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The Primus Ulti stove is an all-in-one stove system with a large burner with a range of pot sizes. The aim of the stove is to provide a hot meal under any circumstances. In Scotland, we encounter a wide range of weather conditions that can change dramatically over just a short space of time. Having a reliable stove that can provide our group with a hot drink and warm meal is key to keeping morale high and energy levels topped up, as we spend multiple days in the hills.

Boil time and gas consumption are valued slightly higher than overall weight and size, with the Ulti certainly not aimed at super light backpacking but more so overall performance. This is not to say the Ulti isn’t a compact system, with the pots, burner, and gas all fitting neatly inside for travel. There are great features such as the pot handles including a cover to protect hands, that also double up as a carry loop. 

External pot stands attach to the burner so that any type of cooking pot or pan can be used, that also double up as maintenance tools. There’s no denying this is a very well-thought-out design, oozing quality, and high-spec performance.

The weights below are taken using our scales at home:

• Burner with bag and pot stand – 420 grams
• Burner on its own – 362 grams
• 1L Pot with Lid – 271 grams
• 1.7L Pot with Lid – 356 grams
• 2.5L Pot with Lid – 468 grams

Our preferred choice from the pot options provided to us would be the 1.7L. With a combined weight of 782 grams including the gas burner. This provided enough water for a quick brew stop for 5 people, and two boils of an evening when providing water for dehydrated meals.

Boil time is impressive. 1.5L of water to a gentle boil came in at 4 mins 53 secs. Water taken from the mountain, boiled outside at a temp of 4 degrees. We found that in a mix of environments during late spring to early summer, a boil time of around the 5-minute mark was consistent.

Gas consumption is excellent. Primus claims that the Ulti has a power rating of 3000 W, and a heating time of 60mins with a 230g cartridge. It’s hard to look at these numbers as a reliable benchmark as many factors affect every stove such as wind speeds, temps, the temp of water used, and the age and type of gas canister used. We found a 230g Primus Power Gas canister would happily provide boiling water for a group of 4 or 5 people for around 2 days before running empty. The Ulti showed great consistency in boil time across varied conditions. It really impressed our guides and trekkers who, after a long day's walk, would like a meal and hot drink without a long wait.

The large burner head provides an even transfer of heat throughout the whole base of the pot. Fuel and air burn in the presence of a catalyst material, which produces no flame, for improved combustion, which works more efficiently in higher wind speeds and low temperatures. Having used an MSR Reactor for many years now, this is the first burner which comes even close to its performance, and in some ways surpasses the Reactor in terms of versatility.

The burner has legs to sit on uneven ground, with a long hose that keeps hands away from the heat of the burner. A quick flick out of two legs and there is the ability to invert the gas canister so you can be sure to have consistent efficiency of gas until it's completely run down.

A surprise feature comes when using the external pot stands. We really didn’t expect to be able to cook raw food on this style of burner, but we were wrong. On a wet drab trek to Ben Alder we used a pan to cook bacon and sausages for breakfast. The burner set to as low as possible, it gave an even heat throughout the pan without burning our food. 

It's hard to knock the Ulti in any way, it’s almost perfect for what we look for in a stove, and we truly believe that come the winter months it will be an all-season beast of a stove. But… There are a few niggles….

The main area of concern is with the hose itself. We have had no issues yet but adding in extra fixings, bolts, screws etc, inevitably leads to extra areas which can fail. This is only cautionary, but we always find simple tends to be best when it comes to outdoor kit. We hope to be proven wrong about this, but as it’s a new product it will be interesting to see how it stands up after extended use.

Secondly, we had a slight issue regarding the height the burner sits from the ground. This burner runs hot! So hot that it scorched the grass underneath it when in use. As outdoor enthusiasts, we always take care in leaving an area the way we found it. The black marks left on grass can be solved by taking along a piece of metal for the burner to sit on, but slightly longer legs would probably solve this issue without the need to bring additional items.

Our Verdict

As we have mentioned throughout this review, we are more than impressed with the Primus Ulti. It provides hot water, quickly and efficiently, with low gas consumption, making this a perfect stove for year-round use. Build quality is what you come to expect from Primus, with a very well-thought-out design in almost all areas, and a range of pot sizes to suit solo and group use. The burner legs we would have liked to be raised up a notch so that when placed on grass it wouldn’t scorch the ground, but overall, this can be considered a triumph of a stove. 

Trek Scotland is a small family business based in the picturesque village of Tomintoul in the North East region of the Cairngorms National Park. They provide bespoke Mountain Guiding for Single Day Walks and Lightweight Multiday Trekking experiences, including wild camping, in the stunning Cairngorms wilderness and surrounding areas. Whether in the high mountains or lower valleys, their Multiday Treks are equipped with high quality, lightweight camping and trekking gear. They only work with small groups and, whatever your ability, pride themselves on designing your outdoor experience completely to your needs and with professional guidance and expertise. Adventure is waiting... Read more from Trek Scotland