I imagine there are a number of gear junkies here. I made my first alcohol stove from a soda/pop can (7-Up as I recall) and it worked fine considering the price. There are lots of options. One stove that I bought on a whim and haven't yet used is a Vargo Hexagon Wood Stove. There are places I have hiked (but not in a while) where the small branches from trees are readily available on the ground and will provide a near endless supply of fuel. Otherwise, for SOCAL, there are a number of backpacking stoves which use white gas, kerosene or iso-butane fuel, but for my counter-top the Gas One stove seems an ideal back-up.