Polaris is the name that Fire Maple has given to their series of stoves that each feature a pressure regulator. There are three stoves in this range- a remote canister stove, a canister top stove and an integrated ‘cooking system’. Three Points of the Compass has a look at their Polaris Pressure-regulator Gas Stove

Chinese manufacturer Zhejiang Deermaple Outdoor Products Co. Ltd. was established in 2003 and specialise in the manufacture of technical outdoor equipment. Products are exported mostly to the US, Europe and Asia. They filed an application for the Fire Maple trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office on 17 December 2017. This was awarded 27 October 2020 and Deer Maple now use the Fire Maple brand for many of their products including outdoor gear and lightweight camping stoves. The Black Deer brand is used for their mobile kitchen equipment. They have a large R&D department and are equipped with a complete production line for camping stove and aluminium cookware. Many of the best known stoves sold around the world under other brand names were actually manufactured by Fire Maple. The Polaris range of stoves are the first pressure regulated stoves produced by Fire Maple and are available under their own brand. One is an integrated system, another is a remote canister stove, the third is their simplest, a canister top stove. None of the three stoves have a model number, simply their model name.

Most stoves have a simple needle valve in the valve block that screws on to the gas canister. More expensive to make pressure regulator valves are the minority amongst backpackers stoves but can make for much more efficient operation. The Fire Maple Polaris Pressure-regulator Gas Stove is a canister top stove designed not only for favourable low-level conditions, but also cold, windy, and high elevation situations. The hidden-from-view pressure regulator enables it to maintain a consistent even flame despite low or changing pressure within the gas canister.

Pot supports open up quite wide, positioning the serrated pot support arms away from the flame. Supports have a minimum spread of 66mm, so a pot should be wider than 80mm to be properly supported on these. Supports fold down close to the stove stem, making this quite a compact unit when collapsed. These have quite a stiff movement and do not flap and flop around like those found on some other stoves, such as the Soto Amicus. There is only the one action for each of the three Polaris pot supports to deploy them. Simply twist each upward. It is a simpler operation than used on some stoves, such as the rotating and folding pot support arms on the MSR PocketRocket 2. There is a small raised piece near the pivot of each arm that locks it into place when properly opened. There is no piezo ignitor. While these clicker igniters are appreciated by many, they can frequently be a troublesome add-on, often eventually failing, especially when reliant on a thin wire. If a piezo fails, all it is doing is adding needless weight. The stove lights easily with either a match or lighter, or my preferred method, with a ferro rod, reliable in just about any conditions

When folded, the protruding valve adjuster is the most protruding part of the stove and while the attached 41mm wire control doesn’t fold away particularly close to the stove, it is a decently compact unit when folded. The date of manufacture is printed beneath the valve block. The stove stem (ejector) extends 40mm above the valve block containing the pressure regulator, which gives plenty of room for the hand in the space between a wide pan and the gas canister when in operation. This is something very small stoves can fail to provide.

The Polaris is primarily constructed from stainless steel, aluminium and copper. There is no titanium in its construction, which keeps the cost down slightly, if not the weight. On my scales it came in at 78.06g. Lets call it 78g, so 2g over the manufacturers specified weight of 76g / 2.7oz.

The stove looks and feels like quality. It isn’t flimsy and every moving part from pot supports to valve control, is smooth and easy. Dimensions: Unfolded 114mm x 94mm / Folded 49mm x 82mm, Despite the burner head being 44mm wide, a good part of this is comprised of the wide lip that surrounds the burner. The diameter of the burner part is 38mm.

The Polaris has a maximum power output of 2500W / 8530 BTU/hr, consuming 178.6g of gas per hour, which is quite modest when compared to just about all of Fire Maple’s other canister top stoves, and quite a few other stoves too. Some might call it underpowered. However I would argue that this is easily sufficient for most backpackers’ one pot requirement, and this will be a consistent output almost regardless of conditions and amount of gas in a canister. I am never too fussed with achieving maximum roar from any stove and always have them turned down a little from full bore. That is how the best gas usage efficiency is achieved. Of more importance is protection from side breezes and using a wide base pot or pan with a lid. As a result of the concave shape of the burner head, providing improved protection from wind, the Polaris has a narrow flame pattern that suits narrow pots but will create a centralised hot spot on the bottom of whatever cooking vessel is used.

Despite a lip around the burner head, that provides some protection from wind, boiling times increase considerably in any sort of side breeze if a windshield is not used. As usual, I will not give boil times or weigh canisters to determine fuel usage as such measures are largely irrelevant due to the many factors that affect boil times- temperature, elevation, wind speed and water temperature amongst others. But for those concerned with such things, Fire Maple tell us that half a litre of water will take 1 minute 47 seconds to reach a boil. Expect to approach that sort of performance only under optimum conditions at sea level, something rarely, if ever, realised in real life on trail.

Though found on a minority of canister top stoves, a pressure regulator is becoming far more common as a greater number of manufacturers offer this option amongst their portfolio. However it is an intricately made specialised feature and it is best to go with a manufacturer with proven high QA standards, even if there is a cost to this. Despite the reputation some Chinese manufacturers have for churning out sub-par goods, Fire Maple produce high quality stoves.

When purchased, the Polaris comes in a card box, containing the stove, instruction manual in English, French, German and Chinese (Hanzi) and a two piece plastic hard case that weighs 40g. While this does an excellent job at protecting the stove in transit, few lightweight backpackers are going to be including this, instead, wrapping the stove in a square of lightload towel and keeping it inside their pot.

The Fire Maple Polaris Pressure-regulated Gas Stove is not a particularly expensive stove. Priced around the £45 mark, you would not normally need to pay this. I paid £32 for mine and feel I got a lot for my money. Outwardly similar to stoves available for half the cost, what you get is a well designed, compact, four-season stove with a hidden from view feature that pushes the capability of this stove into four season use- the pressure regulator. If your needs are more modest, then save your money and buy a simpler stove. If you want a stove that will deal with more extreme conditions, then the Polaris Pressure-regulator Gas Stove could be a good choice. That said, Three Points of the Compass thinks the Soto Windmaster and Kovea V1, both also fitted with a pressure regulator, are better stoves. The Windmaster in particular, though larger than the Polaris, is more powerful, a great deal more resistant to wind and for those who like such things, comes with a reliable piezo ignitor. It also weighs a good deal less than the Polaris if used with its TriFlex pot support.

Fire Maple stoves come with a three-year warranty covering defects caused by materials and manufacturing only. An original purchaser can contact Fire Maple if the stove is not working properly under normal use and it can be returned for free repair or replacement. None of that is much use when you want a hot brew on a cold day on the hills. What you want is a reliable stove that will not fail on you. The R&D team at Fire Maple have built an enviable reputation for turning out products that do, indeed, have such reliability.

Three Points of the Compass has previously looked at a few stoves that may suit the lightweight camper and backpacker. Links to these can be found here.