May need a new method to cook

[TurboPants]

Just did a 3 day camping trip and used it as an opportunity to refine my cooking system. I'll start by stating I'm a newb so this could be user error. I built a pepsi can stove and it works just swell. But I had some problems! It was gusty and it blew my wind screen into the stove, which tipped it sideways causing a small fire on picnic table. For that reason I'm a bit concerned carrying it as my go-to cooking method.

All that said, I just want to be able to carry one cook meal for each night and not necessarily have to rely on building a fire in the rain. I carry fire steel for survival purposes but I'm thinking a propane can system may be better for me. Because the canisters have a solid flat base and are sturdier. For those who have done long hikes, can you give me input on whether to find a way to prevent the super light stove from getting blown around, or pros/cons for going with small propane canisters? What I see immediately is you can't tell how much fuel is left in the propane cans, and the aluminum stove + can weight a few oz more. I could live with that if it means I'm not on the news for burning the Smokys or Shenandoah to the ground. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[swjohnsey]

Use an alcohol stoves that supports the pot like Zelphs SuperVenom or the White Box stove.

[Rocket Jones]

Find better wind protection (not talking about your windscreen). I seldom use my stove up on a platform like a picnic table. Also, make another stove and put some fiberglass insulation inside it to keep the fuel from sloshing out if it does tip.

[Bronk]

Use an alcohol stoves that supports the pot like Zelphs SuperVenom or the White Box stove.

The fancy feast stove fits this category also.

[daddytwosticks]

I love my Giga canister stove for hikes greater than two days. Easy, effective, and canisters are found at all outfitters up and down the trail, including the dreaded Wal-Mart. For shorter hikes, I roll with a lightweight Esbit setup. :)

[scum]

Use a wick style stove like Zelph's SarLyte stove. No more worries of tipping and flaming alcohol flying everywhere. I used a canister for years and have gone back and forth between canister and alcohol for quite some time. I'm now settled firmly on alcohol. Don't get me wrong, when a canister works it works beautifully but they can fail and will leave you disappointed in cold weather or high altitude. Alcohol stoves have a learning curve but are dead simple and reliable. Don't give up on it yet. As a note, I carry a 4oz folding wood stove as a backup similar to Zelph's Woodgaz stove. My $0.02

[RodentWhisperer]

Find better wind protection (not talking about your windscreen).

I'm with Rocket Jones on this one. Trusting a windscreen isn't enough.

[FarmerChef]

I'm with Rocket Jones on this one. Trusting a windscreen isn't enough.

+1

What I use with my alcohol stove (Mark Jurey's Penny Stove as well as one of Zelph's) is a piece of hardware cloth trimmed to the right size to hold my pot above the stove and still nest inside the pot when done. It takes the full weight of the pot and is very stable (full contact all around the pot) in addition to being fairly light. I wrap my windscreen (heavy duty aluminum foil) around this with my stove on the inside. I've never had it blow over in heavy wind. The advantage that I see is that the hardware cloth being round (when viewed from the side) fully supports both the pot and the windscreen. Wind is channeled around the cook kit and the weight of the pot holds the pot support firmly in place. I should mention that I'm usually cooking with a 2 or 4 quart pot, not a UL titanium 2 cup something or other. So YMMV.

[lilricky]

You definitely need something under your stove when cooking, especially when cooking on a wooden surface like a picnic table. Seeing the telltale burn marks of someone's alcohol stove in shelters makes me think that its only a matter of time until the next shelter burns to the ground. Use a aluminum heat reflector under your stove. If you feel you can't handle an alcohol stove, by all means use a canister stove. If you feel you can keep an alcohol stove under control, check out Jon's stoves from flatcatgear.com. I recommend the Bobcat system if you do any baking.

[grayfox]

Good advice above. It is so nice to find a table to cook on rather than having to sit on the ground but it's really not the best for fuel efficiency and downright dangerous for all the people at the table. You want to light your stove in the most sheltered place you can find as any breeze will rob its efficiency. Some things you can do if the wind won't let up and you really feel the need to make a cup of coffee: pile rocks around the stove to keep the can in place, hold the pot, and block wind. You can also use your tent stakes to pin the stove to the ground and pin the windscreen down around it(my screen has holes for this purpose). You can carefully set up a wind break with your pack, tarp, or ground sheet befor you light the stove. One other thing for alcohol stove safety is to fill it with only the fuel you need for the moment rather than overfilling. You get used to how much you will need and the inside of the can will show you what a normal amount is by discoloration so after a while you won't need to measure fuel.

[q-tip]

the new Soto WindMaster-2.6 oz.--I have the Micro Regulator--cooks like a charm- http://www.sotooutdoors.com/products/item/OD-1RX.html

[Drybones]

I have just about every type cook stove/pot out there but seem to always carry a home made set. Pot/stove/wind screen/pot holder/huggie/sack weigh 3 oz. The stove locks into the pot so it's very stable. It's obvious what the pot is made from, the stove is made from a hair spray can.
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[TurboPants]

For the people using Heet or isopropyl alcohol, how long do your stoves burn with just a couple oz of liquid? I made a pepsi can stove and with it about 3/4" of alcohol it burned off in like 2-3 minutes, which wasn't quite long enough to cook my food. It seems you'd have to carry a LOT of it on the trail if you want to cook with it every night.

Drybones, you eat out of the beer can? I've only ever seen them used as the stove. I guess it would be super light and cheap but is it hard to get clean after meals being so narrow? Anyway, thanks for showing the setup.

[Rocket Jones]

With a SuperCat stove and a good windscreen, less than 1 ounce of alcohol will bring 3-4 cups of water to a full rolling boil in my GSI kettle. I don't cook with an alcohol stove, I just heat water to add to my dehydrated meals.