PDA

View Full Version : Esbit vs Alcohol



xpaeanx
06-25-2013, 22:40
What are the pros and cons of each fuel source?

Hikes in Rain
06-26-2013, 12:16
Availability (alcohol is just about everywhere). Smell (esbit certainly does!). Spills (esbit wins; hard to spill a solid). Plus if you had to, you could make your own alcohol fuel (note that this might fun you afoul of law enforcement, for some reason).

Drybones
06-26-2013, 13:22
Availability (alcohol is just about everywhere). Smell (esbit certainly does!). Spills (esbit wins; hard to spill a solid). Plus if you had to, you could make your own alcohol fuel (note that this might fun you afoul of law enforcement, for some reason).

Agree +.....esbit is lighter, esbit is more expensive.

SouthMark
06-26-2013, 14:34
Esbit burns hotter. Esbit will not spill in your pack. You can see esbit flame. Esbit is easy to blow out flame. Esbit will not flare up. Costs more. Harder to find. Burns well below freezing.

Maddog
06-26-2013, 15:51
I carry an esbit tab as back-up...just in case! Maddog:D

QiWiz
06-26-2013, 17:04
Esbit burns hotter. Esbit will not spill in your pack. You can see esbit flame. Esbit is easy to blow out flame. Esbit will not flare up. Costs more. Harder to find. Burns well below freezing.

Yup. Esbit a bit harder to titrate to just what you need, as you can break it into quarter cubes if you are careful, but that's about as fine tuned as you can do (though you can blow out or snuff and reuse the remainder). More BTU's per fuel oz than alcohol, so on a long trip you can save a few oz. For me, in cool weather heating 3 cups in AM and 4 cups in PM for hot breakfasts and dinners, I can do this with just 2 Esbit cubes (1 oz per day) or 1.5 oz alcohol, so I save a half-ounce every day. On a 10-day trip, that's 5 BIG ounces. ; )

xpaeanx
06-27-2013, 12:12
Thanks for all the replys. :) I was torn between whether I wanted to go with Esbit or Alcohol for my stove. Based on the replys it seems Esbit wins on all points except availability and price. I will mainly be doing 1-2 nights so availability isn't that important to me. And I don't go *that* often, so price shouldn't be too bad either.

I guess we have a winner then. :)

SouthMark
06-27-2013, 13:42
Esbit is perfect for 1-2 night trips. And FYI, the more efficient your setup the less soot on your pot. While your pot is still warm just swirl the bottom in the soil.

daddytwosticks
06-27-2013, 16:06
I love the smell of Esbit in the morning...:)

SouthMark
06-27-2013, 16:42
I love the smell of Esbit in the morning...:)


LOL. Ditto...

10-K
06-27-2013, 18:33
Esbit was my last stop on the way to stoveless. Hard to beat it IMO. Scrub the bottom of your pan in some sandy soil when it gunks up and you're good.

BTW, another plus is that you don't need a container to carry it unless you consider a ziplock a container. When you burn it, it's gone. Canisters - you have to carry the can no matter how much is in it. Same with an alcohol bottle. The container weight is constant, regardless of how much fuel you have.

zelph
06-29-2013, 22:12
I couldn't get used to the smell of Esbit. I recently purchased some Coughlan's fuel tablets. Sad to say they smell just like esbit:(

I was able to isolate the smell by putting them in small plastic containers that have really tight fitting lids. 4 tablets per container. There are 12 tablets per package of Coughlans. I could not find the tablets locally and had to get some on the internet. Same thing with Esbit, hard to find locally. Plastic containers were purchased on ebay. Some folks say your local pharmacy has medication containers that work well for storage.

Does anyone use Caughlans solid fuel?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/obijiwa/Platinum%20Black%20Gauze/cc5cf1a1-676a-4271-bfc7-5aa3121547d2_zpsadca82d5.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/obijiwa/media/Platinum%20Black%20Gauze/cc5cf1a1-676a-4271-bfc7-5aa3121547d2_zpsadca82d5.jpg.html)

rocketsocks
06-29-2013, 22:16
Esbit to me smells like rotting insulation

levibarry
06-30-2013, 00:06
I like esbit tablets other than the smell. I just found
fuel tablets that are new to me "Bleuet Solid Fuel Tablets".
Saw them at local outfitter store here in Portland, Oregon.
I can smell Esbits through the package but these I couldn't.
They have them on Amazon.

Levibarry

SouthMark
06-30-2013, 01:21
I guess that I am fortunate that I have a weak smeller. While I can smell Esbit, the odor does not bother me.

xpaeanx
06-30-2013, 01:59
Wow, does it really smell that bad? I have been blessed in life with a very bad sense of smell, but I do still have one. LOL. I've never used Esbit before. Not wanting to carry canisters, new stove comes set up for alcohol but I can buy a holder to switch it to Esbit.

