View Full Version : Esbit versus alcohol stove fuel and stoves
frequency
01-22-2007, 19:11
I recently heard one AT, PCT, CDT thru say he always used esbit versus alcohol stove fuel and stove. He cited benefits of esbit: light, control stop start (blow it out and use remainder of fuel block later), no special stove (he staged the fuel on a piece of foil and set his pot on tent stakes), using it as emergency firestarter, and legal to mail resupply.
Has anyone used this fuel and how is it in practice...versus alcohol stove or cannister stove?
I've tried it and it wasn't for me. It has some adherents who have done way more hiking than I have, though.
Because it requires so little investment in equipment, it is very cheap for you to experiment with and see if you like it.
If you do a lot of mail drops then it is great, but I don't do mail drops so I use alcohol. The fuel is kind of expensive compared with alcohol also.
If you want to boil more than a cup or two of water, Esbit is not the way to go. I personally like to boil about 8/10ths of a liter so that I can have a two-course freezer bag meal and a cup of coffee, so Esbit doesn't work very well for me.
bigcranky
01-22-2007, 21:49
I recently tested the Esbit brand tablets against the Firelite brand sold at Backpackinglight.com.
http://tinyurl.com/29q443
I've used the Esbit in the past with some success, and BPL made some pretty good claims for their tabs. So I tested them together, and the short answer is that the Firelite were much better in my test. I could boil 12 ounces of water in about 9 minutes with 1/2 (half) a tablet -- that's 1/4 oz of fuel. Half an Esbit tab never brought the water to a boil before it went out.
This is not an ad for a specific brand of fuel tab -- just my own test for my own hiking needs. But I'll describe how I use them, if that'll help. I generally need about 12 oz of water for a freezer bag meal, then an additional 12-16 ounces for a hot drink. This is for both breakfast and dinner. So one tab, 1/2 ounce total, heats both. I use one of the 13-g Firelite titanium stoves, but you can use one of the Esbit stoves or just the three tent stakes mentioned above. I use a 700-ml mug for a pot, which works great on the Firelite stove. All together, pot, lid, stove, wind screen and pot cozy weigh less than 5 ounces.
The advantage over alcohol stoves is the fuel weight. In general, alcohol has less heat energy, and thus requires more fuel, to heat the same amount of water. So there's a small weight savings for each meal, which can add up over time. There's some analysis in the Stoves article on this site, and also on the thru-hiker.com site:
http://www.thru-hiker.com/articles.asp?subcat=2&cid=57
Finally, note that you can use some alcohol stoves with fuel tabs just by flipping them upside down. That way you can use whichever type of fuel you can find.
And if anyone wants specific details on my tests, you can look here -- scroll down to the bottom.
http://tinyurl.com/33kvz5
I think I have one of every type of stove sold and yet I ended up using a home made esbit stove for many of the same reasons you mentioned. I only cook once a day, sometimes not even that often, so the esbit works for me. Guess it would depend a lot on how often you needed a hot meal.
I used esbit tabs from Springer to Harpers Ferry. They worked great with a small titanium pot, one tab was enough to boil enough water for dinner. I kept a bunch in a bump box, but they seemed fairly easy to get at the bigger outfitters along the way. They did smell though, and I would rather have a stove to cook for two.
I have used Esbit a little, also used a cannister, enough to know I prefer alcohol for regular use. I do carry a pack of 6 Esbits as a back-up just in case. However I am not a long distance hiker as some on here, having never been out over two weeks at one time. Hopefully I get my chance in 2008.
I've used Esbit for 1 and 3/4 thruhikes now and got very comfortable with the reliability and ritual of using them. It's all about practice, the more you use esbit, the more you will like using it. I'm stressing out now cause I've decided to switch to jetboil for this year's hike and the pct next year.
Johnny Swank
01-24-2007, 22:03
We used Esbit for a few weeks on my thru-hike before switching to alcohol. Esbit is fine for one person, and if you're doing a bunch of maildrops, it's easy to throw in what you think you'll need. I still use mine on occasion, but generally take an alcohol stove.
I did like the fact that if you timed it right, the esbit would bring your dinner to a boil, then simmer it as it tapered out. I do the same thing with a pot cozy now so I can stretch my fuel use.
frequency
01-25-2007, 14:41
We used Esbit for a few weeks on my thru-hike before switching to alcohol. Esbit is fine for one person, and if you're doing a bunch of maildrops, it's easy to throw in what you think you'll need. I still use mine on occasion, but generally take an alcohol stove.
