soda can stoves

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guntram

Joined
Oct 4, 2010
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just curious what you all think about them. i'm thinking about trying one out tonight, but i thought i'd see if you all had some pros and cons and your overall opinions on the subject. i used one before and i thought it was pretty cool, but it wasn't mine, so i really just watched. so, what do you all think?
 
I like them, but the supercat stove gives almost the same performance, is easier to make, and is a little more "robust" (no big deal is you squish it a bit in your pack).
 
I have a Trangia burner, same concept as the soda can and super cat (it's a denatured alcohol stove) but it's store bought.

I'm not really a craftsman, so I bought a manufactured one. But an alcohol stove is great for backpacking.

Just make sure you have a windscreen. I made one out of a 50-cent oven liner pan. I've used it a dozen times and it's fantastic.
 
Pretty neat the stuff people fashion stoves out of. I’m not big on the alcohol stoves though.

At least of now, my preference is a small stove that I can feed kindling in to. Advantages and disadvantages to it of course, the main being finding dry wood and the effort involved. I started to prefer these when I got the Esbit stove kit with the base/wind screen and cup with lit. To boil 2 cups of water on an average windy day, I burned two whole Esbit tabs. Frustrated, I got some pencil sized kindling and stuck in there and voila. There are lots of tutorials on building mini wood stoves out there as well.
 
I have one of the soda can stoves that I use on a regular basis. You really want to use HEET in it so it doesn't soot up so bad. It will boil a USGI canteen cup 80% filled with water in between 14-16 minutes which is about the run time filled with heat. Enough to make a 20 ounce coffee and a Nissin Cup of Soup. Pretty impressive to see HEET come to a boil. :D

I also have a stainless steel utensil strainer from Ikea that a Gent was kind enough to send me because we didn't have them around here and that's what I am going to slightly modify for a wood-burning version.

I'll put some pictures on the blog tomorrow if I get a chance of the alcohol stove.
 
The frame of my stove works as a pot stand and if I took out the burner it would work as a small wood burning stove. So it has capabilities in case I run out of fuel (which happens!)
 
I use soda can alco stoves all the time. I make mine, and they work great, been to several outings, and made a bunch to give away for Christmas. Great doit your self gear. And its the only stove that has a 100% use rating on the AT. Just food for thought.

Moose
 
moosez45 said:
I use soda can alco stoves all the time. I make mine, and they work great, been to several outings, and made a bunch to give away for Christmas. Great doit your self gear. And its the only stove that has a 100% use rating on the AT. Just food for thought.

Moose
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Soda can alcohol stoves are just plain fun to build and use:thumbup: Technically, not a soda can stove, but I make minel using heavy wall aluminum bottles. I have a dozen for myself and I give them away as gifts periodically.

 
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Cool stoves! I wonder if you can use Venom Energy Drink cans to make them? That would be a much better use for them than actually trying to ingest the contents. :barf:
 
how do you guys cut them? i just tried on multiple cans very unsuccessfully. i tried a razor like the videos show and that wasn't working. i tried scissors and jacked up that way too. i even messed it up with a dremel. maybe it's not meant to be. i have no idea how you have such a clean edge. those things look great!
 
They are cool if your into 'em

I prefer a hobo stove made from a big 'ole Bean can or something of the sorts, finding one w/o the food safe lining is getting harder though

I like the bud beer bottle version ....cool
 
guntram said:
how do you guys cut them? i just tried on multiple cans very unsuccessfully. i tried a razor like the videos show and that wasn't working. i tried scissors and jacked up that way too. i even messed it up with a dremel. maybe it's not meant to be. i have no idea how you have such a clean edge. those things look great!
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My stoves take 2 cans, and I use scissors, a sharpie, an altoid tin, and a piece of 3/8" plywood. Sounds crazy, but my stoves work. Oh, you'll also need a push pin.

Moose
 
guntram said:
how do you guys cut them? i just tried on multiple cans very unsuccessfully. i tried a razor like the videos show and that wasn't working. i tried scissors and jacked up that way too. i even messed it up with a dremel. maybe it's not meant to be. i have no idea how you have such a clean edge. those things look great!
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Scissors here too. Here's a quick video I just shot showing how *I* do it; there's probably hundreds of ways to achieve the same result.

Sorry for the messy shop :o

Oh and: This video was brought to you by Windex; Get a streak-free shine with Windex :D

 
texastonydobbs said:
They are cool if your into 'em

I prefer a hobo stove made from a big 'ole Bean can or something of the sorts, finding one w/o the food safe lining is getting harder though

I like the bud beer bottle version ....cool
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Send me an email, I have a good source for non lined cans. My mom works for a food broker that has them. She buys green beans for her dogs by the case(6 cans) I have used the last case but sure to have more. I can also ship a case of empties real cheap with my Corp shipping account.
 
guntram said:
how do you guys cut them? i just tried on multiple cans very unsuccessfully. i tried a razor like the videos show and that wasn't working. i tried scissors and jacked up that way too. i even messed it up with a dremel. maybe it's not meant to be. i have no idea how you have such a clean edge. those things look great!
Click to expand...

Doable with a razor or box cutter or sharp knife, but easier with scissors. Maybe just get a bunch of soda cans and practice - it isn't all that hard to get clean edges.
 
skinz0021 said:
Send me an email, I have a good source for non lined cans. My mom works for a food broker that has them. She buys green beans for her dogs by the case(6 cans) I have used the last case but sure to have more. I can also ship a case of empties real cheap with my Corp shipping account.
Click to expand...

I just load my hobo's with matchlight charcoal and burn the liners out of them. Or are you talking of for stuff to cook in?

Moose
 
For soda can stove, I cut them by placing a razor at a fixed height on a wood block. You then place the can upright and score the can by turning it so the blade makes a nice even turn on the exterior of the can. Once you do a about 10-20 passes, the score should be deep enough that you only need to cut one small incision and the entire can comes apart just by tearing it carefully.
Gives a nice clean cut.

For the aluminum bottles, I use a pipe cutter do the same thing, score a line, then tear.

I've not had success with clean cut by cutting it as using too much pressure just tends to ruin the whole shape of things.. so scoring it is the way to go!
 
Built one soda-can stove, used it ... well, played with it. Never actually used it. Decided the idea had merit, though, and bought a Trangia. For me, a Trangia is the way to go, and i have used it. but it was very windy, and you need a good windscreen for it to work in the wind like that.
 
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