Esbit stove

[Kaptainkriz]

I use a copper strip and silicone band to enable small canister use well below freezing:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...=1#post2041964

I also use this device to consolidate canisters:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U2EE6M2/

I've been thinking about trying it on my next 3-4 day section this winter....I'm tired of partially used fuel cans in my closet. I'll never take a partially used canister on a trip again! Last time I took a half full canister the cold temps kept it from burning...yea in the teens during February it stunk not having warm food or coffee. All I do is boil 2 cups once or twice daily. Tried alchy..not a fan. Does low temperature effect ezbit?


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[cmoulder]

Another handy adapter is this one which permits the transfer of N-butane to standard canisters such as MSR, Primus, Jetboil, etc (which are all made by the same Korean company, Tae-yang).

The N-butane 'donor' canisters are those used in the little tabletop grills. They are commonly available at Korean grocery markets.

Combined with the copper strip referenced above by Kaptainkriz, straight N-butane can be used well below 0°F.

[Kaptainkriz]

Not to derail the thread any further and back to esbit, I prefer the 4g tablets as they smell much less and leave much less residue. Under a caldera cone with a small Ti pot, they do very well.

[saltysack]

I use a copper strip and silicone band to enable small canister use well below freezing:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...=1#post2041964

I also use this device to consolidate canisters:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U2EE6M2/

Perfect....where you find the Cooper?


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[Kaptainkriz]

Many hardware store/roofing/lumber centers have it in stock as roof flashing. I got mine at a local home builder supply center.

Perfect....where you find the Cooper?


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[MuddyWaters]

What are your experiences with the Esbit stove? Any other drawbacks I'm not seeing yet?

Cant tailor amount used
Hard to light
Messy to try to save unused
Horribly messy residue on pot bottom....deal breaker for most. Any perceved wt savings offset by a special bag to put pot in to keep black goop off your other gear.
Not widely available on trail
Then the chemical smell..

The only advantage, is it cant spill or leak. Thats it.

[Oslohiker]

Cant tailor amount used
Hard to light
Messy to try to save unused
Horribly messy residue on pot bottom....deal breaker for most. Any perceved wt savings offset by a special bag to put pot in to keep black goop off your other gear.
Not widely available on trail
Then the chemical smell..

The only advantage, is it cant spill or leak. Thats it.

One drop of dish washer soap and a small piece of scrub pad fix the residue easily.
It is not hard to light. Take your tip of the knife and turn it around a few times, and it will light easily. Personally I use candle lighter.
I have a small loksak bag to store used and new esbits in.

It's light and small. It's the best.

[scrabbler]

I carry my cookpot in disposable grocery bag, or recycled priority mail bag. Throw out at end of trip. Couple grams weight at most for the bag. No worries.

[cmoulder]

If there is gooey residue from Esbit it usually means the cube is burning too close to the bottom of the pot. Should be about 1.25", which will of course increase a bit as the cube burns. I find the bottom easy to clean simply by wiping the bottom on some sand, grass or moss.

Another solution for difficult lighting situations is to use a tiny piece of PJCB — Petroleum Jelly Cotton Ball — and stick it right to the top of the Esbit cube, after which it can be lit very easily with a Bic, match or firesteel.
cottonball esbit01.jpgcottonball esbit03jpg.jpg

[bessiebreeze]

I love my Esbit. It is the lightest weight stove, and very easy to work with. The residue on the pots can easily be removed with a few damp leaves or grass. It is probably not too good for serious cooking, but works great for heating water for instant meals. I have given away all my other backpacking stoves.

[zelph]

Brian Green came up with an easy DIY esbit stove:

http://briangreen.net/2015/05/bget-s...roduction.html

[MuddyWaters]

One drop of dish washer soap and a small piece of scrub pad fix the residue easily.

More like tar than something that can be easily scrubbed off IME.
Depends on how tight airscreen, richer the flame the worse it is.

[zelph]

Wood is my goto fuel. Read how I clean my pot once a year:

http://bplite.com/viewtopic.php?f=60...05b0937c72daa8

[George]

I have been years with almost exclusively fuel tablets

a simple google search will find a wide variety of prices

$1.97 for 24 at this time:

http://adrenalineworld.com/coghlans-...FQqSaQodNXQFZw

2 coglans tabs are about the same as 1 esbit, so with shipping say .18 to heat water for a freeze dry meal or .09 for a cup of tea - so if you can buy them right the cost is negligible - what I have found when going stove less ( in my limited trials ) is the food is more expensive and heavier - the main advantage of going stove less IMO is time, but cooking to me is a good time killer when not moving

coglan tabs stink much less than esbit - and slightly less clean up

my normal clean up (about once a week) is wet the bottom of the titanium cup I use and grind it on a wet rock for half a minute

I keep the cup in a worn out ziplock so the black does not smear in the pack

[pcasebere]

I rather enjoy my knock-off esbit stove quite alot. I've made "walls" so that I can use it as a wood burning stove as well: esbit.jpg

[zelph]

says the the maker of one of the premier alcohol stove lines in the business...

Thankee

[HelloNeiman!]

Con - it smells awful


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[jjozgrunt]

Esbit or hexamine is what I used for near 20 years in the army and still use now. Built a Ti windscreen/cone to fit my pot and I get water boiled a lot quicker than some of the suggested times. One trick is the break up the tablet, I usually break it in 4. It lights easier, burns quicker and heats quicker. I don't notice the smell or have a problem with cleaning.

[earlyriser26]

I use a MSR Pocket Rocket. A few years ago I tried both alcohol and esbit stoves. Neither put out the heat that a canister stove does. The esbit stove took forever to boil water and ate the fuel at an alarming rate.

[Suzzz]

Esbit or hexamine is what I used for near 20 years in the army and still use now. Built a Ti windscreen/cone to fit my pot and I get water boiled a lot quicker than some of the suggested times. One trick is the break up the tablet, I usually break it in 4. It lights easier, burns quicker and heats quicker. I don't notice the smell or have a problem with cleaning.

Can you get water to boil with only 1/4 of an Esbit tablet? (Under normal circumstances)