There have been several recent threads about lightweight stove setups. I have contributed my two cents to this issue here and there, so let me throw in a few pennies more.

Using the earlier discussions as an excuse to waste an otherwise gorgeous evening (68 degrees (F), no wind, no ?Sopranos?), I decided to do a little test. Armed with same fallible and rigorously un-scientific methods used to test fuel economy (that is, your mileage may vary?.) and three common, low-tech, inexpensive, stove setups, I held the First Annual??

Cliff?s Duel-of-the-Standard-Issue-Stoves.

Here?s the lineup: Stove set-up ONE was an Esbit Stove (one Esbit fuel tab) with the large pot from a West German Army mess kit. Stove setup TWO was a US canteen cup and a Natick stove/stand (one Esbit fuel tab). Stove setup THREE was a Trangia stove (full of alcohol fuel) and the pot and surrounding windscreen from my Swedish Army mess kit. The pots on stove ONE and THREE each had 1 litre of water, and stove TWO had .75 litre of water. (It won?t hold any more. Sorry.). Outside conditions were as I stated earlier.

Yes, I know ? no mods to anything. I wanted to see how these set-ups worked AS DESIGNED.

And, they?re off: I applied a light to each.

Stove Setup ONE: The Esbit tab burned for 12 minutes, and heated the water to the point that little bubbles appeared on the bottom and part of the sides of the pot. But nowhere close to boiling. No steam evident. If you are only looking to heat water for coffee, or to heat your rations, it?ll do. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Stove Setup TWO: The Esbit tab burned for 12 minutes, and heated the water to almost the boiling point. And I mean almost. Steam rising. For a one-man operation to heat water for coffee, or cleaning, or to heat rations, not a bad rig. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Stove Setup THREE: The Trangia Stove worked as advertised, and in 12 minutes the water was in a hard, rolling boil. Lots of steam evident. Say no more. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Observations/conclusions:

The Esbit MUST have a windscreen to be effective. Even on a night with no wind.

With a top, the Canteen Cup will bring water to a rolling boil. I use a second canteen cup (sans handle) for this. Turn it upside down on the first cup. (for storage, it nests inside the first cup.)

I left the Trangia burner to burn on, and it ran out of fuel 36 minutes after the test started. That would be 4 boils of water from one fuel load.

Overall, the West German mess kit is a better design than the Swedish. The middle pan that nests inside has come in handy many times. But the Swedish kit has that windscreen as a part of the issue kit, and the Trangia stove, too. Both German and Swedish kits would be great base for building an emergency kit. Frenchy here has already done something similar with a French mess kit.

I would love to make a kit setup combining the West German kit with a slip-on windscreen and the Trangia Stove. Anybody here do metalwork? Tom?? <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

What does this have to do with being equipped to survive? Simple - survival is not just a lost-in-the-back-woods thing. More than likely, our emergencies will be as a result of an earthquake, a hurricane, or blizzard. The ability to heat/boil water will be a high priority. (I remember our family?s time after Hurricane Betsy, and my parents having to boiling water to drink. Or, ask someone from Florida?) Yes, a Coleman Stove and several gallon pots would do nicely, but they are kind of tough to carry under the seat of your car, or in a pocket of a day pack.

So that?s my say. Hope this helps.

?..CLIFF