Maybe I'll buy a small pack of Esbit and light one to see how it smells before I commit to buying the holder.

daddytwosticks
06-30-2013, 10:57
I carry my entire Esbit stuff in a small Countrytime plastic lemonaide container. The type that holds the individual tubs of powdered lemomaide mix. It will hold my foil windscreen, ti-triwing tab holder (stove), lighter, and 5 or 6 Esbit tabs (in their original wrappers). The container keeps all these items together and from being crushed and seals in any Esbit odor. :)

zelph
06-30-2013, 15:41
Wow, does it really smell that bad? I have been blessed in life with a very bad sense of smell, but I do still have one. LOL. I've never used Esbit before. Not wanting to carry canisters, new stove comes set up for alcohol but I can buy a holder to switch it to Esbit.

Maybe I'll buy a small pack of Esbit and light one to see how it smells before I commit to buying the holder.

They smell bad before they are lit and the smell is disgusting if you blow them out and have the smoke come up into your face. Lots of people say they snuff them out and save the remains for the next meal use. The remains are very hard for me to relight. The smell can creep into your pack when least expected. Take all precautions to isolate the fuel in your pack. If you have a weak sniffer, no problem.

daddytwosticks
06-30-2013, 17:40
Esbit odor smells better than most stanky hikers I've met. Me included. :)

TOW
07-01-2013, 15:30
What are the pros and cons of each fuel source?

alcohol is cleaner and cheaper

zelph
07-25-2013, 10:52
Esbit is perfect for 1-2 night trips. And FYI, the more efficient your setup the less soot on your pot. While your pot is still warm just swirl the bottom in the soil.

I recently have done some testing of a new container to place the esbit in to burn it. Leaves little residue in the container and no gooey residue on the pot bottom. Watch the video.


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

Rasty
07-25-2013, 11:09
Esbit all the way if your plans are a quick one or two night hike as part of a trip which includes flying. No reason to purchase 12 ounces of fuel.

levibarry
07-25-2013, 16:21
Esbits is also a good choice if you go out where fire
restrictions are in place. A lot of the National Forests
are putting fire restrictions in place right now out west
at least.

levibarry

Another Kevin
07-25-2013, 16:37
Esbit stinks. Maybe I'm unusually sensitive, but I can't abide the stench. So, alcohol for me. (I hike in the East, never ran afoul of fire restrictions where I couldn't use an alky stove.)

jeffmeh
07-25-2013, 16:52
Esbits is also a good choice if you go out where fire
restrictions are in place. A lot of the National Forests
are putting fire restrictions in place right now out west
at least.

levibarry

I was under the impression that the fire bans exclude any stove that does not have a shut-off valve. I would think that an open esbit burner, like an open alcohol burner, would not be compliant.

daddytwosticks
07-26-2013, 07:33
Esbit stinks. Maybe I'm unusually sensitive, but I can't abide the stench. So, alcohol for me. (I hike in the East, never ran afoul of fire restrictions where I couldn't use an alky stove.) I love the smell of Esbit in the morning. :)

Mags
07-26-2013, 09:46
I was under the impression that the fire bans exclude any stove that does not have a shut-off valve. I would think that an open esbit burner, like an open alcohol burner, would not be compliant.

That's my impression as well. I'll also add that individual rangers and office seems to have different interpretations, too. :(

Personally, I'd err on the side of caution as the fine is rather steep but that is me.

Just Bill
07-26-2013, 12:12
Consider a Caldera Cone by trail designs- The Ti-tri burns wood, alcohol, Esbit. Of the three, I most often use Wood, supplemented by Esbit. The wood burns off the Esbit gunk (the gunk and smell are the main drawbacks). If needed, you can shave a little Esbit as a firestarter. In the morning I usually just use a half tab to make a little tea, at night I use wood, and my dinner fire turns into my entertainment fire. The Alchy stove comes with if you want to experiment. Esbit can be blown out, Alchy cannot. In extreme fire ban areas- you have to use a traditional fuel/stove, but in less questionable areas I would make the argument that Esbit, and the CC in particular has a lung powered on/off switch. Big drawback to the CC, it has to be custom made to fit a pot, so it's a "locked" system. I keep an old 35mm film canister to store my partially burned Esbit, the film can fits in the cone with the foil square, gram cracker(stove), and two Esbit tabs- I keep the rest of the Esbit in a baggie outside my pack to prevent any odor transmission to food or clothes. On a side note- I talked to Rand and he told me the Bluet was not as good as Esbit in their testing (possibly why it doesn't smell as much).