Hi Jim,we havent met,Im a newbie but welcome back.

Like your pictorial,very nice.

The overwhelming majority of campers around here use gas (propane) stoves, in addition to "campfires" off course. But wood is scarce and there are more and more laws against cutting trees.

Being more of a prepper than regular camper, I wanted to STORE stoves in the car trunk and other such places to use in case of emergency. Propane and liquid fuels are risky, and that is why I was looking for solid fuels, including coal . Maybe we can look at gasoline as a special case liquid fuel becuase it is already there in the car, but it has additives and generally we are not used to it and its risks. Although some campers are trying to propagate it , for its cheap price here if for nothing else.

Back to rubbing alcohol. I may have to check in drug stores. Hoever, it doesn't burn as cleanly ( effieciently) as denatured alcohol. Even esbit tabs seem to burn cleaner. I will be looking forward for anything you write about that in the future.

In the past, I have used denatured alchohol for my daughter's art class. That would be ideal as a clean fuel to store at home and then take out in emergencies. Shelf life is better than gasoline, but I cannot find it anymore.

HEET gas additive ( methanol) is not vailable here.
Other brands are available and it is not known to me what they contain.

Anyway, I found a heap of esbit tabs with some distributor who imported them "by mistake" as BBQ firestarter. They were more expensive (relatively) cmpared to the regular firestarters so he doesn't seem eager to repeat his "mistake". I bought about 200 tabs and hope for someone else to repeat the same mistake. So far it is my prefrerred prepper stove fuel, but since it is not always available I am still exploring the stove world for other alternatives.

Again Jim, your work is really appreciated.

ESBIT is by far the most stable of the various fuels typically used for portable stoves. ESBIT is very safe. It's actually a little bit hard to light. ESBIT is my fuel of choice for car trunks, caches, etc. It's a low flame velocity fuel, so you need a windscreen, but a bit of household aluminum foil or the lid from a caterers tray or the like will do.

I too get a little nervous leaving either gasoline or canisters of propane in my trunk, particularly if were there on an extended basis. There's a good safety factor on propane cylinders, but ... after 3 years or something? Dunno.

As for isopropanol, there are now stoves that will burn ispropanol cleanly. I intend to review one for my blog in the very near future.

HJ

Esbit is what I use for caches and kits that are tucked away in anticipation of emergencies, although for short term use, I have no problem with isobutane canisters which are super reliable, lightweight, and easy when used with the appropriate burner head. I understand isobutane is lighter than air and will disperse, unlike propane, which has the undesirable characteristic of pooling in enclosed spaces.

A little bit of handcleanser helps the esbit tab to get going....

Nice tip! Thanks hikermor!

Actually, both propane and butane (or isobutane) are heavier than air and can pool and can be very hazardous. You'll see this in news reports sometimes: propane leaks from a stove overnight and then someone stikes a match in the morning, basically the house is removed from the face of the earth at that juncture. I'm going to go ahead and call that hazardous. Now, the amounts in portable stoves are much smaller, but still I would NOT leave a stove attached to a canister in an enclosed space like a car's trunk. If you left the valve slightly open... Well, that could be, um, bad.

Good tip. A shot of alcohol (methyl, ethyl, or isopropyl) also helps. If you havn't got any form of alcohol along, try this: put your ESBIT tab on the edge of your stove, overhanging a bit. Get your match underneath the ESBIT. When it lights push it into place with your knife. Alternatively, torch type lighters work really well (some time labeled "windproof"). Lastly, you can always shave some bits off the ESBIT with your knife, and the bits will typically light more easily than a whole tab. There are a couple of tricks to working with ESBIT, but it's really a nice fuel after you've got the hang of it. Perfect for office BOB's, car emergency kits, caches, etc. It does have a low velocity flame, so it's VERY susceptible to wind, so inclusion of a windsreen is really important.

HJ

Jim, thanks for the correction on butane. good to know....

Probably not a real concern in a well ventilated area like the outdoors or even most tents, but in campers, huts, maybe a cave that you've take shelter in (I've done it), it could be, um, an issue.

HJ

Welcome back Jim! Great review. Can't believe I've never thought of using my ti pot as a dutch oven. Good stuff.