Best Fire Maple Budget Backpacking Gear: 7 Ultralight Picks Worth Packing

Introduction

Fire Maple has built a following among backpackers who want genuinely light gear without spending a fortune. The seven pieces here cover the practical core of a camp kitchen: a folding table that doubles as a stove base, several pots and complete cook systems, and three stoves with very different personalities. Prices across the range run from £16 to £56, and the lightest item weighs just 48 g.

What ties these pieces together is a clear design intent. Each one is built around a specific job, whether that is boiling water as fast as possible, simmering a proper meal, or holding a pot steady when the ground is soft. The notes below cover the specifications that matter and the practical behaviour you will notice on a trip, so you can match a piece to the way you actually camp.

Fire Maple Petrol Ultralight Folding Table

At £16 and 191 g, the Petrol Ultralight Folding Table is one of the smallest items in the range and one of the cleverest. It folds down to a very small pack size and opens into a stable platform for food prep or for keeping cookware off damp ground.

Its best trick is a two-stage stand. The upper setting suits a 230 g pot, while the lower setting accepts a smaller 100 g canister that drops through the opening so a stove can be screwed on top. That turns the table into a steady base for a canister stove, which is useful when the ground is uneven or wet.

For the money it is a genuinely practical addition to a camp kitchen, and it adds stability when you are cooking or boiling water rather than balancing a pot on bare earth.

Fire Maple FMS-300T Hornet 2 Ultralight Backpacking Stove

The Hornet 2, also sold as the FMS-300T, is the pure ultralight option. It weighs just 48 g and puts out 2,500 W, which is remarkable for something this small. The titanium body will not rust, and the action valve has a smooth, precise feel.

In use it is a fast, forceful burner. It brings water to a boil quickly and suits small pots, which makes it a natural pick for solo backpackers counting every gram. The trade-offs are worth knowing up front: it is not especially fuel efficient, and the flame is aggressive enough that gentle simmering is not its strong suit.

At £30 it delivers a lot of performance per gram, provided your priority is speed and pack size rather than fine cooking control.

Fire Maple G3 Camping Pot

The G3 is a 600 ml pot at £23 and 162 g, and it is the piece that best shows how much thought goes into nesting here. It swallows a 100 g canister, and a compact stove can be tucked inside as well.

The details are well judged: a lid with a rubberised handle that stays cool enough to lift, a strainer, internal measurement marks, and a folding handle. A heat exchanger on the base makes it considerably more energy efficient than a plain pot of the same size.

There is one compatibility note to check before buying. The base has space for a three-prong stove, and a stove with that layout seats into the grooves cleanly. A stove without that footprint, such as the smaller Fire Maple Hornet, will not fit, and you would then be using it from underneath, which gives up some of the efficiency the heat exchanger provides.

That nesting design is the real appeal. If you already own a compatible three-prong stove, the G3 becomes a compact, efficient cook set rather than just a pot.

Fire Maple G2 Camping Pot

The G2 is the larger sibling of the G3, with a 750 ml capacity, roughly 25 g more weight, and a slightly higher price. The extra volume is the main reason to choose it: the G2 houses a 230 g canister, which suits longer trips where you would rather carry a bigger gas supply.

Otherwise it follows the same formula, including the heat exchanger base and the same consideration around which stove will seat into it. If you cook for two or head out for longer stretches, the G2 is the more comfortable choice; for solo trips the G3 keeps the pack lighter.

Fire Maple Blade 2 Camping Stove

The Blade 2 is a remote canister stove in titanium, priced at £56 and weighing 135 g, with a 2,800 W burner. It is noticeably larger than the Hornet, and that size is deliberate: it spreads a wide, stable flame under frying pans and larger cook pots.

Two features matter in cold weather. The canister can be inverted, which raises the pressure and keeps output steady as temperatures drop, and a preheat coil helps the fuel burn cleanly so the flame does not splutter. The action valve makes it easy to bring the flame down to a genuine simmer.

The titanium body has a distinctive rainbow finish. The main thing to weigh up is bulk. For solo backpacking it is more stove than you need, but for cold conditions, two-person cooking, or anyone who wants to fry rather than just boil, it is the more capable tool.

Fire Maple Mars Radiant Stove System

The Mars Radiant Stove System is built for two people. The pot holds 1.25 L and the complete system weighs 889 g, with much of that coming from the oversized radiant burner that nests inside the pot for transport.

The kit includes a large pot with a rubberised lid and strainer, a small cup, and its own stand that can hold cook pots and frying pans. A heat exchanger on the pot base improves efficiency, and the pot is wide and tall enough to cook a real meal for two.

The radiant burner is the centrepiece. It is a remote canister design rated at 2,800 W, and the radiant head spreads heat far more evenly than a concentrated jet, which makes it especially well suited to winter use. It also puts out enough warmth to take the edge off cold hands on a frosty morning. The one compromise is control: it is harder to hold at a low simmer than a conventional burner.

Because the burner runs from a remote canister, the pot can house a 230 g canister when packed. For cold-weather trips with a partner, this is the most comfortable cooking setup in the range.

Fire Maple Petrol Quick Boil Pro All-in-One Cook System

The Quick Boil Pro is the newest all-in-one in the lineup, and at £55 and 255 g it is a genuinely light complete system: stove, titanium stand, and pot included.

The pot closely follows the G3, with a larger heat exchanger on the base, folding handles, a strainer, and internal measurements. The lid is an improvement, with a rubberised grip that can also hook onto the side of the pot. The titanium stand is very light but does not feel flimsy.

The stove is bigger than the Hornet despite the family resemblance. It has an inner ring to shield the flame from wind and a larger outer ring for the same purpose, and it locks onto the base of the cook set with a short twist. Some owners have reported difficulty removing the pot or finding the connection stiff, but the mechanism is designed to hold the pot securely rather than to be cranked tight, and lifting the pot by its handles rather than the base avoids the problem.

Boil times are very fast. The flame is forceful and aimed at rapid water heating, with only limited simmer control, so it suits dehydrated meals and hot drinks more than slow cooking.

Overall Buying Advice

The right pick depends on how you cook. If you want the lightest possible setup for solo trips and mostly boil water, the Hornet 2 at 48 g is hard to argue with, and the G3 pot pairs well with a compatible three-prong stove. If you cook for two or take longer trips, the G2 and the Mars Radiant Stove System offer more capacity, with the Mars standing out for winter conditions thanks to its radiant burner and remote canister.

For anyone who wants a complete solution in one purchase, the Quick Boil Pro covers stove, stand, and pot at 255 g, and the Petrol Ultralight Folding Table is an inexpensive way to add stability and a clean working surface. One safety note applies across the board: the two small stoves are not especially fuel efficient, and any stove should be used in a well-ventilated area. If you cook inside a tent, make sure air can flow freely.

Conclusion

Fire Maple’s range makes sense because each piece has a clear job. The table and the pots handle stability, capacity, and efficiency, while the three stoves split neatly between ultralight speed, cold-weather control, and all-in-one convenience. Matching those jobs to the way you actually camp is the whole decision.