First post.......be kind. let me start by saying i'm fairly new to lightweight backpacking but can't wait to get into it! I also have a very tight budget......therefore MYOG is for me. I spent some time searching but couldn't quite find what i was looking for. I need something that my brother and I can use on a 5-day trip. I really like the idea of using an alcohol stove due to its cost and ease to make. I saw recommendations for the Fancee Feest stove....does anyone have a link on how a step by step on how to construct? Also, would it be beneficial to use a DIY Caldera cone w/ Heiny pot setup with this stove? Would this be the optimal setup to boil enough water (efficiently) for a two-person meal? Thank in advance for your help!

There is no best stove, just a number of them that would work well. My choice would probably be either an alcohol with any of the decent one or one and a half liter pots. One liter would be enough to prepare two suppers most of the time, would then need to fire it up again for hot beverages. A one and a half liter (or even two liter if you want) would give you room for some extra water for beverages. If speed is an issue for you, or fancy cooking, then a cannister stove like a Giga Power or Pocket Rocket would be a strong contender. Down side to cannisters if not knowing how much fuel is in a partial cannister, having to carry the empty cannisters, and somewhat more difficult re-supply.

Also nothing wrong with a white gas stove. In fact, it is best for winter or other cold weather use.

Stoves is one area where there is especially no "best". Many of us have multiple stoves that we use for different situations. Try out an alcohol, see if you are happy with it. They are cheap and easy to make yourself. Super Cat Stove is Super easy and works well. May not be the most efficient with the alcohol.

Welcome to WB! :welcome

does anyone have a link on how a step by step on how to construct? Also, would it be beneficial to use a DIY Caldera cone w/ Heiny pot setup with this stove? Would this be the optimal setup to boil enough water (efficiently) for a two-person meal? Thank in advance for your help!

There is enough information here at this link to get you started on your own.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27262&highlight=fancee+feest

I have not tried it under a cone and I dont think it would do well. A StarLyte burner is said to be working under a cone.

If Lyle were to make one, he'd throw away his canister stove:D
Have fun and be prepared to become a stovie.:banana

Try www.minibulldesign.com
Great quality professional stoves.

If Lyle were to make one, he'd throw away his canister stove:D
Have fun and be prepared to become a stovie.:banana

Actually I don't have a canister stove. The unknown fuel and having to carry the empties has kept me away.:D

I use an alcohol (AntiGravity) in three-season and a SVEA in winter, but many folks seem to be in love with their canister stoves, so I offered that option. Makes some sense for two. I've played around some with the super cat.

YouTube a Do it Yourself Pepsi Can Stove... buy a cheap aluminum pot that holds 6 cups of water..you want it to be wide so it boils quickly, taller pots boil SLOW.


I have a 5" 4 cup aluminum for solo, a 9" 10 cup aluminum for two person....and I set up a double boiler with my 9" and 10" pot for camping with 3...or more.


My whole cookset, mesh bag, 3 pots, 3 alky pepsi stoves, 2 sets of silverware, roof flashing windscreen (and tinfoil windscreen) plus 1 aluminum plate as a stove stand or cover...about 1 lb.

And these are the ones I make...great design...takes 10 minutes once you get good at it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRt8mNOP2b0

I've made all sorts of alcohol stoves and use a Supercat almost exclusively now when traveling solo. Alcohol stoves (any design) are not terribly quick at bringing large quantities of water to a boil (such as you might want to boil to feed two hungry hikers).
I had a PocketRocket and it was good for two people. Wind made it pretty inefficient, though. I switched to a Vargo Jet-Ti (also known as the Ti-Jet) to save a few grams and gain a little stability. It's just as wind sensitive as the PR but has a wider flame base so food doesn't burn and stick to the middle of the pot. If you're going to buy a cannister stove, you probably plan on cooking with it, not just boiling water. Just cook behind a windbreak on a windy day (a closed cell pad stood on its side with a rock as a spacer to keep it off your stove works well).
When you get to the point that you can "cook" efficiently in a pot cozy or freezer bag cozy (and don't mind eating food that is entirely different in texture than you cook at home on your stove), start carrying an alcohol stove, or, even more fun and interesting, not to mention lighter - Esbit tabs. I used Esbit exclusively hiking the AT through the state of Georgia in 2006 in March.

