FLAT CAT GEAR - Main Page

5-14-13: We have the Bobcat Titanium Windscreens back in stock! They are now listed in the FLAT CAT Store (on the right) and are available for immediate shipping. The It's-A-Snap windscreen weighs 40 grams (12 grams less than the standard WS) and is very durable. We are refining our manufacturing process and hope to have Snow Leopard Titanium windscreens in the near future. Jon

4-30-13: We're back, and what a pleasant surprise! Seattle Backpacking Magazine published the article; "Ultralight Baking with the Bobcat Stove System". Jim Barbour (aka Hikin' Jim) is the author of the article and he provides a lot of valuable information on how to bake on the trail.

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At FLAT CAT GEAR, we design and manufacture alcohol stoves for backpackers and adventures. We design our gear to be packable, dependable and sustainable. All of our cooking systems can be packed inside the cooking pot, which results in minimal pack volume while providing ultimate protection during hiking. We do more than just boil water, our cooking systems also allow you to simmer, sauté, steam and even dry bake! We test all of our gear under real world conditions including high altitudes, cold temperatures and variable wind. Our alcohol stoves use sustainable resources, not fossil fuels and these fuels can be sourced locally.

Click here to see a Bobcat Overview video

Click here to see a Snow Leopard Overview video

We offer two basic cooking systems, one for pots (Bobcat) and one for mugs (Snow Leopard). The Bobcat System is our most versatile and fuel efficient cooking system. Using the Bobcat System, you can boil, simmer, pan fry, steam and dry baking. The 1.3 liter pot volume is large enough to boil five cups of water or melt snow. The Bobcat System can weighs as low as 7.4 ounces. The Snow Leopard System is ideal for people who want to minimize their pack volume. Even with the smaller mug capacity, you can boil, simmer, steam and pan fry! The Snow Leopard Cooking System (including mug) can weigh less than 4.75 ounces! Everyone has their favorite mug, so the Snow Leopard comes in three sizes: Original, Junior and Senior. We currently support over 35 different mugs. All pricing and shipping information can be found under The FLAT CAT Store navigation link on the left.

We do much more than just boil water efficiently! We have the capability to make all sorts of items. We can boil and simmer so making soups is super easy. We have developed a dry baking process and routinely make fresh breads and muffins while out on the trail. We even make lasagna and quiches when we backpack. Come in and explore all of the interesting things that you can do with a FLAT CAT GEAR Cooking System!

Product reviews and customer feedback

Seattle Backpacking Magizine - April, 13: "Ultralight Baking with the Bobcat Stove System"

"...All you need in order to bake tasty muffin treats on a trek is an ultralight Bobcat system, which weighs less than half a pound, including the pot and a lightweight baking pan. The only weight you’ll have to carry over and above the ultralight cook kit is 3.1 oz (89 g) for a small (4″/10.2 cm) baking pan. You’ll be baking tasty treats in no time!" Written by Jim Barbour

Hikin’ Jim, Adventures in Stoving – Feb, 2013: Bobcat Cooking System

Hikin’ Jim has a blog site where he test and reviews all sorts of backpacking stoves. He uses alcohol stoves to white gas stoves and beyond! When it comes to stoves, Jim is pretty much recognized as an expert in the field. Hikin’ Jim has been evaluating our Bobcat Cooking System for the last several months and this is his preliminary review.

Hendrik Morkel, from Hiking in Finland - Sept, 2012 Dry Baking

Hendrik Morkel (the author of the Hiking in Finland blog) just released a video where he is baking a chocolate muffin using the Epicurean Classic stove in the Bobcat Cooking System. It is nice to see FLAT CAT GEAR receiving international exposure.

Brian, from Brian's Backpacking Blog - Sept, 2012: Dry BakingBrian reviews Dry Baking the FLAT CAT way. In this article, he describes his experience dry baking a cheesy biscuit. Brian uses the old (obsolete) SRB II stove in the Bobcat Cooking System. The biscuit baked perfectly and it didn’t last in the house very long!

Hendrik Morkel, Hiking in Finland - Aug, 2012: Bobcat

Hendrik Morkel is an active UL backpacker and the author of the blog site - Hiking in Finland. Hendrik is also an Ambassador to Gossamer Gear and Hyperlite Mountain Gear. This is his first review of the Bobcat Cooking System. Hendrik will write a Living Review as he uses the Bobcat Cooking System throughout the years.

Jason Klass, GEAR TALK– July, 2011: Bobcat

“One nice thing about this stove is that unlike others, you don’t have to prime it. You’ll see that there is no wick or anything like that and you don’t have to wait for the bloom to happ en. Basically, just fill it up, put a windscreen on, put the pot on it and it’s ready to go. So, it starts up very fast without wasting a lot of fuel.”

Brian Green, Brian's Backpacking Blog - December 2011: Snow Leopard

“Given how much I love stoves; whether it's making them, testing them, or just having fun using them as intended, I'm reluctant to say that I may have stumbled upon the perfect stove for me. It's compact, lightweight, efficient, easy to use, and works with my existing mug. I can carry a much smaller amount of fuel than I used to need to carry and I can even use it with an Esbit fuel tab and my new Ti Tray Stove. I'm a little unnerved at the realization that I could, if I were inclined, stop searching for the holy grail of UL stoves as this is most likely it. There really is very little, if anything, that I would change about this entire setup if I had the opportunity. Well, maybe a complete Snow Leopard set made out of titanium”

Chad (aka Stick) from Stick’s Blog - May 2012, Snow Leopard

“Overall, I have grown quite fond of this system. The Snow Leopard Cooking System is a well thought out, attractive, efficient and dare I say durable, alcohol cooking system. And of course, quite importantly (at least to me), at 2.2 oz for everything other than the cook pot, let’s not forget lightweight! . . . I would like to say that I think Jon has a great system here. And to make it even more appealing, Jon offers 2 other stoves (which use different fuel sources) that can be used with this system, which in my opinion, makes this a very versatile system. I also love the fact that the Snow Leopard Cook Kit is an entire cooking system/kit and that one only needs to add a cook pot to it to make it complete. And even better still, this system will fit a wide range of cook pot’s which allows this system to really fit a variety of hikers specific cooking style.”

