BRS-3000T - Review 2023

Features

• Ultralight (0.9 OZ)
• Made from titanium and aluminum
• Gas consumption around 140g/h
• Powerful boil time
• Fuel regulation allows for simmering
• Easy to fold serrated pot supports
• Comes with spare sealing ring
• Drawstring pouch fits in your palm

The BRS-3000T is small yet powerful

You might look at the price tag and eliminate the BRS-3000T straight off the bat because you’re looking for a stove that will perform well and survive heavy use for more than one trip. But you’d be surprised by the quality of this ultralight titanium stove that literally fits within the palm of your hand.

With its build and pricing it is accessible to both seasoned backcountry enthusiasts and those new to outdoor pursuits. The low cost of the BRS-3000T removes the financial barriers of owning a backpacking stove and its ease of use makes it straightforward to get burning, even if you’re completely new to cooking in the backcountry.

We highly recommend this stove as an entry-level stove or even a backup stove for those heading out on longer trips in remote areas. It’s an incredibly well-built and innovative stove for its price, and performs surprisingly well against its competitors like the MSR Pocket Rocket, Soto Amicus, or Snow Peak Giga Power Stove.

Fuel Source & Efficiency

The BRS 3000T is a canister stove that runs on a mix of butane and propane. Like its counterparts including the MSR Pocket Rocket, the BRS-3000T can be used with any self-sealing canister with a Lindal valve. These styles of canisters can be purchased in all good outdoor gear stores, hardware stores, and some gas stations.

The butane or isobutane and propane gas mix varies from brand to brand. Fortunately most canister stoves like the BRS-3000T can be used with any brand of canister including Jetboil, MSR, Snow Peak, Optimus and other brands.

The advantage of using a canister stove like the BRS-3000T is the availability of the fuel and its ease of use. You never have to worry about spilling fuel in your pack when carrying a gas canister. Do be aware that these canisters cannot be thrown out in the regular garbage. They can sometimes be returned to gear stores like REI who will dispose of the product correctly, or taken to your local recycling center.

The efficiency of the BRS-3000T is surprisingly good for such a small and compact stove. At less than half the weight of its competitors like the MSR Pocket Rocket, or the Soto Amicus, the BRS-3000T has a comparable boil time. The biggest factor that will affect the performance and efficiency of the BRS-3000T is windy conditions, because there is very little wind protection around the burner.

The boil time of the BRS-3000T at high elevation and in cold temperatures is affected more by the canisters it uses than the stove itself. Most canister stoves including the MSR Pocket Rocket will suffer reduced power in these conditions. The Pocket Rocket will outperform the BRS-3000T, however, because it has a stronger and more consistent flame.

Weight & Portability

There is no other stove in its class that competes with the weight and portability of the BRS-3000T. Weighing in at 0.9 OZ compared to the MSR Pocket Rocket at 2.6 OZ or the Soto Amicus at 2.9 OZ, the BRS-3000T needs to be seen and used to be believed.

Most canister stoves are compact enough to fit inside your pocket. But the BRS-3000T is so compact it fits within the palm of your hand when it’s folded and stored within its tiny draw-string pouch.

The pouch is also made from a lightweight nylon fabric that won’t necessarily protect the stove. But because it’s lime-green, it’ll allow you to find it more easily in your pack.

Boil Time

It’s easy to assume that a stove this small could never compete with the likes of the Pocket Rocket, but you’d be surprised. The advertised boil time of 2:58 minutes of the BRS-3000T may be a little exaggerated, but it’s not too far off depending on the conditions.

When we tested the BRS-3000T side-by-side with its two main competitors,  the MSR Pocket Rocket and the Soto Amicus, the BRS-3000T didn’t perform as well because there was very little protection from the wind. When tested in controlled conditions, however, the BRS-3000T gives its counterparts a run for their money.

Of course if your main priority is boil time, you might want to consider an integrated canister stove like the Jetboil Flash that can boil a liter of water in under two minutes. If you’re going to be boiling a large amount of water or cooking for longer periods you may want to consider a slightly more robust option. The BRS-3000T works best for shorter, high intensity boils.

Ease of use

The BRS-3000T is one of the most straightforward canister stoves on the market. The pot supports fold out in one smooth motion and secure into place by using a little extra pressure.

The best way to assemble the stove is to lift all the pot supports straight up above the burner and then secure them into position. If you do secure one support before flipping up the other, they will get in the way of themselves.

The same goes for packing down the stove. You want to release each pot support so they’re standing straight up before collapsing them below the burner.

