View Full Version : Alcohol (Penny) Stove vs. Canister Stove?
SeeksChayah
03-24-2014, 04:48
Getting down to the wire here and still cannot decide on a stove.
Narrowed down to:
--Evernew Appalachain set (or a pieced together equivalent)
--MSR Whisperlight w/ titanium pot
--SnowPeak Auto w/ titanium pot
I prefer the bottom 2 for the fact that you can control the heat better.
However, leaning toward the alcohol stove b/c I'm nervous about canisters not being available to purchase everywhere along the way
(and concerned a lil' about recycling the canisters)
Can anyone set my mind at ease about being able to get canisters along the way?
Hot food is important to me for morale on chilly nights and mornings.
Canisters are readily available along the AT these days. I'm not so sure about white gas (Whisperlite fuel) any more.
White gas stoves were very popular with thru hikers -- decades ago. These days it seems to be evenly split between alcohol and canister stoves with a handful of folks going with wood stoves or other alternatives.
If you're determined to go with the white gas stove, consider also the MSR Simmerlight, which will save a few oz. over the Whisperlite.
PD230SOI
03-24-2014, 06:19
The whisper light universal can use white gas or canisters. It is a good bit heavier than any alky stove.
i believe you will be happy with any stove if you spend a bit of time learning to use it. The alky stove is much lighter, but I think with less flexibility.
if I was doing a solo thru starting now or later I would take the alky. But I would spend significant time getting to know it.
Assuming you are talking about the whisperlight Universal, it's a lot of stove for for solo thru hiking. Are you planning on doing extensive winter hiking? or using the stove for group cooking? If not the Whisperlight is more stove than you probably need.
It's a very good stove, just not something I would want to carry for 2000 miles. I like canister stoves over alcohol for the convenience, and although I am not a thru hiker, I have never had a problem finding canisters.
Of the ones you listed I would go with the Snow Peak, but in reality any of the mainstream lightweight canister stoves will work just as well. I have been pretty impressed with the SOTO micro regulator. If I didn't love my Jetboil, it would probably be my next stove.
Starchild
03-24-2014, 08:03
Canisters excel on a thru in 2 ways:
1 - They are everywhere on the trail, including hiker boxes as hikers change them out too soon - common to find 1/2 full ones or more hiker boxed - and even partly full ones abandoned in shelters. Rarely you may get to a isolated hostel that is inbetween town resupplys that doesn't 'officially' have them (but they usually have/hiker box/can get), but because the canisters last so long this should not be a issue (see below)
2 - They last a very long time, so you won't need to look for them at every resupply stop. This second one I learned on the trail and really sold me on canister fuel for cold weather thru hiking (though I went esbit in warm weather), not needing to resupply fuel at every stop, or even every other other other stop - no worries, and you may find a free one hiker boxed to swap with before you need a new one. But you do sort of casually seek out canisters, just for a mental note if they have them and yes they always do, but no pressure to find them.
And 2 other things:
3 - Recycling, If the canister is punctured (and before that empty), it is recyclable.
4 - What every thru hiker should know is how to make the simplest alchy stove with common materials like 2 or even 1 soda can, just in case. I don't expect anyone to have to do this but it does put the mind at ease.
SeeksChayah
03-24-2014, 11:29
Oops. I meant MSR Pocket Rocket, not Whisperlight. I mixed up the names.
Thank you for your replies.
I've used all three and think my alcohol stove actually has more flexibility. My canister and whisperlite goes from superboil to off with the slightest knob adjustment. I can simmer with my alcohol stove by using a simmer ring (homemade). OTOH, if you are doing boil-in-bag stuff the canisters are way easier...
Seems like you are cooking 2x a day with hot drinks?
If so, you are probably better off with a canister stove.
Alchie stoves work well for ~10 boils or less (assuming 2-3 cups a boil). If you like your hot meals in both the evening and the morning AND hot drinks to go with it, may not be the best stove for you. The amount of alcohol you need to carry will outstrip of the weight savings of the stove itself after ~3-4 days based on what I think your meal plan is. Almost a toss up between the two stoves, but a canister stove will give you a bit more of a buffer based, again, on what I think your hiking style may be.
