Opinions on Alcohol stoves

[Derek0525]

Was thinking of getting the Evernew Appalachian set for packing in. Never used an alcohol stove before so just wondering pros and cons of this all i need it for is to boil water dont plan on cooking with it. How much fuel should be taken for a 5 day trip planning on boiling water maybe 2 times a day and what should be used to pack fuel that wont spill.

 

[seldomseensmith]

Its such a tough question to answer. I have a bit of a stove fetish and have spent a lot of time testing different stove/pot setups. Alcohol stoves frustrate me in that I just wish they were better. They are slow to boil, prone to flare ups and not likely to save you weight or space. I take mine on day trips for a hot lunch because they are fun. If you decide to use one I suggest testing different pots to get the best setup you can come up with. And do your tests for fuel estimates in the real world, as in the type of situation you will find yourself in come hunting season. Boil times can get long at 4 am in the mountains. My opinion is all.

 

[Gorp2007]

I'll second the fact that you've got to test your stove and equipment yourself to figure out fuel requirements. As for transport, I've used an old, plastic Squirt soda bottle with no ill effects. Other options are plastic travel flasks (built in shot glass for measuring fuel) or a used plastic liquor flask. You can buy some cheap rotgut and get the bottle cheaper than a travel flask.

Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk

 

[Derek0525]

I have a few butane stoves but was just looking for something a little less weight. Might just buy a cheper alcohol stove and try it out

 

[oenanthe]

Seldomseen pretty much nailed it. Alcohol stoves are great for warm weather. And alcohol is a nice fuel because you can buy it in most any small town and if it spills in your pack it won't stink it up. I still use an alcohol stove for things like bike touring in warm climates.

But I don't even consider alcohol stoves for backcountry hunts, unless it's to heat hot drinks on a day hunt. For any trip that's much longer, a canister stove will have lower overall weight and much greater convenience.

 

[Dobermann]

I know alcohol stoves get short shrift, but like others above, I like them when the context is right.

Pros - fuel is available almost anywhere geographically, can be sourced from multiple kinds of stores (grocery stores, hardwares, drugstores, and so on), it's cheap, it's not proprietary, and in the long run you could even make it yourself.

I like stoves that can use both alcohol and solid fuel - whether a manufactured fuel tablet, or just sticks, pinecones, etc. One of the best is the Solo Stove: Amazon.com : Solo Stove Lite - Compact Wood Burning Backpacking Stove : Sports & Outdoors Beware cheap knock-offs!

As for carrying alcohol, Trangia make a bottle that has an inline pourer. This means you don't need to take off the lid to pour it (possibly getting the lid dirty or losing it - and meaning you don't need two hands). It also reduces the chance of the flame leaping up an into the bottle, if you were unlucky enough to be pouring it into some half-used fuel that hasn't gone out properly: the pourer is spring-loaded, and if you let the bottle go, the fuel cap locks off and more fuel doesn't come out: Amazon.com : Trangia Fuel Bottle, 1-Liter : Empty Camping Stove Fuel Bottles : Sports & Outdoors

I didn't explain that well; just look it up and I'm sure you'll find a better description!

 

[seldomseensmith]

I have a few butane stoves but was just looking for something a little less weight. Might just buy a cheper alcohol stove and try it out

I have a friend that took his family of 4 on a week long canyon trip last year with a cat food can alcohol stove, aluminum Bud Light bottle full of fuel and a titanium pot. He swears by it. I couldn't.

 

[mfllood3800]

I have a few home made alky stoves, don't like them cause of the alcohol at altitude and long boil time.
I even used hand sanitizer in one as I could carry it in a compact bottle while in the pack. That's basically the same content in those fake fireplace cans that people use to light up their fake wood.

I have a little wood pellet type as well, I think is better. Its just a couple vegetable type cans. Wood is easily accessible.

The little alky stoves I have are so light and compact they are cool- definitely a novelty idea more than practical while mountain hunting at elevation. Mine works fine up to 10,000.

 

[mfllood3800]

here are some of my home made set ups using alcohol, fuel gel, cotton, wood pellets etc....

 

[gobbler1662]

I have used the exact same evernew set you have for years. IMO is the best out there as far as alcohol. You just have to get used to slower boil times. For 4 day or shorter hunts there's some weight savings after that the canister stoves msr windboiler or jetboil pass in efficiency

 

[Jimbob]

Slower boil, alcohol can spill, overall less convent.

If I am camping/hiking and just enjoying life then alcohol is not bad. If I am hunting I would not even consider it because I have bigger things on my mind and want the most convenient set-up. I have only made a cat stove and used that, cheap way to try it out.

 

[Voyageur]

Reviving this thread to see if there is anything new in the world of alcohol stoves. I have a Trangia that I enjoy using on the tailgate of my truck for making coffee. During a recent backpacking trip I spent considerable time tossing around the idea of substituting a titanium alcohol stove for the heavier Trangia.

 

[one good leg]

I have used alky stoves for years and have had no problems. Used the cat food can one and one by Zelph stoves. For people who say they do not work in the cold, I have used mine in subzero weather. Cannisters do not do as well unless inverted, or other tricks.

Gotta have a good windscreen for it. Made mine out of several overlapping strips of Aluminum Foil. If you are using it to boil water, use a short, wide bottom pot. That way the flame can have 100 percent contact as opposed to a tall slender pot where the flames go up the sides.

