View Full Version : Alcohol stoves
hikerjohnd
01-06-2005, 23:58
OK - all you die hard alcohol stove users are beginning to get through. I am considering an alcohol stove for my upcoming hike. Even though I like to cook, with all I'm reading, maybe I'll save the cooking for shorter trips.
Help me understand the alcohol stove better please...
How much alcohol should you carry for each day (coffee/oatmeal in the AM and hot meal in the evening)
I've read about people burning Everclear, and while I consider that alcohol abuse, what is the most popular/commonly found fuel on the AT?
Once you lite the stove, do you then have to let the alcohol burn off, or do you put it out then reclaim unspent fuel?
How do you carry your fuel? I have a titanium fuel bottle - can/should I use that?
What questions am forgetting to ask?
I'm still trying to cut weight and feel this will be another important step - your help is greatly appreciated!
:-? --John
SGT Rock
01-07-2005, 00:10
Help me understand the alcohol stove better please...
How much alcohol should you carry for each day (coffee/oatmeal in the AM and hot meal in the evening)
I reccomend planning for 1 ounce for each meal until you figure out how to cook. You should be able to get down to about 1 to 1.5 ounces per day.
I've read about people burning Everclear, and while I consider that alcohol abuse, what is the most popular/commonly found fuel on the AT?
Denatured alcohol fuel. Most denatured alcohol is 50%+ ethyl alcohol.
Once you lite the stove, do you then have to let the alcohol burn off, or do you put it out then reclaim unspent fuel?
Depends on the stove. I prefer one that you fill as you need it and then let it burn out.
How do you carry your fuel? I have a titanium fuel bottle - can/should I use that?
I use a 12 ounce plastic bottle that weighs about 1 ounce. Never use an aluminum bottle.
What questions am forgetting to ask?
Pot size and dimensions? I prefer a .72-1.0L pot and something with the widest bottom, preferably with a rounded bottom.
Windscreen - you have to have one.
Pot stand - you want the pot at the right height above the flame, this is dependant on the stove.
I'm still trying to cut weight and feel this will be another important step - your help is greatly appreciated!
:-? --John
hikerjohnd
01-07-2005, 00:16
Hey! Thanks for the input! Keep em coming! This is the stove I am considering - I lack the technical skills to make a can stove of my own...
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=39152096
SGT Rock
01-07-2005, 00:21
I played with the Vargo Ti stove. I would recommend avoiding it. On the other hand if you can bend a coat hanger or use a pair of scissors you can make a stove. It only takes trying a few times. Try making the Vienna sausage stove. Just remove the lid, punch about twenty holes around it about 1/4" from the bottom, and take some aluminum and make a little cup for the bottom. It ought to take about 5 minutes to make. You put a little alcohol in the cup at the bottom, the rest in the can, then set the pot directly on it and light it. It will weigh about half the weight of that Vargo stove and be a lot easier to use.
SGT Rock
01-07-2005, 00:25
here is a link: http://hikinghq.net/forum/showthread.php?t=952
and a pic:
http://pic12.picturetrail.com/VOL433/1045515/5481091/72737931.jpg
saimyoji
01-07-2005, 00:42
Couple questions: 1. How does the oxygen get to the fuel with the pot on top and no inlet vents into the can? From the pic it looked like the jet holes favored one side of the can, letting oxygen in on the other side.
2. What happens to the fiberglass insulation over time? As you heat it, doesn't it degrade to some degree? Last I hear figerglass particles in the lungs are bad.
Very cool stove. :clap
grandview
01-07-2005, 00:42
SGT,
Does the aluminum tray serve any purpose other than keeping you from having to stick the lighter down in the can? Thanks...
minnesotasmith
01-07-2005, 04:25
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2607&page=1&pp=20&highlight=ethanol
to boil 2.5 cups of water for a one pot dinner,i measure my fuel with a slim fast scoop little over a 3/4 scoop is approx one ounce,it is more than enough.
i average about 3oz cf alcohol a day on the trail,i carry 16oz peroxide bottle
fuel when i resupply.:sun neo
SGT Rock
01-07-2005, 09:14
Couple questions: 1. How does the oxygen get to the fuel with the pot on top and no inlet vents into the can? From the pic it looked like the jet holes favored one side of the can, letting oxygen in on the other side.
