"Back when I spent 18 months hitchhiking/backpacking across Europe and Africa (which was more years ago than I care to admit) I totally lived off my Svea 123. It was rolled down mountains, dunked in an African lake, and filled with everything from vassbenzene (German cleaning fluid) to Nigerian low-test truck fuel. It blazed merrily away from the snows of the High Atlas Mountains to the sands of the Sahara Desert and never failed me once. Combined with a Sigg cookset it served up unusual cuisine such as homemade camel-meat stew (and some dishes even less appetizing).
I'm now middle aged, married with three kids, and going bald in suburbia. But whenever I hold that battered, blackened old Svea in my hands I am transported back in memory to the many strange (and sometimes downright frightening) places where I was warmed, both physically and spiritually, by its cheerful roar. Yes, there are many more sophisticated and convenient stoves on the market nowadays. But for simplicity, light weight, and stone reliability there is nothing in the world that compares to the grand old Svea."
"Advantages: It's small and self-contained. My stove is older than I am (hint -- I was a Boy Scout 30 years ago), and it still fires up reliably and quickly. It requires less maintenance in 10 years than an MSR will in a single year.
Drawbacks: The priming procedure can be dramatic. The Boy Scouts frown on liquid-fueled stoves these days. The stove isn't the lightest one available. Simmering is an art (but isn't that true with all backpacking stoves).
Summary: It has never failed to make coffee or a meal. I would never want to be without it."
"Now really, what is the characteristic of a backpacking stove which eclipses all others in importance? Reliability. The dang thing's just gotta work when it's cold and rainy and you've just done 10 miles with a 45-pounder on your back. I've backpacked for 25-some-odd years, East and West, mountains and canyons. I'm mountain-born and NOLS-trained. I've used Coleman, Peak One. Nothing comes close to a Svea for reliability (or simplicity for that matter). My Svea just died (finally! I kinda wanted a nice shiny new one) after at least 20 years of use (it was passed down to me). My backpacking buddy's Svea is older still (at least 25 years I know) and still going. With very few moving parts, there's just not much to go wrong with these stoves. Buy one -- you won't regret it."
"The Svea is a remakable example of simplicity and reliability. My wife and I bought a Svea in 1969 and used it yearly until 1987 when the kids arrived. We unpacked it in 1990 for car camping and it worked perfectly. Finally, in 2002, it failed. What was wrong? The rubber gasket for the fuel tank cap dried out. It cost 25 cents to repair."
"Review: Whisperlite Internationalle - left me eating raw eggs on a camping trip (if I had been alone). For sale if your interested. Coleman Multifuel - good, but not compact and a bit heavy. SVEA 123 - always works. I've never had problems priming. It always works. And NO RAW EGGS. Tank holds 4 oz and burns 75 min. full blast. Flame control is good, not propane like, but hey it packs small. 2 day trip only needs one refueling (4oz). Designed in 1899 and still the best, most reliable stove made. Friends have - GAZ 270 - good, but setup is awful. Propane stove - very good but BIG. When finished, 123 is ready to pack with no smutty fingers."
"Add me to the list of true believers. I saw a Svea for the first time in 1972, when a backpacker in Mexico used it to boil a huge pot of water in minutes. I bought one then, bought a second one in the 1980s, and use it constantly."
"Not only is it a reliable stove in most bad weather conditions at lower elevations,My Svea 123 worked like a champ at 13,000+ ft in Colorado in 2001. I cannot say enough about my 30 year old unit."
"Had one of these from 1973 to 1995, at which time I accidentally ran over it after breaking down my pack at the trailhead. Finally bought a new one in 2002 after becoming frustrated with the high-maintenance MSR Whisperlite. Though the heat output is a little weak, and they don't hold as much fuel as the MSR's, their reliability & ease of use makes them my choice. If you have priming problems, take a little bit of 'Sterno' in some foil and dab it in the depression at the top of the tank (colder climates), or simple warm it in your hands for a few minutes (summer). I also use a Camping GAZ Bleuet stove, but the SVEA's simplicity & reliablility eliminate one more potential problem so I can enjoy the great outdoors."
"I tend to forget that others have a problem with priming their Svea stoves. I have been carrying an eyedropped with me for this purpose for years, decades actually. An eyedropper full of fuel squirted into the small depression in the base where the stem attaches is all thats needed to preheat the stove. Nice clean, fast, easy, and safe."
"I have owned my Svea-123
for over 35 years. I can not say enough good about this little powehouse. I drug it all over Alaska and the Yukon and it never failed to light up, even when it was 55 below north of Fairbanks in a snow cave."
