alcohol stoves?

**jeremiah j** · 03-25-2009, 15:28

I can't figure out what all the fuss is about alcohol stoves other than they are light. I have one and it takes approx 12 minutes to boil water (1/2 liter). Maybe I am impatient but my whisper light will do the same in about 2 and 1/2 minutes. any feedback,,thanks

**David S.** · 03-25-2009, 15:34

12 minutes seems longish but whats your hurry man? Your out in the woods, not cooking on Iron Chef...LOL.
My little Antigravity Gear stove will boil 2 cups easily in 5 minutes. You should have similar success I would think.

**Pootz** · 03-25-2009, 15:42

I can boil 1 litre of water on mine in about 4 minutes. Not all alcohol stoves are created equally. Some of the ones being sold are not the best.

What I like is that I made it myself, it is almost indestructible, no parts to break and I customized it to work with my pot stand and cook pot. The advantages are weight and you only have to carry the amount of fuel you will need. Fuel is available everywhere along the AT.

What I do not like about a whisper light is the weight, not only the stove but the fuel bottle. And the noise they make is far from a whisper.

One of the things I like about dinner at a shelter is seeing all of the different stoves in use and getting new food ideas.

**jeremiah j** · 03-25-2009, 15:48

hey thanks for info, what commercially available good stoves are there? You mention that not all are created equal.

**hoz** · 03-25-2009, 15:58

I like the Starlyte and the Fancy Feest by Zelph.

Check em out at:
http://www.bplite.com/viewforum.php?...6cb7345da0ae2c

bplite.com is THE site for stove makers.

**Slo-go'en** · 03-25-2009, 16:03

The stove design, type and size of pot you use, if you have wind screen or not, water temp and ambiant temp, amount of wind, are all factors as to how well the stove will work.

The anti gravity Caldora stove sytems works nicely. I just tested mine with 500 ml of 50* tap water, titaninum pot and took about 6 minutes to get a rolling boil. Maybe 3 minutes for water hot enough for a drink. Sure it's not as fast as a white gas stove, but the weight (and bulk) savings is significant. I usually don't heat up more than 2 cups of water at time and that doesn't take as long as 500 ml, nearly 3 cups.

**Pootz** · 03-25-2009, 16:20

Originally Posted by jeremiah j

hey thanks for info, what commercially available good stoves are there? You mention that not all are created equal.

I make my own: they are as good or getter than any on the market, get to drink 2 beers for each stove, can make one in 15 minutes and they cost next to nothing.

If I did not want to make one I would buy one from Anti gravity Gear.

**Hoop** · 03-25-2009, 16:24

I like the caldera system, it combines the pot stand/wind screen; takes about 5 minutes.

**ryanwheeler007** · 03-25-2009, 16:37

Zelphs the man... Way better than the titanium one I bought at rei (and subsequently returned)

**Jack Tarlin** · 03-25-2009, 16:49

The most popular commercially available alcohol stove on the Trail (for at least the past five years if not longer) is the Ultra-Lite II made by Etowah Outfitters.

**Pootz** · 03-25-2009, 17:05

Originally Posted by Jack Tarlin

The most popular commercially available alcohol stove on the Trail (for at least the past five years if not longer) is the Ultra-Lite II made by Etowah Outfitters.

I have only ever seen this stove 2 times in my breif 6 years on the AT. Once in 06 and one other time I cant even remember. I did not see even 1 during my 07 thru hike. So I would find it hard to belive it is the most popular. They seem like a good stove.

I am sure I will take flack for disagreeing with you but such is life.

**BigFoot2002** · 03-25-2009, 18:31

My Etowah stove works great for the Boil/simmer cooking I usually do for dinner and breakfast. I've cooked up to 2 liptons at a time in my snow peak 1400 pot. Never had a problem even in single digit temps. Will burn denatered, Heet, or rubbing alcohol. Don't forget to use a windscreen.

Will also work as a great campfire starter with even the wettest wood. Just build a small teepee of pencil sized sticks around it and lite the stove, When it's going well, pull it out of the fire with a larger stick.

**russb** · 03-25-2009, 19:01

Originally Posted by hoz

i Like The Starlyte And The Fancy Feest By Zelph.

Check Em Out At:
http://www.bplite.com/viewforum.php?...6cb7345da0ae2c

Bplite.com Is The Site For Stove Makers.

+1

**winger** · 03-25-2009, 19:14

www.whiteboxstove.com
and check out brasslite stoves!

My small white box original will boil 2 cups in under 4 minutes.

**winger** · 03-25-2009, 19:15

Correction: whiteboxstoves.com

**Pokey2006** · 03-25-2009, 19:21

Originally Posted by jeremiah j

I can't figure out what all the fuss is about alcohol stoves other than they are light. I have one and it takes approx 12 minutes to boil water (1/2 liter). Maybe I am impatient but my whisper light will do the same in about 2 and 1/2 minutes. any feedback,,thanks

Don't underestimate the importance of something being light. Weight is definitely something to "fuss" about.

One thing that's nice about them is that you can carry exactly the fuel you need for any given trip. There's none of that carrying a full canister when you only need enough fuel for one night.

They do take longer to boil water, but what I do is get it going first thing, and set up camp while it does its thing. Or, in the a.m., break camp while you're waiting for your water to boil.

**Post** · 03-25-2009, 19:44

Agree with Dave S. What on earth is the big hurry? Fretting about a stove taking x minutes more than another to boil water is totally missing the point of being out there in the first place. If you can't stand waiting, there are almost always a few little tasks that need done around camp while dinner is cooking - fluff your sleeping bag, organize your stuff, scribble in your journal, study your maps. Or (gasp) do absolutely nothing at all for those 8 minutes.

**plowhorse379** · 03-27-2009, 15:13

haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but at 1.6 oz and 50 bucks for the whole setup (including spare parts) i figured it was worth it.

**Rcarver** · 03-27-2009, 18:28

I have been using one from Anti Gravity Gear for the past few years. Great stove. I've never timed what it takes to boil my water. It's not that long though. I even bought a couple of friends one and they are very happen with them.

**Skidsteer** · 03-27-2009, 18:37

Originally Posted by Pootz

I can boil 1 litre of water on mine in about 4 minutes. Not all alcohol stoves are created equally. Some of the ones being sold are not the best.

Impressive. I'd like to see your design. How much fuel does it take to boil a liter in four minutes?

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