Alcohol stoves?

[Slack-jawed Trog]

I still need to come up with a small light container for the alcohol. Also room in there for soap, scrubber, etc.

For a container just "re-purpose" a used water or soda bottle. How much alcohol do you think you will need for the meals and "uh-oh's" on your hike?
Test cook a couple of meals at home to help you gauge your fuel requirements. Then re-purposed a bottle just large enough to carry the fuel you will need. :-D

Soap and scrubber? An SOS/Brillo pad in a baggie or use your bandana and some Campsuds or Bronner's. Gotta wash that bandana sometimes. ;-)

YMMV

[MkBibble]

... How much alcohol do you think you will need for the meals and "uh-oh's" on your hike? ... Then re-purposed a bottle just large enough to carry the fuel you will need. :-D

Soap and scrubber? An SOS/Brillo pad in a baggie or use your bandana and some Campsuds or Bronner's. Gotta wash that bandana sometimes. ;-)

YMMV

You wash your bandana? Uh oh! I thought they were supposed to smell like that...

The next trip will be 7 or 8 days. I'm looking for a 18 to 20 ounce container that has the right dimensions to fit within the pot. I carry a tiny scrubber pad and a small bottle of Campsuds that will also fit nicely in the pot.

[Knocky]

I am still using an old Swedish Military Trangia alky stove. A bit heavy, but it is dead nuts reliable, wind proof, and I am used to it.
I carry HEET to burn in it.

[mdbuckman]

If you were camping with a kid (13 year old) would you take one or two alchol stoves? Is it practical to boil a liter of water on a single alcohol stove?

[mdbuckman]

BTW - Meant to say that I have a trangia with a westwood stand and a homemade windscreen - but realistically can this set up cook for two or should I pop for another alcohol burner...

[Skidsteer]

BTW - Meant to say that I have a trangia with a westwood stand and a homemade windscreen - but realistically can this set up cook for two or should I pop for another alcohol burner...

That set-up will cook for two easily.

[Daydream Believer]

I wanted to revive this thread to say that I bought a Packafeather XL stove and LOVE it. I used it yesterday to cook some noodles outside on my front porch. Boiled water fast and then simmered nicely for 10 minutes or so. I used maybe 1 to 1.5 ounces of fuel...if that. It's hard to be sure how much at this point...but there was a good bit left over to put back in my fuel bottle.

I love their system for fuel bottles also that has a little tube that will pour out the alcohol and siphons it back in when you are done. No mess.

It has a nice windscreen also that you can get that works really well and seems more effective than the aluminum foil ones I've seen folks use.

Good little stove and I'll give it a try on my upcoming 11 day section hike.

[SMSP]

How many of you all just use the HEET bottle for carrying stove fuel?

It holds 12oz. off the shelf and has room for what looks like around 4 more ounces or so. Of course, that gets on the heavy side obviously.

Anyway, I used HEET last night on 3 cups of water on two different boils in a Titan Kettle using a Vargo Decagon with 1 ounce of fuel. A windshield was used although there wasnt any wind. I got times of around 15:30 and 15:45 minutes when the stove went out. This was on the kitchen stove in control conditions with tap water. Based on my testing, I am getting about a minute more burn with HEET than with SLX Denatured Alcohol.

Is this consistent with everybody else that HEET burns a tad bit longer than SLX Denatured Alcohol?

SMSP

[WILLIAM HAYES]

I use a tea light stove that I made -with an attached potstand it weights maybe alittle over 1.5 oz -easy to make check out Jason Klass's website he provides instructions on how to make one -burntime depending on ambient temperature is about 8 min on a little more than 1/2 oz of fuel -I modified Jason's stove and added fiberglass insulation
hillbilly

[Odd Man Out]

Previously, I have just kept alcohol in the HEET bottles it came in. But for my next extended hike, I thought I would use a mouthwash bottle. They come in several sizes and they have a large opening for easy refilling. Plus, they have a large cap that could be used for measuring fuel. Anyone tried this?

[Farr Away]

I keep my fuel in an old campsuds bottle that I marked ounce measurements on. That way I can just squirt the fuel directly into my stove, and not have to worry about a measuring device or spilling fuel on my fingers.

It works for me.

[JAK]

I use mostly wood, and mostly hike close to home, so when I use alcohol I use the good stuff. I think the good stuff is the stuff sold as rubbing alcohol as 95% denatured alcohol, with a little camphor as well. Great stuff. Great fuel, and also very safe as a disinfectant and rubbing alcohol and aftershave when needed. Not safe enough to be used as a mouthwash, but safer than most alcohol fuels for external use and probably safe enough for disinfecting wounds in a first aid situation, diluted to 50/50 or whatever.

