Heet or Alcohol

[pickle]

Between Heet or Alcohol, which is the choice that everybody prefers?

[Walkintom]

Heet is easy to find. I buy denatured alcohol at the hardware store because it's cheaper that way.

Don't get isopropyl alcohol.

[BirdBrain]

I prefer Yellow HEET (methanol) over ethanol because it is cleaner burning and has a lower flash point. Denatured alcohol is a mix of the 2. That mixture can run from 40% to 95% ethanol. Clean Strip Green is about 95% ethanol. Ethanol burns hotter, but is sootier. Both are fine or any mixture of the two. It is not a critical choice.

[jdx1177]

Everclear, no chance of poisoning yourself, unless you want to, burns clean and is dual purpose.

[BirdBrain]

Everclear, no chance of poisoning yourself, unless you want to, burns clean and is dual purpose.

How much does your everclear cost? Where does the average hiker find it to buy it?

[atraildreamer]

Heet Yellow. Get a 4-pack at Wally World. Costs about $4.

[K2 Travels]

180 proof Everclear is the way to go. It boils almost as fast as denatured alcohol and heet, without the poison. This is a really big deal for me as my cook kit is all one unit, fitting into my cooking pot (fuel as well). I do not want poison inside my cook pot.

Everclear is more expensive but if it's worth it. It can also be hard to find the 180 proof as not all states sell it and only the lower % alcohol Everclear is available to buy.

[MuddyWaters]

Double post

[MuddyWaters]

Everclear does not light as easily as methanol or slx. Even in warm weather,. In cold weather its much worse. It also doesnt burn as clean necessarily. Depends on air supply (windscreen) and stove. If i put straight everclear in my setup i get a sooty pot bottom. I use a tight windscreen tuned for slx.

I use SLX (50-50) spiked with everclear to make it about 75/25 (disregarding water content of course). A little more heat than slx, but still lights as easily, and zero soot.

Grocery store liquor departments around me have 750ml bottles for $13 or so.

[4eyedbuzzard]

FWIW, while methanol is poisonous, even in amounts as small as 10 ml, it also occurs naturally and is routinely ingested in small quantities in fruits, juices, wines, etc. The chances of getting poisoned by methanol because it is carried in or near cooking gear is pretty remote (unless one is very careless) as it evaporates rapidly on exposure to air leaving no residue.

EDIT: Don't drink your stove fuel and you'll be fine.

[BirdBrain]

Part of the concern with methanol is accidently drinking it. I have zero concern about that. I do not repackage methanol. It already comes in a suitable container. The yellow HEET bottle works fine for me and is impossible to confuse for a drinking bottle.

[Rocket Jones]

Be aware of which type of HEET container you get. There is a screw top type that people like, but there is also a bottle with a cap that you pry off with a screwdriver or key. That type of cap does snap on, but it's not very secure and leaks. I always put my fuel in a different container and store in a baggie.

[misterfloyd]

whatever I can find. Have used both.

You can run a car on everclear.

Floyd

[pickle]

So there's 2 different color heet bottles-which is the one to use-as you can guess I'm new at this

[BirdBrain]

Red is isopropyl. Yellow is methanol. Buy the yellow bottle.

[Rocket Jones]

So there's 2 different color heet bottles-which is the one to use-as you can guess I'm new at this

Yellow, always.

[Another Kevin]

Part of the concern with methanol is accidently drinking it. I have zero concern about that. I do not repackage methanol. It already comes in a suitable container. The yellow HEET bottle works fine for me and is impossible to confuse for a drinking bottle.

I use an 8 ounce Poland Spring bottle (they often have them at meetings at work if they have coffee at break time) for my fuel bottle when I'm using denatured alcohol. I peel the label, color the cap with red Sharpie, add a label with DENATURED ALCOHOL - FLAMMABLE - POISON - CAS 64-17-5, and put in a drop of blue food dye. Since an 8 ounce water bottle is pretty useless on the trail, nobody mistakes it for anything but a fuel bottle.

[BirdBrain]

I use an 8 ounce Poland Spring bottle (they often have them at meetings at work if they have coffee at break time) for my fuel bottle when I'm using denatured alcohol. I peel the label, color the cap with red Sharpie, add a label with DENATURED ALCOHOL - FLAMMABLE - POISON - CAS 64-17-5, and put in a drop of blue food dye. Since an 8 ounce water bottle is pretty useless on the trail, nobody mistakes it for anything but a fuel bottle.

You are not alone. Many people have similar plans with great success. I suspect my concern has as much to do with OCD as safety. The HEET is home in its friend comfy container that it is used to living in. Repurposing drinking containers for fuel scares me. Using one for a piss bottle scares me too. I know it is done safely by many many people. Still scares me though.

[handlebar]

I use an A&W Root Beer Bottle. The neck makes it easy to distinguish from my water bottles, even in the dark.

[influenza54]

Can you take denatured alcohol on a plane? I was thinking about getting an alcohol stove for my section hike but I am trying to figure out the logistics.