alcohol stoves — carrying container?

[sierraDoug]

I haven't quite decided to make my first alcohol stove yet. Still gathering information.

So, how do you carry one of these things in your pack? In another container? They aren't sealed, I assume, and could spill all over the place, right?

Also, which is the current most preferred design?

Thanks... my first post.

[Peaks]

First, the alcohol is burned out of them everytime it get used. So, there's nothing to spill.

If you are looking for a place to carry it, then I suggest putting it inside your pack.

The Pepsi Can stove (and the Cat stove) are both easy to make. Why not just make one and try it out for yourself. If it isn't what you are looking for, then go try something else. Doesn't really cost anything except a little time to make one.

[orangebug]

I think the real knowledgeable folks are in Caratunk and away from their computers. I'd search the archives for alcohol stoves and expect you to find lots of links to the construction and care of alcohol stoves.

They vary from the simple open container of alcohol, to more complex fitted soda can bottoms with a sequence of holes to allow fumes and flame to occur. There are commercially available ones, with Tin Man's being probably the best (www.antigravitygear.com) He makes and sells some very good gear, even if he is from Eastern Carolina. I am not convinced that there is great difference in efficiencies and heat among the stoves I've seen and made. There are all sorts of designs from shoe polish cans, soda cans, cat food cans and so forth.

I carry mine inside my pot, along with a scrubbie, wind screen, and wire mesh stand to hold the pot over the flame. The bigger debate is the appropriate container for the alcohol. Soda bottles appear the most popular, but I worry of small children mistaking the bottle for beverage. This is very unlikely.

These spill only if you try to move them while flaming. Alcohol makes a nasty invisible flame that will take your skin right off. (Been there, done that.) You will quickly learn that you allow the stove to burn out completely, cool off, really cool off and then consider using your spare one for prolonged cooking sessions. A pot cozy (insulated container to hold heat into your pot) is a great way to keep the fuel use down and allow cooking to persist after the stove flames out.

[JimSproul]

Nalgene makes an alcohol safe plastic fuel bottle, that is tough and light weight. It won't split if you drop your pack on it. Not all aluminum fuel bottles can handle alcohol, they must be anodized. The nalgene bottles come in pints & quarts (Liters & .5 liters) both with a very handy pouring spout under the cap.

[baseballswthrt]

My husband and I have a Trangia Alcohol stove that has a screw on lid so we can leave the alcolhol in it and it doesn't spill. When we used a pepsi can stove, we had to make sure all of the alcohol burned out of it. We carried both stoves inside our pot with the windscreen and pot stand. We carry alcohol in "Code Red" soda bottles which have red caps so we know not to drink out of them. Our hiking gear is kept up in the attic in a storage bin so there is little chance of a small child drinking it.

Anita

[chris]

I just put mine in my pot. No problems. In terms of design, I would suggest the following, as it works and is easy to build. Buy a twelve pack of something like Old Style beer. Drink the 12 beers, saving one of the cans. Use a kitchen knife to puncture the can about 3 inches from the bottom. Then, use a pair of scissors and the puncture to cut the bottom of the can off. You want something like a 2 inch tall cup. You are now done with your alcohol stove. If you want to get fancy, add some fiberglass insulation to act as a wick. This isn't the slickest, most fuel efficient, or hottest, but it works well enough that for about 4000 miles of hiking, I haven't seen the need to change.

[Peaks]

Nalgene makes an alcohol safe plastic fuel bottle, that is tough and light weight. It won't split if you drop your pack on it. Not all aluminum fuel bottles can handle alcohol, they must be anodized. The nalgene bottles come in pints & quarts (Liters & .5 liters) both with a very handy pouring spout under the cap.

Arron who makes and sells the Brasslite Alcohol stove also sells a nifty fuel bottle. He will probably be selling them at the Gathering again. Also on line if someone has his web site.

[sierraDoug]

Thanks for all of the instantaneous replies. It's very impressive. I didn't realize you just burn up all the alcohol for that session. No "top" needed after all. OK, I'll make one and see how it works here at home.

[fatmatt]

Where do you find those Nalgene alcohol containers? I tried the website but couldn't find anything that I thought was it.

[Dances with Mice]

Where do you find those Nalgene alcohol containers? I tried the website but couldn't find anything that I thought was it.

First - I had one of these years ago, bought it at REI. But the pour spout is stashed inside the screw top, and requires sticking a bare finger down inside the fuel bottle and fishing it out. This wasn't easy in cold weather, and even in warm weather I often ended up with fuel on my hands. After a couple of trips, I just trashed it.

