Coleman Feather 400 Review

"I recently purchased the feather 400 after a lot of thought and consideration. I am very pleased with how it performs. It puts out a lot of heat fast, is easily adjustable from torch to simmer. It may be bulkier than other stoves but requires no setup and stores its own fuel. It is worthwhile taking a look at this stove, besides it costs half what other stoves cost."

"I agree witht the Kid, this stove is a good stove, especially for the price. It is a bit heavier, but you can fill it with fuel, and the tank will probably last all weekend. Water boils in a snap (even at altitude in CO), and it seems to fire up time after time. If you have never used one of these before, it will flame up on you right at the first, and then it settles down to work fine. Just be careful using it in a tent if you do for the initial starting up of the stove. Also, for simmering, have some sort of windscreen to keep the wind off of the burner. It is very stable, pots stay on the burner well, and it costs less than most stoves. Great starter stove for weekend campers and backpackers. Coleman stoves are known for their reliability, and this one is no exception. If you are going to be in the cold, white gas stoves are the right types to use, and you won't have the problems with cartridges.Would recommend this stove to budget minded shoppers."

"This stove is a bit heavier than most but is compact and is a very stucturaly sound peice of equipment. I don't have to worry about damaging it while packing or during use. It is also very stable. The best thing about it is how fast it heats and how efficient it is. I bought 1 gallon of coleman white gas and it filled my tank 11 times. That's 17.5 hours of burning time. The coleman exponent lantern is also another great buy."

"The first time I used one of these stoves was on a four-day hike in the Olympic National Forest. I borrowed this stove from one of my buddies who went with me, as he was planning to try out a newer stove. I was impressed with this stove from the beginning. First, because it is small and self-contained. No separate fuel bottle to attach or carry. Second, it has three fold-out feet to keep the tank off the ground. Third, it is built solid and I was never afraid that I was going to break it. It is heaver than other stoves of that size, and you do have to pump air pressure into the tank, but I don't feel like I gave up anything by having it. In fact, I still had fuel at the end of the trip while my buddy had to switch out tanks on his newer stove. Would I recommend it? You bet! In fact, I bought one for myself right after we got back from the trip."

"True it is heavy by today's standards. But it is a solid reliable stove. I also own the Coleman 550B multifuel model. I like the 400 better.
Best feature is that it is "Scout Proof". I used this stove with a crew of Scouts that were new to backpacking. It took quite a few bumps and knocks and kept of going. Not very high in the BUT range compared to a canister gas stove."

"One really cold weather camping trip will convince you. Nothing to put together with frozen fingers. No flimsy windscreen. No tank to flop around.
Burner adjusts to simmer, (which goes a long way towards better fuel economy).
Yes it is more weight, but how much more fuel does one carry to support a jet engine without adjustment. Add to this Coleman rock solid reliability (I have a 1957 single burner Sportsman Stove which served up Clam Fritters for 40 folks this summer)and I will use no other stove."

"I inherited my Peak1 from my dad. I've had it for about 5 years now, and as far as i can tell, it turned 21 yeas old in 2003. I know of only one other stove out of all my hiking buddies that regularly carry and stand by such an old stove. Its compact, easy to use and gas efficent style is unsurpassed. the new ones don't have a simmer adj. but its still the same stove. the only time it didn't start was when i didn't use it for a while, and the leather(yes leather) pump seal was dry. when i got home, a few drops of oil, and she fired right up. i just couldn't get pressure with the dry valve. I would buy this stove again in a heartbeat. tomorro im hiking Franconia Ridge NH. Can't wait to make dinner."

"I bought this stove a long time ago when I was a Scout. I used it while winter backpacking and camping in Nova Scotia many times over the years, and it was never difficult to start, even at well below the rated temperature.
I put the stove into storage while living abroad, where it stayed unused for over five years. I recently brought it out, put in some fuel and started it up. All jets worked right away, at both low and high settings.
My only complaint is that it did not come with a good protective carrying case; I have had to bend the outer flame shield back into place several times (although this does not affect the performance of the stove)."

"I have 2 of these 400-499's. One is dated 6-79 and the other 10-80. I have used them hard and long on extended trips under extreams of heat, cold, sand, & snow etc. They are winners & I wouldn't trade them for anything. I just took the 24 year old on a 30 day BWCA trip in northern Minnesota. Put a new gernerator on it befor the trip - only its 3rd in 24 years. This stove is often knocked as not being a good cold weather stove - HOGWASH! When it's really cold, just start out with NO pressure inthe tank, put a lit scrap of birchbark (or fire paste) on the burner, open the fuel valve, and start pumping slowly - she'll usually kick right in. I have also found that keeping the stove full at about 3/4 capacity works best for troublefree lighting and operation. Coleman sold a square aluminum cannister for this stove for many years, and it is my only cook kit. I have one for each stove and a brand new one in reserve. I scour garage sales for these stoves and accessories - they are a real bargain. For years I have figured 3 ounces of fuel per day (solo) and always come home with two or 3 days fuel left over - a nice margin. These are the older 2 valve stove, and you couldnt get me to give them up. But I dont really have an opinion about them :~)"

"I bought a Primus stove last summer but never got the chance to use it. I thought it was lightweight, yet unsturdy. I hope Big 5 takes it back without a reciept, because I scored 3 of these Coleman Feather 400s on clearance at Wal-Mart last night. I'm not worried about carrying an extra few ounces if it means I'm carrying quality that will last over the many years of cooking. I don't know about you, but cooking is part of the fun, right? I love the three legs that fold underneath. I also like the idea of being able to see or feel how much fuel I have left for the trip, unlike you can with a canister stove. And I like the fact that these use coleman fuel. Afterall, isn't that cheaper than gasoline these days?...."

"Just pulled out my old model 400 from a drawer in the cellar after 20 years of disuse.

I noticed that is still had some fuel in it, so I took it outside for test. Wow, started up just like it used too. After a minute or two I hade a beautiful, even, fully adjustable, blue flame.

Remarkable."

"Scavenged one of these out of my father's stash of camping gear when my parents decided to hit the road - but it sat in my basement for a good four years (and in the folk's garage for at least a decade before that) before I hauled it out today to see if it runs.

Yup. A few minutes after lighting, it's got a steady blue flame, adjusts nicely, works just like it always did.

Not bad for a stove that's almost two decades old...."