Backpacker's stove

Boats,

Do you do any reloading? I can appreciate you wanting silence. I like to set up near rapids, and the time it takes to set up and cook is short, so noise isn't an issue for me. One thing I like is that I can use mine to set up outdoors in the best ventilation and melt down lead for molds. The base is sturdy enough to take, I don't know how many pounds and hold it safely. Everything has its pluses and minuses I guess.
 
I melt my lead in an electrical pot, like just about everyone else. The only way I'd see myself melting lead with a camp stove would be in the field if I were a muzzleloader. I could probably use a cast iron pot and a fire for that though.:D

Are you saying you just take your 123 and melt lead in the backyard or something?
 
It depends on your expected use. Based on some other posts, I think you're interested in section hiking the AT and going fairly ultralight. This site has a table summarizing a survey of AT thru-hikers. I'd say the winners from the survey would be Coleman white gas stoves and alcohol stoves. Coleman stoves failed at half the rate of MSR stoves. Alcohol stoves had no failures. Sure, this was a small sample, but it was of thru-hikers, not of someone that tried the stoves for a weekend.

As a MSR Whisperlite owner, I'd suggest a Coleman instead. I like the look of the ones with integrated fuel tanks, so dinner doesn't involve assembling the whole Rube Goldberg contraption each time.

I've personally moved to a soda can alcohol stove when I go solo or short trips. They're a bit tricky to build, but fun if you have the time. It took me three tries to build an acceptable one and I should build a few more to get a slower burn rate. They're simple and clean.
 
My Coleman Peak 1 has messed up twice. The last time it was leaking and it wouldn't hold pressure. I sent it back to the factory. They fixed it. I think I got it in 1984 or 1985. The first time it needed fixed they just blew some dirt out of it. I'm thinking that was 87. The time it went to the factory was maybe 2 years ago. Not bad for 20 years.
 
For short trips/day trips I use a variety, depending on my mood:

Trangia
Svea 123
Primus Classic Trail canister stove

For long trips, snow trips, and when I will be doing fancy cooking, I use an Optimus Nova.

Research the pros and cons of each type of stove and decide which features are most important to you.

Alcohol - Very simple, reliable, no noise. Low heat output for the volume of fuel, slower cooking, difficult to do fancy cooking that involves simmering, and flame control is problematic. Susceptible to wind.

Canister - Simple to use, many models can turn down for simmering. Most models are a little topheavy because the stove sits on top of the canister. If you use butane/propane instead of isobutane/propane, does very poorly in temps near or below freezing. Susceptible to wind.

Liquid fuel - Very good in cold weather, and you don't have to carry as much fuel volume/weight for the same heat output. Many models are very good at turning down for true simmering (Optimus Nova, MSR Dragonfly are two). Multifuel capability in many models. Most liquid fuel stoves are very stable. Usually performs well in wind. Usually requires a little more assembly, pumping, and priming to get going (that being said, I can go from pulling my Nova out of my pack to a full flame in one or two minutes, so it's hardly an ordeal). Some liquid fuel stoves are noisy.
 
hollowdweller said:
...What I have been using last couple of years, and really like is the Sierra Wood burning Zip stove. It weighs about a pound, and you can get a titanium one that is even lighter. It burns little peices of wood, pine cones, chunks of charcoal out of fire rings work great. Since (hopefully) your fuel is all around you you don't have to carry any wood, and it has a little battery powered blower so it starts quicker and heats a bit faster than the plain wood so called hobo stoves. Since most of us are knife and chopper freaks anyway, it plays into our natural love of cutting and chopping stuff and puts it to constructive use.:thumbup: ...

Another thing I have been trying lately is if I am just doing stuff that requires boiling water or something simple just creating a tiny "fire ring" and cooking over it using about the same size fuel as cut up in the one pic.
Click to expand...
That's fascinating, I've never seen a stove like that before. Does it work reasonably well without the fan, supposing you have battery problems?

It IS surprising how well you can cook over quite a tiny fire. Well, it was surprising to me when I first tried it! :D

Andy
 
Boats said:
I'll probably be in the minority, but I am a convert to alcohol stoves.

There are designs that weigh mere ounces, to full fledged Trangia cooking systems. Beginners can try out alcohol cooking with a $10.00 Swedish milsurp.

Svea_Stove_002500.jpg


Once you find out how cool it is to have a system where the fuel is relatively benign, available universally, operates silently, and doesn't suffer badly at all from all of the myths surrounding it, you may find yourself building a stove that amazes even the most jaded backpacker who has never seen it before--the penny alcohol stove, with simmer ring:

http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html#
penny2.jpg


After I built a really well executed version of the penny stove and packed it along to play with, I dumped a Whisperlight with its greater weight and maintenance requirements.

Yeah alcohol is slower and cold prone, but the first is just a lifestyle change and the second is easily combated. With alcohol, if you want something boiling, you take two minutes, set up the stove and put on your water first. Then in total silence or against the ambient noise of nature, you set up the rest of camp. Easily before you are done, you have a roiling boil.

As for the cold, it is simplicity itself to use some tinder in the wind screen to heat the aluminum body of the stove to promote the evaporation of the alcohol.

The best part of ETOH stoves is that in the best triple use purpose ever, one can carry more expensive "drinking" fuel that will also make a fine disinfectant/pain killer in a first aid emergency. Try that with kero.:D
Click to expand...

boats,
do you use that setup there because it looks interesting and something i would try how much is it for stand messkit and stove like that

and Pict
is that gamo pellet can just the can that you pour the alcohol into with holes drilled in the lid and do you screw the cap althe way on?
 
ajcz said:
boats,
do you use that setup there because it looks interesting and something i would try how much is it for stand messkit and stove like that
Click to expand...