But I checked the REI site and couldn't find it. http://www.lattaoutdoors.com/shop/nal001.html sells them but is out of stock. I couldn't find them on the official Nalgene site http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/

I use a "LITE" beer plastic long-neck bottle. It's double walled for safety, has a wide mouth and a cap that holds exactly one tablespoon of fuel. I think it's really well designed. http://adtimes.nstp.com.my/archive/july28b.htm

Another beer maker, Miller Brewing Co, is committing itself to selling beer in plastic bottles - made of the same material used for unbreakable bottles of soft drinks, juices and water. Since November, Miller, which is a unit of the Philip Morris Companies, has been putting its Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft and Icehouse brands into bottles made from multiple layers of PET and polyester...

....a Miller spokesman, estimating that perhaps 1 per cent of the company's sales will be in plastic. But it does have its attributes. "It's unbreakable, and it can allow you to go anywhere, to places that do not allow glass bottles," he said.

"Unbreakable" - I like that.

(Did any Chemistry Geeks spot the error in the quote?)

[sleeveless]

Arron who makes and sells the Brasslite Alcohol stove also sells a nifty fuel bottle. He will probably be selling them at the Gathering again. Also on line if someone has his web site.

Sorry to change the subject but what is the Gathering and where and when is it?

[orangebug]

The Gathering is the ALDHA meeting, held each Columbus Day weekend (begins tomorrow) in WV this year. Look under Today's Posts for anything about Debates, ALDHA, Gathering and such.

Bill....

[kentucky]

I bought a alcohol stove for warming fancy pots up at a garage sale think it was called bunsin burner? well anyway it was great!Like most people I put my stove in my cooking pot and off I go!I have used many containers and I usually just buy a msr fuel container preferably 22 oz.or larger.kentucky

[markellag]

Get a Mini-Trangia Stove and be finshed with stove concerns.

[flyfisher]

Where do you find those Nalgene alcohol containers? I tried the website but couldn't find anything that I thought was it.

I have, and many others have also, used a small plastic soft drink bottle or water bottle with a screw top to carry fuel alcohol. My favorite is a little 6 oz short "spring water" bottle.

It is light, lasts a long time, and costs nothing.

I carry it on the outside of my pack and also use it to do a waterless disinfecting of my hands before eating.

[Footslogger]

I mentioned this on another thread ...so, at the risk of repeating myself I'll just throw it out again. You can spend a lot on a nalgene made bottle or something made by the fuel vendors but it's pretty hard to beat a plastic booze flask for carrying your alcohol. They are somewhat oval and fit well in an outside backpack pouch. The are made of higher strength plastic than soda bottles and thus much more durable. They are semi-transparant so that you can always see how much fuel you have left.

I carried a 10oz flask all the way from GA to Katahdin last year and it's still going strong. Empty it weighs around 2 oz and it has a leak proof cap over which goes a 1 oz measuring jigger. I'm one who tends to measure out my fuel so that jigger is a nice feature.

You can generally find these flasks in spirit shops and they are readily available on-line. Just type in "plastic flask" on a Google search screen.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[tlbj6142]

Plattypus Lil' Nipper softsided bottle with a pull-top lid. 19g. Holds 12oz. And more importanly, you can squeeze out the excess air so you don't hear your fuel sloshing around while you hike. I hate that.

A twist top for this bottle is now available from www.backpackinglight.com which is probably easier to use than the platty pull-top I use now.

[sierraDoug]

Well it's summer and I'm going into the Sierra's soon here in CA so I finally made a fancy alcohol stove. I'd already made one to Chris' spec's last year. Last weekend I made a Penny Stove
http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/stove.html
It's nifty. I'm going out for three days this weekend and will try them both out.

Thanks for the help. This site is the best...even if it is full of AT lovers : )

[Frosty]

Medcine bottle are good and tight and useful for alcohol, and are very light. I went to my pharmacy and asked if I could buy an 8 ounces liquid medicine bottle (for alcohol) and a four ounce one (for olive oil). The guy just reached into a big box and gave me one of each. Nice thing is that the sides are graduated. I did mark a skull and crossbones on my alcohol bottle, something that is a good idea when you store toxic stuff in containers normally used for consumables.

[Lilred]

I mentioned this on another thread ...so, at the risk of repeating myself I'll just throw it out again. You can spend a lot on a nalgene made bottle or something made by the fuel vendors but it's pretty hard to beat a plastic booze flask for carrying your alcohol. They are somewhat oval and fit well in an outside backpack pouch. The are made of higher strength plastic than soda bottles and thus much more durable. They are semi-transparant so that you can always see how much fuel you have left.

I carried a 10oz flask all the way from GA to Katahdin last year and it's still going strong. Empty it weighs around 2 oz and it has a leak proof cap over which goes a 1 oz measuring jigger. I'm one who tends to measure out my fuel so that jigger is a nice feature.

You can generally find these flasks in spirit shops and they are readily available on-line. Just type in "plastic flask" on a Google search screen.

'Slogger
AT 2003

I carry my alcohol in a plastic flask I got at walmart. 16 oz with a screw on top and a 1 oz measuring jigger. Cost me about 3 bucks and works great. I kept alcohol stored in it for a year with no problems. Look in the camping section.