Majorly disappointed with alcohol stove

[moytoy]

Just an FYI, the the pot actually sits on top of the alcohol stove I was using - there is no way to get the height wrong.

Someone chided us earlier for continuieng to post help for your alcohol woes. I will assume since you posted the above comment that you have not totally given up on the alcohol. The alcohol will do the job if you have the time to mess with it. If not, another stove might be your best bet for now. I see you are leaving soon for your finish of the AT. Go for the mountain and Good Luck. I hope to accomplish what you have some day.
Now for something that I have conquered, the alky stove. The stove you are using must fit the pot you are using to be efficient. I personally don't like the stoves where the pot sits directly on the stove. Anything that coveres the botton heating area of the pot cuts down on efficiency. Another thing to think about is where the pot is in relation to the flame. The part of a flame that has the most heating potential is near the top of the flame, not at its base. I'm talking here about a pressurized stove not a wick stove. A wick stove has slightly different flame caracteristics.
A wick stove is easy to light but does not mix the air and fuel as efficiently at the pressurized stove. Anyway that gives you some fuel to think about on your hike to Katahdin.

[StarLyte]

I concur.
I also carry multiple stoves.

I carry the StarLyte and I carry an esbit.

I even take them to hiker events in a neat carrier

[nitewalker]

mtn dew lite super stove + heineken pot + windscreen + fuel = priceless

i still love my pocket rocket stove just as much especially if im looking for quicker boils, mainly colder temps...

[Darwin again]

I still used it for a coupla hundred miles, then switched to an esbit system. I found the minuses to be that the liquid fuel is spillable and doesn't work so well in the cold. To each his own.
...
I was only lieutenantly disappointed with my alcohol stove.

[leaftye]

I assume you have a side burner stove. These are less efficient with skinny pots.

Priming the stove is one area you can work with to save a significant amount of fuel. I'm about to start experimenting with Jason Klass's method of wrapping a kevlar wick around the stove. This may knock off up to 30 seconds from your total time.

Try different fuels. Isopropyl alcohol has the most amount of energy, but unfortunately it creates a lot of soot and a big flame that can be rather inefficient if it shoots up the sides of your pot. The efficiency can be improved somewhat if you dilute it with water, but then it gets harder to light and you're carrying a less potent fuel. You can find isopropyl alcohol in rubbing alcohol and Iso-HEET. Ethanol isn't bad, but it's a little hard to find pure-ish forms of ethanol unless your state allows the sale of the good Everclear. You can also get a methanol/ethanol mix if you buy regular HEET, but methanol has much less energy and is "unhealthy", although I think it may be easier to light in cold temperatures....testing to follow. I forget what mix of alcohol is in denatured alcohol, but I believe it is mostly ethanol denatured with bad stuff like methanol/ketones/benzene.

[Monkeyboy]

I use the Super Cat. Obtain boil of two cups of water in four minutes.

Can get the alcohol anywhere, where as esbit you may or may not be able to find.

Love my super cat.........

[Pony]

I have a total of about $1.50 and 2 ounces wrapped up in my stove. Sure it's not the most efficient stove in the world, and it kind of looks like something a hobo would heat up a can of franks and beans on, but it gets the job done.

But, what really chaps my hide, is when I've got something important to do, but I'm late because it took 8 minutes to boil my water.

[KnittingMelissa]

I still used it for a coupla hundred miles, then switched to an esbit system. I found the minuses to be that the liquid fuel is spillable and doesn't work so well in the cold. To each his own.
...
I was only lieutenantly disappointed with my alcohol stove.

Hahaha, I giggled at that.

I've had some great success with my stove in the cold (WY winter cold, no wind screen), though I need to build a second one. The first is a bit bruised and battered (it should be of note here: Starbucks Frappachino cans have very thin skins and, while they will work, they dent very easily. I suggest thicker can). I'm thinking Sunkist or Pepsi for my second one, do a few test runs during the snow storm this weekend and then see how it performs. (Side burner model with air intake on the top, actually seems to work pretty well.)

[STICK]

I have a few Pepsi can stoves that I made and a Supercat. I made some of the Bud Light bottle stoves, and also ordered the White Box Solo. It is incredibly fun to do, and rewarding whenever they work out. I was surprised by the very first Pepsi can stove I made. It will bring 2 cups of water to a boil in 8 1/2 to 9 minutes and will burn for ~ 13 minutes.
I also have an Optimus Crux stove. It is very nice, but I sent it back because the burner wasn't to stable. After reading others reviews of the stove I concluded that mine was not right. I contacted Optimus and they tld me to send it in and they would replace it. Simple as that, no questions. So I sent it last week and awaiting the new ones arrival!
I never thought a kitchen could be so much fun!