2. What happens to the fiberglass insulation over time? As you heat it, doesn't it degrade to some degree? Last I hear figerglass particles in the lungs are bad.
Very cool stove. :clap
The pot closes the top of the fuel container. The fuel in the container is then heated by the small amount of fuel you put into the tray and starts the vaporization process of the fuel inside the container. The vaporized fuel tries to escape the container and comes out the only option it has - the burner holes. Since there is already a flame there, it becomes a low pressure stove and will continue to burn until the fuel runns out or you find a way to snuff it.
Q. How much alcohol should you carry for each day (coffee/oatmeal in the AM and hot meal in the evening) A. My wife and I average between 2-2.5 ounces per meal. Breakfasts are normally oatmeal and tea or coffee. 1 1/2 quarts of water. Most dinners are tea or coffee and something that requires adding boiling water. 2 quarts of water. Alcohol consumption is not linear however. That is, it take more than twice as much alcohol to boil twice as much water. If you're cooking for one person you should use a little less than half of what we go through.
Q. I've read about people burning Everclear, and while I consider that alcohol abuse, what is the most popular/commonly found fuel on the AT? A. Everclear will work as long as you can find the 190 proof stuff. Many states (Virginia included) do not sell it with that high an alcohol content. It's also going to be REALLY expensive as you have to pay booze tax on it since it's drinkable.
Q. Once you lite the stove, do you then have to let the alcohol burn off, or do you put it out then reclaim unspent fuel? A. We use a Trangia stove. It has a screw on lid. The Trangia is more efficient than other stoves at a couple ounce weight penalty.
Q. How do you carry your fuel? I have a titanium fuel bottle - can/should I use that? A. 16 ounce plastic soda bottle. Right now we're using old Mountain Dew Code Red bottles because of the bright red cap on them.
shades of blue
01-07-2005, 09:32
Does anyone know how low of an outside temp it is feasible to use an alcohol stove? I've used mine mainly on summer trips and am wondering about a late March hike in Maryland/Penn.
The last time we were out the nightime air temps got down to the mid-teens. Water I had put in the pot the previous night for breakfast was frozen solid. We took no special precautions with the alcohol bottle or stove, like trying to keep it warm overnight or anything. Worked fine.
Fiddleback
01-07-2005, 10:37
From another forum I was tipped off to this:
http://i3.ebayimg.com/03/i/02/45/36/9f_1.JPG
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62117&item=5149315490&rd=1
Made and sold by the TIN MAN
I just bought a couple and I really like the design. I'd call it was a modified 'Atlanta' stove. The alcohol is poured in at the top and ignited from there. One piece design; no fiberglass, no primer plate and the stove acts as its own pot stand.
In kitchen testing, w/61* ambient temp and 16oz of 53* water, boiling was achieved on 3/4oz of denatured alcohol in 6 minutes or slightly less. Using a wind screen (see below) should better the performance. During the tests I used one of my favorite pieces of gear -- a Primus Tea Kettle. These are really efficient and I recommend you check them out too! They are ideal for boiling water on a alcohol stove -- espcially this design.
During the testing my fuel bottle was a recycled contact lens solution squeeze bottle and my measurer was the little plastic doseage cup that comes with cough syrup. In the past I've use a cleaned-up Stabil bottle which allows you to squeeze off a measured volume before pouring it out. The same bottle can be bought new on some gear sites for around $5.
The above stove from TIN MAN comes with a DVD demonstrating how to make your own stove and foil wind screen, and some cooking instructions/recipes.
FB
Mother Nature
01-07-2005, 15:16
I have the tin man alcohol stove and love it but two times my pot fell off the stove nearly scalding me not to mention the flaming alcohol spilling all over.
The first time as I was lifting the pot (small titanium pot that holds 2 cups with built in handles), the wind screen snagged the handles and bumped the stove flipping everything over.
The second time a gust of wind blew the pot off the stove and all over the picnic table surrounded by hikers. Scary.
I love the stove but one of it's greatest features, lightweight and small diameter, make it necessary to use a small diametered pot for stability.
Mother Nature
Fiddleback
01-07-2005, 15:41
But of course, the TIN MAN stove is the same size and weight as every other soda can stove. Safety and care is always required...
FB
hikerjohnd
01-07-2005, 16:15
I just bought one of the stoves off of ebay! I can't wait to try it out! You all wil convert me yet!
