View Full Version : storage bottle for alchohol (for stove)
Big Dawg
09-21-2005, 00:42
What do you alchohol stove users use to store your alchohol, just a plain small plastic drinking bottle of some sort, or an HDPE bottle?
http://www.brasslite.com/OrderForms/bottleOrder.html#8oz
theurbansuburban
09-21-2005, 01:31
I've been using a Stay-bil (sp) gass stabilizer bottle. Its nice because all you have to do is sqeeze the bottle and it squirts it into a small measured compartment, which makes measuring alot easier
papa john
09-21-2005, 07:34
I just use an 8 ounce OJ plastic bottle. Whatever you use, be sure to label it as stove fuel so nobody mistakes it for water.
Whistler
09-21-2005, 07:47
Platypus Sport bottle, around $5. 16oz capacity, weighs less than an ounce. Flexible, no sloshing! Pours easily, so you can use the cap as a measure unless you're some kind of super-klutz.
-Mark
jimmyjob
09-21-2005, 08:05
old coke bottle or water bottle....
Went to the drug store, asked if I could buy one of the plastic bottles they use for liquid prescriptions. They gave me two for free, one 8 ounce and one 4 ounce capacity. Superlight and doesn't leak. Put a Sharpie skull and crossbones on the big one and use it for alcohol. Use the small one for olive oil.
titanium_hiker
09-21-2005, 08:39
fanta bottle- orange lid. white/blue lids for water. clearly labled too. the one-person size (like 600mL?)
measuring? if I was more of an ultralighter I would, but with practice I can just slosh it in.
titanium
Whatever you use, be sure to label it as stove fuel so nobody mistakes it for water.
Made that mistake once. DA burns the gums, yes it does.
I use used water bottles. Now they have red tape all over them.
I use an old water bottle, either 12 or 20 oz depending on how much i need to carry, with the blue ring. i then replace the cap with a contrasting color, like from lime coke, which reminds me it's not water. also, on my larger bottle, i got some of that krylon spraypaint that sticks to smooth plastic and sprayed the bottom half white, so i could label it with a marker. i measure using the cap (3ish to the half ounce i think?)
i've heard of people using a 'little nipper', which is some sort of drinking bottle with a flip spout, probably for 12 oz of juice for a kids lunchbag...
Longer trips: Platypus Lil'Nipper (holds up to 8oz) with a lid from backpackinglight.com
Trips under 4 days: 2oz sqeeze bottle (once held travel soap)
--mark
playpus makes it? hmm... then i've got the wrong idea in my head... what i was thinking was a kids juice bottle with a screw on lid and a flip top... sorry all... my mistake... thanks verber...
Footslogger
09-21-2005, 13:54
I use a plastic booze flask. They come in various sizes (capacity) but I have found them in 10 oz and 16 oz. They have a fluid tight screw-on cap and then a 1 oz jigger overcap that works great for adding alcohol to your stove. What I like the most about the flasks is that they are somewhat oval (actually a little concave on one side) which allows them to fit/slide in and out of a side pouch on a pack. They are more durable than a soda bottle. The one I have weights about 2 oz empty and went all the way from Springer to Katahdin in 2003 and is still going strong.
'Slogger
JoeHiker
09-21-2005, 16:24
What do you alchohol stove users use to store your alchohol, just a plain small plastic drinking bottle of some sort, or an HDPE bottle?
I use a couple of 8 oz plastic bottles I picked up for $2 each at REI. I like them over a coke bottle because they're smaller, easier to pack in small spaces and more durable. Plus if one should, by some chance leak, I haven't lost all my fuel.
I have the brasslite bottle and it's nice but mine leaked no matter how I tightly I put the cap on.. Perhaps I got a bad one. I have a brasslite stove and it's top notch so I don't consider it a reflection on Aaron.
Lanthar Mandragoran
09-21-2005, 17:00
I use a plastic booze flask.
'Slogger
GSI (http://gsioutdoors.com/products/lexan/73357-8.html)
Nalgene (http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/subcategory.asp?categorysubcategorycode=163) - Ditch the "insulator"
Like Joe, I found a little durabl fliptop 8oz bottle at some camping store that looks promising. I have a similar bottle for oilve oil for short trips. (both are gratuitously marked with sharpy markers to indicate which is which if they're ever emptyied)
Footslogger
09-21-2005, 17:29
Mine weren't GSI or Nalgene and not made of lexan ... but they do look similar to the ones from GSI. Mine were a couple bucks.
'Slogger
Big Dawg
09-21-2005, 20:19
So it sounds like no one uses an HDPE bottle. If you stored alcohol in a plain plastic bottle, wouldn't it eventually corrode?
Lanthar Mandragoran
09-21-2005, 20:30
So it sounds like no one uses an HDPE bottle. If you stored alcohol in a plain plastic bottle, wouldn't it eventually corrode?
There's no such thing as 'plain plastic' most soda bottle are HDPE... some of the flexible nalgenes are LDPE... occasionally you can find a PP bottle...
Everything people have posted are things that work. Don't get caught up in exactly which 'plastic' you use.
