PDA

View Full Version : questions about Alcohol stoves



DavidNH
09-12-2005, 21:57
hello,

First, I am a devotee of the Whisperlite stove.. perhaps not light but it burns strong and true every time without fail. However, I hear many long distance hikers have converted to alcohol stoves.

So..my questions:

1) is alcohol (the kind for stoves!!) readily available along the AT? as frequently as white gas?

2) will an alcohol stove boil water as quick and easy as a whisperlite?

3) how do alcohol stoves do in cold weather ( 15-30 degrees)?


4) how reliable are they?

5) ok the alcohol stove may be lite weight but you still have to carry alcohol for fuel! how much fuel do they consume as compared to white gas for a whisperlite?

lastly.. what is your recommendation? Do I hit the AT next spring with my trusty whisperlite or use an alcohol type stove fromt he get go?

any other thoughts?

David (formerly nhhiker)

SGT Rock
09-12-2005, 22:18
hello,

First, I am a devotee of the Whisperlite stove.. perhaps not light but it burns strong and true every time without fail. However, I hear many long distance hikers have converted to alcohol stoves.

So..my questions:
Lots of questions, but I will TRY to give easy answers....



1) is alcohol (the kind for stoves!!) readily available along the AT? as frequently as white gas?My sources say yes


2) will an alcohol stove boil water as quick and easy as a whisperlite? As quickly? No. Unless you count all the extra steps in a Whisperlite compared to alcohol, then you may end up in a tie if you start from the step where you take the stove out of your pack. As easily? I would say easier.



3) how do alcohol stoves do in cold weather ( 15-30 degrees)?I know this may not be the answer you are looking for, but they do work - the efficency will depend on the design.



4) how reliable are they?

Very reliable as there is nothing to break, clog, or screw up.



5) ok the alcohol stove may be lite weight but you still have to carry alcohol for fuel! how much fuel do they consume as compared to white gas for a whisperlite?
Scientific testing of the various stove types show that by volume and weight that they need about twice the mass of fuel as a whisperlite. But a full fuel bottle and stove can weigh less than a whisperlite without any fuel to start with. And while the start weight may be close, since the alcohol system is mostly fuel, it's weight decreases dramatically over time compared to a whisperlite.



lastly.. what is your recommendation? Do I hit the AT next spring with my trusty whisperlite or use an alcohol type stove fromt he get go?

any other thoughts?

David (formerly nhhiker)
That is your call. You have to decide what you want and what you can live with. My plan is to start alcohol when I do my thru. You may want to start with a wisperlite and change later.

Peaks
09-13-2005, 07:57
One point not stated by Rock:

Alchohol stoves are used by many thru-hikers because:

1. Fuel is readily available now along the AT, so, you don't need to carry much.

2. Most cooking consists of heating 2 cups of water to a boil and throwing in Liptons or something similiar. Very basic.

3. Cheap to make

4. Always works, and nothing to break.

5. Lightweight, even considering fuel consumption.

What Rock didn't say is that in cold weather (below 20 degrees or so), alcohol does not vaporize. So, the fuel needs to be preheated. Again, not hard to do, just an extra step.

Still in doubt? Make an alcohol stove and try it before you start your thru-hike. Like all gear, the alchohol stove is not for everyone (I used a whisperlite on my thru-hike, but now use alcohol).

Nearly Normal
09-14-2005, 02:47
Trangia stove comes with simmer ring and seal lid for unused fuel.
Bomb proof.
Westwind Model is under 20 smackers. Check out thru-hiker store.
Pete

12hrsN2AT
09-14-2005, 09:24
I carry an 8 Oz. used water bottle of fuel (Denatured Alcohol)and use about a 1/2 Oz. each time I lite the stove. I usually only cook 2 meals a day, so 8 Oz. lasts me a week with some leftover.

Alcohol stoves are certainly cheap enough or easy enough to make to just buy one and play around with it.

Seeker
09-14-2005, 13:51
you can cook a meal on a half oz?

12hrsN2AT
09-14-2005, 14:13
you can cook a meal on a half oz? Breakfast is instant oatmeal that takes 1/2 cup of water.
Lunch is boil in bag rice that takes 1 cup of water and after the flame goes out, I just leave it sit in the cozy for 10 minutes and it's fine.
Dinner is always high protien like tuna, but I do make a hot choclate that takes about a cup of water and that just barely gets to a boil with a half ounce of alchol. Adding a full ounce actually gets near my stoves limit.
Please remember I hike in the Everglades often and the daily temps are in the 90's making boiling a bit faster than if it was cold outside.
It took awhile before I was efficent enough to burn so little fuel, takes a bit of practice but can be done, also the stove makes a difference as mine is made from a very small can like a vienna sausage can cut way down. It is only 3/4" deep so adding more fuel like an ounce almost overflows it.

Seeker
09-14-2005, 17:14
yeah, you're right... i forgot about the heat... i sort of get the same thing up here, but i often have my daughter to cook for too, and you forget it really does take more fuel to cook for two... thanks for the info...

SGT Rock
09-15-2005, 02:39
you can cook a meal on a half oz?
Yes I can :D