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Tumbleweed1
12-13-2012, 11:38
It seems like esbit may have a few advantages over alcohol stoves:
- lighter weight fuel
- easier to light in cold temps
- less trash
Disadvantages seem to be:
- toxic smoke
- sticky mess on bottom of pot
- availability of fuel cubes along the AT?

2 questions:
1. why did you or didn't you use an esbit stove on your thru hike?
2. If you used esbit for a thru hike, what was your setup?

bubonicplay
12-13-2012, 12:00
I like esbit, I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this too.

QiWiz
12-13-2012, 12:18
It seems like esbit may have a few advantages over alcohol stoves:
- lighter weight fuel
- easier to light in cold temps
- less trash
Disadvantages seem to be:
- toxic smoke
- sticky mess on bottom of pot
- availability of fuel cubes along the AT?

2 questions:
1. why did you or didn't you use an esbit stove on your thru hike?
2. If you used esbit for a thru hike, what was your setup?

I used Esbit in a Caldera Cone stove for a 3-week section hike in 2011 (Amicalola to Hot Springs). I double-bagged it and mailed it to myself in resupply boxes. Not sure how easy it is to find on trail. It was the lightest fuel option (other than wood from the woods). Now that I use a wood burning twig stove as my primary stove, I would still bring Esbit as my backup for when I just don't feel like a wood fire.

Major advantage is that it is lighter than alcohol and can't be spilled. Do not agree with your other advantages.

Disadvantage is only the possibility of being hard to find. You are outdoors and "toxic smoke" is carried off on the breeze. Scrape your pot bottom with a rock every few days; not an issue (I do use a cozy to reduce cooking fuel use and to store pot in my pack).

lukabrazi
12-13-2012, 12:24
Sorry for the sideways pics. This is enough for freezer bag cooking. Inside the mug I can fit the ti-windscreen, ti-foldup wire potstand, foldup ti-spork, mini bic, two esbit tablets, small piece of camp towel for lifting and holding the mug. The lid is made of carbon fiber. I'm thinking the total weight comes in around 4 ounces. I have used 1 esbit tablet to heat water for a meal, heat up water for hot chocolate, and then blew it out so I could use what was left for tea in the morning.

I am no longer going to be carrying the esbit in the mug which I had been doing if I am out for just a weekend. Esbit smells like fish even through the packaging hence my mug smells like fish. I am going to have to pick up one of the small odor proof sacs and then repackage the esbit in there.

Some pros for me are knowing exactly how much to bring. If I'm three full days and will be making three dinners then I throw three esbit tabs in my pack.
I'm not sure if less trash is really a pro. I don't think there is much trash with an alcohol stove where these are individually wrapped.

Check out Flat Cat Gear. He has an awesome esbit stove called the epicurean that is adjustable and can be used for simmering. I think it will stretch an esbit tab for 45-60 minutes. He bakes all sorts of things. I am thinking of switching to one of his systems.

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Tumbleweed1
12-13-2012, 15:33
Esbit smells like fish even through the packaging hence my mug smells like fish.

Is this fishy odor unique to the esbit brand of fuel cubes or other brands too [Coghlan's, other?].

msupple
12-13-2012, 17:33
It seems like esbit may have a few advantages over alcohol stoves:
- lighter weight fuel
- easier to light in cold temps
- less trash
Disadvantages seem to be:
- toxic smoke
- sticky mess on bottom of pot
- availability of fuel cubes along the AT?

2 questions:
1. why did you or didn't you use an esbit stove on your thru hike?
2. If you used esbit for a thru hike, what was your setup?

I'm with QiWiz on this one...in fact I will be carrying his FireFly wood stove with Esbit tabs as a back-up or if I just feel lazy. I'm usually not boiling any more than 12oz of water and with his stove using half an Esbit tab I can bring 12 oz to a boil. He includes a little Esbit hanger which sets it at just the right distance from your pot. Of course there are also little wire hangers for a windscreen if needed. It's a sweet litle set-up.