I did like the fact that if you timed it right, the esbit would bring your dinner to a boil, then simmer it as it tapered out. I do the same thing with a pot cozy now so I can stretch my fuel use.
tell me about your pot cozy - what is it made out of and how do you use it?
bigcranky
01-25-2007, 14:57
I won't speak for Mr. Swank, but my pot cozy is made from Reflectix, a sandwich effectively made of bubble wrap and aluminum foil. You can buy it at the local Home Depot style store in rolls large enough to make cozies for every hiker in your home state. You put the cozy together with aluminum tape used for duct work (not fabric 'duct' tape). You can buy one pre-made at www.antigravitygear.com.
There are a couple of ways to use a cozy. If you are cooking something like a Liptons meal, just cook it for a couple of minutes and then stick the pot in the cozy to finish. This saves 8 minutes of stove time, thus 8 minutes of fuel. You'll want to experiment a little, but maybe 10 minutes in the cozy will finish the meal. You can then eat right out of the pot while it's in the cozy.
I use a bag cozy for my freezer bag meals -- pour boiling water in my ziploc bag, close, shake, and put in the bag cozy to rehydrate. It's still way too hot to eat ten minutes later. While that's 'cooking' I heat more water for a hot drink, and just use my pot in its cozy for a mug. Coffee stays hot a long time this way.
Both of my cozies together weigh maybe an ounce, and they save much more than their weight in fuel. They also keep my food hot in cold weather.
Footslogger
01-25-2007, 15:10
They also keep my food hot in cold weather.
========================================
That brings up a thought provoking question ...
Cozies keep hot things hot and cold things cold.
But how do they know which is which ??
'Slogger
Johnny Swank
01-25-2007, 16:43
Deeeeep Thoughts (or deep something!)
My cozy is made from an old 1/4" blue pad. I just did the sides and bottom, secured by your old pal Ducttape. Not pretty, but works fine.
frequency
01-26-2007, 13:32
... my pot cozy is made from Reflectix, a sandwich effectively made of bubble wrap and aluminum foil. You can buy it at the local Home Depot style store in rolls large enough to make cozies for every hiker in your home state....
Thanks - have been looking for a retail source of that Reflectix since i saw it demo'd as an underlayment for flooring. was considering it as a underinsulator for hammock. will test this weekend.
!
i hate esbit stove and alcohol stoves
jetboil rules:cool: neo
hey Frequency, please let me know how the reflectix works. what hammock system will you be using it with? Any chance it'll be a HH?
superfly-SY
01-26-2007, 15:10
I used esbits from Damascus all the way thru to Hanover,nh. Loved it. I carried about 2 dozen tabs at a time. I also had campmor send me some along the way since you cant depend on outfitters to have them most of the time. worked out great. I can't remember why I switched back to my msr in the whites though.
saimyoji
01-26-2007, 16:22
========================================
That brings up a thought provoking question ...
Cozies keep hot things hot and cold things cold.
But how do they know which is which ??
'Slogger
Mine has a switch......:-?
frequency
01-27-2007, 11:52
hey Frequency, please let me know how the reflectix works. what hammock system will you be using it with? Any chance it'll be a HH?
Lazarus - my model is a HH Butterfly Cocoon. It is one of the first models ever. The HH folks themselves were in shock - they couldn't believe I could have bought one. I got it at REI in Cary in a YE closeout sale in 12/2000. Life got in the way and I was off the trail until April '06 when I used it in Central VA for the first time. I think this model is what you see on the first HH webpage - day glow yellow with funky blue trim ... anywho this model IS symetrical so the HH undercover and underpad are a no go for me. HH underpad is, i think, 5/8" open cell foam in coffin shape that is tied in place. I had a thread last year about getting some of that material but was dissuaded because warning that said material was effectively a sponge. The HH underpad is supposed to be used with space blanket so this seems to be perfect UL solution, reflection and insulation and LW.
frequency
01-27-2007, 12:04
Lazarus - my model is a HH Butterfly Cocoon.
Got a lot of $&!+ from some UUUL thugs in April "...that boy's just gotta love a hammock to carry all that weight..." (don't sleep well in shelters) and the color offended all. JustJeff suggested a sportsman's paradise camo tarp to replace the original fly - bigger, more concealment and i have some black rip.stop.nylon for my homemade undercover. will blend in a bit more - oohrah - but it may be hard to find it when i return from answering nature's call at night.