Stoves

[HaddenLo]

Has anybody used the Esbit Stove on a thruhike? What is the verdict on it, are the fuel tablets easy to find in towns.

And another stove question is the Trangia 28 alcohol stove.

I am not looking for speed of the water boiling, more on overall price, weight, and ease of refueling in towns.

[Jack Tarlin]

Verdict on Esbit:

Lightweight; reasonably efficient; reasonably priced; expensive re-fueling; and NOT everywhere has fuel tabs, so you'll need to carry back-ups or have them mailed to you.

[SalParadise]

I am not looking for speed of the water boiling, more on overall price, weight, and ease of refueling in towns.

sounds just like a pepsi-can stove to me, but I can't speak on the merits of Esbit stuff.

[bigcranky]

I've used the fuel tab stoves on longish hikes, but not a thru-hike.

Advantages: easy to carry, lightest total weight of stove and fuel, can carry exactly what you need for a section, can mail tablets in mail drops, usable in winter.

Disadvantages: can be hard to find locally, expensive per-meal costs, leave residue on pot and stove, mildly bad odor, takes a long time to boil water, affected by wind, probably illegal when there's a fire ban in effect.

The tabs are very similar in use to alcohol stoves, but they have a higher heat content, which means that the total fuel weight is slightly less for tabs. This translates to a lighter overall kitchen load (but we're talking grams here, not pounds).

I recently tested the Esbit brand tabs against some imported tabs from BackpackingLight.com. The BPL Firelite tabs were significantly better in my back yard, semi-real-world tests. They are somewhat cheaper than Esbits, but the shipping costs make them equal, if not slightly more expensive. I also use the BPL Firelite fuel tablet stove, which I like a lot (though I have some concerns about its long term durability, especially the little rivet that holds the legs together). But hey, a 13-gram stove is nothing to sneeze at.

Alcohol is a lot easier to get locally, is cheaper, is a renewable energy source, and has similar usability to fuel tabs. The only downsides are that it weighs somewhat more, and the liquid can spill or leak in your pack. (Though it will evaporate quickly, this might leave you without fuel.) If you want to play with simple, easy stoves, and you don't mind the wait, your best bet to start is probably the homemade alcohol stove.

Check the Stoves article that Mags posted on this web site for much more information.

[TurkeyBacon]

I'm not sure which one is the 28 but I love my Traingia. I have a few homemade stove but always use my Trangia instead. I have the mini and a burner and store bought pot support. The pot size of the mini is great for a one person hike but possibly a touch small for a thru-hiker experiencing "the hunger". I like the lid/fry pan too. Its and incredibly well thought out system. Its great to be able to extinguish the flame and store extra alchol in it for next time. It makes it more fool proof, no measureing how much alcohal you stick in it.
TB

[StarLyte]

I preach esbit and have been using one for 20 years. I have used alcohol as well. It is a hard decision between the two.

The only issue with the esbit is you can't reach a high boil. This means having to use a pot cozy. I am able to achieve a simmering boil using my 1-1/2 cup percolator burning 1 to 2 tabs (depends on the weather).

The good thing with the esbit is that you can carefully light one in your tent if you're chilled. The fumes are non-toxic. Obviously the best thing about the esbit is the weight and price. You really can't beat it.

Outwest last year I used Heet in my alcohol stove. I like the way you can pour it easily from the bottle.

[Toolshed]

I've carried both the Trangia Mini-28 as well as the Trangia w/Westwind supports, an Esbit Stove and also numerous Pepsi can stoves (including requisite grill for the flip over pepsi can stove to use with Esbit). I really like the Pepsi Can Stove along with the Esbit Grill.

I sold both my Trangia stoves on Ebay after I built and used my first few Pepsi can stoves. Absolutely no need to spend $30 on a Trangia burner and pot set (http://www.campsaver.com/product.php?cid=81&pid=327508) unless you really want the option to carry one meals' worth of fuel in the spirit burner. I also think the performance of the Pepsi Can stove is an improvement over the Trangia.

Whenever I carry my Pepsi Can stove, I also always carry a half dozen Esbit Tabs (3 oz) so I always have at least 3 extra days of cooking fuel if the need ever arises. I think Sgt Rock has a link that shows how to build the littel grill out of 1/4" hardware cloth to turn your pepsi can stove into an Esbit stove. I have never had a problem finding HEET at a store near a trail crossing (or on any other longish trails I have hiked)
:)

[HaddenLo]

I have made a pepsi sove, Now i need to make a stand and windscreen. What is the best/easy homemade stand?

[Mags]

Check the Stoves article that Mags posted on this web site for much more information.

Thanks for the plug! (Big Cranky was very helpful in providing esbit info, too! Many thanks!)

Here's the link:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20055

(It may be right in front of me, but I can't seem to find this article on the ARTICLES page found on the main page? I have to search the forums for it, THEN I find the article.)

[jlb2012]

I have made a pepsi sove, Now i need to make a stand and windscreen. What is the best/easy homemade stand?

easy - a cylinder of 1/2 inch hardware cloth

best - varies with the other parts of your system (pot size, windscreen, stove, etc.)