View Full Version : Alky Stove Tip
stickman
10-28-2006, 11:02
During a recent section hike in cold weather, I carried my Trangia stove full of alcohol in my pocket to keep it warm and it lit up immediately when I was ready to cook. Another hiker I shared a shelter with had a homemade stove and had some difficulty getting his to light, because his fuel was cold. Likewise, I slept with my fully-fueled stove in my bag and in the morning it lit right up.
Also, you don't have to burn off all the fuel in the stove; just put it out when you are done cooking and save the fuel still in the stove for the next use.
I know the Trangia is a couple ounces heavier than a beer can stove, but those features are pretty nice, IMO, and worth the weight penalty, at least during the cold season.
Stickman
SGT Rock
10-28-2006, 11:10
You could sleep with the fuel bottle instead of the stove.
stickman
10-28-2006, 11:20
True, but it would be harder to hike with it in your pocket. I'm not saying this is a huge advantage, but I think it somewhat negates the extra weight of the Trangia.
BTW, my son is in Iraq now with the 82nd Airborne. Are you still there or are you back home? My prayers are with all you guys in uniform. God bless you all and bring you home safe.
Stickman
One does not need to keep the fuel warm if the stove design permits touching a burning match to the surface of the fuel - if no matches available just dip a stick (or pine straw or ...) in the fuel and light the stick then use the burning stick to touch the surface of the alcohol. Note touching the surface is the key item here - don't dunk the match into the fuel.
SGT Rock
10-28-2006, 12:55
Still here. I personally haven't found the fuel temp to be an issue except early in the morning - and sleeping with a fuel bottle (and some water too) solves this.
hammock engineer
10-28-2006, 13:07
I didn't want to sleep with my whole fuel bottle. I carry a 1oz nalgene container from rei. Much easier to sleep with and put under my arm when needed to heat up.
Touching the fuel with the match will get it to light. Of course warm fuel will light easier. I have frozen a trangia burner full of fuel in a block of ice, removed the lid and lit the fuel using the touch method. I'm guessing that the alcohol was about 0*f and I lit it using a common wooden match. I'm not sure at what temperature the "touch" method will no longer work, but 0*f is cold enough for me.
When I'm lazy I leave my Trangia out at night, scrape the snow off in the morning and it lights up. That is most of the reason why I like alcohol stoves.
I love the Trangia 25 and 27, my all time favourite stove, and recently mounted a Nova stove in one, dam, it heats like a blast furnace
Footslogger
10-29-2006, 22:04
I hike with my Trangia inside my cookpot, wrapped in a bandana. While hiking, my fuel sits in the outer pouch of my pack in a plastic booze flask. I have yet to experience any difficulty lighting the burner. After dinner I allow the burner to cool and then most often pull it inside my tent and wrap it up in some clothing along with my fuel bottle.
'Slogger
Johnny Swank
10-30-2006, 08:23
I've also carried a little 2 oz bottle full of alcohol and kept it in my pocket during winter hikes. I've never had a problem lighting my stove in winter, but the warmed fuel seemed to get to operating (read:heating my food up) temps faster this way.
When it's hot outside, I don't really care about waiting an extra minute or two for hot water. Winter, it can't heat up fast enough!
I made one out of stainless steel tubing,and well its a little weighty but when i drop it step on it or knock it around it still peforms like a charm,and I have never really had a problem keeping it running.I use flashing as a wind stopper and it works great.simple set up been using it for couple yrs now.ky