Esbit?????

[Mrs Baggins]

It's been recommended to me that I carry an Esbit stove and the fuel tabs rather than the MSR Superfly I was planning to use. I'm only going to be out for 2 weeks, cooking for just myself, boiling water for coffee, tea, and meals twice a day.

What do you think???

[Lone Wolf]

they smell bad

[Skyline]

As Lone Wolf said, they have an odor. A fishy-type odor. But I've been using Esbit almost exclusively since 1998 and it's never been that bad IMHO. No one else nearby ever complained, either, but maybe that's just because all the other hiker funk overpowered the subtle smell of Esbit. :-?

If you're cooking for yourself, Esbit is a great choice. Lightweight, compact, easy to use, and if you don't use all of a tablet for your meal just blow it out and re-light it later for tea or cocoa. Remnants also make good campfire starter.

[Pedaling Fool]

Rock does a very detailed comparisons on his site of many different types of stoves, including ESBIT. Look to the left on his homepage for "Stoves" http://hikinghq.net/

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Mrs. Baggins, unless you are doing this in the dead of winter, I feel an alcohol or esbit stove would be best. While they don't put out as much heat, they do put out enough to cook meals for one with ease. Alcohol stoves are finicky in cold weather, but esbit doesn't have that problem. Esbit does stink, but not so much that I wouldn't use it.

[Terry7]

I like Esbit tabs, the only problem I had with them is that sometimes they are hard to find.

[dessertrat]

You can order them en masse from campmor, along with a little esbit stove.

[Tinker]

Esbits do stink and are easily blown out. They also blacken the bottom of your pot.
Having said the above, they're also lightweight (don't require a container, as liquid and gas fuels do), and can't spill or leak.
I use them almost exclusively in the summer and early fall with a beer can stove that I built a couple of years ago. You can see it on my webshots site, username Tinkerdan.
If you intend to do anything except boil water, they may not be for you (but they do make excellent fire staters, and are worth playing around with until you decide if they are what you want).

[Skyline]

Esbits do stink and are easily blown out. They also blacken the bottom of your pot.
Having said the above, they're also lightweight (don't require a container, as liquid and gas fuels do), and can't spill or leak.
I use them almost exclusively in the summer and early fall with a beer can stove that I built a couple of years ago. You can see it on my webshots site, username Tinkerdan.
If you intend to do anything except boil water, they may not be for you (but they do make excellent fire staters, and are worth playing around with until you decide if they are what you want).


If one's style of trail cooking involves simmering at a low temperature for a significant time, Esbit is not a good choice. There is no "simmer" setting, you would have to physically hold the pot up away from the flame or invent something to do that for you. But for how most of us cook (solo) in the woods: Boil water, seven-minute Liptons, Mary Janes dinners, ramen, etc. Esbit is ideal.

The only time in recent memory I've used anything but Esbit was when it was cold enough that I wanted to boil sufficient water to fill a litre-size Nalgene to sleep with. For that I lugged a one-burner Coleman propane setup. Those work great in cold weather, too--better than the smaller, lighter hybrid cannister fuels.

[Speer Carrier]

I would echo what everyone else has said. I have found that I can boil about a cup of water in 6-7 minutes. I then blow out the fire and use the remaining part of the cube again. Since they are suppose to burn for about 13 minutes, I get two uses out of each cube. The stoves take up almost no room, and are light. If you bring enough cubes to last a hike, you don't have to wonder if you have enough fuel to last the trip.

[dessertrat]

If you bring enough cubes to last a hike, you don't have to wonder if you have enough fuel to last the trip.

No kidding?:D

[Lone Wolf]

It's been recommended to me that I carry an Esbit stove and the fuel tabs rather than the MSR Superfly I was planning to use. I'm only going to be out for 2 weeks, cooking for just myself, boiling water for coffee, tea, and meals twice a day.

What do you think???

MSR Pocket Rocket. quick, easy, light. no fuss, no muss

[Tinker]

Mrs Baggins.
You might like to look at the titanium Esbit stove at www.backpackinglight.com (http://www.backpackinglight.com) if you want to use your existing pots. I used one on my March '06 Georgia section with the ti foil windscreen (held together with a paperclip) and it worked well. The rivet loosened up towards the end of the trip and I had to replace it when I got home. Other than that it worked great. Very light, stable, and convenient.

[Toolshed]

Mrs. B. The best thing I can tell you after using almost every kind of stove there is over 25 years, is to try each one and see how you like it. As Skyline mentioned, there isn't really any variability on heat control with the Esbit unless you'd like to hold your pot at various levels above the flame. Esbit does blacken the outside of the pot and it does stink, but it has a place in my pack and my emergency pack.