"Grew up in the Rockies in a town at about 7,000 ft. with longggg winters. Designated snow camper for excursions, boy scouts etc. everywhere I've lived since. Had my Svea for about 30 years...it creates hot water and food FAST at high altitudes. Going to try it out in the Andes this year.
When I pull it out, people think it is an antique. (I thought it was too 'till I realized it is still available)"
"Old fashioned reliability! This stove is low-tech, and that is what makes it so darned great in today's world.
I first encountered the Svea in the 1960's when backpacking with friends in the Sierra Nevadas, and was impressed with the ease of use and reliability.
Last year (2003), I needed a compact, reliable stove for a 4 week backpack hunting trip in New Zealand- I remembered the Svea, bought one, and enjoyed them memories and reliability every time I used it on that trip-
Positive- It works every time! Carry a small bottle of fuel or Sterno fuel (jellied alcohol) to use as primer in cold/wet weather. It makes a roar, letting you know it is doing its job. It is tough, and packs small in your pack, and a bit of fuel goes a very long way- I have used it on white gas, gas/oil mix for outboard motors, kerosene, and even diesel. Harder to light on kero and diesel, but it works!
Negatives- make sure you have it on a stable base, as it is too easy to tip.
A wonderful stove to own and use- reliable, compact, and a reminder of a time when you got a good value for your hard-earned dollar! I will use Svea stoves forever more-"
"I bought a Svea in the early 70's and sold it in the early 90's and bought a MSR XKG or XGK, anyway I hated it. No simmer, It was hard start hard to clean and not real compact. I found another Svea at a yard sale for $5.00. What a great find I took it home and cleaned it.It works great and so reliable."
"I have had my svea for 41 years since I was backbacking as a teenager. I have had several others since, but NONE can match the simplicity and reliability of the Svea. Pour a little gas in the depression on the top of the reservoir for priming, and it will start in the artic. A little weak on burn time and capacity. Simplicity rules."
"I bought my Svea 123 in 1961 and have been using it ever since. It has NEVER failed to start. No parts replaced. The only negative is that it has to be primed so I carry an eyedropper. I sucked in an tried a bunch of ultralight stoves, but I have given them all up except my Pepsi can alcohol stove I use just for kicks and to impress people."
"Hey all you svea owners. Buy the optional optimus pump for your stove and you will never need an eyedropper again. It costs about 30 bucks but is worth every dime of that. Give it three or four pumps and it is ready to prime with the added pressure. It also heat up alot quicker."
"I have a Svea 123 backing stove that bought back in the early 1980’s and I wouldn’t dream of going on a camping or backing trip without it. I also own three other camping stoves, the only time I use them is when I’m camping with a group and I’m doing the cooking and need more than one burner to prepare for everyone. The Svea has never failed to light for me. It has been to the top of Baxter in Maine, down the Salmon river in Idaho and been used at elevations over 12,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies and it has always performed with peak proficiency. The only thing negative I could say about this stove is that it only has one burner. I own enough camping gear to equip a small army, but without exception my most prized piece of gear is my Svea stove."
"getting the 123 started has been a hassle. I've had to pick soot out of the small hole a few times, maybe I just don't know how to prime it the best, cause I've actually gone and opened the cap and blown into the gas area to get the gas to go out the little hole. Maybe the sterno idea has some merit? or this needle dropper thing?"
"I have had my Svea for about 35 years. It finally gave me some trouble on my last kayaking trip off Vancouver Island. The gasket/seal at the filler cap had hardened and the result was spectacular flames as the tank warmed up. One e-mail to Sweden resulted in a personalized reply and the address of a US supplier who was able to supply me with all replacement parts. ( A & H Enterprises, Tustin, CA )
Stove now works as well as ever.
Geoff Russell
Comox, BC"
"I bought a 123 for a weeklong canoe trip back in the early 70's. It worked flawlessly back then and still does. I plan on taking it along for a hike on the Appalachian Trail. Hopefully a thru hike! I've never used any other stove on a camping trip and probably never will unless it's a NEW Svea."
"The new Sveas are awesome. We have a 30 year old one, but the new ones have a self cleaner (turn it more than all the way on and a needle comes up from below and instantly cleans the jet). Also, with the pump, it's awesome at high altitude, fires right up (just let a little gas out of the jet), and relights again and again. My wife carries one, and so do I, so we can cook and melt water or make tea at the same time. Been at this game for 56 years, so I know what I'm talking about. By the way, GSI make a pot/cup annodized aluminum outfit that the Svea fits into nicely. Small, light, go anywhere. Snow cave, overturned canoe, take it inside, make tea, listen to the wind howl."
