I have seen somewhere a few small stoves that run on butane lighter gas. You just stick that can nozzle in the bottom of the stove, fill it up and you get a stove that is like a super jumbo lighter. Thought it cool and may need something like that for light cooking (maybe some tea, noodles ..etc.) I figured wherever I go , that butane can is available and can use it to recharge the stove.

Any idea about good ones out there ??

Thanks

I've seen a few butane stoves, but they all connected to a separate cannister. I've never seen a refillable one. They might be useful for mild conditions, considering how inexpensive they are.

It's worth considering that alcohol and propane seem to be available everywhere too, and there are plenty of inexpensive, proven stoves for these fuels.

I'd be interested to know what you come up with.

Also note that butane turn liquid at a high temperature. 7 degree celsius if i remember correctly. So cooking in cold temperature is going to be a issue.

I live in a hot area ( Middle East ), so cold temperatures are not an issue except maybe a few winter nights. Besides I may need it in ( mild environments ), that means indoors, where perhaps electricty is not available or not convenient.

It just adds more options , especially in small package liek a GHB or BOB.

By the way, I have looked for yellow HEET (methyl alcohol) in our market but couldn't find it. I will keep looking though because I remember seeing red and yellow gas additive fluids in some gas stations.

I have seen methyl alcohol (yellow HEET) in a number of You-tube videos and it seems another good option for some cases. But the good thing about refillable butane stove is to put the EMPTY stove in the luggage when travelling and butane refills are available in most stores in any city.

If you mean luggage on airlines, forget it. They will not allow a refillable stove that has EVER contained fuel. They're more reasonable if it's the burner-only portion of a stove that attaches to a separate disposable cannister. Just a heads-up.

Thanks for the heads up
I meant luggage in car or bus travel. I myself don't like to be in a plane anyway and have long since travelled by a plane.

Mostly, I need it for (what if) in our family trips by car or bus. Or maybe my business trips that can last 2-3 days within a few 100 miles radius. Sometimes we go to work camps or stop at some scenic area, and you know.. what is a scenic area without a cuppa coffee.

Not considering other issues ( like security) and focusing on personal issues only, this butane stove seems to be the the least of headache besides an esbit. Liquid fuels can spill in luggage bags and they smell too.

Back to plane travel. I have given it some thought because we prepared folks have to think: what if ???

IF I had to go by plane ( God forbid, LOL ) , I have in mind two options. One is ( hope someone helps me find it ) an iron that can be flipped upside down ( handle becomes the base ) and you can cook or warm things on its hot surface. The other one I need badly is a small half-liter electric kettle which I have found in a store nearby and like it very much. With both of these, I can manage most of my cooking or such.

A lot of alcohol stove users are swithing to
Klean-Strip "Green" Denatured Alcohol or Crown "Next" brand. Apparenlty they have a much higher ethanol content, which is what you want in alcohol, and slightly less toxic than regular denatured alcohol.

If you can get it, I think Everclear is the best thing on the market for alcohol stoves. At 190 proof it's 95% alcohol and it's completely food safe. Price varies, but by me it's less than $15 for a fifth. It also works as an antiseptic, and you can even drink it if need be (though I wouldn't advise drinking it straight).

Along the same lines, If you make pine needle tea and then mix in some Everclear after you let the tea cool, it makes an alcoholic beverage similar in flavor to gin.

(Disclaimer: Drink alcohol at your own risk. Don't drink alcohol underage. Don't drink alcohol and drive or operate machinery/sharp objects. Don't drink alcohol if you're pregnant. Finally, if you do decide to drink alcohol, make sure to do so responsibly.)

Thanks everyone

If I would use ethyl alcohol I can use sterno which is fueled by alcohol and it is ready out of the can. However, it is only found in large stores with camping or barbeque sections.

I am mostly interested in butane for availability of refills in any store, and Esbit which is solid (won't spill or be affected in hot weather ).

Esbit fuel is not available around either, but I may use the esbit stove with coals smeared with petroleum jelly.

That may work. LOL

First, just to get some facts straight, butane will not vaporize below -1C. So, as long as you're staying a few degrees above freezing, you will get at least some pressure in a canister of butane.

The most common butane type of stove I've seen looks like the one in the below photo:

Note the butane canister in the photo, which is the type of canister used by this stove. Typically, the canisters contain about 230g of butane. Here in Los Angeles, CA, USA, the canisters are available for as low as $1.00 (USD) each.

These aren't the lightest stoves, so I probably wouldn't take them if I had to carry them on my back, but they're fine for picnics or home use. Here in the US, they're primarily used by the restaurant industry. These stoves and their canisters are about as cheap a stove as you can get.

A word of warning: If you use a large pot on this stove, the pot can reflect heat into the fuel canister. If the fuel canister gets hot enough, it can explode, just like any other stove. It's important to use a pot whose diameter is such that it doesn't significantly overhang the location of the fuel canister.

HJ