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Honuben
10-08-2014, 20:29
Another thread conversation made me break out my caldera cone set up for my snow peak mini solo and mess with it. I usually cook over an open fire but also carry a canister set up for the chance i dont have a fire. More and more often i find myself not using the canister and dont want to carry the weight now. so that has me reconsidering an alci stove. I still dont like the cone set up for the mini solo because of the size and bulk. I dont like cat can stoves with my mini solo because of the flames don't heat the smaller diameter base well. Could anyone recommend an alci stove that works well with a smaller based pot?

July
10-08-2014, 20:42
I don't see why a cat can should not work. But if you want a smaller option, just cut up a small redbull can, should work fine.

Starchild
10-08-2014, 20:45
I am pretty happy with the (unmodified) Starlyte, and for a overnighter or so don't need a separate fuel bottle as it holds a certain amount on it's own. It is also robust.

But any center flame alki stove I have seen requires a pot stand and windscreen (which the cone serves both together). I too don't appreaciate the size/bulk of the cone, I also am not fond of it's fragility. However I have not found a better setup for the Starlyte.

Starchild
10-08-2014, 20:51
My edit button is gone, I guess my membership is up... anyway...

My hiking partner used the cat can as a backup to Qi-wiz's firefly stove. During 'cat can' mode the Firefly was the windscreen. Yes it did have flames come around the sides of her small pot but the alchy was a infrequent backup for the wood (and my Jetboil or Esbit), so not used frequently and could afford that inefficiency.

If you like to cook with wood I would suggest looking at a wood stove first, which makes it much easier, then build your backup system around that.

PD230SOI
10-08-2014, 20:54
Take a look at the honey stove

Odd Man Out
10-08-2014, 20:55
Agree that super cat is not very efficient with a narrow pot. I too have switched to center burning stoves. I have used the Starlyte as Starchild suggested. Several advantages, such as the cap and no-spill wick. If you like to build your own stoves, I've been making capillary hoop stoves. They have a lot more power than a starlyte (if that is a priority for you), and very foolproof to use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTp5zTOYPHQ

Woof Shaven
10-08-2014, 21:35
I don't have any experience with hiking class stoves yet. i'm not leaning in any particular direction yet either. I don't even know the recommended size for pots in measured liquid volume yet for solo use either. I'm stove clueless and still researching.

I you don't mind me co-opting you thread; what are the possibilities for a traditional three rock fire down in the Southern sections? Are there many glacial rocks lying about the place readily available like they are in Indiana? Can you build fires for cooking purposes or are these thing regulated in many places along the trail?

I am assuming in a no fire trail sections stoves would still be allowed.

Rocket stoves are cool if one had the time to fashion one out of mud and straw. I have a couple commercial 20 pounder steel encased refectory clay rocket stoves (designed for 3rd world use) I use for car camping, just shove branches in the hole and the fire only burns the tip of the branches, that is super fuel efficient, fire burning down, shove more of the same branch bundle in;but 3 rocks seems best for when you are on the go.

I'm sure a dug vertical fire hole with another angled dug fuel fuel-feed / air-vent tunnel drilled towards the bottom of your vertical fire pit hole type no rocks are needed old school rocket stove would be frowned upon along the AT too. Anyway that style of of stove is widely used in parts of Africa at least the parts that still have wood for fuel. Fuel for cooking is scarce in many parts of the 3rd world hence there is a rocket stove educational initiative I have seen talked about on the Internet.

rafe
10-08-2014, 21:49
Creating fire pits is considered uncool these days. If a shelter has a fire pit, go ahead and use it. But don't be building a new one.

"Fuel for cooking" is the real issue. Where there are fire pits, one often finds the nearby woods totally scoured of deadwood, branches broken off trees, etc. With the sort of traffic one sees along the AT, this would be unsustainable.

Wood-burning stoves are a different matter. They don't impact the terrain like a fire pit, and use relatively small amounts of fuel. In drought conditions they may be banned, however. (More likely out west than on the AT.) Unlike an alky stove or canister stove, they're a bit out of place on a picnic table on a hostel's back porch.

Woof Shaven
10-08-2014, 22:05
Rafe you are spot on. On the trail I intend to be politically correct and follow all the established guidelines. I am a self professed newbie so I'm definitely will be in watch and learn mode probably for the first 250 trail miles or so. Right now my mileage count is 000.

The rocket stove do consume incredibly hard to believe small amounts of fuel though. Just a bundle of twigs and branch material. Sometimes bringing up a subject can be educational even if one has to assume the role of the antagonist.

rafe
10-08-2014, 22:47
Woof, if you're truly intent on a fire every night, a wood-burning stove may be the ticket. You hardly see them on the AT, probably 95% of thru hikers use either alcohol or canister stoves these days. I carried a Sierra Zip stove for a couple of long sections, and it has its pros and cons. Check out this article by PMags about hiking stoves (comparing and contrasting many types.) It also talks about burn bans, campfires, and offers a handy-dandy summary at the end.

http://www.pmags.com/stove-comparison-real-world-use

Rocket Jones
10-09-2014, 05:51
I saw somewhere, don't remember the link, where someone did actual testing of the SuperCat stoves with pot diameters of varying sizes and there was no significant difference in the boil times between short wide pots and tall narrow pots. Apparently flames coming partway up the sides of the pot work just as well as flames contacting the bottom.

Honuben
10-09-2014, 07:00
starchild - i am going to give the starlyte a try. It looks like it has the built in stand so a windscreen will be needed. Stability may be an issue but will look at that when it comes. I also have a wood burning stove but dont use it. I simply use a fire pit and stick my pot on it or the outer ring to heat water.

oddmanout - i will try to make that tonight/tomorrow. I had not seen that yet and it looks to be what im looking for. However, it looks like it may be a bit unstable but i will look at that as time comes.

QiWiz
10-09-2014, 16:26
Another thread conversation made me break out my caldera cone set up for my snow peak mini solo and mess with it. I usually cook over an open fire but also carry a canister set up for the chance i dont have a fire. More and more often i find myself not using the canister and dont want to carry the weight now. so that has me reconsidering an alci stove. I still dont like the cone set up for the mini solo because of the size and bulk. I dont like cat can stoves with my mini solo because of the flames don't heat the smaller diameter base well. Could anyone recommend an alci stove that works well with a smaller based pot?

Pot-pressurized stoves work best with wider-bottom pots. A stove that concentrates heat in the center of your pot bottom works best for narrow-bottom pots. Many DIY or commercial stoves do this. You will either need a pot support or get a stove that has the support built in to hold the pot at the right distance above the stove.

Odd Man Out
10-09-2014, 19:56
oddmanout - i will try to make that tonight/tomorrow. I had not seen that yet and it looks to be what im looking for. However, it looks like it may be a bit unstable but i will look at that as time comes.

The eCHS requires a pot stand. I make mine out of hardware cloth. Very light weight. All alcohol stoves need a windscreen. I make mine out of aluminum flashing. With alcohol stoves you have to think about systems - it's how the stove, pot, stand and screen work together.

Cedar1974
10-16-2014, 20:21
http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Backpacking-Canister-Ignition-silvery/dp/B00ENDRORM/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1413505152&sr=1-1&keywords=camping+stove

I've heard good things about this stove if you are interested. It is rather inexpensive, but works well from all the reviews I have seen, though it needs a wind screen in extremely high winds.

Cameldung
10-17-2014, 16:35
Take a look at the Minibulldesign Mini Atomic, https://www.minibulldesign.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=73&idcategory=2.
Way the stove is designed, it 'focuses' the flames towards the center and is perfect for a narrow base pot.