alcohol resupply

[Hangman]

is it difficult to find denatured acohol at resupply areas posted in resupply suggested stops along trail? what is a an average amount that hikers are taking using can alcohol stoves? i use about 2 ounces per day and was wondering what size container i will need to use for my fuel.

[BDT]

I'm using 8 oz. water bottles on the Long Trail. I go thru about 1 oz. a day so I have some space left over.

[rusty075]

You will have no trouble finding alcohol to resupply with. It's prety much everywhere now. Empty 20oz soda bottles or 1/2liter water bottles are the most common carrying vessel. The gneral pattern for thru-hikers seems to be: Start off with a full bottle until you understand what you will be using...then start cutting back. I'd say 8-10oz is a pretty typical volume to carry once you get moving at a good pace.

[jlb2012]

12 ounces is fairly typical - that is what you get when you buy a bottle of Heet or other methanol based dry gas additives and is generally the cheapest source of alcohol for stove use. Use an empty soda bottle to carry it since usually the dry gas bottles are not reclosable after being opened.

[Moxie00]

On my AT thru I used a 20 oz green soda bottle I picked up in Hot Springs. Denatured is more common today but this was not the case in 2000. I used "dry gas" or fuel line anti freeze as it is known in some places. Mountain Momma was out of denatured so I purchased rubbing alcohol and mixed it half and half with the denatured I had left and ,made it to Hot Springs. Uncle Johney was selling denatured by the ounce at a very high price so I went to a hardware store, bought a quart for less than it would have cost me to fill my bottle with "the uncle" and shared it with all my fellow hikers.
In Wayensboro a large group chipped in and bought a gallon at a paint store and left what was left in a motel hiker box. You can allways find something to use so don't worry. Alot of hikers use alcohol now and all thru hikers share or we wouldn't survive.

[Tin Man]

Dang! I thought this thread was about alcohol resupply as in Scotch, Bourbon, Gin, Vodka, Beer, Wine etc. I think all the road crossings should have a convenience store, laundry mat, showers, Irish pub with pool tables, and a denatured and regular-natured alcohol.

[Kerby]

I am new to the alcohol stove thing, so please forgive my ignorance, but what is denuterd alcohol?

[LiquidCougar]

Methylated spirit (or Meths, also denatured alcohol) is ethanol which has been rendered toxic or otherwise undrinkable, and in some cases dyed. It is used for purposes such as fuel for spirit burners and camping stoves, and as a solvent. Traditionally, the main additive was 10% methanol, which gave rise to its name, but this is not always the case now. There are diverse industrial uses for ethanol, and therefore literally hundreds of recipes for denaturing ethanol. Typical additives are methanol, isopropanol, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, denatonium, and even (uncommonly) aviation gasoline. As used in the phrase denatured alcohol, denatured means "a specific property of ethanol, its usefulness as a beverage, is removed". The ethanol molecule is not denatured in the sense that its chemical structure is altered.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylated_spirit It's cheap, stable, and easily extinguished. The only downside is that sometimes an alcohol flame can be next to impossible to see, so caution is neccessary.

[mweinstone]

its moonshine with poison added so you wont drink it.and i carry 17 ozs for eating like a fat pig and sharing alot of coffie.but i could carry as little as 12 ozs if i was cruising.in exstream heat add a few drops of water to your fuuel to conserve and utillize more efficently. slows evaporative losses.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

i carry 17 ozs for eating like a fat pig and sharing alot of coffee

I giggled out loud. We are a party of two and carry 15 to 20 ozs. I wasn't aware you could add water to alcohol fuel.

[Skidsteer]

I wasn't aware you could add water to alcohol fuel.

Yes you can. Particularly if your stove is suited to it. I've been testing a stove for the last week or so that seems worthless with denatured but does a respectable job with 70% rubbing alcohol. Blackens your pot like the dickens, though.

[stranger]

I generally carry around 8-10 ounces and have never run out on the AT. Denatured alcohol is everywhere. Throw a couple of fuel tabs in your pack just in case you run out, if you're worried about it.

[Footslogger]

is it difficult to find denatured acohol at resupply areas posted in resupply suggested stops along trail? what is a an average amount that hikers are taking using can alcohol stoves? i use about 2 ounces per day and was wondering what size container i will need to use for my fuel.

=================================

Denatured alcohol is relatively easy to find these days. If there is a hardward store in a town you can generally get a quart can. Most auto parts stores carry the fuel line antifreeze called "HEET" (yellow bottle). Just about every hiker hostel along the way will have a supply of alcohol on hand too.

As far as how much to carry ...on my thru in 2003 I carried a 10 oz plastic oval booze flask and I never ran out. I normally only ate a warm meal at dinner and typically used 1 oz or so of fuel. I occasionally did boil a cup of water in the morning for a cup of coffee.

What I experienced was that you could re-supply about every 4 - 6 days and I always topped off my fuel bottle.

'Slogger

[kyhipo]

I carry a 32 oz fuel bottle its just great trust me I would rather have what I want than be lacking.ky

[Spock]

On the AT, I usually keep my 12 oz or so in a small Platypus or drinking water bottle with a soda pop cap instead of the original water cap because pop bottle caps have a better seal. I also carry several hexamine tablets incase I have any problem with resupply. The hexamine is lighter per boil than alcohol, but harder to find regularly - but it's a good backup -- and a good fire starter for those time you just gotta have a campfire and everything is soaked.