--John:D:D:D:D:D
bearbag hanger
01-07-2005, 16:52
During my thru hike this year, I noticed almost all the picnic tables and most shelter floors had these round burn marks in them. Found out it was from the homemade alcohol stoves with the holes on the outside.
Please, I know the need to keep the weight down, but if you're going to make one of these Atlanta stoves, or any others, make sure you carry the primer pan and use it.
Sorry to sound so judgmental.
hikerjohnd
01-07-2005, 16:55
Thanks for the tip - will a thin piece of metal prevent a burn? why wouldn't it just burn through? Perhaps cooking on the ground would be better? See why I need help (and not just from y'all!)
During my thru hike this year, I noticed almost all the picnic tables and most shelter floors had these round burn marks in them. Found out it was from the homemade alcohol stoves with the holes on the outside.
I think it may be ANY alcohol stove that's sitting right on the wood. We've had our Trangia do the same thing in windy conditions, even with a full windscreen. Now we try to set it on the ground if it looks like a breeze is going to blow the flames downward around the stove.
I think it may be ANY alcohol stove that's sitting right on the wood. We've had our Trangia do the same thing in windy conditions, even with a full windscreen. Now we try to set it on the ground if it looks like a breeze is going to blow the flames downward around the stove.
I agree that it can happen with any alcohol stove but the issue is easy to avoid - just put an aluminum foil "bottom reflector" under the stove and this will protect the surface you are cooking on as well as improve (slightly) the efficiency of the stove. Other than that just be sure to pour some water on any spilt alcohol before lighting the stove so that the spill does not ignite also.
SGT Rock
01-07-2005, 18:43
HOI has the right answer. All the stoves I make use a circle of aluminum foil under them to prevent this. The foild might weigh about a gram or two, but who is counting?
Youngblood
01-07-2005, 18:56
HOI has the right answer. All the stoves I make use a circle of aluminum foil under them to prevent this. The foild might weigh about a gram or two, but who is counting?
I don't use my home made alcohol stove without the combination preheat pan/ground reflector either. I don't recall the Trangia burner stand that I used in 2000 on my thru leaving burn marks either, seems the stand left a small gap between the solid bottom of the stand and the burner itself? You really need to be even more careful cooking on forest duff, you might get a fire going without really realizing it.
Youngblood
SGT Rock
01-07-2005, 19:03
Yes, typically I make sure my stove is on dirt or rock before I cook. I really like the wooden table, but you need to respect the furniture. :D
MileMonster
01-07-2005, 19:03
Go alcohol, you won't regret it.
HOI is right on. Use a small piece of aluminum foil under the stove to reflect heat up.
I used a brasslite stove (Turbo F) and it woked well. One fill (about 1 oz) boiled a liter. A liter was enouh water for dinner for 2. Less water was needed for morning oatmeal. I used aluminum foil for a windscreen and replaced every so often in town. The Turbo F is a little narrow so you have to be careful not to tip it.
I have a couple of well used Pepsi stoves I made. I took the Brasslite on the thru because I was concerned about the durability of the Pepsi. Probably overly cautious.
I typically use a 20 oz Sprite bottle as a fuel bottle. It's never full, usually 12-15 oz coming out of town. It's a different color and shape from my 1 liter Aquafina water bottles, thus there's no mix up even in the dark.
A couple of links if you don't want to build your own stove -
http://www.brasslite.com/
Antigravity gear sells pepsi stoves and pot cozies:
http://www.antigravitygear.com/
Does anyone know how low of an outside temp it is feasible to use an alcohol stove? I've used mine mainly on summer trips and am wondering about a late March hike in Maryland/Penn.
Somewhere I posted that alcohol below about 25 degrees wouldn't vaporzie and light. So, unless you preheat the fuel, that's about the lower limit.
Somewhere I posted that alcohol below about 25 degrees wouldn't vaporzie and light. So, unless you preheat the fuel, that's about the lower limit.
well not really - at low temps you have another option for getting the alcohol to light: use a match or something similar and gently touch the flame from the match to the surface of the alcohol - this is the approach that I use most often. By gently touch I mean don't dunk the match into the alcohol - at low temps it would not light the alcohol - by gently touching the match to the alcohol you get some of the alcohol to locally vaporized and then catch fire which then rapidly spreads across the surface of the alcohol. If you don't have a match use a small twig and dip the twig into the alcohol - pull the twig out and light with the lighter and then proceed to gently touch the flame to the surface of the alcohol.
