I never thought of this recent purchase as bug-in gear, but it passed the test tonight. A Trangia alcohol stove.

Some friends and I got together for wine, cheese and fondue. Turns out the Sterno for the fondue set wouldn't stay lit (possibly too old?) I pulled out my Trangia burner that I had just bought the other day on a whim. Poured a few ounces of HEET alcohol into it, fired it up, and it kept a pot of oil boiling for two hours! I'm talking a full rolling boil, and the flame adjuster was set way down (maybe 1/3 open). I couldn't believe how long that stove lasted on one filling of fuel. There was still some left when we finally have to snuff it out.

While not the best home-cooking-without-electricity device, it would certainly work in a pinch. And it's cheap. This little burner must hold 3oz to 4oz of alcohol at most. I was expecting a few minutes burn time. But it kept going and going and going... Maybe without the flame adjuster and running at full power you'd get less time. But I was astonished at how long it ran at the 1/3 setting.