[chris948]

Were you high up? I know my pepsi stoves performed way differently at 6k feet.

[10-K]

Were you high up? I know my pepsi stoves performed way differently at 6k feet.

No, I was on the Foothills Trail in SC - between 1000-2500' for sure.

[Tabasco]

.....you will all be eligible for corporal punishment.

[10-K]

.....you will all be eligible for corporal punishment.

I tried to keep it private...

[Tabasco]

I tried to keep it private...

I suppose there could be a Colonel of truth to that.

[Darwin again]

I hate to be a major pain, but isn't this thread generally about alcohol stoves?

[Cuffs]

The caldera cone itself was not really designed to be a windscreen on its own. Its made to support a specific pot at a specific height over the flame. using the stove you did, I think you have almost smothered the flame by using the cone as a wind screen. Try using the pot made for your particular cone with the stove that it goes with, and I think youll have better success.

[1234]

To me, a stove defines one personnality quickly.
alcohol stove, laid back, calm, everything in due time.
Pocket rocket type, instant gratification type, in a hurry for everything. gotta have it now type.
Gas type, not a risk taker, plans everything, steady, why change someting that works.
So I can walk up to a table in front of a shelter and just look at how you are cooking and know a little about the people there.
ME, I never hike alone always with 3-4. We carry 2 stoves, alcohol and pocket rocket. I never boil water. I heat meals to almost to hot to eat. Cannister is for coffee, hot choc. rice meals. I have never burned a meal with alcohol, cannot say that about gas or cannister stove. If set up proper 1 oz of alcohol should heat a 3/4 liter noodle meal in less that 10 min.(feed 4 hikers) You can light it and walk away and go get water or set up tent or your bag in a shelter. In about 10 min you open up the meal and steam is comming off it, ready to eat, do not need to wait for it to cool down. A rice type meal will require 2 heatings or 2 oz of alcohol. UNLess you hydrated it for about an hour prior to heating. I have never understood the requirement to boil water? No one can eat anything that hot. If you have a need for speed. Do not cook with alcohol, it is that simple. What ever suits you is OK, it really is fine, mine is not better than yours, It is just what I am comfortable with and enjoy.
I remember how many times I burned food in the thin cook pots, it does not clean out well, it adds foul taste to your next meal. One good lesson to know is that cannister stoves can be unstable, on a picnic table that moves every time someone sits down. Nothing like watching you dinner spill. Your stove is fine, what ever you choose, be happy with it.

[10-K]

The caldera cone itself was not really designed to be a windscreen on its own. Its made to support a specific pot at a specific height over the flame. using the stove you did, I think you have almost smothered the flame by using the cone as a wind screen. Try using the pot made for your particular cone with the stove that it goes with, and I think youll have better success.

I didn't use the cone as a windscreen for the alcohol stove - I used a different screen for the alcohol stove.

I used the cone only with the esbit stove.

[zelph]

Old thread but interesting. I came across it while googling for packafeather info. After reading through the thread I thought I'd share a message I got in the mail today:

I spent this afternoon comparing your Cobalt Soloist to the Batch Stove 2.0 (BS 2.0) and the White Box Stove (WBS). I tested each stove with 2 cups of water and 20 ml (2/3 oz) of denatured alcohol. I tested three different pots: GSI Soloist; GSI MicroDualist; and GSI Ketalist. What I found out is that your stove boiled two cups of water with 20 ml of alcohol in all three pots with flame out occurring a minute or so after the boil. The WBS and BS 2.0 boiled the two cups with 20 ml of alcohol for the Ketalist and MicroDualist with flame out happening less than 30 seconds after the boil. However, on the Soloist (smaller base pot) neither the WBS or the BS 2.0 reached a boil before flame out. They only made it to around 188 degrees Fahrenheit.


Speed to boil: the WBS was the fastest, BS 2.0 was close behind, and the Cobalt Soloist was quite a bit the slowest; however, had the most burn time after reaching a boil - approximately 60-80 seconds after boil. Still it typically had a boil in around 6 minutes which is very respectable.


My conclusion is that your stove is best all around. Works with 20 ml of fuel to boil two cups of water on all three pots. One thing I really like is that it blooms right away so I don't have to watch for the bloom and then put the pot on. I can put it on right away. I'm guessing that it has something to do with wick material you use between the body of the stove and stainless sleeve.


I'm looking forward to testing it in the field. Thanks again for building a great stove. I'm going to order another one as a back up in case you stop building them.


John

[bangorme]

What do people think of the Trangia alcohol stove? I used one for years and it's done well. However, now that I've changed to a smaller pot I'm suspecting that it's wasting fuel.