Kim Clark
01-07-2005, 20:14
Somewhere I posted that alcohol below about 25 degrees wouldn't vaporzie and light. So, unless you preheat the fuel, that's about the lower limit.
Then please explain this?
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF16/1634.html
I use a Brasslite also, great stove. I use one of the old sta-bil bottles. Works great no problems.
Mother Nature
01-08-2005, 00:07
I carry a "circle" of heavy duty aluminum foil that is several layers thick and I put silver "muffler" foil tape around the edges. It is slightly larger than the circle of my windscreen so the flame stays contained. I set my stove on it when using it on a table or the ground even. Pine needles burn fast and furious. I fold it up and store it in my pot when not in use.
I hope this gives you some ideas of how you can control the problem.
Mother Nature
Trangia makes no burn mark on wooden surface. I have used it on many and recall none left. I have lit it hundreds of times on my wooden work bench in the garage and there is no mark at all.
And, the post about alcohol not vaporizing below 25F is misleading-especially if one takes it literally, that alcohol stoves dont work below that. They do and continue to function very well. I have used my Trangia considerably below that with little extra prep time.
SGT Rock
01-08-2005, 09:16
Sure. Below 25 degrees alcoholwon't vaporize, so what you do is light it (it is still flamable, just a little harder to light) and then the flames it create warm the stove up. I normally reccomend someone add about an extra 1/4 ounce of alcohol when cooking in weather below freezing.
Youngblood
01-08-2005, 10:33
I use a disposable butane(?) lighter. When it gets cold enough it is best to warm up both the lighter and the alcohol fuel bottle by placing them in a pocket for a few minutes to make lighting the burner easier/possible.
Trangia makes no burn mark on wooden surface. I have used it on many and recall none left. I have lit it hundreds of times on my wooden work bench in the garage and there is no mark at all.
Never has isn't the same as never will. We darn near torched a wooden picnic table with our Trangia using it in a heavy wind (with a windscreen). To save weight we do not use the stand that comes with it, we have a windscreen with potholder built into it. This puts the stove closer (as in on) to the surface it's sitting on.
Footslogger
01-08-2005, 11:44
Sure. Below 25 degrees alcoholwon't vaporize, so what you do is light it (it is still flamable, just a little harder to light) and then the flames it create warm the stove up. I normally reccomend someone add about an extra 1/4 ounce of alcohol when cooking in weather below freezing.=================================
That's an idea !! You're talking about isopropyl alcohol ...right Rock ??
We use our Trangia out here in Wymong in the Winter. We generall hike above 10,000 ft and often experience nighttime temps well below 25 degrees. Up till now I've just put the flask containing my alcohol inside my sleeping bag at night. If the fuel is a bit warm it'll light without any problem, regardless of the outside temperature or that of the brass stove. Once the fuel is lit the stove warms up pretty quickly.
But I'm gonna try adding the a little isopropyl to "prime the pump", so to speak.
'Slogger
AT 2003
Never has isn't the same as never will. We darn near torched a wooden picnic table with our Trangia using it in a heavy wind (with a windscreen). To save weight we do not use the stand that comes with it, we have a windscreen with potholder built into it. This puts the stove closer (as in on) to the surface it's sitting on.
Nope. It's Never Will-even sitting on wood.
When the Trangia burns at a level one-half full of denatured alcohol, the temperature on the bottom of the stove sitting on wood is only about 111F and it slowly increases until all the alcohol has burned off and the temperature then only rises to 151F-not enough to even discolor the wood. This was just done in a 79F Florida garage, using a thermocouple to measure location temperature. If you torched a picnic table, you must have spilled some of the burning alcohol.
Now, using a home-made variety stove, with a much thinner aluminum (soda, beer can) shell, I can't say. The Trangia does have a thicker brass shell.
Regardless, when the alcohol burns, the flame is above the surface, fueled by the molecules boiling away from the surface. The temperature just below the boiling (burning) alcohol is not that hot at all. When the alcohol is almost consumed and the flame approaches the bottom of the container its in is the only time it could get hot enough to char-maybe.