If you do one hot meal a day and resupply every 8-10 days at the most (Which would be very rare indeed on the AT), alchie stoves work well.
As I've said many, many, many times before...there is no best gear, just what is best for you and your hiking style. :)
HooKooDooKu
03-24-2014, 14:04
Ditch the Pocket Rocket for the SnowPeak MaxLite. The LiteMax folds much smaller, is even lighter, and comes with a velvet pouch that can double as a pot holder. But what I really like about the LiteMax is the way the pot support is done leave the pot more stable feeling than the Pocket Rocket. I've had both and haven't taken the Pocket Rocket out of its storage case since I bought the LiteMax.
xrayextra
03-24-2014, 16:11
I used a super cat alcohol stove last year. Worked out great. Penny stove is nice but you need a pot stand for it (not so with super cat).
I carried a 3 oz bottle in my pot kit and had a 16 oz seven-up bottle for refill (tall and narrow like a water bottle, but stronger). That was good for about two weeks (I only cooked dinner). You will find a lot of hikers with alcohol stoves and if you ever run out, in a pinch there should be someone around to help you out for a day or two if the need arises.
Canister stoves are much faster and a little more convenient but I was never in any hurry.
Good luck to you on your hike!
Black Wolf
03-24-2014, 17:24
I use 4-5 gm. of fuel to heat 2C of water .. 110gm. will give you at least 20 boils if you stay diligent ie. don't boil it excessively and don't cook on high. What I really like is there is no fuel wasted. ie, priming and guessing the amount. Use a wide pot, the heat is dispersed better and the water depth is shallower. The wide pot pertains to alky stoves as well. I use a Giga Power. Another factor for canisters, you;ll never spill your fuel nor will it leak in your pack. The Evernew Ti alky stove is by far the most efficient I've used used (I wrapped fiberglass cord below the lip, this greatly accelerates the priming time), no pot stand needed. There are a few designs that don't need a stand to work.
Two points already mentioned .. there is no best & if you decide on a canister stove .. know how to make a alky stove. A bottle of Heat and beer can will go a long way.
scrabbler
03-24-2014, 17:55
This is an interesting article, with some good points …
http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2013/05/fire-safety-alcohol-vs-esbit.html
Meriadoc
03-24-2014, 17:55
Getting down to the wire here and still cannot decide on a stove.
Narrowed down to:
--Evernew Appalachain set (or a pieced together equivalent)
--MSR Whisperlight w/ titanium pot
--SnowPeak Auto w/ titanium pot
I prefer the bottom 2 for the fact that you can control the heat better.
However, leaning toward the alcohol stove b/c I'm nervous about canisters not being available to purchase everywhere along the way
(and concerned a lil' about recycling the canisters)
Another thing you can do is look at alcohol stoves with adjustable flames like this one: http://packafeather.com/index.html
Mags is right. Pick the right stove for your hiking style.
I use 4-5 gm. of fuel to heat 2C of water .. 110gm. will give you at least 20 boils if you stay diligent ie. don't boil it excessively and don't cook on high. What I really like is there is no fuel wasted. ie, priming and guessing the amount.
I think this is about right, I think I figured 0.1 oz (2.8 grams) of fuel per cup of water boiled. Years ago, before these small canisters were standardized, they weren't practical for thru-hiking purposes. But now that they are... it makes all the difference. Small stores stock them because they know they can sell them. The brands and sizes are all interchangeable.
Getting down to the wire here and still cannot decide on a stove.
Narrowed down to:
--Evernew Appalachain set (or a pieced together equivalent)
--MSR Whisperlight w/ titanium pot
--SnowPeak Auto w/ titanium pot
I prefer the bottom 2 for the fact that you can control the heat better.
