canister Vs Alcohol stove

[misterfloyd]

Hello to all,

I will be doing a good section of the AT from Springing to Fontana Dam.

I have an MSR PR that uses canisters that I'm very comfortable with.

My concerns are how can you tell how much is left in the can?

What do you do with the canisters after you are done?

Can they be resupplied via drop boxes by the USPS?

I have made a Alcohol stove as well and don't have as much experience with it, besides my backyard.

The advantages I see is that it is lighter, and uses denatured alcohol Also don't have to worry about canisters.

My needs are for boiling water pretty much.

I hate to go down this path.... that has probably been debated before.

Any thoughts are welcomed and very much appreciated!
Best
Floyd

[MuddyWaters]

You obviously have not purchased a new cannister from MSR in a while now.
The new MSR cannisters are sized narrower so they fit in a MSR pot.
They have markings on the side . By floating it in water, you can tell how full it is.

People used to mark theirs , now MSR does it for you.

Alcohol is more available, and lighter for a couple days stretch at a time.
Cannisters may be more convenient for you,depending.
Comes down to personal preference.

[misterfloyd]

Thanks for the canister trick.

I have a 4oz MSR that I bought around x-mass time. I looked at the date on the can, 2009!!
I weighed my alcohol stove with the aluminum foil windscreen and with the lighter and fuel and it comes almost even with my MSR and the 4oz can.

Recycling these concerns me, as well as resupply by mail.

For ease you cannot beat canister stoves, with sometime I can get used to alcohol stoves.
Called REI and they do not recycle these.

[Dogwood]

If it's a 2009 MSR isobutane canister and the canister hasn't been damaged especially the lindal valve(nozzle) you should be able to use the canister.

Used isobutane canisters can be recycled IF you first punch holes in the can. MAKE SURE ALL the fuel is out of the can before puncturing it though. At least one canister fuel company I know of is giving a canister punch with the purchase of their canisters.

Like anything, when you practice something you get more familiar and comfortable with it. Don't be afraid to experiment with usage with your alchy stove set up.

[Dogwood]

With use you can get pretty damn accurate in telling how many boils are left in a can. I can usually tell within one boil what I have left in a 4 oz can. They also sell adhesive strips that are attached to the side of canisters at nominal prices showing how much fuel is left but you still have to do some figuring out what that amt of fuel translates into for your needs.

When sending compressed gases via USPS you have to say so at the postal counter or else put a GROUND SHIP ONLY sticker on your box yourself.

[bear bag hanger]

While canisters are very convient, they can be very explosive. I wouldn't try reusing an old one, just too dangerous. They can be shipped by USPS, but only by ground and as mentioned, the package needs to be marked. Takes a few days longer to ship somewhere. Not marking the package properly can get you into a lot of trouble. I use alcohol and am comfortable with it. It takes a minute or so longer to boil water, but I think is safer than canisters to use, but I've seen people burn up picnic tables with it. I've also seen canisters blow up and think the dangers of alcohol are easier to manage than canisters.

[turtle fast]

I would go alcohol. Firstly, they have no moving parts to breakdown. Secondly, the fuel is easily available on the trail. Lastly, you can accurately tell how much fuel you got left by just looking at the bottle rather than guesstimating by floating the canister in water.

[misterfloyd]

Thank you to all,

I'm doing a few days as a gear shakedown in Shining Rock Wilderness, NC and I'm packing alcohol stove. I guess the more you do it the better you get at it.

My biggest concern is recycling canisters. I have read online that you leave the gas on for a a few days to make sure there are no contents, and take a church key bottle opener to it. I guess a nail would work as well. Recycle them with my cans at that point.

I first considered Alcohol because of saving weight. I have weighed both and that is a mute point.

As with all, the more you use, the better you get.

Has anyone had trouble shipping thier canister via USPS ?

Thanks for all of the help guys.

[Longshot]

I am a beleiver in alcohol. I thrued with i in 04 with great resuts. My question: I am planning a thru on the PCT and I wonder how the altitude will affect my alcohol's performance?

[DaFireMedic]

I am a beleiver in alcohol. I thrued with i in 04 with great resuts. My question: I am planning a thru on the PCT and I wonder how the altitude will affect my alcohol's performance?

