Which alcohol for new mini Trangia

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Shotgun

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Feb 3, 2006
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So I got one of these on order from REI and was wondering what kind of alcohol to use. I've heard that some are poisonous and shouldn't be used if you store your stove in the pot you cook with. Anyone have tips for my first stove?:D
 
It's the cleanest, hotest burn, and medicinal.
everclear.jpg
 
I agree totally, everclear is the best and with a little tang mix in your kit and cold spring water and you will have to be careful not to drink up all your stove fuel. ;)

While everclear burns the best it is also the most expensive, a cheaper alternative is denatured alcohol sold in the paint department of any store that sells paint. It burns hot and clean and is cheap, although you can't use it for, ahhem, "medicinal" purposes. :D Chris
 
Denatured alcohol. Buy it at REI (it is for an alcohol stove), Walmart or other store with a hardware area. It will be in the paint thinner section. Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol that is made unfit for drinking by adding a bit of a "poisonous" substance like methyl alcohol or a bit of other solvent. Your generally going to burn everying off, so keeping it in your pot shouldn't be a problem. You can also use the Heet in the yellow bottles, but it will probably burn a bit dirtier.
 
i burn methyl hydrate (sp?) in mine, works great.

its fairly cheap and available at rona, homehardware, and mec.

cheers
 
99% methanol (aka methylhydrate) can be found at walmart for a couple dollars a liter.

Drinking it will make you go blind though.
 
Denatured alcohol. Heet is too expensive, as is Everclear (though has an additional use :D ). Isopropinol will burn dirty, as another said...it has water in it. Gas is NOT to be burned in the Triangia, unless you like real fires ((( :D )))
 
Metho has always worked for me. The mini has the same burner as mine. Metho is cheap easy to find in stores, but slow. Maybe that just Trangia.. or me?? ;)
 
I love this little burner. I always take it on day long hunting/fishing trips, to get hot tea and hot food. What I've noticed about fuels:

-Methanol. So called "wood alcohol". I get this from yellow bottle HEET. This is the most common source of methanol. Any bottle in the automotive department that says "gas line de-icer" is probably pure methanol. I like this fuel, because it burns agressively in the chill of winter, plus is inexpensive. Burns cleanly, and well. Keep it off of your fingers. I think it can go through your skin, and form formaldehyde in your liver(?).

-Ethanol. You can burn any alcohol that is greater than 90% pure. This stuff is grain alcohol, and is drinkable, unless poisoned (denatured) with a little methanol or MEK or something, to avoid paying an alcohol tax. Ethanol has the most BTU's per unit mass. This is the highest energy density of any alcohol, and so is the most desireable fuel for multi-day backpacking trips. It burns very cleanly, but less agressivly. Slightly more expensive than methanol. I like it the best, and buy it by the gallon at Home Despot.

-IsoPropyl. Cheap, only for emergencies. Use at least 90% pure, and watch out for the huge amount of super messy black soot that will get all over everything. Burns dirty, with a yellow flame.

Use a wind shield with the burner, and bend a wire coat hanger for a pot stand.
 
Just go to Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowes, and get denatured alcohol in the paint section. They sell it in quart and gallon cans. Various brands have different ratios of ethanol, methanol, and/or other denaturing solvents, but they all work well. Just don't drink it, the results will not be pleasant.

I wouldn't worry about storing the stove inside your cookpot. Denatured alcohol evaporates pretty quickly, and will not leave a toxic residue. Just be careful about getting much on your skin - methanol is easily absorbed through your skin.
 
Denatured alcohol is what is normally used. I'm all for Everclear, but I can't get it locally and it is expensive. Denatured alcohol can have upwards of 45% methanol, which is poisonous, so it is a good idea to handle it carefully. I wouldn't worry about carrying it in the cook pot but I wouldn't store it with my food. Keep it off your hands and make sure any spills on your clothing have dried before you light the stove.

Alcohol stoves have their limitations: they are best for small containers--- boiling a couple cups of water at a time, and they don't work as well in extreme cold. They are dead simple, the fuel is not explosive and will evaporate from your gear without leaving a mess if it leaks. That Trangia will last a lifetime.

I have a little Brasslite stove that is perfect for solo hikes. With a larger crowd I switch to a butane stove to crank out more hot water in a shorter period and everyone can carry a share of the fuel. The Coleman F1 is my choice there-- 2.7 ounces and 16,000 BTU's!
 
The important points have already been made.

Ethanol is the best. It burns the hottest. It has 3 uses - fuel, topical antiseptic, drink. The downside is it is the most espensive.

Isopropyl Alcohol is my second choice. It has 2 uses - fuel, topical antiseptic. Be sure to get the 91% version not the 70% version. Cheap.

Methyl alcohol burns hotter than isopropyl and is the cheapest of all. Downside is, being poisonous, only has one use - fuel.
 
Rich_S said:
The important points have already been made.

Ethanol is the best. It burns the hottest. It has 3 uses - fuel, topical antiseptic, drink. The downside is it is the most espensive.

Isopropyl Alcohol is my second choice. It has 2 uses - fuel, topical antiseptic. Be sure to get the 91% version not the 70% version. Cheap.

Methyl alcohol burns hotter than isopropyl and is the cheapest of all. Downside is, being poisonous, only has one use - fuel.
Click to expand...

only problem with Isopropyl Alcohol is when it burns it leaves an oily black soot on you pots wich is hard to get off and usually winds up on your hands and every thing else in your pack:( as far as the other fuel being poison if you dont drink it its not a problem:)
 
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