I finally broke down after switching to alcohol stoves for warm weather from 2000-2004 and bought a MSR pocket rocket. I hate carrying extra fuel canisters, but I love the simplicity and design of that little stove.

Try Esbits in your yard a few times and see if you like them (the investment is relatively small.) If you don't then stick with your original plan and use your SFly and carry the leftover Esbits as backup. If you haven't gotten the SFly yet, you might also consider the MSR Pocket-Rocket, which does the same job and is a little cheaper. The SFly and PR both give much more flexibility with flame control, with the stoves weighing just several ozs more than the Esbit stove (Some use tent stakes or rocks as pot supports when using the Esbit fuel tabs). You will likely need to carry a 2-3 4 oz fuel canisters* for the MSR stove series if you are not re-supplying.
*you could carry an 8oz and a 4 oz canister also.

Esbit tabs weigh about 1/2 oz each and assume 2/day and you are out for 14 days, you would have 14 oz of solid fuel tabs - versus about 12 ozs of MSR fuel and the weight of the canisters themselves. Not enough to sway me either way. What sways me is the flame control and the fact that it is a shiny metal gadget :D
Good Luck

[bigcranky]

I used a tablet stove on a week-long section last March. The stove was the 13-gram Firelite stove from Backpackinglight.com, and the fuel tablets were their Firelite brand 14-gram tabs. (I did some careful testing last winter, and found the Firelite tabs significantly better than Esbit-brand tabs.)

I've used canister stoves, alcohol stoves, and white gas stoves in the past. Here are my impressions of the tablet stove:

1. It's very light weight. My entire camp kitchen -- the stove, a Snow Peak 700 Ti pot, aluminum lid, wind screen, lighter, pot cozy, long-handled spoon, and cleanup kit -- weighs exactly 7 ounces total. All I need to add is enough fuel tabs for a given trip. A half-tablet brought 2 cups of water to a boil under most conditions.

2. It's slooooooow compared to a canister or white gas stove. Maybe about the same as a mediocre alcohol stove. This is not a big deal -- just something you have to get used to. I would get up in the morning, start the stove for coffee and oatmeal, and start packing up. Then make coffee and breakfast and enjoy. But my hiking partner would be finished eating and all cleaned up before my water was hot -- so it did have an impact on how long it took me to get going in the morning.

3. It's easy to use -- just set up the stove and wind screen, light the tablet, and put on the pot. No fuel to measure, no priming, no liquid fuel to spill, no wondering if your canister has enough fuel left inside. But lighting the tablets can be a royal pain if it's windy.

4. It's dirty, leaving a nasty, sticky black residue on the stove and the bottom of my pot. It comes off with scrubbing and water, though.

5. It's an open fire. You need a fireproof surface -- this isn't something you can lay down on the forest floor. I carried a small piece of aluminum flashing to put under the stove. Not sure if you can use this stove during a fire ban. (I would think it's okay -- but I'm not sure.)

6. The fuel can be hard to find, BUT you can mail it to yourself. You just have to tell the P.O. that the fuel is inside the box. The Firelite tabs are less expensive than Esbit -- but the mailing costs from Montana make them even.

I used the stove last March as an experiment -- would I be happy with a very light cook kit? Overall, yes -- and I'd use it again, in good weather when hiking solo. But it's hard to beat the convenience of a canister stove on the trail. I'll probably keep going back and forth between the two.

Good luck.

[Bob S]

I use an Esbit folding ($5.00 at the local army surplus store) stove with a homemade alcohol burner in it, the burner as small enough to fold inside the stove. it works great. Runs for 13-min and the stove is unmodified so it still works with Esbit tabs if I want it to. It gives great versatility being able to run on Esbit, alcohol, trioxane or any other fuel tabs.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Mrs. Baggins - I use a Traid TI stove from Vargo (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/vargo_triad_titanium_stove.html) - it is an alcohol stove on one side and an esbit stove on the other. Either way it has a stove support and a pot support. For really cold weather or larger groups I use a MSR Whisperlite Internationale (http://www.rei.com/product/709000). It is a good stove - just too darn heavy for me to justify carrying it unless it is really needed.

[dessertrat]

That's a cool little stove, Dino.

[karo]

I use an Esbit folding ($5.00 at the local army surplus store) stove with a homemade alcohol burner in it, the burner as small enough to fold inside the stove. it works great. Runs for 13-min and the stove is unmodified so it still works with Esbit tabs if I want it to. It gives great versatility being able to run on Esbit, alcohol, trioxane or any other fuel tabs.
Tell me about your alcohol stove that works in your esbit stove.

[take-a-knee]

Mrs. Baggins - I use a Traid TI stove from Vargo (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/vargo_triad_titanium_stove.html) - it is an alcohol stove on one side and an esbit stove on the other. Either way it has a stove support and a pot support. For really cold weather or larger groups I use a MSR Whisperlite Internationale (http://www.rei.com/product/709000). It is a good stove - just too darn heavy for me to justify carrying it unless it is really needed.