I cant seem to get my only home-made variety stove to char wood, either, although the bottom does get much hotter. I dont know what the stove is called but the bottom is from a Guinness beer can and the top from a soda can, double-wall like the trangia but with a single layer, concave bottom. Works great. Doesn't char! :) How did this get started, anyway? :D
This was just done in a 79F Florida garage, using a thermocouple to measure location temperature. If you torched a picnic table, you must have spilled some of the burning alcohol.
Not referring to using in a garage, I meant actually using it. As in while hiking. Outdoors. Real world. And I'm well aware of the hazards and effects of spilt fuel. The flame coming out of the stove is well above the temp needed to ignite wood. If it's blown downward by a breeze then it'll scorch the wood underneath it. Alcohol stoves are well known for burning like crazy in a breeze. Logical reasoning does not accept the argument that simply because I've never witnessed it then it can't be so. Conversely, since I have witnessed it then it must be possible.
superman
01-08-2005, 14:52
We have more gear than many outfitters. We have many, many stoves including in part: nesbit, zip, assorted types of gas bottle types, white gas, trangia and home made types. What I carried on my AT thru hike was a nesbit frame (which also served as the wind screen) and the smallest can I could find. I made some holes just below the lip of the can for air flow since the can came too close to the bottom of my pan. I used a small, light plastic bottle for my fuel. I got very good at putting in just what I needed to boil my Lipton or Ramens. It all fit right inside my pan. No science, no cost...damn little weight. :clap
=================================
That's an idea !! You're talking about isopropyl alcohol ...right Rock ??
Why would you want to carry a separate container of isopropyl alcohol to warm the stove up with? Isopropyl doesn't burn as hot as denatured, if I remember correctly, so why not just squirt a little of the denatured alcohol on it?
SGT Rock
01-08-2005, 15:22
That is my method, just a little extra denatured. Maybe isopropyl has a lower vaporization point I'm not aware of, but then again I am just an undereducated soldier :D
Anyone use the Etowah stove?
SGT Rock
01-08-2005, 17:39
Which one? Etowah makes a few different ones.
Ultralight alcohol stove II
SGT Rock
01-08-2005, 22:07
I don't know them by name, do you have a picture?
SGT Rock
01-08-2005, 22:18
Do you mean this one:
EO Solid Fuel Stove" with alcohol burner
The stove minimalists have been waiting for. Weighs 2.2oz. Designed to burn solid fuel tablets or denatured alcohol with a very stable pot stand. Will boil one pint of water in 4 minutes. Comes with stove/pot stand, alcohol burner and storage bag.
Stove with bag: msrp $16.00ea.
http://www.etowahoutfittersultralightbackpackinggear.com/images/solidstovea.png
flyfisher
01-08-2005, 22:47
I built one similar to the one that Sgt Rock posted in the picture tonight. It is a 4.5 oz can that grated olives came in.
I cut the top off and then drilled 8 holes 1/8th in in diameter and about a half inch from the bottom of the can.
I did not use any fiberglass or steel wool.
I set the stove in a shallow tray I cut from the side of a pepsi can and then fueled it.
I put 12 cc of denatured alcohol in the can and 2 cc in the tray.
I put my pan with a cup of water in it on top of the can and then lit the alcohol in the pan.
It flamed up for about 30 seconds while it was heating the can. This boiled the alcohol inside the can and made vapor which burned as it came out the 8 holes. They continued to heat the can becasue the flam wicked up the can to the bottom of the pot. THat kept the alcohol burning.
I really like this little and simple alcohol stove.
flyfisher
01-08-2005, 22:55
OK - all you die hard alcohol stove users are beginning to get through. I am considering an alcohol stove for my upcoming hike. Even though I like to cook, with all I'm reading, maybe I'll save the cooking for shorter trips.
Help me understand the alcohol stove better please...
How much alcohol should you carry for each day (coffee/oatmeal in the AM and hot meal in the evening)
I've read about people burning Everclear, and while I consider that alcohol abuse, what is the most popular/commonly found fuel on the AT?
Once you lite the stove, do you then have to let the alcohol burn off, or do you put it out then reclaim unspent fuel?
How do you carry your fuel? I have a titanium fuel bottle - can/should I use that?
What questions am forgetting to ask?
I'm still trying to cut weight and feel this will be another important step - your help is greatly appreciated!
:-? --John
I carry about a half ounce of alcohol for each cup of water I need to boil. In summer, that is 2 cups for the evening meal, so I need one ounce of alcohol a day. If I want to make coffee and oatmeal in the morning, then it takes an additional ounce of alcohol a day.