(NOTE: Chad just spent several weeks testing the Snow Leopard Cooking System and this is his latest update)

Chris and Sarah - 2012: Hiking the PCT with the Bobcat Cooking System

In 2012, Chris and Sara completed the Pacific Crest Trail. For their trip, they selected the Bobcat Cooking System with the FLAT CAT Titanium Stove. They used their stove for 5 months (156 days) to cook their dinners. Additionally, I sent them, one to the Bake & Simmer Rings to use as a BETA tester. Chris and Sara have a running blog on their trip which you can read here. To the right is their review of the FLAT CAT GEAR System (scroll over the picture and click).

Tal – Backpackinglight.com, April 2012: Snow Leopard Jr. “After two seasons using my caldera cone with a Snow Peak 600, exclusively, I am trying the Flat Cat Gear "Snow Leopard, Jr." I like the fact that I can fit windscreen, the 'pins' that act as pot supports, a pot lifter, lighter, stove and protective foil base all in the SP600 pot. I have used it about 10 times on my back porch (elev. 5900 ft.) and I have been impressed with burn time and efficiency. I will be using it in the back country for the first time in about two weeks. The weight is right on par with the Caldera Cone/12-10 stove set up. I have not done any scientific testing, but it does not seem to be any "better" than my Caldera Cone setup. I just really like the convenience of being able to pack the windscreen in the pot”.

Vannon - Snow Leopard Jr. & Sr. customer, March 2013. "I recently purchased both your Snow Leopard Junior and Snow Leopard Senior cooking systems. I am writing to say I am very pleased with both setups" . . . "When I combine that performance with the ability to store the entire system in either my Toaks 600ml pot (Snow Leopard Junior) or 900ml Vargo pot (Snow Leopard Senior) and the ease with which I light your very open and shallow stove you have a combination that has ousted my Caldera Cones as my primary, 3 season cooking setups."

Conrad Simas – Bobcat customer – September 2011 "The Bobcat System was nothing short of perfect for my lengthy stint in the woods. It remains absolutely none the worse for wear, even after heating 800 cups of food and drink for myself and my friends with 100% reliability over a six month period. I love that this entire system fits in the cooking pan, is light weight, and efficiently burns easily obtainable fuel. I will certainly be using this simple, effective and affordable cooking system for years to come."

Brad – New York, April 2012: The Snow Leopard Jr.“Hi Jon, I just got back from Florida and wanted to share with you my impressions of the Snow Leopard Jr. My girlfriend and I went on a canoe trip in the everglades where we paddled down from Flamingo to East Cape and back spending a few nights out along the way. The majority of use was on the beach where there were few or no natural wind breaks. The system performed very well. I am including a photo of the system in action on East Cape. We found a cinderblock which we used but otherwise the whole system was exposed to the wind which was a pretty steady 10 mph. I didn't time the boil but the performance was solid with 1 tablespoon of HEET. Overall, we were really happy with the performance and ease of use. I'm not really a stove nerd [previously I only used a canister or super cat style stove] so I don't have any super specific notes to give other than job well done! The Snow Leopard Jr. is a great product! I plan to use it this season on my JMT thru hike. “

Rajan - Sept, 2012: Snow Leopard Original

Rajan takes one more item off of his bucket list. In September 2012, Rajan conquers Mt. Whitney (elevation 14, 505 feet!). At the summit, he basks in the sun and enjoys the 360 degree views from the top. He celebrates by drinking a nice cup of tea which he prepared on his Snow Leopard Original outfitted with a Snow Peak 700 mug. Congratulation Rajan!

The Epicurean Titanium Stove: Doc - 5/12

"I purchased the Flat Cat alcohol as well as the Epicurean about 3 weeks ago. I tried both stoves at home as well as a hike this week on the Appalachian Trail. I baked homemade biscuits and a Martha White package of cornbread. They both turned out beautifully with a crust comparable to my home oven crust. I also had lentils for the first time, adding garlic infused olive oil and placing them in a whole wheat tortilla was great. I cooked oatmeal on the epicurean and the alcohol stove without burning. Thumbs up."

Epicurean Titanium UL15: Alex, 3/13

“I've used the UL15 four times now to bake muffins and bread, with excellent results each time. I have to congratulate you on the nearly foolproof system you've devised. I can't think of any way to improve upon what you've accomplished. The ease of setup, the overall weight, and the ability to bake are what attracted me to your system, and I have not been disappointed.”

The ISO-Clean Family of Stoves

Bob Correll - 5/12: "The best survival and all-around stove there is..........burns any kind of alcohol you dump in.....and even mix different kinds of alc........does the job with what you got....."

Terry - 5/12: "The ISO-Clean 2 is a damned fine piece of engineering, Jon. I was able to get a 15 minute burn on my MSR Seagull (stainless) pot today. I'm one happy camper."