Gos Hawk Stove Review: A Compact Alcohol Burner That Packs Into a Mug

Introduction

A compact alcohol stove that ships from Australia, costs around £22 for the burner on its own, and packs down inside a 350ml titanium mug is an appealing proposition for anyone trimming weight from a cook kit. Add the optional windshield and the full set landed at roughly £30 including shipping, with the parcel arriving about a week after ordering.

The design makes sense at first glance. The burner has a screw-top lid with a seal, so it can carry its own fuel, and the windshield doubles as the pot support, which keeps the parts count low. Everything nests together, which is exactly what you want from a stove that lives in a pocket cook kit.

The first burn, though, revealed a more complicated character. The Gos Hawk lights easily from a spark, but it burns hot and fast in a way that shapes every decision about where you can safely use it.

Who This Stove Is For

This is a stove for backpackers, bikepackers and day-campers who want the smallest possible cooking setup and who already carry a 350ml titanium mug. The burner, the windshield and a small cloth wrap slide inside the mug with room to spare, so the whole kit occupies the space of a single drinking vessel.

It also suits anyone who wants the option of carrying fuel inside the stove itself. The screw-top lid seals the burner, which means one less bottle in the pack on a short overnight trip.

It is not a stove for anyone who wants to cook inside a tent or under a closed tarp. The flame behaviour is far too aggressive for an enclosed space, and that single limitation matters more than any of the packing advantages.

Design and Packing

The Gos Hawk burner uses fewer jets than the Evernew titanium stove it was compared against, and it is topped by a flat lid with a seal that screws down over the fuel reservoir.

The windshield is the clever part. It sits on top of the burner, and the pot then rests on the windshield itself. With water in the pot the arrangement feels sturdy enough for cooking. Empty, the pot shifts around a little, so it pays to load the pot before you balance it on top.

Packing is straightforward. The burner, windshield and a small cloth wrap fit inside a 350ml titanium mug, and the set also arrives with its own stuff sack for the burner. Nothing rattles, and nothing needs a separate pouch.

Main Strengths

Pack size is the headline. A complete alcohol cooking setup that disappears into a mug is genuinely useful for anyone counting grams or space, and the nesting works without awkward gaps.

The windshield earns its place too. It sits over the burner and gives the pot a defined resting position, which is more than many bare alcohol burners offer.

The screw-top lid with its seal adds practical value. Being able to store fuel in the burner removes a container from the pack and makes short trips simpler.

Ignition is easy as well. The burner lit from a small spark without any fuss, and the flame established quickly.

Price is the other clear strength. At around £22 for the burner, and roughly £30 for the burner and windshield delivered, it undercuts most purpose-built alternatives, and a small checkout discount brought the total down further.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The burn is the part to think about carefully. Once lit, the fuel inside the burner bubbled vigorously and the flame grew tall, climbing up around the sides of the pot rather than staying under it. That sends heat where you do not want it, and it makes the pot handles uncomfortable to touch.

That same behaviour rules out use in a tent. There is nothing controlled about the flame at full output, and an enclosed shelter is the last place you would want it.

Fuel economy is the second concern. In the first test the fuel was almost gone before the water reached a boil, and the burner clearly consumes alcohol at a fast rate.

The calmer comparison stove, an Evernew titanium model, behaved very differently. It produced a single steady flame from its jets, took longer to bring the water to a boil, and still had fuel left in the reservoir afterwards. It was also quieter and more predictable. The Gos Hawk windshield and pot stand did not sit as securely on that stove, so the parts are not interchangeable.

Buying Advice

Buy the Gos Hawk if you want the smallest possible alcohol setup, you already carry a 350ml titanium mug, and you only ever cook outdoors in open, well-ventilated conditions. At this price the packing design alone is worth the money for lightweight trips where the stove is a backup rather than the main cooker.

Skip it if fuel economy matters, if you want a flame you can control precisely, or if there is any chance you will want to cook in a sheltered spot. A calmer burner with a lower, steadier flame is the safer and more efficient choice for that kind of use.

Conclusion

The Gos Hawk gets the packaging right. It is small, inexpensive, neatly designed and it genuinely disappears into a mug together with its windshield. The problem is the flame: too volatile, too hungry for fuel, and too unpredictable to trust anywhere but open ground. It is a clever piece of kit that needs a calmer burner to become a great one.