I carry the fuel in an 8 oz bottle that once held spring water. Unlike gas, alcohol does not take much of a container.
I also use a few drops of the alcohol to kill the germs on my hands occasionally.
Occasionally, I am able to blow the flame out, but it is quite difficult. If I can get the flame out, then I can rescue the rest of the alcohol with the syringe I use to measure the fuel. However, know ahead of time that blowing on an alcohol flame causes it to flare up pretty wickedly.
I usually use hardware store denatured alcohol. It is cheap, and is also available by the ounce either free or for a nominal charge at lots of hostels and outfitters and in hiker boxes.
I have a little stove and windscreen I picked up on the internet, but for the life of my I can't find denatured alcohol anywhere. I'm thinking of abandonding the plan and hobo-stoving it.
minnesotasmith
01-09-2005, 14:19
"...I can't find denatured alcohol anywhere."
Try the pharmacy section of any Wal-Mart. Go to where they sell rubbing alcohol (no, don't buy that). Right by it, they usually sell some 91% ethyl alcohol for a buck and a half or so per quart bottle. That is a type of denatured ethyl alcohol.
Alternatively, go look in the paint and hardware sections, where they sell paint removers, acetone, etc. Plus there are other types of nearly anhydrous alcohols (methanol and isopropyl) in the automotive department, used as fuel line deicers. Lastly, liquor stores sell Everclear grain alcohol that is nondenatured (but expensive due to the BATF tax) ethyl alcohol that will work just fine in a stove designed for denatured ethyl alcohol.
You really might benefit from reading the posts I made on a previous thread on this subject (link in my earlier post on this thread).
hikerjohnd
01-09-2005, 16:50
What do you do about resupplying? If you have a few ounces left of one type of alcohol and can not find that same type, is it ok to mix another kind with it? (Heet with Denatured Alcohol) Do you toss what you have and buy new? I'm sure it isn't all that expensive, but waste not, want not...
Thanks!:banana
SGT Rock
01-09-2005, 18:30
It is no problem mixing. I would just try to keep out isopropyl alcohol since it burns so funny and makes a mess. Denatured has both methyl and ethyl mixed, so adding some of either isn't really an issue. The only thing toconsider is that methyl has less BTUs than ethyl, so the more you add plain heet, the less BTUs your mix will have.
hikerjohnd
01-18-2005, 00:29
OK - I now have an alcohol stove! It is a pepsi can model off of ebay. Now I'm curious about the expected life of this type of stove... Should I plan on using 1 from GA>ME or should I have a few as backup in mail drops? Thanks!
--John
SGT Rock
01-18-2005, 08:39
It will last as long as you don't step on it. It would probably make multiple thru-hikes since there is nothing to break or wear out.
C-Stepper
01-18-2005, 09:08
I have a can stove made by Tinman, and it works GREAT for me...I'm not a picky eater and I "freezer bag" cook, so I only boil around 2 cu water at a time. I don't need anything more. I also like that there are no moving parts, and I only have to be careful not to squish it (actually, I was worried about doing this when I place the stove in my bag to warm it in the mornings...it would really, really suck to roll over on it and render it unuseable!)
However, I need to get another stove for when my daughter (12 yo) comes along on the occasional weekender. She is awed by cooking outdoors, but the instant stuff just didn't work for her, and, at her age, the whole hike really revolves around "what are we having for dinner?"
Will the Trangia simmer AND cook? Actually cooking a meal in the wilderness will make it more fun for her, I think.
Will a Trangia take a bakepacker (which you apparently insert into a pot and you can cook muffins/bread in it).
SGT Rock
01-18-2005, 09:40
Trangia will be fine. It is a great stove but a little hevier than a Tin Man stove.
When you get your new alcohol stove, pick up some kind of wind screen to go around your stove and pot. I use the screen out of my old MSR rig. The wind can cause your stove to burn out really quick. And, of course, a wind screen will conserve heat around your pot.
You're going to love alcohol. No jets, no soot, no pumps, no fire balls, no noise, no moving parts.
If you haven't heard it already, a neat trick in lighting your stove is to take a small twig, dip it in the stove, light it like a match, then light your stove with it. It'll keep the hair on the back of your hand from disappearing.
Krewzer