Now, some of these bottles would likely degrade if they were carried outside your pack in the arid southwest where it will take UV rays all the time... then you might have problems, but otherwise.
papa john
09-21-2005, 21:01
I just transferred my fuel from a used Gatorade bottle that I started using 5 years ago. Only did it as I don't need to carry as much fuel. The bottle is still in usable condition and didn't leak a drop!
i always used a brown plastic peroxide bottle,they are very light and very tough:cool: neo
I use a plastic booze flask. They come in various sizes (capacity) but I have found them in 10 oz and 16 oz. They have a fluid tight screw-on cap and then a 1 oz jigger overcap that works great for adding alcohol to your stove. What I like the most about the flasks is that they are somewhat oval (actually a little concave on one side) which allows them to fit/slide in and out of a side pouch on a pack. They are more durable than a soda bottle. The one I have weights about 2 oz empty and went all the way from Springer to Katahdin in 2003 and is still going strong.
'Slogger
Yup, I use the same flask. Love it!! Got it at Wal-mart for about 3 bucks. I wrap my duct tape around it just in case, but it's concave shape makes it easy to differentiate from a water bottle. I've had alcohol in it continuously for about a year now with no problem. The one ounce jigger on top makes it really easy to know just how many meals I can cook up.
Big Dawg
09-21-2005, 22:26
Everything people have posted are things that work. Don't get caught up in exactly which 'plastic' you use.
Cool! Thanks Lanthar.
Not "caught up",, just trying to clarify some info. I obviously heard some mis-information from a local yahoo, & just trying to clarify on my favorite site. Definately not doubting previous posts. Since I'm new to alcohol stoves, I'm just info seeking. Thanks again! :D
Old Spice
09-21-2005, 22:56
Can anyone explain to me the pros and cons of using an alchohol stove?
damn. i just lost a long answer...
in a nutshell, the answer is weight.
alcohol is less efficient, but the stove and fuel containers are lighter.
gas is much more efficient, but the stove and fuel cannisters are heavier.
sgt rock, at his 'hiking headquarters' site, conducted and posted a study... he figures the magic breakeven point is 14 days. under 14 days, alcohol is overall lighter. after 14 days, you have to carry more fuel to make up for it's inefficiency, and the gas stove becomes more efficient.
there's also speed. gas simply cooks faster. alcohol takes more time. gas works better when it's colder. alcohol needs more preheating. are you hiking in summer or winter? can you wait a few more minutes for dinner, or do you have somewhere to be?
noise. alcohol makes none, gas stove can vary. personally, i like the quiet, and don't like to hear a stove hissing.
reliability. alcohol stove has no moving parts to break. gas stoves vary, some being very finicky, others being more reliable.
cost. alcohol stove can be made at your desk at work with two soda cans, a pair of scissors, and a pushpin. gas stoves can get expensive.
satisfaction. i love the fact that I MADE MY STOVE. not some guy on an assembly line somewhere. and i can repair it if it's crushed, or make another one. that means a lot to me.
finally, if you spill gas on your stuff or your hands, it sucks. if you spill alcohol, it evaporates and leaves no smell. water soluble too, so if you really want to, you can clean up with soap and water.
guess that's all the major points, though i'm sure my fellow posters will have plenty to add.
Footslogger
09-22-2005, 08:53
Can anyone explain to me the pros and cons of using an alchohol stove?====================================
Do a search here at Whiteblaze on the words "alcohol stove". Lot's of good information already in the archives.
'Slogger
Lanthar Mandragoran
09-22-2005, 09:32
sgt rock, at his 'hiking headquarters' site, conducted and posted a study... he figures the magic breakeven point is 14 days. under 14 days, alcohol is overall lighter. after 14 days, you have to carry more fuel to make up for it's inefficiency, and the gas stove becomes more efficient.
Of course, that magic point is 'days without resupply' If you're in a situation where at least once every two weeks you'll be able to resupply you will be able to pick up a new bottle of heet (the yellow bottle), and the 'clock' resets
yeah... sorry if i was unclear... bottom line is that most people seem to resupply every 3-7 days, so an alcohol stove makes a lot of sense. of course, some people just refuse to use one.
one other 'negative', if you can call it that, is that it's hard to get an alcohol stove to simmer, but there are techniques... as footslogger said, search the archives here... lots of good info. most of us alkies seem to just need to boil water and add it to a dinner, not simmer.
Footslogger
09-22-2005, 12:47
most of us alkies seem to just need to boil water and add it to a dinner, not simmer.=======================================
Alcohol stoves are about lightweight/ease of use. If you prefer the more elaborate/gourmet eating style on the trail the alcohol stove may not be the best choice for you. That's not to say you can't eat well while cooking with alcohol ...I sure do. It's all relative to your taste and patience.
'Slogger
yeah... sorry if i was unclear... bottom line is that most people seem to resupply every 3-7 days, so an alcohol stove makes a lot of sense. of course, some people just refuse to use one.
one other 'negative', if you can call it that, is that it's hard to get an alcohol stove to simmer, but there are techniques... as footslogger said, search the archives here... lots of good info. most of us alkies seem to just need to boil water and add it to a dinner, not simmer.
The simmer problem isn't really a problem if you make yourself an insulated cozy. Just bring whatever you're cooking to a boil and place it in the cozy to finish cooking. Takes a bit longer, but what's the hurry anyhow.