The fuel regulator kicks out and is easy to operate. Just be sure that the valve is closed before attaching the stove to a canister. You should also make sure that the sealing ring between the stove and the canister is in good condition before use.

The BRS-3000T is as intuitive as most other canister stoves like the Soto Amicus or the Snow Peak Giga Power Stove. Where you may need to get creative is protecting the BRS-3000T from the wind. There are various ways you can do this using a foam sleeping pad, a custom made windshield, or your body. Just be sure to allow the heat of the stove to escape so the canister doesn’t overheat.

Versatility

The BRS-3000T can be used with most types of cookware, including small frying plans. Because the pot supports are only a couple of inches wide, however, we’d recommend using the stove with smaller and lighter pots and pans. We didn’t experience it in our testing, but we have heard reports of the pot supports bending under a lot of pressure when the legs have become overheated.

The ability to regulate the gas control easily means the BRS-3000T is effective in simmering if required. Again, this stove is better used for shorter amounts of time, so if you are simmering, keep an eye on the pot supports to ensure they’re not getting too hot. This is not a stove you want to cook rice from scratch in a large pot.

The BRS-3000T can be taken on all types of backcountry trips, though if you’re traveling at high altitudes and in very cold conditions, you may want to consider a stove like the MSR Whisperlite Universal that uses white gas and is designed for these types of conditions.

Stability

The other thing to watch out for with the BRS-3000T is the length of the pot supports. At only 2-inches in diameter, you need to be thoughtful about what cookware you choose to use. You won’t want to use anything too heavy, but you also want to make sure that your cookware is stable enough so when the water boils, the pot doesn’t become unstable and tip.

The BRS-3000T doesn’t win any prizes for stability, but that being said, provided you don’t overload it and use cookware that isn’t too wide, the stove is generally stable.

A lot of the stability of these stoves actually comes from how stable the canister is. You want to ensure that the surface for your canister is flat without too many rocks or debris beneath it. If you want to add stability to your canister, you can purchase stands like the one used with the Jetboil Flash to make it more secure.

The serrated pot supports of the BRS-3000T are designed to prevent your cookware from slipping, but you should always ensure that your cookware is properly balanced on the stove too to increase its stability.

Safety

Safety is always number one in the backcountry, and therefore you want to make sure you find a location that’s out of the wind and away from long grass, leaves or small twigs that could catch on fire if your stove were to tip.

The biggest safety issue with the BRS-3000T is how much the flame is affected by the wind. If you light the stove in windy conditions before the pot is placed on top, the flame will literally be burning sideways, so you need to take care of your hands when lighting the stove.

Unlike the Soto Amicus, the BRS-3000T doesn’t come with an inbuilt igniter, so you do need to use a lighter to ignite the stove. If you’re worried about holding your hand too close, you can always purchase a lighter with a longer handle. But we’ve never experienced any issues in igniting the BRS-3000T by hand with a standard lighter.

Price/Quality Ratio

Unlike its stability, the BRS-3000T is at the forefront when we compare its price to its quality. Although this stove is made in China and is sold for less than USD $20, its titanium and aluminum construction is of a very high quality.

The BRS-3000T was only released in 2019, so unlike its counterparts like the MSR Pocket Rocket, which was released in 2005, there haven’t been as many iterations to its design. But in terms of longevity, with care, the BRS-3000T should stand the test of time comparatively with its competitors.

As one of the cheapest canister stoves on the market, we were blown away with how well the BRS-3000T performs. Nothing about the stove feels cheap, in fact most ultralight backpackers would expect to pay a lot more for a piece of equipment that is this lightweight.

Do we recommend it?

The BRS-3000T is not only the lightest canister stove on the market, it’s also the most cost effective. We recommend this stove to both experienced and novice explorers looking for a low-cost, low barrier stove option to allow them to heat water and cook basic meals in the backcountry.

This stove has challenges in windy conditions, so if you know you’re going to be camping in a lot of exposed areas, this stove may not be the best choice for you. But the BRS-3000T is also the perfect stove for avid outdoor enthusiasts who are looking for a lightweight back-up option for longer trips.

If you’re looking to cook more extravagant meals that take longer to prepare, we also don’t recommend the BRS-3000T because we’ve heard stories of the pot supports overheating over time and bending under the weight of larger pots.

In conclusion, the BRS-3000T is the perfect entry-level backpacking stove for boiling water to add to dehydrated meals, or to be used for cooking basic, quick to prepare, meals.