Thanks for all the replies guys! I realize that commercially available systems would probably be more efficient and boil faster but i would really like to try the homemade way first. Truthfully, i'm not too concerned about boil times if nothing else i will just do two seperate boils or have my brother build his own and bring it. Is there a good homemade 6 cup pot ala heineken fame? I found the most of the aluminum beer cans to be around 24 oz. capacity. I am finding out that there are TONS of homemade stoves out there......i think i will start with the FF stove. Thanks again for all the help!
Drew

Slow boil times mean carrying more fuel. Alcohol doesn't produce as much heat as other fuels. It's really as simple as that. After a period of time on the trail, the weight of the alcohol alone can overshadow the weight of a heavier but more efficient liquid gas or cannister stove. Also, the colder it is, the more the atmosphere tries to take the heat away from your pot, therefore, whatever stove can apply the most heat to the pot will bring the boil faster. Hotter stoves are always better in the cold (though after using water from the night's hot water bottle (stainless) and sleeping with my alcohol fuel I was able to get 2 cups of water to boil in just under 10 min. with my 26 hole Supercat.

since you are going for something inexpensive, i would recommend the k-mart grease pot. it holds about 5 cups of water and is pretty wide to help with a faster boil. for a stove, i would recommend the kitten stove. if you do a photo gallery search here on WB "Dances With Mice" did a step by step photo tutorial for it. it works really well with my grease pot, and all you need is a 3 oz. cat food can, a 5.5 oz. V8 can, a pair of scissors and a standard hole punch. i made mine in about ten minutes. easy squeezy lemon peezy :D

Check out the youtube videos. I would check out jasonklass or WeekendAdventurer.

Trangia 27 from Campsaver. Store your fuel in the stove - don't waste it.

I really like the idea of using an alcohol stove due to its cost and ease to make. I saw recommendations for the Fancee Feest stove....does anyone have a link on how a step by step on how to construct? Also, would it be beneficial to use a DIY Caldera cone w/ Heiny pot setup with this stove? Would this be the optimal setup to boil enough water (efficiently) for a two-person meal? Thank in advance for your help!

The Fancee Feest is still your best bet for a DIY stove project. I am curently working with the stove and a cone shaped windscreen as a kit project. It will be made for the k-mart grease pot

SVEA...Nuff said

SVEA...Nuff said

Hey Dooooooooglas, he wants a do it yourself stove. You got plans/instructions for a svea?

Nuff Said:banana

The Fancee Feest is still your best bet for a DIY stove project.

I love the Fancee Feest style stove that I built. I works perfectly with the Heineken pot, and although it seems too simple, it works much better than any of the pressurized stoves I've ever built.

Jetboil. It got it's name because it sounds like a jet when you use it but it's also quick, efficient, light and compact. No not aqs light as a pocket rocket but if you want quick and hassle free it's the way I would go.

Trangia 27 from Campsaver. Store your fuel in the stove - don't waste it.

Don't put the cap back on a hot stove. Sooner or later you'll warp your O-ring and the stove will leak.
Or - you can learn to measure your fuel carefully, use a lighter homemade stove, and less fuel as well. It takes a long time for a full Trangia to "blossom" because it takes more time for a larger quantity of alcohol (such as you might have in a full Trangia) to boil than 1/2 -1 oz. typically used in a homemade can stove.
Try it. Boil 16 oz. of tap water with a full Trangia, then empty it (the stove) and use only 1 oz. of fuel. Repeat. Boiling time will be less, guaranteed.
My Trangia is still for sale (but it isn't worth the shipping for most folks who can get a new one online for the same price).
Must be some reason they're selling so cheaply:-?.

I love the Fancee Feest style stove that I built. I works perfectly with the Heineken pot, and although it seems too simple, it works much better than any of the pressurized stoves I've ever built.

;) It fits the heiny pot sooooooo nice and is very efficient.

It's so simple, people shy away from it because they don't have faith in the design. It's the most versatle stove I've designed.


Thanks for your comment.:)