Yes, they take a while to boil but I always found other things to do while waiting for this to happen.

Can use the yellow heat from gas stations, rubbing alcohol, and in a pinch have seen moonshine used ( to a great effect!!) If you use the cat can it will work with esbit as well.

Weight what you need it for. Boiling water yes. Snow melting find something else.

 

[KnuckleChild]

i have a homemade cat food can stove somewhere. I think it was like 2 oz of alcohol was enough to boil the amount of water I needed, I had a little plastic shot cup that was exactly the right amount I kept in it to measure and just measured out enough for the trip plus a few days into a plastic bottle when I have used it. It works, never tried it in much wind. Not sure I’d want to mess with it while hunting.

 

[BBob]

I went through the same years ago as SSSmith. I too wanted to like them but for hunting situations they just didn’t work for me. I made several of my own, bought some but they just didn’t win out over a canister. There’s just flat more messing around with them than a canister stove and in bad conditions they are definitely a fail in my book.

 

[Southern Lights]

Alcohol stoves are my favorite. Just buy a Trangia burner. The weight difference over others is minimal (Trangia with cap and simmer ring is only 4ozs.) and the Trangia has a cap where you can store a day's worth of fuel in it directly without needing to carry a bottle. This is great for day hikes away from camp. It also has a simmer ring you can use to lower the temps for cooking things like eggs without burning them, etc.

The Trangia is made of brass because how it handles heat gives it a really consistent burn vs. metals like Ti from what Trangia told me years ago (yes, I asked if they were going to make any Ti models and they told me no because brass works better in their testing).

A Trangia with something like a Clikstand or the Trangia knock off is lightweight and works well in all weather. The Trangia pot system is called a "storm cooker" in Sweden because the harder the wind blows the hotter it gets. The Trangia nesting pots like the 25/27 series is great for a base camp, but not likely something you'd carry though.

For winter alcohol is harder to light, but easily solved in two ways:

1) Put a "wick" in the pool of alcohol like a small stick or leaf. Light the wick and the flame will heat the alcohol and light it.
2) Just carry the sealed Trangia in your jacket pocket for a few minutes and bring the temp up. Then take off the cap and light it when you are done setting up your cookset.

Here is a list why I think alcohol stoves are great:

- You always know how much fuel you have vs. a canister.
- You can bring exactly how much fuel you'll need without overage.
- They have no moving parts to break or small orifices to clog.
- They work in all weather, even pretty cold temps where canister stoves can slow down depending on the gas mix. I wouldn't use them mountaineering, but in most camping situations I've always had good luck with them.
- They are silent and I like being quiet when on a hunt.
- You can make a very lightweight stand using a few pieces of bent wire, or use a pre-fab stand like a Westwind or Clikstand with windscreen.
- Easy to meter our fuel and know how long you can burn. A full Trangia will burn for about 25-28 minutes with about 8 minutes to boil 1L of water. A full Trangia with cap can easily heat up breakfast/lunch/dinner for an average person.
- Fuel is non-explosive and can be stored in hot vehicles, etc. without worrying about leaks or bursts. If it leaks in your pack it just evaporates and your gear is fine.

Are they slower than canisters? Yes. But not by much and I'm not in a huge rush anyway when in the woods so it's never bothered me. Maybe it takes 3-4 minutes to boil 1L with a canister and 8 minutes for alcohol.

I use canisters as well and they are convenient and safer to use inside tent vestibules though. Alcohol stoves can spill and the flame is invisible so you need to be careful about how they are handled vs. canisters.

At the end of the trip you can pour your unused fuel back into the main bottle. With canisters you end up with a bunch of partially used bottles that often aren't empty enough to toss, but not full enough to bother taking out with you.

So yeah I'm a fan and think the simple Trangia burner is one of the best stoves ever invented. Paired with the right stove stand they are simple, light and work in most environments without any drama.

 

[rclouse79]

I went through a major alcohol stove phase. I built a half dozen with different numbers of burner holes and measured time to boil with my pot to pick the optimal design. I was pretty proud of myself. I brought it to Colorado for an elk hunt and found out it didn’t work very well in the snow or at high elevation. When my buddy had already eaten his mountain house while I was still trying to get my water to boil I decided the first thing I would do when I got home was buy a jet boil.
They are fun to play around with if you are camping and have nothing better to do. If you will be getting back to camp at dark and are exhausted they are not as much fun.

 

[Voyageur]

Alcohol stoves are my favorite. Just buy a Trangia burner. The weight difference over others is minimal (Trangia with cap and simmer ring is only 4ozs.) and the Trangia has a cap where you can store a day's worth of fuel in it directly without needing to carry a bottle. This is great for day hikes away from camp. It also has a simmer ring you can use to lower the temps for cooking things like eggs without burning them, etc.

You mentioned the simmer ring...I think I know what you are referring to, but would you please explain a bit further? Thanks.

 

[BBob]

You mentioned the simmer ring...I think I know what you are referring to, but would you please explain a bit further? Thanks.

The Trangia has a flat riveted on cover that can be slid/pivoted over the top of the burner so you can throttle it or open it up as needed for heat output. That’s the only alcohol stove I kept. I haven’t used it in forever, it sits in the car box as an emergency stove. I never used the simmer ring.

 

[Southern Lights]

Yes the cap is how you snuff out the stove or open/close the top to control the flame. For boiling water only you don't use it.