Dino, what is the least amount of alcohol that Triad will light with for you, mine requires at least an ounce. Oops56 said I needed to add a wick and it will light with 0.5 oz. I figured that stove would be worth keeping since it works with Esbit. A heine can nests inside those legs okay I've found.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Dino, what is the least amount of alcohol that Triad will light with for you, mine requires at least an ounce. Oops56 said I needed to add a wick and it will light with 0.5 oz. I figured that stove would be worth keeping since it works with Esbit. A heine can nests inside those legs okay I've found.I put a little alcohol around the seam and prime it with that if I want to burn a small amount of alcohol in the stove -- I can also blow it out and pour the unused fuel back into my alcohol bottle using one of the legs as a spout. He-Dino has been known to prime the stove with alcohol gel which is super easy :D.

[Bob S]

Tell me about your alcohol stove that works in your esbit stove.

I use a regular Esbit stove like this
http://www.rei.com/product/653343 (http://www.rei.com/product/653343)
REI wants $10.00, but the local army surplus store sells them for $5.00.


I made a alcohol burner out of a small rectangular Altoids tin. I put regular fiberglass insulation (pulled it off the wall in my garage) in it and bend a piece of aluminum window screen for the top to hold the fiberglass in. Also I soldered up the hole in the side with a blowtorch (on low) and some solder. I put the burner in the stove. It’s an open flame burner and very simple to make, any small metal tin will work. It took me 5-min to make, including the soldering. I have 2 of these, my son and I have been using them for going on 4-years. There is no modification needed to the Esbit stove, just get a tin that will fold up in it.

Here is a picture of a burner like I made, only the one I made is rectangular, not round.
The burner is the 5th picture down on this site. http://zenstoves.net/OpenFlameStoves.htm (http://zenstoves.net/OpenFlameStoves.htm)


The burner fits inside the stove when you fold it up; it runs for almost 15.min when full.

Here is a web site that has pictures of a mod I made to the Esbit stove, it shows how to make a wind screen out of 2 pieces of 1/8 inch aluminum stock. I made them small enough to also fit inside the stove with the burner when it’s folded up. You could use tin foil folded over a few times.
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/mod-esbit/index.html (http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/mod-esbit/index.html)



This Esbit stove & burner is very strong, it folds up to only be ½ inch thick and is about the size of 1 ½ cigarette packs. It has pot supports built into it, it has a ½ open or full open notches so it can accommodate differing size pots. It can take being tossed around in a pack or your pocket with no damage. It also fits inside all the pots I have. I have never tried, but I also think it could be used as a wood burning stove, just leave the alcohol burner out and start a fire (with an Esbit tab) and feed sticks in the side of it. I’m going to play with it as a wood burner this summer.

[Nearly Normal]

Use a tin foil wind screen with
http://www.thru-hiker.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=TR101

[oops56]

Corn chips:-?

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/oops62/stoves%202/th_corn01-1.jpg (http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/oops62/stoves%202/corn01-1.jpg)

[Blue Wolf]

Out of all the stoves I have my favorite is the giga power with small butane canistor lasts for about 5 mornings & eves & I use a sno peak pot & freezer bag cook and eat like a king!

[DAKS]

Corn chips:-?

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/oops62/stoves%202/th_corn01-1.jpg (http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/oops62/stoves%202/corn01-1.jpg)

i used an esbit boy scout stove for several years. i won it some 15-20 years ago at some scouting function if i remember correctly? it looks just like the one above and weighs 1.2 oz. it's pretty sweet! i haven't used it much lately, but it is quite reliable when used with a windscreen! i wonder if the BSA still has this model available? it's great for short trips and weekend hikes!

[Mrs Baggins]

Mrs. Baggins - I use a Traid TI stove from Vargo (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/vargo_triad_titanium_stove.html) - it is an alcohol stove on one side and an esbit stove on the other. Either way it has a stove support and a pot support. For really cold weather or larger groups I use a MSR Whisperlite Internationale (http://www.rei.com/product/709000). It is a good stove - just too darn heavy for me to justify carrying it unless it is really needed.

