Alcohol stoves

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ScottT

ScottT

10 Year
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
Threads
15
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319
Location
Texas Hill Country
is anyone using an alcohol stove for camping? I just got a couple of surplus Military alcohol mess kits for an emergency kit with freeze dried food. They work great with cheap 91% alcohol from a pharmacy. Did I mention cheap? I' ve used msr and Coleman stoves, (and a few others in the past) and like these a lot. They are much like a chaffing dish an I was able to get an attachment to simmer. They are called Trangia stoves. Scott
 
I've used alcohol stoves (penny stoves, hobo stoves, etc) for years. The first time I used one, I actually got kind of pissed that I paid so much for a Brunton. Though my white gas Brunton works flawlessly, the alcohol stoves are tough to beat when it comes to price and weight. I make a new one from a beer can every year. They do lack the ability to control the flame/temp, but with the price difference it's pretty hard to justify anything else for trips when weight is key.

For camping out of my LC, I still use my partner stove. That will always be my go to. But again, for backpacking, cheap alcohol stoves are tough to beat.
 
For backpacking I use the cat food can stove with holes punched in the side with a paper hole punch. I use Heet for fuel. Mostly just cook ramen or instant oatmeal. Uses almost no fuel if you soak the food first and then warm it up. I made a second one with way less holes to simmer with, though I don't think I've ever used it.

http://andrewskurka.com/2011/how-to-make-a-fancy-feast-alcohol-stove/
 
Check out this guys videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/tetkoba
The older ones are just fascinating to watch.

In terms of BTU/pound it's tough to beat naptha (gasoline).

That said if you are into extreme light weight back packing (ie base pack weight under 7 pounds) the alcohol stoves work because the stoves are so light and you typically don't need to do more than heat a couple of cups of water a day.
 
Regular rubbing alcohol will leave black soot on your pots. I pick up some denatured alcohol at Lowe's etc. cheap and burns clean.
 
Heet is the best choice for alcohol stove.

I'll post a youtube review later on this stuff.

IMG_20150509_172209796_HDR.webp
 
I have many different kinds of alcohol stoves ranging from can style to billet aluminum. They are ok for the most part for boiling water and small boil meals. They are woefully underpowered in cold weather. I have put all mine into the "been there done that" pile.
 
Correct. I don't like the small gas burners (forgot their name, you can put them in your pocket, that's how small they are). For cooking on a skillet, I wouldn't use the alcohol type burners. Nothing beats a good wood/coal fire.
But if you want to travel light, then you have to limit yourself to some easy and simple meals which can be easily done on an alcohol stove.

The Trangia cook set looks good, seen some videos on it. It comes with a wind screen cleverly engineered to also direct the heat up and around the pot, therefore not wasting a lot of heat through dissipation. I am talking about the 25 and 27 models.
 
I bought mine as emergency gear for the fj60. We sometimes get far into the boonies solo so carry a good bit of survival stuff. Base camp is usually a RV.
 
ScottT said:
I bought mine as emergency gear for the fj60. We sometimes get far into the boonies solo so carry a good bit of survival stuff. Base camp is usually a RV.
Click to expand...
If it goes into a vehicle you might as well get one of the little canister stoves. Stick it inside a 3# coffee can along with a couple of cylindersr and you have a complete system to boil water and heat food.

I have one of these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultralight-...e-Mini-Camping-Stove-Gas-Burner-/261498673911

That along with a couple of canisters cost next to nothing and will out perform an alcohol stove hands down any day of the week.

Alcohol is not an efficient fuel.
 
One trait of burning alcohol is the flame is invisible, or nearly so. So if the alcohol is spilled or boils over, you will likely not see a flame until the surrounding materials start to burn. Something to keep in mind.
 
doug720 said:
One trait of burning alcohol is the flame is invisible, or nearly so. So if the alcohol is spilled or boils over, you will likely not see a flame until the surrounding materials start to burn. Something to keep in mind.
Click to expand...
On the upside alcohol is water soluble so it's pretty easy to put out a fire, which is why alcohol stoves are popular on boats.
 
One other thing worth mentioning is that alcohol stoves don't work well at high altitudes.
 
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