I actually think alcohol is easier to light especially with temps usually encountered on the typical AT hike. I also think there is more trash with the Esbit since they come individually wrapped with foil....zero trash with alcohol. You don't want to be breathing fumes from either fuel source....both are toxic. Alky is cleaner but the rock scrape procedure is no problem. I like the tabs because they will never leak in your pack. I'd guess that they are a bit more difficult to find along the AT although most Wally Worlds carry Coughlin's tabs. I'm not sure I would want to depend on Esbit tabs as my only source of heat due to possible lack of availability. I think they are great as a back-up...although I suppose you could always use them as primary if you had wood as a back-up. Either way they are a good combo.

The FireFly only weighs about 2.8oz and opens up lots of possibilities including alcohol which works just as good as the Esbit.

Cat in the Hat

Tinker
12-13-2012, 17:52
I used an Esbit tri-ti stove with a ti foil windscreen back in 2006 when I hiked from Amicalola Park to the Ga/NC border and never wished for anything different. If simmering is your thing, carry a more traditional setup, though Esbit cubes will produce less heat as the tablet's size decreases so after a certain point you will get a short simmer. I ate Knorr-Lipton dinners and boiled water for coffee and instant oatmeal - simple food for a short (ish) hike.

Would I carry one on a thru? No, not since I've gotten comfortable with my Supercat alcohol stove which I often supplement with small wood fires. The ti foil windscreen will work for wood fires, too. Just use a couple/three rocks for a pot support with the fire between them. The only problem with the ti foil is that it likes to blow away in even a modest breeze, so a couple of rocks on either side of it are usually in order to keep it in place.

And yes..............alcohol is easier to light than Esbit tabs. To help light a tab I would often put a few drops of rubbing alcohol on it (carried in my first aid kit). Breaking a corner off of the cube and crumbling it will help to get it lit, too, as the crumbs have more surface area per volume than the solid cube has.

lukabrazi
12-13-2012, 19:47
If you use use the bottom of a redbull can to set the Esbit on then in a pinch if you can't find Esbit you can turn it over and use it to burn alcohol. I've did some Esbit searches on Whiteblaze and it sounds like it is widely available.

MuddyWaters
12-13-2012, 20:19
Esbit is not easy to find, unless you mail it to yourself.
Esbit is not easy to light. You will need an extra lighter because you will use your main one up.
Esbit is not much more efficient than a good alcohol setup, and the process of saving little fuzzy dirty stinky leftover pieces sucks to optimize it.
The yucky pot bottom and esbit support is the dealbreaker for me. Added wt to put those items in something to keep everything else clean.

daddytwosticks
12-14-2012, 08:28
Esbit is not easy to find, unless you mail it to yourself.
Esbit is not easy to light. You will need an extra lighter because you will use your main one up.
Esbit is not much more efficient than a good alcohol setup, and the process of saving little fuzzy dirty stinky leftover pieces sucks to optimize it.
The yucky pot bottom and esbit support is the dealbreaker for me. Added wt to put those items in something to keep everything else clean. Esbit is available at every outfitter from Springer up to the Smokies. I've never had a problem lighting my Esbit with my cheap non-Bic lighter. :)

joshuasdad
12-14-2012, 09:27
I will be bringing an Esbit stove as part of a survival pack for winter hikes (day or 1 overnight), primarily, in case I need to melt drinking water, but also because Esbit tablets are good campfire starters.

Because this is a new addition for me, any tips on lighting the Esbit tablet would be appreciated.

Thanks!

zelph
12-14-2012, 11:13
2 questions:
2. If you used esbit for a thru hike, what was your setup?

You might find some useful info in these videos:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNfFq4JIEM0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL_4UsKvq_w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvkGkC2V8OM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJoHcZ8n-9M

http://www.whiteblaze.net/backpackinglight/elements/pencil.png (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/mb_post_form.html?po=edit&note_id=607646&forum_thread_id=71294)

earlyriser26
12-14-2012, 11:17
I tried an esbit stove and found the fuel burned too fast. maybe it was the way I was using it.

zelph
12-14-2012, 14:24
I tried an esbit stove and found the fuel burned too fast. maybe it was the way I was using it.

Most esbit stoves have too much air surrounding the cube thats why they burn fast and inefficient out in the field. a little breeze and whosh!!! efficiency out the windscreen. The more oxygen, the faster they burn.

