Backpacking Stoves

[slc_dan]

Since @slc_dan is a professional coffee roaster and barista his opinion here on any coffee preparation is above reproach. And I can personally attest to his ability to backcountry brew. On a recent trip he joyfully served 5 of us with his work first thing in the morning miles from any road or cafe!

When you said, "I love you" repeatedly more so than my wife, I knew you appreciated it. Glad to provide!

 

[Nanda]

FYI, in case anyone is on the lookout for backpacking stove, I picked up snow peak litemax for Sierratrading for $29, it sells for 60 in REI. Also picked up a backpacking cooking set from there.

 

[Tater Head]

My wife and I wear headlamps and I carry a small (200+ lumen Mini Maglite) flashlight as backup. I rarely use the Maglite though.

I

we both brought flashlights and those hat lights, but were never outside after dark so we never used them other than about 5 min in the tent...next time though we intend to do some hiking pre-dawn so headlamps are probably a very good idea...Thanks!

I carry a Maglite as a backup as well. I like to wrap a few wraps of electrical tape around the back end of the flashlight. So you can hold it in your mouth and not grind your teeth on the metal. Now you have both hands free to take care of the task at hand.

 

[DrNed]

I too am a fan of the JetBoil and use the French Press attachment - even for non coffee drinkers - I like drinkingCavalla. On my backpacking trips my menu is pretty basic, oatmeal in AM & dehydrated meals in PM. Last summer I fed me and my four teen age kids this way and we needed a new fuel canister for breakfast the last day.

 

[steve]

I'm an alcohol stove man. Sure, it's a little slower than the other options, but super cheap and super light. I'm not a gourmet chef, I just need to heat water to rehydrate my meals. I dump a can of yellow Heet into a platypus, and it gets smaller and lighter as the trip goes on, and no cans to pack out. It's not for everyone, but I really love my little alcohol stove.

I've built a couple. The cat food stove seems decent enough, though I've never used one. I use a little 2.0 stove from batchstovez.com.

 

[Bigred72]

I've tried a variety of things. I've also been using my jet boil for 6 years. Anything from knorr's rice in a freezer bag, dehydrated refried beans in another and tortillas. Powdered mashed potatoes. You can cook a lot of things in freezer bags.

For breakfast I'll get bulk granola and put powdered milk in a fb or I'll cook pancakes and add the soft bacon bits to the batter. I had the jet boil pan and it was horrible since it wasn't coated so I bought an msr pan.

 

[Arctic Ian]

thanks everyone!! I'm checking out the Pocket Rocket right now...not needing the coffee attachment since neither of us drink it...how much fuel would you estimate for an extended 12 day hike? After the first hike we well realize that it's ALL about the weight you carry or more specifically DON'T carry!! We're eating all home-dehydrated meals so all we need is to heat hot water...I really appreciate all of the advice!! You guys ROCK!!

Hi LoriB
Could I ask how you dehydrate you home made meals please. Sounds interesting. I have been thinking about buying a small vacuum pack machine to make my own meals so that when Im out I just need to drop the pack into boiling water but the packs would be quite heavy due to the water content .

 

[Nick]

I've decided to give an Esbit stove a try this year. I liked @Cody 's solo setup when we backpacked the BMT last month.

 

[Cody]

I've decided to give an Esbit stove a try this year. I liked @Cody 's solo setup when we backpacked the BMT last month.

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[Mike K]

I've decided to give an Esbit stove a try this year. I liked @Cody 's solo setup when we backpacked the BMT last month.

What sort of mug/pot works well with this? And how about a windscreen? (edit: I didn't see the image at first...that helps).

 

[Nick]

I'm just going to use my MRS Titan pot with it - perfect personal size mug/pot. I might still bring a real stove if I'm sharing with others, but for solo, I'm really impressed with the Esbit.

 

[Cody]

What sort of mug/pot works well with this? And how about a windscreen? (edit: I didn't see the image at first...that helps).

I use this style of wing stove. http://bit.ly/1dyGMoi It should accommodate just about any size pot or mug you pack.

I use a doubled over length of heavy duty aluminum foil as a wind screen.

A couple things to note: It does leave some gummy tar residue on the bottom of the pot, but it is not hard to clean between trips. Also, not for use in enclosed spaces due to fumes.



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[Riggs]

But if money is the concern, skip the REI and head over to Amazon and pickup a cheapo one from China. There is a little isobutane Pocket Rocket knockoff they sell over there for about $6. Add a can of isobutane and you have a fully functional stove for like $10-$12. Here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=B004U8CP88&linkCode=as2&tag=backcountrypo-20

View attachment 12885

I really can't think of a better, more budget-friendly way to have a lightweight, efficient backpacking stove.

