About

MercatorGear.com is the official European importer and retailer of specialist backpacking & expedition stoves and adapters from KOVEA Co Ltd.

We are deeply engaged with the specialist stove-using community, and provide advice and technical support for solo adventurers and expeditions in many parts of the world.

MercatorGear is more than just a retailer. Our close involvement with our users means that we have built a strong understanding of stoves users needs which we are feeding back into the innovation and product development processes.

We are currently working on a number of new products to address the needs of stove users world wide.

Covid-19 Statement: Although we are largely unaffected by the global pandemic,  some deliveries are experiencing delays due to slower postal services. 

We are very proud to report that some of the adventurers are now fully engaged in helping to defeat the virus. Damian (pictured, left) is now helping out by driving ambulances in his home town while planning his attempt to cycle to the South Pole, and Marco & Laura are Red Cross First Responders in Bergamo. A big THANK YOU! to all those who are working hard to save the vulnerable, and so we can all return to the trails soon. You can read more about the adventures of Damian, Marco, Laura and others in our Sponsorship section below.

November 2020 – New Website:  We have recently re-launched MercatorGear.com on a new, more dynamic platform. We will be re-loading products and content over the next few weeks.  If you have any questions or need any help, please send an email to steve@mercatorgear.com

About KOVEA
Based in South Korea, KOVEA Co Ltd innovates, designs and manufactures more than one million camping stoves, gas torches, other mobile gas appliance each year. KOVEA is a preferred partner for the research, design and volume manufacturing needs of many of the world’s top stove companies. And KOVEA’s patented technologies are now at the core of a high proportion of the world’s specialist backpacking stoves.

 KOVEA’s range of specialist stoves draw on several decades of R&D, design and volume production experience. KOVEA stoves have rapidly become a hit with users due to their exceptional design and build quality. KOVEA manufactures all of its premium products in South Korea, where the high wage economy ensures that quality is consistantly higher than for products made “on the cheap” in low wage economies. KOVEA’s approach to innovation and design is reflected in International Design Awards for some of its new outdoor products.

Sponsorship

MercatorGear.com & KOVEA are always interested to hear from adventurers looking for support for their particular project. We are particularly interested in those going to extreme or challenging environments and those with an interst in sustainability.  See below for some of the inspirational adventures we support with gear, advice, trouble shooting,  and logistical support. For an initial conversation please email steve@mercatorgear.com 

MercatorGear.com is proudly supporting experienced Italian long-distance trail walkers and adventurers Marco & Laura (2cuorincammino.it) on their ambitious coast to coast “Camino” from Malago on the Mediterranean coast, to Muxia on the Atlantic coast; a total distance of 1335km (830 miles). Using frequent social media posts and blogs, their aim is to allow people who can’t walk because of illness, disabilities or age to “dream” with them and to bring their dreams to Santiago de Compostela! 

Marco & Laura chose the KOVEA Spider ‘Global Explorer‘ with adapters for use with different types of gas canister while on the trail. After 54 days on the trail, here is Laura using her KOVEA Spider at the end point by the Atlantic Ocean at Muxia in Galicia, Spain. Congratulations on a fantastic achievement!

You can follow Marco & Laura’s ongoing adventures here: https://2cuorincammino.it/

Dr. Mark Hines: The 1000-mile (1600-km) Iditarod Trail Invitational held in March 2020 is one of the toughest extreme cold races in the world.  As the trail is mainly beneath fresh snow, the going can be difficult and it is easy to get lost in deep snowdrifts and soft powder.  In some areas wind speeds can be over 100 mph, with relative temperatures below -100F (-75oC).  On the sea ice over Norton Sound on the Bering Sea, open water becomes a real hazard.   On March 1st 2020, Mark started the race together with 7 other foot racers, plus 17 cyclists, aiming to sled-haul from Anchorage to Nome.