If you surround the cube as in the esbitmizer that slows down the burn rate and increases efficiency. Sgt. Rock taught us all about burning slower is better.

lukabrazi
12-14-2012, 17:36
Esbit is not easy to find, unless you mail it to yourself.
Esbit is not easy to light. You will need an extra lighter because you will use your main one up.
Esbit is not much more efficient than a good alcohol setup, and the process of saving little fuzzy dirty stinky leftover pieces sucks to optimize it.
The yucky pot bottom and esbit support is the dealbreaker for me. Added wt to put those items in something to keep everything else clean.


Several threads say that it is widely available along the AT. Esbit is very easy to light the first time. It's as easy as lighting paper. It is slightly more difficult to relight the next morning after being blown out though. I also have to say that there is no process to saving a left over piece of esbit. I burn mine on the bottom of a redbull can. When I'm done I blow it out and after it cools I put it in a bag. It is no more difficult than saving left over alcohol after snuffing it out. I have very little build up on my pot. I rub it on the ground every now and then. When I use alcohol I end up carrying it in a bag anyways in case it leaks so thats not added weight. Adding an esbit support is no different than adding an alcohol stove so thats not really added weight either.

zelph
12-15-2012, 13:34
. I have very little build up on my pot. . Adding an esbit support is no different than adding an alcohol stove so thats not really added weight either.

Seems using alcohol versus esbit is no big difference. Getting rid of the plastic esbit package annoys me:D the corners are sharp. The bottom of my shoe needs to do the compacting.

What is the distance from esbit to bottom of your pot?

Country Roads
12-15-2012, 22:04
you could use a stove set up that you can use both Esbit and alcohol, that way finding fuel is not a problem.
You can ship esbit (I have carried it in checked luggage), but you cannot ship alcohol. I use a cone-shaped windscreen with my setup. I have gotten 22 minutes of burn time from a 14 gram Esbit cube with water boiling (started with 65 degree tap water) at just past 8 minutes. The windscreen for both Esbit and alcohol can make or break your set up. Folks that stop using Esbit and alcohol because of inefficiency, just need to relook at their windscreen.

cabbagehead
12-16-2012, 19:57
Here's my idea for a stove:

Open a small can of "Fancy Feast" cat food with a can opener, and use the food.
Clean the can.
Put it upside down on some dirt, and put a solid fuel cube on it.
Put tent stakes around the can.
Light the fuel.
The pot goes on the tent stakes.

The fuel might burn too fast like this. You might want to cover it a bit like the way Zelph's demonstrated.

When comparing various types of solid fuels to various types of alcohols (methanol, ethanol, or propan-2-ol), be sure to consider the ratio of BTUs to weight and the efficiency with which the stove mixes the fuel with oxygen. Price might be a factor.

lukabrazi
12-18-2012, 08:46
I believe it's about 1.5 inches. When I chose the height I looked at this site for info.
http://thru-hiker.com/articles/esbit_stove_height.php

zelph
12-18-2012, 09:46
I believe it's about 1.5 inches. When I chose the height I looked at this site for info.
http://thru-hiker.com/articles/esbit_stove_height.php

I like his method of determining best height. Thanks for the link. A quote from his site:

http://thru-hiker.com/articles/esbit_stove_height.php


Conclusions:

Probably the most important conclusion reached in this experiment pertains to people who choose to hunt up rocks with which to suspend their pots over a burning Esbit tablet. These people will quickly lose the weight savings from not carrying a stove to extra Esbit consumed during boiling unless they pay careful attention to the distance between the bottom of their pot and the burning tablet. Unrelated to this experiment but also of concern, Esbit tablets leave a residue on the combustion surface incompatible with the 'Leave No Trace' philosophy. Carry a tablet holder of some sort, be it homemade or commercial.
Commercial Esbit stoves are at a height conducive to an efficient heating process. Homemade solid fuel tablet stoves should be made so that the height of the pot over the burning tablet is similar to that of the commercial stoves.

Have a healthy dose of skepticism for anything you read on Internet message boards. Well-meaning people sometimes spread misinformation at these forums.

I added the bold emphasis;)