Just thought I'd mention I have one of these. I bought it because we did the Kalalau trail in Kauai last summer, and the airline didn't allow any stove, with or without fuel for some crazy reason. I didn't want anything expensive in case I just left it there. So I mailed this one. I think I spent almost $7 sending it there, should've just bought another and had it shipped there! The stove worked great, even has an ignitor. 7 bucks with shipping, 3.9 oz. Amazing! Sure it's not MSR quality, but if you're on a budget....

 

[Mike K]

This thread and Nick mentioning esbit got me thinking about a new setup to shave some weight. I've had my current setup for like 10 years! I currently use a SnowPeak GigaPower stove (~5 oz with case), the iso/butane canisters (3.9 oz or 7.8 oz), a big MSR pot (11 oz), a lighter, a plastic mug, and a few other minor items. It all adds up to about 21 oz (for a 3-5 day trip). Seems heavy! =)

Some general information I've come across in my brief research so far: Alcohol/Esbit stoves, wind screens, special containers for alcohol, caldera cone, gram cracker, various titanium mugs, cozies, longer lighters for igniting alcohol stoves, I hear esbit leaves a residue and stinks while burning(?), alcohol stoves burn hot and fast (hard to simmer)...

I'll do some more research, see how much weight I could save, and see what I come up with.

Does anyone have a alcohol or esbit setups they really like? What does your setup weigh in at?

 

[Aldaron]

Every time I've tried to use an alcohol stove like this one, I've spilled alcohol all over the place while trying to fill the stove and been worried that I'm going to burn down the forest. I'd like to learn how to use it safely, though.

 

[Nick]

Every time I've tried to use an alcohol stove like this one, I've spilled alcohol all over the place while trying to fill the stove and been worried that I'm going to burn down the forest. I'd like to learn how to use it safely, though.

Haha! Every time I've watched someone use an alcohol stove, that's pretty much what it's looked like. I've never been compelled to use one largely for that reason.

 

[Aldaron]

It scares me pretty good that I'm going to start a forest fire. Even if I can manage to pour the alcohol in without spilling it (which I don't think I've ever managed to do), I also overfill it and end up having some overflow onto the ground. I just can't learn how to use it safely enough to risk it in the dry Rockies. Maybe it's possible to do it better, but I haven't figured it out.

 

[Mike K]

Hmm...something I never considered! (Where's the "fire" emoticon?)

 

[steve]

Does anyone have a alcohol or esbit setups they really like? What does your setup weigh in at?

I love my batchstovez alcohol stove.

I've never spilled with my little bud light stove, and I'm a total klutz. I put my alcohol in a platypus in my pack (a red one so I don't mistake it for water). My stove weighs .95 oz (27g) and my wind screen weighs .71 oz (20g). Fuel weight depends on how much I take with me.

There are a few bummers about alcohol stoves (neither of which are issues to me):

1) the flame is invisible in daylight. Don't burn yourself thinking it's not lit. You can put your hand above the stove to feel if it's putting off heat.
2) you have to learn how much fuel it takes to boil a certain amount of water. if you put in too much fuel, you can't just turn it off and save the fuel, you've gotta burn it all 'till it's gone. Likewise, if you don't put enough fuel in, your stove will go out and you'll have to refill it and re-light it. I've never had to re-light my stove. I've made a little mark so I can judge how much fuel I think I'll need to boil water in my pot.
3) there's no heat control. It's either on or off. I haven't found this to be an issue for me.
4) they take longer to bloom in the winter. I've had mine down to about 10* F, and it's never failed to light, but there are better stoves for extreme cold.
5) they're slower than a canister stove
6) they're not very efficient if you're melting snow


There are also a few benefits to an alky stove:

1) Like drinking water, the amount of volume (and weight) your fuel takes up in your pack gets smaller and smaller as your trip goes on.
2) no empty fuel canisters to pack out.
3) super light (not quite as light as an esbit stove though)
4) no moving parts
5) easy to find fuel at any auto parts store
6) able to burn multiple fuel types (though I always stick with yellow Heet), and all fuel is super cheap (~20 cents per fl oz)
7) they're cheap. Some guys make them out of cat food cans and a hole punch and spend less than $2 total on their stove.
8) super small. Nests in the cook pot.
9) easy to see how much fuel you have left. You can make mid-trip decisions on whether or not to cook. (it's tough to tell how much fuel you have left in a canister stove after a few trips).


I just use a paper matchbook to light my alcohol stove. It's super light, and easy to do without burning yourself. I have a mini bic as a backup, but the matchbook has always worked for me.

My gear weights are here if you're interested:

 

[Mike K]

I love my batchstovez alcohol stove....

Awesome. Just the kind of first hand information I was looking for. I'll check out your gear weights, too. Thanks.

I've heard the comment that some guys own both alcky and esbit stoves as neither are that expensive. They take one or the other depending on their trip/mood. =)