Alcohol stoves?
Can someone explain how these work and how they are made? Also if you know the average weight of one of these (minus fuel) that would help a lot. Thanks in advance :]
Usually weigh an ounce or less, Basically made out of the bottom of a soda can with some holes drilled on the rim or sides, about an inch and a half hole cut out of the bottom of the soda can base, use about 2 inches off the bottom of the can and secure a base to the bottom of that, There are instructions available but I bought my Alcohol stove so I'm not sure where, I posted a review on my PackaFeather Stove:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62856
There are others review as well, Click on forum, then scroll down to gear reviews and click on cooking.
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.
I've been using a Trangia mini-28 for years. Comes with pot, small frying pan(actually it's the lid to the pot), burner, simmer ring, and burner stand. All together weights close to a pound. It's old school but very dependable. 16 oz of denatured alcohol lasts about week give or take a day.
Twilight
You pour flammable liquid in a metal container and light it. ~ Thousands of designs, many different materials (I have aluminum, brass, stainless steel, tin and titanium models) - a few can simmer - some have external alcohol containers and wicks - endless possibilities. Mini Bull has some unique stoves.Originally Posted by Grizzz
Also check out Zelph's stoves, great quality one piece stoves and inexpensive too.
http://www.bplite.com/viewforum.php?f=59
The lightest homemade stoves (search on-line for directions) are measured in grams, not ounces. Mine weighs less than 10 grams, practically negligible. Some designs need an additional pot stand (you can use three tent stakes or rocks for no added weight) and a wind screen, usually a piece of aluminum foil.
One thing to keep in mind about the alcohol stove is that the fuel weighs much more than gas per unit of energy. If you find yourself carrying more than 10 oz of fuel very often, you start breaking even with a gas stove. I don't carry a stove any more, but when I used to, I wouldn't carry more than one ounce of fuel per day, and I seldom went more than five days between resupply.
They're not for everyone. They're perfect for boiling a cup or two of water per person per day--that means only one hot meal. If you need to cook multiple meals for a group, or like lots of hot drinks, or need to melt snow, or boil your water to purify it, you may be better off with gas.
The best fuel is denatured alcohol (sold by the ounce in many trail towns), but you can also use gas line antifreeze (HEET), rubbing alcohol (sooty), windshield washer concentrate, grain alcohol, etc. I've heard high-octane booze (over 140 proof) works, too. You can usually find something to burn, so you don't have to mess with cannisters or white gas on long trips.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
re: Alcohol stoves - YouTube videos
Take some time time to watch the assorted alcohol stove videos on YouTube. Most cover construction and usually include a demo on lighting and using.
I used the SuperCat stove for my recent 2-week section and had no problems. Dropped significant weight on my "kitchen." Enjoyed the reduced weight on my back. The SuperCat video is included in the AT playlist on my blog shown in the sig below.
Appalachian Trail Online Course
http://at-trail.blogspot.com
Information and resources for the A.T. hiker
Follow @section_hiking on Twitter
http://Twitter.com/Section_Hiking
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage_can_stove
Thanks!
Thanks for all the help! Lots of good info here.
LOVE my SuperCat!!!
NOBO section hiker, 1066.4 miles... & counting!!
Grizzz,
Check out this link to Jason Klass's videos: http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-choose...or-backpacking
In addition to the other sites cited above, you should have PLENTY of info about alch'y stoves.
FWIW, I like the Unican stove: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzGJzUxnwCM
It's not quite as simple to make as the Super Cat but hey, if a Slack-jawed troglodyte can build one, ANYone can...
Slack-jawed Troglodyte
Cat stoves are a great start easy to make and always work. BUT! Zelph's stoves are quite impressive. I made many stoves that work great but I still bought one from Zelph it was $10. shipped and is a work of art.
I tried making one and it didnt work at all. I tried at this thing for three hours. I dont belive I made it wrong. Perhaps it was because I was using rubbing alcohol? 70%. The can didnt seem to get very hot which might not have caused the fuel to vaporize. Any help here?
Rubbing alcohol will not work.
Try denatured alcohol ( any good hardware store, home depot, lowes, Look in the paint section)
Heet ( gas line antifreeze, pure methanol, try an auto parts store )
Don't give up, your almost there
I'll go pick up some HEET tomorrow and see if that works. Thanks!
Also does anyone know of any adverse health affects of these stoves? Breathing in burnt antifreeze doesnt sound too healthy.
Rubbing alcohol can work, although it the purity makes a huge difference as with any type of alcohol. I've found that I can get 70% to burn reliably at home, but
is inconsistent on the trail. 99% burns well on the trail, but it nearly impossible to find when you need it. I won't even bother with 50%.
Make sure you pick up HEET in the yellow bottle. The red bottle is the same as rubbing alcohol, except with other impurities that will make your head hurt.
The alcohol at automotive and hardware stores have other things in them other than alcohol that can be very harmful. There's an article on Backpackinglight that you might be interested in.
The antifreeze he spoke of is not the same as the type you put in the radiator of your car.
Other than the soot that cooking with 99% rubbing alcohol creates, I use it because it supplements my first aid kit. That said, I prefer to go without cooking gear.
I tried out the HEET today and got the water to boil...after about 12 minutes. It was a pepsi can side jet. Im gonna try making another and see if that goes better.
goya-stove
www.backpacking.net/makegear.html
Last edited by atraildreamer; 08-17-2010 at 21:14.
"To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." - T.S. Eliot
I thought it would be a lot of fun to build one, but with a trip coming up at the end of September, I was just running out of time. I bought a stove kit from Survivor Dave (http://www.atsurvivordave.com/) for about $24. I fired it up last night for the first time; it ran for about 12 minutes on 1.5 oz of alcohol and brought 2 cups of water to a boil in about 6 minutes.
Disclaimer: Of course, I was using central Texas tap water (warm) and it was still about 100 degrees outside...
I put everything inside of an Evernew 1.3L pot. The entire mess kit weighs about 5.6 ounces, but I still need to come up with a small light container for the alcohol. Also room in there for soap, scrubber, etc.
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