However, leaning toward the alcohol stove b/c I'm nervous about canisters not being available to purchase everywhere along the way
(and concerned a lil' about recycling the canisters)
Can anyone set my mind at ease about being able to get canisters along the way?
Hot food is important to me for morale on chilly nights and mornings.
Most backpacking cooking does not require that much heat control. Alcohol, Esbit, or Wood burning stoves will be the lightest options.
I pretty much guarantee that if you start with a way-heavy Whisperlight you will not finish with it.
I went from alcohol to canister. Using Soto stove and Olicamp pot (saves 40% fuel tested). Love this combination.
...I pretty much guarantee that if you start with a way-heavy Whisperlight you will not finish with it.
Just pointing out the OP stated he made a mistake when he said "Whisperlight" he meant to say "Pocket Rocket"
However, I agree with what you said in general.
I pretty much guarantee that if you start with a way-heavy Whisperlight you will not finish with it.
I'm dating myself as usual, but for many years the good old Whisperlite was the stove of choice for AT thru-hikers. Mine was carried over a good 800-900 miles of AT and many dozens of weekend outings in the Whites, the DAKs, etc. It was finally set aside in 2002 or thereabouts.
Before Whisperlite, it was the Svea. The Coleman Peak-1 was a competitor/peer of the Whisperlite.
I'll tell you one good thing about them; they may be heavy, but white gas gives much more BTU/ounce than alcohol. If you were planning, say, a 10 or 12 day section, one 16 oz. bottle of white gas would easily last you through.
In fact, I'd say it might still be a viable option for those traveling in pairs or small groups, cooking together.
I'm dating myself as usual, but for many years the good old Whisperlite was the stove of choice for AT thru-hikers. Mine was carried over a good 800-900 miles of AT and many dozens of weekend outings in the Whites, the DAKs, etc. It was finally set aside in 2002 or thereabouts.
Before Whisperlite, it was the Svea. The Coleman Peak-1 was a competitor/peer of the Whisperlite.
I'll tell you one good thing about them; they may be heavy, but white gas gives much more BTU/ounce than alcohol. If you were planning, say, a 10 or 12 day section, one 16 oz. bottle of white gas would easily last you through.
In fact, I'd say it might still be a viable option for those traveling in pairs or small groups, cooking together.
I agree, especially in cold weather.
bamboo bob
03-25-2014, 13:00
The reason have stuck with canister stove (jetboil) is because I just boil water and with a 3.5 fuel canister I get 30 plus days without fuel resupply or concerns. If I carry a spare fuel is just not an issue.
Before Whisperlite, it was the Svea. The Coleman Peak-1 was a competitor/peer of the Whisperlite.
I've built soda can alcohol stoves and super cats with Boy and Girl Scouts, and they work just fine and you can probably build a replacement with junk from a trash can and a leatherman tool... but I still grab my old banged up Coleman Peak-1 Apex with the detached gas bottle on my hikes. It's as reliable as a rock and converted to Dual Fuel with a generator from an Apex II so I can run it on unleaded. My Wisperlite Internationale could probably pass for new the few times I actually used it.
but don't listen to me, I carry a heavy 22 year old pack still (TNF Snow Leopard II).. but I'm not through hiking either.
Starchild
03-25-2014, 15:59
The reason have stuck with canister stove (jetboil) is because I just boil water and with a 3.5 fuel canister I get 30 plus days without fuel resupply or concerns. If I carry a spare fuel is just not an issue.
This is about 2 cups (or one pint) a day (boiled) for it to last 30 days, more if you just want hot water instead of boiled water - but without boiling purification becomes a factor. Just stated for reference and knowing Jetboil's efficiency.
takethisbread
03-26-2014, 07:23
I tinker with all, but I must say that one must consider safety as a factor. alcohol stoves can be dangerous and have caused some damage on the PCT and area around it with forest fires caused by carelessness . The AT is safe for the most part, for all stoves.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wise Old Owl
03-26-2014, 09:34
Mag's Interesting post!