Mark uses uses the reliable and well tested KOVEA Booster+1 expedition stove for snow melting in the most extreme temperatures, and KOVEA Spider for snow melting a quick brew ups in cold (-20oC) but less challenging conditions.

Dr. Mark Hines is a highly respected arctic ultra-marathon runner, writer and physiologist. His academic research into physiology in extreme environments underpins his unique approach to efficient long distance travel on foot.  For further details about his work, writing and adventures, visit: www.drmarkhines.com,   FaceBook page, Twitter feed & YouTube channel. 

We are supporting bike adventurer Damian Drobyk in a ground breaking attempt on the longest unsupported cycle ride to the South Pole. The route starts at sea level at the famous McMurdo Antarctic research station in the summer of 2021/22 and will take around 30 days to cross the Ross Ice Shelf, and up to the South Pole 1000km away, at 3000m altitude. With temperatures down to -30oC (-22oF) Damian will be relying on his KOVEA gear to keep him fed, hydrated and motivated all the way to the most remote spot on the planet.

The expedition will highlight the role of bicycles in reducing carbon dioxide emission, as well as highlighting the imminent threat of rising sea level if we, collectively, fail to reduce emissions as a matter of urgency.

Corinne & Oliver Beccarelli are “The Slow Riders” undertaking the ultimate overland expedition from Switzerland to South Africa and back. Their chosen vehicle is the virtually indestructable Ural Sportsman motorbike and side car which has so far survived thousands of miles of rough roads. Their stove is equally indestructable KOVEA Booster+1 expedition stove which they are running on petrol/gasoline which they pick up on the road. Some of the available fuel is of low quality, but with regular maintenance their Booster+1 keeps on delivering morning coffee and dinner in idyllic places along the way.

Check out their progress and excellent movies at their website here: https://theslowriders.ch/

KOVEA and MercatorGear supported the innovative and daring German expedition to make the first ever kite-assisted attempt on America’s 5th highest mountain, the remote 4,996m Mt Blackburn, Alaska. Temperatures at the glacier base camp were regularly below minus 20oC (-4oF), and the team relied on the KOVEA Booster+1 expedition stoves to melt snow for every drop of water required over the three week period.

At high altitude camps where conditions were more extreme, the guys also used KOVEA Alpine Pot Wide for rapid water boiling and the KOVEA Spider for light weight, low temperature / high altitude usage.

Click here for further details of the epic Mount Blackburn – Kite Surfing Assisted Mountaineering Expedition

  See the expedition movie, here: “Blackburn2014”  

KOVEA Innovation

KOVEA is at the forefront of stove innovation. Here are just a few of the ground breaking products to come out of the KOVEA “Skunk Works” in recent years.

KOVEA Alpine Master

Using advanced composite materials and surface combustion technology, the KOVEA Alpine Master raises the bar in heater technology to deliver unprecedented rapid boil times and fuel efficiency.

Using a combination of advanced technologies, the KOVEA Alpine Master boils 1 litre of water in a blistering 2 minutes 40 seconds!

KOVEA Induction Stove

Revolutionary New KOVEA E-Stove wins Prestigious GOLD Award from If DESIGN in Germany.

  • Read Press Release here:  KOVEA E-Stove: Gold Design Award Winner 
  • Read Article “Heat Exchange – KOVEA’s latest innovation set to change outdoor cooking” in Inside Outdoor magazine.
KOVEA EZ-Eco

Revolutionary KOVEA EZ-Eco

  • Can be refilled with gas so you don’t need to carry a gas canister on the trail
  • Save gas by refilling from those half used gas canisters you have at home
  • Available now at REI stores in the USA
  • Coming soon to MercatorGear.com
  • See more pictures here: KOVEA EZ-Eco

ACADEMIC DISCOUNT   In recognition of the valuable contribution made by students and academics to the fields of science, engineering, environment, public policy & social development, we offer special academic discounts. If you are at a Higher Education establishment in Europe or UK, please contact us with details of your institution and field of study, and we will send you a 10% discount code.