Resuplying alcohol fuel questions

[Starchild]

While trying to decide between alcohol and the lightest Jetboil model I have some questions for those who have used alcohol regarding resupply along the trail:

1 - What quantities do you typically buy DA (denatured alcohol) in? Around here DA comes in quart bottles and also gallons. Sometimes I see the yellow Heet which I think is 12 oz.

2 - Of the amounts you buy how much of that do you carry with you and what do you do with the rest? Do you sometimes/often share the cost with others or share the remainder - if so how?

3 - How much did you have remaining when you resupplied?

4 - How much did you typically use in a day on the trail?

5 - Did you have to resort to alternative fuels, if so why and what were the results?

6 - How did you find the acquiring of fuel? It would seem to me it would be seeking out a different type of store, and maybe feel like a waste of time.

7 - Anything else about this subject you feel is relevant to share.

Thanks

[kayak karl]

the amount varies per person. how many meals? winter? which stove?
i use 1 oz. per day and carry 8 ozs. you can buy it by the oz in trail towns. in winter i carried 16 oz. to melt snow for water.

[yellowsirocco]

1 - What quantities do you typically buy DA (denatured alcohol) in? Around here DA comes in quart bottles and also gallons. Sometimes I see the yellow Heet which I think is 12 oz.

I usually just buy a bottle of Heet if no one is selling by the ounce.

2 - Of the amounts you buy how much of that do you carry with you and what do you do with the rest? Do you sometimes/often share the cost with others or share the remainder - if so how?

I usually just carry about 8 ounces. All the rest goes in the hiker box. I don't worry about cost sharing as a bottle of heet is what, about two bucks.

3 - How much did you have remaining when you resupplied?

a couple of ounces

4 - How much did you typically use in a day on the trail?

couple of ounces, I could do less, but I don't measure like I should.

5 - Did you have to resort to alternative fuels, if so why and what were the results?

nope

6 - How did you find the acquiring of fuel? It would seem to me it would be seeking out a different type of store, and maybe feel like a waste of time.

Alcohol can be found at grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, auto parts stores, harware stores and probably others. Alcohol is easy to find.

7 - Anything else about this subject you feel is relevant to share.

Cooking over alcohol is a pain in the butt, Planning the logistics of canisters is a pain in the butt as well.

[Siestita]

Experiment with your own stove and pot set up, at home, to estimate your personal usage.

I'm a three season (not winter) backpacker who cooks solo. I usually carry 3 oz alcohol by volume (which is only 2.5 oz by weight) for each day. That much will bring two cups of water to boiling and then keep it simmering or boiling for 8 to 10 minutes, plenty of time to cook 1 Knorrs (formerly 'Liptons') pasta or rice dish for dinner. It will also allow me to consume one hot beverage with dinner and another one for breakfast. I usually end each trip with a little alcohol left over. I prefer to have a little leftover when I get home (or to resupply) rather than run out before my last morning's coffee becomes hot.

Obviously your mileage may (and probably will) vary. That's why you should experiment some yourself at home. As you plan take into account your personal cooking preferences. For example, instant potatoes, couscous, and some freeze dried dinners simply require bringing water to boil, so they can be prepared with less fuel than I use to prepare Knorrs/Liptons.

For me, being able to estimate closely how much fuel I'll actually need to use is an advantages that alcohol offers. When, during a former life, I was a canister stove user I had difficulty guessing how much gas I would actually use on trips. So, carrying taking along a heavy "extra" canister tended to unnecessarily add weight to my pack.

[Monkeywrench]

I used alcohol on my thru in '09. You can buy it by the ounce at many hostels and outfitters along the trail. I think twice I bought yellow Heet at a gas station. Heet in the yellow container is nothing more than methyl alcohol, which is a fine fuel for an alcohol stove.

At the beginning and end of my hike, when the weather was cooler, I sometimes boiled water in the morning for instant oatmeal and tea. For most of my hike I ate a cold breakfast and only cooked in the evening. I planned about 1.5 oz for dinner and 1 oz for breakfast, and never ran out of alcohol between town stops.

[Siestita]

Pharmacy alcohol (the 92% kind used to as sanitizer for injections; rather than the 70% 'rubbing alcohol) can be used as fuel if nothing better is available. That stuff puts out plenty of heat, albeit while getting your pots and windscreens sooty.

For me HEET (yellow bottle only) has worked well, as have several of that product's cheaper generic competitors that are sold here in the south at "Dollar General" or "Family Dollar" stores. Those 'HEET wanna bes' are similiarly marketed as "fuel line de-icers" which "contain methol alcohol".

[Siestita]

Oops, in the last post I misspelled "methyl alcohol" as "methol alcohol". Hopefully no one will respond by drinking or smoking fuel line de-icer.

[Maddog]

I usually just buy a whole bottle of Heet! My total pack weight is usually in the 16lb-18lb range so I don't mind a few extra ounces! Maddog:D

[Spokes]

Finding denatured alcohol along the AT is NOT a problem. You can buy it "by the ounce" at outfitters, hostels, and even some hardware stores in trail towns. I stored mine in a 15 oz. Tropicana OJ bottle. Worked great and fit well in an outside backpack pocket. I never used any alternative fuel sources but have since added a fold flat titanium Emberlit mini wood burning stove.

Also, measuring fuel saves fuel. Avoid just sloshing it into the sove whatever you do. I carried a plastic 35mm film canister which holds exactly 1 oz. as a measure and would typically use about .75 oz cooking a typical trail dinner, less for breakfast. YMMV.

Cheers!

[Whack-a-mole]

Coke is making these little 12oz bottles which make great fuel bottles. Just be sure to take the labels off and put computer labels on them marked poison. If you need a little more fuel, Mtn Dew is making a 16oz "long neck" bottle which pours great.

[Odd Man Out]

Mouthwash bottles are nice. The 500 mL size is about 17 oz. The caps make nice measuring cups.

[Altarboy]

I worry about you guys who carry alcohol in a beverage bottle. It seems like it would be too easy to accidentially drink from such a vessel. This coming from a guy who once took a big swig of brake fluid that I had left sitting next to my RC. Dumb, I know, but if my admission saves someone the trouble, it's worth telling.

[birdygal]

I carry it in a green bottle my husband drank it once but it was his fault for not listening when I told him before we left the green bottle has fuel , clear bottles have water

[chip2012]

I've been using a small 8 oz water bottle and it has been lasting for over a week on the trail. Mainly cooking my dinner and a lunch occasionally. Some of the guys with canister stoves don't have to resupply on fuel as much. I would go with a pocket rocket or something similar so if you do run out of fuel you can still cook on a open fire.

[Drybones]

Use 12 oz Heet bottles.