So I go to look something up on wikipedia today, and guess what the featured article was? That's right! :-) A soda can stove.

Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia that anyone can add an article to. Great resource.

Good, because I was about to post a new thread on alcohol stoves. A while back on another survival forum, they were introduced, as well as the methods of home manufacture for them. I've personally had the chance to examine one and damn, they're light!!

Also, from a survival standpoint (not just backpacking), it seems to make a lot of sense to use a fuel that neither requires pressure to contain nor refinement to manufacture. In essence, it's a fuel that in a post-apocalyptic world with no modern manufacturing facilities, may be made with an ordinary still, and the fuel itself may be transported in any water container (theoretically - in practice, we'll carry alcohol for the stove separate from our water) without any special attention towards a pressure container nor the equipment necessary to recharge it.

What I'm asking is, has anyone actually USED the pop-can alcohol stoves?

ZEN Alcohol Stoves Home Page

The only drawback I see is the lack of a method for adjusting the flame other than raising or lowering the item cooking higher or lower on it. It's either on or it's off, and you must be able to do whatever it is you're doing in one shot without refill, because it's not practical to refill it while it's burning, nor soon after as the can itself gets quite hot...the good news is that it cools quickly as well.

So, other than the obvious, what could be some drawbacks to using the alcohol stove that aren't present with other backpacker/survival stove options? I mean, the need for a wind shield (another essential piece, though light) a pot stand (yet another semi-essential piece unless you design the stove itself to BE the pot stand) and the possibility of perhaps a grill stand (for multiple burners for perhaps grilling or even heating a cast-iron griddle for pancakes?) which would add to the weight...

I guess after all that rambling, I'm just wondering if I should retire my little backpacking butane stove and go with the alcohol stove in my BoB and want to have some idea of what sacrifices I'll have to make in convenience in order to get the benefits already mentioned?

The Stove In Use - Short 1.31 Meg Mpeg

Here it is being lit using a warming pan, the pot stand, then a wind shield, and finally setting the pot on top.


Panz

There are several threads where members have posted test results and real world experience with a "pop can stove" A search for the word "stove" will also yield similar threads comparing comercially available stoves as well as the home brewed variety.

Yeah. I'm not much of a camper, but I made a couple for fun. Then I lost power for a few days
and used the "toys" to cook a couple of meals a day.

I liked mine a lot. Having never done this before, I was pleasantly surprised by how fast
I could boil water / reheat food. As you mention, though, a pot stand of some sort would
have been nice. I just held the metal cup over the flame for the few minutes it took.
I didn't need a windscreen since I did this in a sheltered area, but I can see where you'd
want one if you were exposed.

I remember seeing (but didn't make) some ultra light windscreens and stands that pack with the
stove and add very little additional weight.

Don't forget to polish the bottom! :-)

I have been considering writing an article about home-made solid "Nesbit" fuel stoves, but frankly there isn't a lot to say. The fuel just burns, so all you need is a slightly raised platform to put the fuel on, and another above it to put the pan on, and perhaps a windshield. Bent tin will do. They are even lighter than the pop-can stoves, and if you make it yourself you can design it to fit a PSK/Comfort pack so that it takes almost no room.

It could still be useful. How 'bout:

* Picture of stove, picture of fuel
* Link to fuel (What is the fuel used in the stove? Is it toxic? How long does it burn? How long
will it keep? Light when wet? Light with a spark, or need a flame? Weight?
* Explanation of stove use and history (When did they become popular? Who uses 'em?
Examples of food cooked on one, cooking times, smell, tips and warnings)

A Wikipedia entry doesn't have to be long to be useful. Anything is more useful than nothing, and
your entry may inspire someone else to add content to it.

There are a lot of people on this forum I'd like to see add a wikipedia entry... Lots and lots of smart
people here. Share the wealth, y'all. :-)

I've only ever used alcohol stoves to boil water, and for that they are great. Slow, but very quiet.

For those unable to manufacture their own stoves, let me suggest these products:

http://www.antigravitygear.com/

You can get a stove and windscreen for $12. While each unit is handmade, they are utterly top-notch quality.

This particular design does not require a pot stand, as the pot rests directly on the burner. The burner will easily support a standard cinder block and then some, so don't ask me if the pot can crush the burner. It can't.

I use alcohol stoves almost exclusively for hiking and backpacking. They do require a windscreen for optimal efficiency, but many types come with windscreens built-in.

For example, the larger Trangia sets include beautiful aluminum windscreens that are more like large bowls with appropriate holes.

http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/sea...rchterm=trangia

One can also get a really inexpensive mess kit by searching for surplus Swedish Trangia mess kits. I don't think the burners in these kits are necessarily made by Trangia, but they are of similar quality and with the integrated windscreen of the kit are very efficient. These are my kits for the car trunk and for the house.

http://www.will.copeland.btinternet.co.uk/SA_Trangia.htm

In terms of overall efficiency, for long trips the weight of fuel puts alcohol stoves second to Esbit stoves, and both are less efficient than wood stoves for long hauls.

However... You can console yourself that if you dilute the methanol, you can also use it as an antiseptic. And if you use Everclear, you can take a nip of your stove fuel while you're waiting for your water to boil.

Bear

Yep!

Myself and 3 scouts went on an over-night at a camp backpacking outpost program, Becasue of last minute schedule hassles, the program director led our group instead of one of her guides. In her rush to base to meet up with us after finishing her required tasks as program director, she forgot to fill the fuel bottle with white gas.

I happened to bring my can stove for fun to heat up some instant coffee in the a.m.. Turns out we needed it to cook our dinner. The holes are too big in mine so the fuel burns too fast with a big yellow flame, so it took two fillings to heat up enough water for rehydrating the meal (6-portions of Chicken and Rice.)

Be prepared!

We made one at work and it works perfectly!
We used a Coke can and user ONLY a knife to make it.
We got the instructions from 'Backcountry Living' mag. or one of the other ones like that...The same mag that has the bow making instructions in the current issue, with a turkey on the cover.....
We used it with rubbing alcohol to make char cloth!
I have also used it with denatured alcohol, which works better than the 70% rubbing alcohol, but the best results were with Everclear(while I do not drink, I bought it to clean water bottles with...It works very well and evaporates completely leaving no residue in the bottles...
The Everclear was the best fuel I have used in it...It did not have hardly ANY smell while burning(the denatured alcohol had a rather unpleasant odor to it...Which is strange considering that the can spec.ed it for restaurant food warmers...
I have not tried any of the medical grade alcohol, but I do not think the difference between 190 proof Everclear(95%) and the 98% stuff would make much difference.

What was that he used to light that stove??? It looked interesting...