safety valve, which tended to harden and leak fuel and vapor somewhat after a few years before they needed replacing. My nearly half-century-old camping stove still works as well today as it did earlier. It has cooked hundreds of meals for me. The design is simple, but it is also very effective. The Swedes did a very good job in designing these stoves. I used to prime mine with an eyedropper I stored in its case instead of a straw -- less fuel spillage that way. I'm hoping to pass my stove down to my grandchildren.
Thank you for taking the time to watch and share your awesome experience with the Optimus 80! I actually know some guys who swear by gasoline for these stoves. Sounds like you did an excellent job with your repair. I usually will carry a small bottle of HEET for priming...a bit easier that the straw draw technique. -Dave
Isn't the pressure enough even after the first priming for you to just opening the valve slightly to let out enough fuel for the second priming? That way you don't have to release all the pressure you've already built up.. That method is closer to the original instructions where you just need to warm up the unit with your hands for a while to build up enough pressure for the priming. No need to carry any external fuel! However that might be stupid at sub-zero degrees (
I enjoy your videos. I have been using this stove for years, and here in new england I find it is a challenge to get going year round, but I love it anyway. I did pick up a few tips from you.
As always a great video David. I have an Optimus 99 which as you know functions in the same manner. There is something so satisfying about those stoves running oh, I can't express it. As far as cooking in a bag I've done that for years using my bakepacker which is perfect in the winter I leave the food in the pot with the hot water after it's done to keep the food hot. you have a good Christmas my friend and as always thank you for uploading these videos.
Great to hear from you, my friend! You are exactly right, these stoves are very satisfying and fun to use! Sounds like you have an excellent cooking bag system. I appreciate the kind words and hope you are having an excellent New Year! -Dave
Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your nice comment, Sean! I hope you had a good Christmas and hope your New Year is going well, my friend! -Dave
Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave your very nice comment, Joel! It's great to hear from you, my friend! IMHO, the absolute best way to make an omelette, due to my poor cooking skills..haha! -Dave
I got mine in 1968. I have never had it to leak. It works great. If you put it in your sleeping bag (mummy-type) it will be warm enough to start without much, if any, priming.
