Alcohol, White Gas, or Butane?

[Capt Chaos]

I am hiking in 05' and I trying to figure out which stove I want to take. I have a MSR West Wind Alcohol Stove, MSR Simmerlite White Gas Stove, and a Primus Titanium Butane stove. What do you guys think I should take?

By the way, I dont want to take a pepsi can stove. I am going to choose from one of these three.

Thanks guys.

Over and Out,
Captain of The Chaos

[Happy]

MSR West Wind

[chris]

The alcohol one. If you are starting out in early March, maybe haul the simmerlite for the first month or so if it is a heavy snow year or the temps are really low.

[Kerosene]

Assuming you're doing a thru-hike, I'd go with the alcohol once you're past March. I love canister stoves for their simplicity and speed, but I wouldn't want to try to deal with disposal and resupply issues for hikes longer than a few weeks. As a former white gas user, I just don't see any advantages to these stoves in the non-winter months.

[tribes]

I think a pepsi can stove is the lightest and most economical route if all you need to do is boil the standard 2-3 cups of H20. They are almost free and weigh as little as half an ounce. I believe that denatured alcohol is very easy to find all over the trail as well.

They will work in cold weather if you take a few precautions. Put the stove and alcohol in your pocket or sleeping bag a few minutes before you plan on cooking. This will warm them and make the system a lot less troublesome. It is really hard to get an alcohol stove and alcohol lit if they are really cold.

There are a hundred different styles out there all to be built for free. It has become somewhat of a hiker artform over the last few years with everone trying to "reinvent the wheel". Some of these styles have elaborate plans and others are as simple as a cat food can with alcohol poured in. They all seem to do their intended purpose which is to boil 2-3 cups of water in 5-10 minutes and maybe do some minimal simmering. If you are asking more of this from your stove, than a canister stove or a white gas stove like the simmerlite may be better for your needs.

Enough rambling, I choose the Trangia.

[tlbj6142]

Not meaning to add fuel to the fire, but...

I'd go with some sort of Alcohol stove. If all you plan to do is boil 2-3 cups of water once per day. If you want to make multi-course meals, or something that requires percise flame control go with canister stove.

Canister stoves, like the pocketrocket, are very, very weight efficient for long hikes. The biggest problem with canister stoves on a long hike is the fact that you have no idea how much fuel is left in the canister. So, you end up carrying two canisters for a short time while one runs out. The canisters are not as easy to find, but given that they last a couple of weeks, it is not much of an issue. Besides you could always put one, or two, in your bounce box.

If the canister manufactures cut the wieght of an empty canister by an ounce of two (Primus canisters use to be quite light, but they have since made them heavier), made them refilible or gave you a good indication of how much fuel was left, canister stoves would be the item of choice for a long trip.

[Lone Wolf]

I would take the butane stove. I have a Pocket Rocket. It's all I use now. You can mail yourself canisters.

[Kerosene]

If the conister manufacturers cut the wieght of an empty canister by an ounce of two...made them refillable or gave you a good indication of how much fuel was left, canister stoves would be the item of choice for a long trip.
My sentiments exactly! If you could refill then you'd take care of the disposal problem.

[Capt Chaos]

I have decided to go with the White Gas stove until the end of the Smokies. I figured that by then it will be close to April and things will begin to warm up a little. By that point I will take my alcohol stove the rest of the way. I really do like my alcohol stove because it is very durable and it even has a simmer ring.


The biggest problem with canister stoves on a long hike is the fact that you have no idea how much fuel is left in the canister. So, you end up carrying two canisters for a short time while one runs out.
On the issue of knowing the amount of fuel left, turn your canister upside down in water till it floats. The line that the canister comes out of the water tells you where the fuel is at in the canister.

Thanks a lot guys for all the information.

Over and Out,
Captain of The Chaos

[Kerosene]

turn your canister upside down in water till it floats. The line that the canister comes out of the water tells you where the fuel is at in the canister. Brilliant (or at least a good use of your high school physics education)!