I keep a bottle in the bathroom. I haven't taken it on hikes yet, but that is what I use when I mess around at home with my ION stove or a tealight or whatever. Not sure what I will use for a bottle yet. It comes in 500ml I think, which is too big for what I would use it for, which is just a supplement to wood stoves and for first aid and disinfectant type uses. I think 100ml would probable serve me well enough. What
s that? 3-4 oz or so. Not sure of best cap. I like a squirt top, but something that can't flip open. Lightweight also, and flush so it doesn't add more volume. I'll have to find something. I'll probably use it for hygiene as much as for fuel, but I think 3-4oz for 5 days will still be enough. Shorter trips, still small enough maybe, and can just use a little more. Maybe a smaller bottle for 1-3 day trips.

So what is a good squirt top that can also seal tight ?

[JAK]

Perhaps I should make it more clear what denatured alcohol I am talking about.

It is stuff marked as "Rubbing Alcohol" but is 95% ethanol, not isopropyl. Also, the other 5% is mostly water. There is no naptha in it or acetone or methyl ethyl ketone or methanol.

The principle denaturing agent is Denatonium,
which only makes it VERY BITTER, and very little is required.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium

It also contains Camphor, which is mostly for the pleasant smell and some pseudo-medicinal qualities when used as a rubbing alcohol.

There is one other thing, which I think might be the most harmful if swallowed, if you were desperate enough to get past the taste of the denatonium which is supposed to be possible. Anyhow, this other thing, can't remember what it is, but it is there to make you sick. Not sure if it will blind you and kill you. Probably if you took enough, but again, you really can't drink this stuff because of the denatonium. I don't think you could even use it as mouthwash. Not sure. Haven't tried. This third thing might be either methyl salicylate or diethyl phthalate, but I can't remember which.

I have used it as aftershave and a splash under my arms and its very pleasant. Great on the feet. Camphor is there but not too strong, and quite pleasant actually. Works great as fuel at 95%, but I haven't done comparison tests with the Ion Stove yet. I think it would Rock.

[Farr Away]

...

So what is a good squirt top that can also seal tight ?

The campsuds bottle I mentioned will hold 6 ounces filled all the way to the top. It's actually a 4 ounce bottle of soap. Coghlan's also makes a 2 ounce bottle, which would probably hold 3 ounces filled all the way.

[Mzee]

Im gonna try making another and see if that goes better.

Your journey to the dark side is nearly complete.

Soon you will be surrounded my aluminum shrapnel and will be digging through trash cans for raw materials. Don't ask me how I know this...

[JAK]

The campsuds bottle I mentioned will hold 6 ounces filled all the way to the top. It's actually a 4 ounce bottle of soap. Coghlan's also makes a 2 ounce bottle, which would probably hold 3 ounces filled all the way.

Great. Thanks for that. Good bottles for what I will be using it for also, since I'll be using it sort of like soap as much as for fuel, and it is not so much deadly toxic as just virtually impossible to swallow. Still, might use a red marker or something, but rather than label it FUEL, I will label it Rubbing Alcohol, since that is really what it is and what I will be using it for as much as for fuel. I wouldn't want to call it FUEL and using it for rubbing alchol, because then if I ever did put something like methanol in it I might use it as rubbing alcohol or whatever, or my daughter might see me using something marked FUEL as an aftershave and rubbing alcohol and get the wrong idea. So I guess its safest to call it what it is.

[Black Wolf]

My Fancy Feast stove weighs .2 oz and is dead simple to make. The main thing about alcohol stoves is that they're great for boiling water, not so great at "cooking" as in simmering, etc. Since I mostly do freezer bag cooking using dehydrated foods, it's perfect for me.

You can buy them from several sources, but the various kinds are usually easy to make and it's fun to experiment.

Check out http://zenstoves.net/ for more than you ever wanted to know about alcohol stoves.

**WOW**..more then enough..maybe not...but certainly enough...some people have way too much time on there hands... love the site...

[Oogie Boogie]

This kid sounds like a doofus, and the music is questionable, but his method and design are pretty well spot on. This is how to make your own penny stove for dummies. It works, I've tried it. It will also work without the sealant, but the sealant helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj7PIhjPLxA

Dirt cheap, DIY. A sharpie, two soda/beer cans, scissors, some insulation or steel wool, a thumbtack and some sealant (optional).