You wont have any problems. I did the JMT last year which includes the highest points on the PCT. There were plenty of alcohol stove users, all cooked just fine with it even at the highest campsites (above 11,000')

[Dogwood]

There are a bunch of angles and considerations that can play into alchy verse canister stoves. I'll save that for you to explore at your own leisure but if your hiking trips are short like a few days or you resupply with alchy fuel often an alchy stove CAN CAN save you a few ozs.

I've almost entirely used one Snow Peak Giga isobutane stove for 7 yrs now. It's not like they break down regularly AS LONG AS YOU STAY CLEAR OF ONES WITH A PIEZO IGNITOR. The piezo ingnitors can break in some isobutane stoves rather easily but that only puts you back to having an iso stove that you have to light yourself. ALSO, the printed listed wt on a canister is just the wt of the fuel within the can NOT THE WT OF THE CAN AND FUEL! Some of those cans can weigh nearly as much as the fuel inside the can. This is all gram weenie/stovie talk though.

[zelph]

You wont have any problems. I did the JMT last year which includes the highest points on the PCT. There were plenty of alcohol stove users, all cooked just fine with it even at the highest campsites (above 11,000')

This was posted over at backpackinglight.com today by Jeff Sims:

Jeff Sims

modified StarLyte burner on 05/27/2013 17:02:07 MDT

I finally found the opportunity to get out and use the new stove with a Ti Tri Sidewinder and .9 liter cook pot. I was right around the 10K mark and the water from the stream was cold. The was ice along the side of the seeps where water was sitting stagnant every morning. I am happy to report that I was able to get a rolling boil with just over the 25ML mark.

This is my first experience with an alcohol stove set up. I think I am hooked, and will be leaving the canister stove at home from now on.

This is the link to the thread:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=72057&startat=80

.

[Jim Adams]

one is a stove and the other is a can that you can burn combustibles in.

[misterfloyd]

Hello Jim and to all.

Webster Pa. ? I know that area very well, my Grandparents who I visited very often were in Donora, Pa. Still have relatives there. Give my regards to the area.

I just got back from an extended weekend with my cat food alchy stove. The diffence between weight between the stove and fuel bottle (10oz) and my small canister and pocket rocket are very small. No problem cooking on an alchy stove just find it easier with the 4oz canister.
Floyd

[zelph]

Hello Jim and to all.

Webster Pa. ? I know that area very well, my Grandparents who I visited very often were in Donora, Pa. Still have relatives there. Give my regards to the area.

I just got back from an extended weekend with my cat food alchy stove. The diffence between weight between the stove and fuel bottle (10oz) and my small canister and pocket rocket are very small. No problem cooking on an alchy stove just find it easier with the 4oz canister.
Floyd

I like easy, quiet alchy stoves:D Glad you gave the alcohol stove a chance. We wish you well on your future adventures with the Canister Pocket Rocket.

[MuddyWaters]

To realize all the benefit of an alcohol stove, you need to also go to a small lightweight pot, like Zelphs fosters pot. A pot lighter than can be used with isobutane stove.

To use a supercat, you need a large pot.

The best benefit, is really its quiet. No rocket engine in the woods.

My stove, pot, windscreen, and empty fuel bottle together weighs 2.95 oz.
And, I can get it down to 1.9 oz using stakes for pot support thru windscreen, and smaller 3oz fuel container for short trips, if want to. That would suit me for 5 days only boiling water for dinner.

[q-tip]

A simple way to know how much gas is left, get a full can and float it in water then mark the level. Take an empty can, float it, that will give you the range full to empty. Alcohol didn't work for me, but my Soto stove and fuel is just a little heavier than an alcohol stove, and I can boil .5 liter in 2 min. with new cook pot.

[misterfloyd]

I use a small aluminum pot from my wife's old Girl Scout mess kit. It weighs very little and it is pretty flat and wide which is good for an alcky stove.

when I was comparing weights on the Alchy I was including the aluminum foil windscreen, small foil circle the can sits on G.S fork and spoon. pot, and cat stove. I did not weigh the 10oz of fuel

On the cannister stove I just weighed the cannister and stove part.

SO I guess I better try this again and compare apples to apples as they say.

Thank you all for your help and your input. I gotta tell you, I have asked a LOT of questions about everything, and I appreciate your patience, time and goodwill.

Thank you.

Best Regards,
Floyd