We already have the Whisperlite - - otherwise known as "the blowtorch" :eek: We've nearly set some shelters and picnic tables on fire with that baby. We do have the hang of filling the little fuel resavoir (sp) first and then lighting it, but nonetheless, I don't want to be bothered with it -stove, hose, heavy canister, fires...........:D

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

We already have the Whisperlite - - otherwise known as "the blowtorch" :eek: We've nearly set some shelters and picnic tables on fire with that baby. We do have the hang of filling the little fuel resavoir (sp) first and then lighting it, but nonetheless, I don't want to be bothered with it -stove, hose, heavy canister, fires...........:DTrue Enough, but when you're cooking for a crowd (like two dinos, six grandkids and a few of their friends - a blowtorch is a good thing :D)

[warraghiyagey]

We already have the Whisperlite - - otherwise known as "the blowtorch" :eek: ...........:D
I can think of at least two things wrong with the name Whisperlite.:p

[oops56]

Here is two more the first is a small shoe polish can with house fiberglass insulation with a window screen on top then the cover On the right is a altoids slide lid type fiberglass also 1/4 holes in cover but the two ends need to be sealed with jb weld
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/oops62/th_flatburner.jpg (http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/oops62/flatburner.jpg)

[slow]

It's been recommended to me that I carry an Esbit stove and the fuel tabs rather than the MSR Superfly I was planning to use. I'm only going to be out for 2 weeks, cooking for just myself, boiling water for coffee, tea, and meals twice a day.

What do you think???

It is the only thing i use.
Burn time per tab is 9min,so you can cook a pack of? then use the water for ,tea.:)

Just bring 4 per day to be safe.:)

[dessertrat]

I can think of at least two things wrong with the name Whisperlite.:p

It works on the same principle as a hotel advertising clean sheets. If you have to say it, it ain't so.

[Skyline]

True Enough, but when you're cooking for a crowd (like two dinos, six grandkids and a few of their friends - a blowtorch is a good thing :D)


Agreed. Esbit is more ideal for solo hikers, maybe a couple at the most. But it's pretty good with that limitation.

[Roots]

Out of all the stoves I have my favorite is the giga power with small butane canistor lasts for about 5 mornings & eves & I use a sno peak pot & freezer bag cook and eat like a king!
That's what I'm talking about!!! That is exactly what I use. I have tried others, but I guess I am just a die hard canister stove girl. Although, I do have to admit that the Caldera Cone stoves are peaking my interests realllllllyyyy hard. After Tin Man showed us one at Soruck, I am very close to getting one for my trip. :-?

[WalkinHome]

I used esbit for my entire thru in 2000. Found the fumes to be minimal (course I was used to the heat tabs in the Army which will tear the roof off your head). If supper is your only hot meal then you can get by with 1 tab per day for 2 cups of water 8-12 min to boil w/windscreen. These can be mailed (parcel post surface mail only) and must be marked accordingly along with ORM-D on the package. I kept my sticky bottomed pot in a plastic grocery shopping bag, no big deal and will rub off on some scrub grass if you prefer. I like esbit. Good luck and be safe.

[Bob S]

I use trioxane (sp?) a lot in my Esbit stove, my brother in law was in the Army for 20-years and gave me lots (and I mean lots) of it to use. When free it makes a great fuel.

[River Runner]

I like the convenience and light weight of an Esbit system. It's also nice that the weight dimenishes each day, and there are no fuel bottles or canisters to carry out.

It is slow, but I don't get in that much of a hurry that I can't wait 10-15 minutes for my meal.

I do store the Esbit tabs in a double bag system. I usually use small individual zipper seal bags available in craft stores, one per tablet (or a snack size Zip-lock to hold 4 tablets). When they are individually bagged, I can then easily store any remnant of fuel I've blown out for the next meal. I then store my entire supply for that trip in a larger freezer Zip-Lock. This is essential to me to keep everything in my pack from picking up the aroma of dead fish the tablets have.

I also bear bag my Esbits along with my food due to the odor.

[SunnyWalker]

MS. Baggins: I switched to Esbitt after trying MSR and a Stratus Trailstove and an alcohol stove. Stupide me, I spilled alcohol in my pack. No big deal but I did not like that. Esbitt is solid fuel, no spills, ever. I liked that and it did not seem slow to me while on the AT. It is so wonderfuly light. And no pouring or pumping. Have fun whatever you do and choose. Half the fun is doing what your'e doing now. Studying it all out and deciding and all. -SunnyWalker

[Frosty]

Esbitts are good to use. As is alcohol, gas, wood (zzip stove, etc), cannister.

No need to always use the same stove and fuel. It's fun to use different things, though as FD and others mentioned, some work better in extreme cold than others.

[mweinstone]

the stench of esbit once opened cannot be contained. its like a sienfeild episode. burn a full block each use. storeing opened esbit is a frikking nightmare.

[McIntyre]

First post -- great site, proud to be a new member, looking forward to getting to know it (and you folks) much better. So, first question -- how hard is it to find Esbit stove fuel while hiking?

[cathy]

I have used the esbit stove for 5 years on the AT. Doing like you heating water for dinner. I aldo have used the tablets to start a fire when it was very cold or wet. I love it.