Esbit Wing Stove Test/Question

Hi, <br><br>For those interested, here are some test results and a question: I just received an Esbit Wing Stove this weekend (http://www.thru-hiker.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=EB101) and did some backyard testing as follows:<br><br> - Esbit Wing Stove <br> - 1 Esbit solid fuel tab<br> - 1 qt. aluminum pot with lid<br>(http://www.gsioutdoors.com/NewFiles/44120.html)<br> - windscreen from MSR Whisperlite<br> - 12 oz. of water<br><br>Results: Using the pot lid and windscreen, I managed to achieve a rolling boil in about 8 minutes. Not too bad for a stove that folds up and weighs less than some pocket change. And now the question: For those that have more experience with the Esbit stove, what is the optimal pot to use? I've heard of the MSR Titanium Kettle on the high end (http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/cookware/msr_tikettle.html) and the WalMart Grease Pot on the low end, both of which are reported to give good results, but with a $30 difference. Any thoughts?<br>

Hi,<br>my experience is, that pots with a thin bottom part yield good results. As you should burn the whole fuel tab anyway, a little difference in time shouldn´t be of much concern. When you´re not going for extremely lightweight gear, a cheaper kettle might do the trick. I prefer stainless steel to aluminium because it´s easier to clean.

I couple years back i bought a 16 oz. stainless "camping mug" type cup at Wal-Mart. ABout 5 dollars. I have no experience with the wing stove, but use the reg Esbit and this works good for me.<br><br>Good luck.

I carry an Esbit stove. Guess I'll have to check out the pot at Wallyworld. I've been trying to fit the titanium kettle in my budget without much success lately. What I carry now is a coleman SS cup which is adequate for heating soups and drinks. I havn't tried an MRE in it yet.

An old backpacker's trick is to blacken the bottom of all pots to enhance absorbtion of heat. No personal experience, but been told it makes a dramatic difference. Some well stocked hikers stores carry a product to blacken pot bottoms.

Update: After posing the same question on the Backpacker Magazine boards, I got a reply from someone who said they really liked using the GSI Hard Anodized boiler (http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/accessdetail.cfm/GSI1070) Looks like it's worth a try. I have a GSI aluminum non-stick mess kit and have been very pleased.

I have the GSI Hard anodized boiler. It's a good piece of equipment. I use it together with a stove / stand from the mini trangia.<br><br>The only beef if have with it is I still can't get out some of the scrambled egg bit at the side of the cup! <br><br>I had a hard time deciding between the GSI boiler and the mini trangia so I bought both. The stove / stand of the mini Trangia is kind of heavy compared to a home made alcohol stove, but I like the reliability of the trangia.......<br><br>

What I found works the best is a metal coffee or camp cup.Is is compact and easy to carry.You can cook soup, boil water or just about anything with it and it works well with the esbit stove.<br>Hope this helps

A lid can be made for the cup from aluminum flashing (easily cut with heavy scissors). Aluminum foil has proved too fragile in my usage.

You can use spray paint sold for repainting gas grills.

I use the real thing - campfires <grin> - however, it does NOT stick well to stainless steel IME. Aluminum seems to "take" blackening from a fire really well; there will be a loose layer that one should wipe off and eventually a lovely patina of hard carbon builds up. The first time on a stove is, er, um, "aromatic" in a hopefully pleasant way, and there after it's just on there.<br><br>Takes a lot of use to get that patina, though.<br><br>Tom

The few times I've used my Esbit stove, blackening wasn't the problem - wiping off the tarry crud was. I used a Sierra cup in the past but always got the residue all over the place when I went to store it. Did I get a bad batch of fuel tablets (they're Esbit tablets) or is this normal? I'm going to try a piece of aluminum foil under the pot to prevent making such a mess.<br><br>I like carrying the stove when I'm snow shoeing at Mt. Rainier in the winter. It's nice to have a hot cup of tea or cocoa and the park discourages (prohibits) gathering wood for a campfire. The Esbit is in one of my PSK's anyway so I have it with me.

Nah - I was talking about using a pot on a gas stove that had previously been used on many campfires. The Esbit-type tabs can leave that crud, especially in cold weather, but I carry my kettle in a cotton sack anyway - soot from campfires was the original reason for sewing up the bag.<br><br>Esbit stoves are in all of our day packs and they work fine for us, but they are back-up (emergency gear).

I used the Hexi tabs on my aluminium mug and they blackened it quite badly but after reading this I leave it on.

I've recently been advised that the hexi stuff is toxic, not just the smoke but the residue so it's probably not the kind of thing you want to get onto your eating utensils.<br><br>Justin

I expect it wont do any damage on the outside of my mug.
Talking about my mug it si right by side on the desk. needs reblackning but it is my second best friend as it is the only mug I got here in england!
In one place where i moved in for a small time everything was sooo dirty I even used it for shaving!