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The Product...
Markill Astro Lantern & Hot Shot Stove
Weight: Lantern - 9 oz., Stove - 6.5 oz
Fuel: Any iso-butane/propane mix with a screw top canister (8 oz canister runs about $5 at any outdoor store)
Output: Lantern - 100 watt, Stove - 9,000 Btu
Consumption: Lantern - 1.25-1.75 oz/hr, Stove - 1.4-3.7 oz/hr
Burn Time: Lantern: about 9 hours per canister at full output, Stove: between 2 and 5 hours depending on output
Additional: Push button piezo-electric ignition, hard shell storage case for the lantern, small zippered pouch storage for stove
Customer Service: 800-447-1539
MSRP: Lantern: $29.95, Stove: $29.95
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The Product Tester...
David Nash
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 165
Build: Tall and Skinny
Style: Love to be in the front of the pack, faster faster!
Background: Senior guide for The World Outside, and Dirt Camp instructor. Guiding for over 6 years. Gear and travel junkie that doesn't stay put long.
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The Completely Biased Review...
Category: Camping
Photos: David Nash
If small, light and dependable mean anything to you, you should check out these two new items. This tiny propane stove and small lantern are excellent for all your backcountry cooking and lighting needs. Both items use the same energy source, iso-butane fuel, which is a great advantage and makes for super efficient packing. They also have a piezoelectric ignition, so you never have to use a lighter. I used them both at altitudes ranging from the lowly 4,000 ft. of Moab to over 12,000 ft. in Colorado and saw no waver in efficiency.
The Astro Light is small, light and compact. It provides light equal to that of a 100 watt bulb, which is by far enough light for doing chores around camp or finishing that Edward Abbey novel as you fall asleep under millions of stars. It is infinitely adjustable so you can enjoy it at a candlelight dinner level or as a full on reading lamp, like the one by your favorite easy chair at home.
I have tested its ruggedness extensively: carrying it on a three day backpacking trip in Colorado, bouncing it around the back of a Four-Runner on a long road trip, flying it to Canada in an overstuffed duffel, and generally lugging it through my nomadic life for two months. Not even the glass that surrounds the mantel was scratched.
The only problem I had with the Astro Light was that after the luggage monkeys at the airport were finished with it I had to reassemble a few of its pieces and put a new mantle in it. I would suggest adding more padding to its indestructible plastic case for more protection. That would make this little wonder last for years of backcountry use.
The Hot Shot Stove is just as cool, too! It fits in the palm of your hand and simply screws on to the top of its fuel supply.
 It comes with feet that attach to any fuel canister for added stability and it never clogged or even showed signs of getting the jets dirty (a problem I have had with other stoves in the past). The stove functions at low levels for things like warming pesto but can also reach jet engine level that will have your pasta water jumping in no time.
The main drawback I found is that its small size only allows a small burn area on your typical 2-3 quart pot. You would have to be quite vigilant to cook a full meal with it. But it does keep things from getting scorched. And for boiling water this thing rules! Two minutes to a cup full of joe or chai in the backcountry. The other problem that you might encounter with both the lantern and the stove is the lack of fuel availability in far off lands. Markill combats this problem with the creation of a butane cartridge adaptor. Just slap this 5-dollar accessory on any old puncture-style butane gas cartridge and your fuel problems are solved. However, for uses throughout the United States and other first world countries, you should have no problem finding standard screw-top butane bottles.
Overall, I am very impressed with the Astro Lantern and Hot Shot Stove. If you are looking for light and efficient backcountry equipment, I definitely recommend these products from Markill. Both of these little items have secured a place in my pack and are now as indispensable and valuable as a water purifier.
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