For those interested in cookpots for hiking! A new Fire Maple Petrel pot.

Fire Maple G2 on the left, Petrel G3 on the right.

Recently Fire Maple launched a new pot with a heat exchanger (HX) on the base called the Petrel G2. It’s bigger and wider than the original Petrel, now called the Petrel G3, with a 750ml rather than 600ml capacity. I received one in the post yesterday and on first look I like it a great deal.

The Petrels are, so far, unique amongst heat exchanger pots as they have slots in the base in which you can fit the pot supports of a stove with 120° between them. This brings the burner inside the heat exchanger and closer to the base of the stove, which increases wind resistance and makes the unit more stable. It’s also meant to reduce boil times and improve fuel efficiency though my tests with the G3 suggest there’s no significant difference with standard heat exchanger pots as long as a windshield is used with the latter.

G2 left, G3 right.

Last year I wrote a post about heat exchanger pots and why I was now using one year round (see here). In mild, calm weather they don’t make much difference. It’s when it’s cold and windy that they come into their own, especially when used with a stove with a regulated burner like the Soto Windmaster or the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe.

As part of my testing I tried the two Fire Maple HX pots then available, the Petrel G3 and the 1-litre FMC-XK6, and preferred the latter, although it’s a little heavier, as it’s wider and so easier for stirring when simmering, with less chance of food at the bottom burning, and easier for eating from – my pot often doubles as a bowl.

From the left, FMC-XK6, Petrel G2, Petrel G3

Back in November when it was winter in the hills, unlike now (mid-January), I had a camp where I needed to melt snow for water. The FMC-XK6 proved excellent for this (see this video). I think the narrower, taller, smaller Petrel G3 would not have been so good.  The FMC doesn’t have slots in the base though and the handle and lid aren’t as easy to use as the ones on the G3. I’m hoping the Petrel G2, which is as wide as the FMC and has the same type of handle and lid as the G2, will prove as useful for snow melting. I just need winter to return to find out.

The G2 is slightly lighter than the FMC, 187g rather than 195g, and a bit heavier than the G3, which weighs 166g. That’s with lids. For some reason Fire Maple has decided to give the G2 a hefty lid weighing 46g. The FMC lid is 24g, the G3 28g. Without lids the G2 is only 2g heavier than the G3. Of course 20g or so difference is irrelevant for most people. Only dedicated ultralighters will change the G2 lid for a lighter one. I just wonder why Fire Maple have put such a lid on a pot they’re promoting as ultralight. Other than weight it's similar to the G3 lid with a big rubber knob that makes it easy to lift off and made of transparent Tritan plastic.

The G2 measures 127.5 x 126 x 147.5mm with the handle folded over the lid. The pot itself has a height of 100mm and a diameter of 120mm. A 234g gas canister will fit inside but there isn't room for a stove as well.

The design of the G2 is similar to the G3 with the same snap-in-place folding handle that holds the lid on when closed. The G2 has a small pour spout, unlike the G3, and a single drain/steam hole in the lid rather than three slots. Of course steam can also escape at the spout, which isn't fully covered by the lid. There's only one volume mark, max 0.75L on the inside. The G3 and the FMC have incremental marks, which are useful. I wish Fire Maple had put these on the G2.

I’ve attached the Soto Windmaster Triflex and the *MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe to the G2 and both fit OK.  The combination is slightly more stable with the PRD as the supports fill the slots on the base. The shorter Triflex ones don’t and that means there’s a slight wobble and it’s harder to centre the pot on the stove. In practice this probably makes no significant difference. I’ll find out.

*A note on the MSR PRD and the Petrel pots. There are videos and online reviews that say it won’t fit the G3 and others that say it will. I suspect this is down to manufacturing tolerances with the pot. My PRD won’t quite fit the G3 without the legs being closed slightly and then it’s awkward – I wouldn’t want to use the combination in the field. However it fits the G2 fine.