I use that stove, particularly in the summer, because it is small enough to fit in a day pack if I want to really rough it. I just take a small SIGG bottle with a screw top and put it in one of the bottle holsters on the pack as the fuel bottle, sling an aluminum pot from the daypack holding the stove and its components, and I am ready to go. In rougher conditions and later in the year, I pack a Trangia 25. If I go snow camping, I bring a Whisperlite.

The stove has cost me about three six packs of Heiniken in the required cans, the penny required for use as a pressure regulator, and about five hours of my time learning the crafting skills for making it through two abortion stoves and one really good one made on my third attempt. I don't really count the beer as an expense, since I would have bought some anyway. I guess I am out under a dollar in can deposits I didn't claim.

The materials for the stand and the windscreen were less than $8.00

I use an Open Country 2 quart non-stick "billy pot" that cost about $12.00 when I bought it three years ago. I put everything stove related in the pot except for the fuel, and it stays closed with two Velcro straps I sewed together to make a secure travel kit out of the pot.
 
A.W.U.K. said:
That's fascinating, I've never seen a stove like that before. Does it work reasonably well without the fan, supposing you have battery problems?

It IS surprising how well you can cook over quite a tiny fire. Well, it was surprising to me when I first tried it! :D

Andy
Click to expand...


I had one for a while. Its unique. I had no luck using it without the fan. You need the fan. It works well with the fan, just make sure you have a couple of spare batteries. :D

KR
 
A.W.U.K. said:
That's fascinating, I've never seen a stove like that before. Does it work reasonably well without the fan, supposing you have battery problems?

It IS surprising how well you can cook over quite a tiny fire. Well, it was surprising to me when I first tried it! :D

Andy
Click to expand...


Forget it without the fan.

If the battery went out I'd just build a little circle of rocks and use it the same way.

It won't cook as fast as the Zip Stove, but there are a lot of non electric wood burning stoves you can make. Basically a coffee can with some hardware cloth and vent holes. Here's a link to some homemade ones:

http://zenstoves.net/LinksGeneral-DIY.htm#WoodBurningStoves
 
hollowdweller said:
Forget it without the fan.

If the battery went out I'd just build a little circle of rocks and use it the same way.

It won't cook as fast as the Zip Stove, but there are a lot of non electric wood burning stoves you can make. Basically a coffee can with some hardware cloth and vent holes. Here's a link to some homemade ones:

http://zenstoves.net/LinksGeneral-DIY.htm#WoodBurningStoves
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link, I'll have a look at those. The Sierra stove doesn't seem to be available in the uk.

Andy
 
A.W.U.K. said:
Thanks for the link, I'll have a look at those. The Sierra stove doesn't seem to be available in the uk.

Andy
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They don't want you playing with fire that doesn't have a knob or switch regulating it.;)
 
Wow! I did not expect such a great response. I now have plenty of information and stoves to choose from. Thank you.
 
Another vote for Jetboil here...two years and over 60 days in the field - best thing I've ever tried. New version is even cooler.
 
In reference to the Penny stove.





The stove has cost me about three six packs of Heiniken in the required cans, the penny required for use as a pressure regulator, and about five hours of my time learning the crafting skills for making it through two abortion stoves and one really good one made on my third attempt. I don't really count the beer as an expense, since I would have bought some anyway. I guess I am out under a dollar in can deposits I didn't claim.

The materials for the stand and the windscreen were less than $8.00
Click to expand...


Had the same exerience making the stove too(three trys to get a good one) and now can't see why everyone shouldn't have one of these in thier car or truck. I'm not a backpacker, but this the coolest stove I've ever seen that is homemade.
Made the stand out of stainless welding rod(free)
 
I am really impressed by the homemade alcohol stoves.

I made one out of a pop can, and have been using it to make my evening's hot water. Even being a little sloppy with the fuel I can get a pint of water to the verge of boiling -- plenty hot for "add hot water" type cooking. I figure around 20 grams of fuel per use (3/4 oz). The pop can stove itself weighs only 1/3 oz. It does exactly what I need for summer excursions, no more, no less.

I have not measured the weights of my white gas stove, but the alcohol stove weighs nothing in comparison. The pop can is faster for small quantities of water and cleaner burning too. And vastly more reliable: no parts to clog, break, or freeze up. There are a lot of things it cannot do, but its shortcomings are not a factor for my typical summer outings.

I gave a talk to a group of boyscouts this evening, showed them my pop can stove. They and their adult leaders seemed quite taken with it, and I think they will try it.

So, thanks to all who posted links and information about these devices (and the manufactured ones too). It certainly opened my eyes to something which I had long dismissed.

Scott
 
Ajcz,

"Pict, is that gamo pellet can just the can that you pour the alcohol into with holes drilled in the lid and do you screw the cap althe way on?"

Yes, this was my first attempt to make an alcohol stove and it works great. I could tweak the design a bit. I fill it about halfway and pour a little alcohol on top. The alcohol on top heats the stove to vaporize the alcohol in the bottom and the flames shoot up from the holes. It works very well and cost nothing to make.

VShrake recently sent me a stove he had made from a Kiwi shoe polish can. It has lamp wick coiled tightly inside and the top of the can has a depression worked into the metal to hold a pool of alcohol for priming the stove. I haven't tried it yet, but I will probably tweak the Gamo can stove like this as well. I have a few more cans and plan to make a full set of these for use by my students.

I'm always on the lookout for low cost, functional, home made gear. The guys I take out in the bush are all cash strapped. I am as well when it comes to outfitting the course. Mac
 
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