Small Stoves?

Guyon

Guyon

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I posted this stuff over in Wilderness, but it didn't get much uptake. However, I thought there might be some interest here since there are a lot of outdoorsmen/women in the Busse crowd. I have been looking at small lightweight stoves and finally settled on a Brasslite today. Ordered a Turbo II-D. http://www.brasslite.com/

turbo2DThumb2.jpg


In the process of finding the Brasslites, I ran across all kinds of cool stuff about backpack stoves. This guy, Jason Klass, has some good info out there on tea light stoves.

http://www.freewebs.com/jasonklass/fiberglassclothstove.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr5ZQEZnrF8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQc3L8n5kqY

Fiberglassclothstove1.jpg


But even he says his favorite stove is Jim Wood's Super Cat (made from a cat food can) that is featured here along with build instructions: http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html

I made a Super Cat in about 10 minutes tonight and tested it out with 2 cups of water. Using denatured alcohol, it boiled the water in about 4 minutes and then burned for another couple of minutes. Pretty cool.

SuperCat1.jpg


SuperCat2.jpg


I'm going to reduce hole diameter (I used 7/32" on this one) on another can and see how burn time is affected. Eventually, I may pimp one out to look like this version.

Stand2_400_0060.jpg


Edited to add: Updated with some MSR Pocket Rocket info. See page 4.
 
I should add that I own a MSR Simmerlite, but I wanted something that was even more low maintenance and lightweight for a BOB/day pack. The Brasslite is nice on both counts.

simmerlite_large.jpg
 
Gee that looks way better than the pit with rocks lined around it where I make a handle out of the top of the tin of beans. I bet you don't have to put your ho cake biscuits in the coals either! I bet that thing weighs as much as a pint o' liquor so I think I'll just cut a stick, dig a hole and get drunk by the fire. Damn cute though.



Before I regret being brutally honest let me say I would have been looking for just that kind of thing earlier in my life but you can carry only so much crap before you start leaving ammo behind. Never again. (insert appropriate emoticon here.)
 
What is denatured alcohol? Does it taste like vodka? Sure would be cool to have something to cook with and drink... and a fantastic excuse to carry a flask! ;)
 
Denatured alcohol tastes better than Vodka but you die faster. That may not be a bad thing.
 
mhawg said:
I bet that thing weighs as much as a pint o' liquor so I think I'll just cut a stick, dig a hole and get drunk by the fire. Damn cute though.
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It weighs less than a half ounce. :confused: :D

kdstrick said:
What is denatured alcohol? Does it taste like vodka? Sure would be cool to have something to cook with and drink... and a fantastic excuse to carry a flask! ;)
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I bought it in a hardware store, so I don't plan on consuming any. However, if you'd like to test it... :p
 
OK weight not withstanding, I'll still take the liquor. I won't have to pack it out. I mean glass isn't any thing but sand anyway.
 
mhawg said:
OK weight not withstanding, I'll still take the liquor. I won't have to pack it out. I mean glass isn't any thing but sand anyway.
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You can use alternative fuels... :p

Fuels_3400.jpg


Actually, tests found that the rum didn't work all that well, but Everclear might. :thumbup:

Fuels and Capacities

In the course of testing the stove thus far, I have tried four kinds of fuels. The best results have come from denatured alcohol, which burns hot and clean with virtually no odor or soot production. Denatured alcohol is widely available; the type I used was found in the paint department at Wal-Mart and cost $3.67 a quart.

I also wanted to try ethyl alcohol (the kind in alcoholic beverages), but the most concentrated form I could find was in Bacardi 151 proof rum. Pure grain alcohol, at 200 proof, is not available in this area. The Bacardi burned well, but the internal vapor pressure was not quite sufficient to cause the flames to switch to the outside of the stove. Bacardi 151 could therefore be used as a fuel for the Super Cat, but only in non-pressurized mode using a separate pot stand (three tent stakes placed around the stove at the proper distances and heights work well as pot supports).

91% isopropyl rubbing alcohol (from the drug store) worked reasonably well, with boil and total burn times only slightly longer than denatured alcohol. However, isopropyl is somewhat smelly when burning and also leaves a coating of black soot on the bottom and sides of the pot.

I was also curious to see if the stove would work when burning Esbit solid fuel tablets that are popular with many long-distance backpackers. Though the heat output from the tablets seemed to be about the same as with denatured alcohol, the combustion chamber would not pressurize. The tablets also left a gummy reside inside the stove and on the underside of the pot.
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Source: http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/HTML/Super_Cat7.htm
 
Everclear is good for getting clothes off too, if you can put it something she will drink.
 
Excellant choice with the Brasslite. I have a Vargas and a few trangias that I use but pretty much use my homemade(same design as the soda can with heavier gauge aluminum) one the most these days. I use a couple differant MSR stoves as well if gas is called for. Let us know how the Brasslite performs Ive been thinking hard on one for awhile. Apparently the Rolls of alcohol stoves.
 
mhawg said:
Everclear is good for getting clothes off too, if you can put it something she will drink.
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Like a bottle of roofies? :D :p

shigawire4sure said:
Excellant choice with the Brasslite. I have a Vargas and a few trangias that I use but pretty much use my homemade(same design as the soda can with heavier gauge aluminum) one the most these days. I use a couple differant MSR stoves as well if gas is called for. Let us know how the Brasslite performs Ive been thinking hard on one for awhile. Apparently the Rolls of alcohol stoves.
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When it comes in, I'll give it a thorough test and post some info either here or in Wilderness.
 
Guyon said:
Kayak fishing buddy of mine uses the JetBoil. He really likes it. :thumbup:
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the stove and fuel canister store in the cup. it packs pretty nicely.

the cup is deep, so it is a pain to eat from.

they also have a two person system, it has a pot instead of a cup. much easier to eat from.
 
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