Educate me about Alcohol Stoves....

[Quirt]

Marion,

Apprarently you didn't see my post about the Trangia Spirit...I included photos. The group I train with uses the Trangia exclusively. We have over 20 of them within our group. We've used it from 300' to over 4000' elevation under some of the most extreme winter conditions (almost zero visibilty, sub zero temps, blizzard conditions in a tarp shelter) with no failures and no problems. Just buy alchoal at your local hardware store or paint store...stock up and you're set for years.

Keep in mind EVERYTHING is a trade off...the Trangia will work fine but it will not heat as rapidly as a pressurized stove which is forcing fuel/air out.

 

[theobetts]

I have a couple of the titanium alcohol stove, but use the same one that Quirt has (see pics on page one) It is by far superior to the ti one's although it is a little heavier. My Dad usually uses an old school white gas stove but fell in love with my alcohol stove after trying it. Had to buy him one for Fathers Day.

 

[Marion David Poff]

Marion,

Apprarently you didn't see my post about the Trangia Spirit...I included photos. The group I train with uses the Trangia exclusively. We have over 20 of them within our group. We've used it from 300' to over 4000' elevation under some of the most extreme winter conditions (almost zero visibilty, sub zero temps, blizzard conditions in a tarp shelter) with no failures and no problems. Just buy alchoal at your local hardware store or paint store...stock up and you're set for years.

I saw yours, it was your post that reminded me about it....

I was just hoping to get more responses on it.

Marion

 

[Marion David Poff]

I use the Trangia Spirit Burner and Windscreeen because it is lightweight, holds enough fuel for two pots of meals, seals up tight so I don't have to dump back into fuel bottles or waste fuel. It burns hot and has a flame regulator for simmering. I use it with the Trangia wind screen and the MSR Ti pot. The MSR Ti pot is sooty because I use it in camp fires whenever I can to conserve fuel and to satisfy my primative tendancies. They all nest together perfectly along with an old leather glove used for holding a hot pot while eating and moving hot things around and a piece of green scour pad to clean up the oatmeal.

One of the reasons I prefer Alchoal over other fuels is because it can be used for a multitude of other purposes in the wild besides stove fuel. It removes pitch, tar off of tools and hands like magic, it sterilizes hands after processing wild game from hunting and many other things...

PROS: Completely silent, odor free, smokeless, cheap, and easy. Perfect for hunting or when one wants a low physical footprint/presence. No moving parts and rugged even for a dork like me. Holds enough fuel for two pots of boiling water/meals. Has a "snuffer" to put the flame out. Seals up for transport without having to mess with transfering fuels. Has a flame regulator. The nesting set up is also quiet...once assembled no rattling or noise whatsoever.

CONS: More expensive than making one but still very affordable. If half asleep and get in a hurry one can burn up the rubber seal on the lid if put on the burner without adequate time to let it cool (duh!). Needs additional windbreak (they all do) in order to make it efficient.

I bought the entire set up at www.ofagear.com

With the glove that makes for a very fine set.

Marion

 

[desmobob]

I have a modern Trangia burner and a few Trangia and Svea surplus alcohol burners, and I think they're great for a solo hiker.

If I plan to do more "serious" type cooking or cook for more than myself, I bring a small self-contained white gas stove (Coleman Peak 1).

I messed around with some different pop can DIY alcohol burners and didn't get the results I had hoped for. The Trangia and surplus Trangias and Sveas are so inexpensive, I gave up on the DIY projects.

Stay sharp,
desmobob

 

[Quirt]

Marion,

Here is a training session where a member of our team is making his morning oatmeal at 05 degree F inside a Modifed Whelan Tarp Shelter using the same nesting cook set as mine. We were training at 3000' elevation.

Before you purchase any gear...make sure the gear matches your mission profile. No one piece of gear is perfect for every application. For us, we train hardcore and for our mission the Trangia is as "good as it gets." For us a pressure stove is not going to meet our purpose although they make some dandy stoves. For us alchoal stoves are ideal. But what we do and what you do may be fundamentally different. So, start with the "end in mind" of what it is you're trying to accomplish and then fit the gear to the mission and not the other way around.