For Emergencies: Which Stove? Which Fuel?

kgd said:
I use something similar. A large briefcase style coleman propane at home, for car camping, or when I need to cook for multiple folks at picnics ect., and an older MSR whisperlight that I take during backpacking. The whisperlights and other multi-fuel backpacking stoves are great for their size and versatility of fuels (although I've always used white gas in mine). They do take more set up time and maintenance though and only have one burner that isn't nearly as stable as the boxy colemans. I.e. you balance your pot on the little stoves.
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+1 for the MSR whisperlite - they'll burn anything from kerosene to jet fuel. Easy to maintain and built like tanks. In Central America I burned gasoline in them that looked more like syrup - they're smoky with such low quality fuels but they still run fine.
 
I use a Coleman single burner dual fuel, and it has been rockin' for over 10 years, and 1 gal. of fuel will do 2 meals a day for 5 people for well over a week in winter, if done wisely.

I also LOVE my homegrown alcohol burners, and usually have at least 2 on hand, and about 12 oz of fuel for soups, ramen noodles, coffee, etc. Super light, super cheap to make and burn.

I don't typically use a stick type hobo stove, but you are wise to have a thorough working knowledge of what works and doesn't regarding those too, before it comes to that.

Good Luck,
Beckerhead
 
Thanks for the responses. I thinks that getting more than one stove in the long run is a good idea. I think I'll get a dual fuel first, then a wood burner, and then a propane stove.

For the dual fuel, I'm still leaning to the Coleman, but I'll look into MSR and Primus.

For a wood stove I like something like this:

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Can anyone recommend some other colapsible wood burning stove?

Some have mentioned alcohol stoves, and that sound like a good idea in case no other fuel is available. Can anyone point to plans on how to make an alcohol burning stove?

Beckerhead, how did you make your Alcohol burners?
 
If you want to try the trangia alcohol stoves sportsmans guide is running two sales right now
first is two complete swedish mess kits with alcohol burner, stove stand's, billy can/w small fry pan for $12 second is 4 complete mess kits with 8 alcohol burners & 8 fuel bottels for $21 price is cheap I give them as gifts to friends who hunt or camp .
 
Blue Sky said:
Make your own alcohol stoves:

http://wings.interfree.it/html/main.html

There is a guy on the auction site that sells his home-made alcohol stoves that look really nice, might want to check him out too.
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The Pacific coast trail link that Runningboar provided is a good site to learn how to make a pepsi stove or the pepsi-G
stove with a little practice both stoves can be made on the trail with found materials (can's) and a pocket knife they usualy work fairly well. The advantage the trangia stoves have over these types is that the trangia stove's have a screw on lid so the stove can be carried fueled and the stove can be put out and relit at another meal with out having to let all the fuel burn out each time
 
MIKE MACINTOSH said:
The advantage the trangia stoves have over these types is that the trangia stove's have a screw on lid so the stove can be carried fueled and the stove can be put out and relit at another meal with out having to let all the fuel burn out each time
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And you can step on it and still have a stove afterwards. ;)

I learned about alcohol stoves by building a soda can stove and then decided I wanted the durability of the trangia. Chris
 
I would second the Svea123 stove. I use the Primuse hunter that been in my family for over 35 years now. When camping in the high sierra at over 11,000ft It worked great. Had a pair or backpacker ask if they can boil some water using my stove. The fancy one they had just didnt work. Before i got it my dad used it for over 9 year every day to make coffee and warm up food. that stove was in a war and never ever needed any work. It still works great and never failed me. 8oz tank would burn for 45min on high and would be enough to cook and make tea for two days of backpacking. My dad gave it to me and im going to pass it on to someone else one day. Yes they are that good.

Sasha
 
Originally posted by MIKE MACINTOSH:

If you want to try the trangia alcohol stoves sportsmans guide is running two sales right now
first is two complete swedish mess kits with alcohol burner, stove stand's, billy can/w small fry pan for $12 second is 4 complete mess kits with 8 alcohol burners & 8 fuel bottels for $21 price is cheap I give them as gifts to friends who hunt or camp
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.

Can you provide me a link to those pages? I've looked in sportsmans guide and I don't find them.
 
I have built several pop can models, and I have found that a larger number of very small holes, with a threaded rivet in the bowl, to fill and empty with is best.
I found a set of teeny tiny bits at Harbor Freight, and with my Dremel I can have a "32 holer" drilled in about 2 1/2 minutes. The main thing with pop can stoves is almost free to make, but at first they can be quite annoying to properly assemble. Nothing like being down to the wire, and creasing a seam :mad:
But, it is great fun for the kids to build and use, and as I said, it is ALWAYS good to know how, by doing.

One tip is to cut a couple of blocks the right height, and screw a razor blade to it, and just spin the can around against it, until it just snaps off clean, slap the edge with a little 320 grit, and you are ready to assemble. I do make a number of diagonal cuts into the male section to ease insertion, and help avoid creasing.

Good Luck
 
Soda can stove. You can buy them online or make your own. I've fed 4 people with one in the Sierras before without fail. Burns most types of alcohol including $.99 rubbing alcohol although denatured/methyl's the best.

I have a newer design made out of a soup can, it's much more solid, but I can't remember who made it.
 
I just bought the Primus Multi-Fuel stove at Backcountry.com. $55 and free shipping. It comes as the stove, pump, tools, and extra nipple. Burns butane/propane canisters, white gas, unleaded, kerosene, and if necessary diesel (really dirty burn). You would have to buy your own fuel bottle. Site is at http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/outlet/SUN0115/Primus-Multifuel-Stove.html?id=dtmRwvVp&CSP_ID=FTS_bcs_SUN0115. It is probably similar to the MSR Whisperlite, but I doubt you would find one this cheap. I believe a new model is coming out soon, so folks are selling off the current model. Sierra trading put this stove on sale a month ago for $47 and change and they were gone in about 4 days.
 
If you are using the stove for home emergencies such as power outage or snowstorm get a Coleman propane 2 burner stove with auto ignition. Get a long adapter hose for using the tank on your Barbecue. Its safer in the house that any liquid fuel. The tank will get you going for weeks. It also uses the small cylinders you buy at Walmart. These could add up over a period of time but would be handy for a day or two. Remember CO or carbon monoxide is given off by all flame heating devices.
 
For alcohol stoves try to use denatured alcohol first (ethanol), than methanol (a little more toxic) and try to use isopropyl (rubbing) as a last resort, sooty. You can find these at paint stores or in the paint department of big box stores. Rubbing alcohol can be found everywhere. Gas-line antifreeze found in any auto department is also one of the above alcohols. Just read the back label to find out which one.
 
Alcohol stoves dont burn worth a crap in winter when you need them the most.

SVEA 123 is a good stove.

Optimus Nova is a great stove, durable and burns anything flamable a real asset when TSHTF.

Skam
 
I agree with going to propane and the Coleman 2-Burner Propane Stove mentioned will work just fine. They are easy to set up, burn clean, no mess. The adapter for using a 20# tank is purchased separately. With that and a 20# tank you can do a lot of cooking. I don't have one but my brother does and it works great.

For smaller stoves, I have the Pocket Rocket and 8 oz IsoPro canister in my walking kit (a subset of the car kit). I also have an MSR DragonFly (multi-fuel), which doesn't see much use now. But it's a nice stove, I could go back to the Dragonfly in a heartbeat.
 
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