Redpill me on DIY alcohol stoves. I've used canisters and solid fuel a ton, but I want to use alcohol more often, its appealing for thru hiking.
I've seen zenstoves and tetkoba but this is way too autistic for me.
Can someone give me a tl;dr on what designs work the best and are most efficient? And what fuel's the best when I have a choice? Protips?
- I'll build anything complex ones are fine
- Stanco grease pot (wide/short/aluminum) but i'll get a different pot if i need
- Got a windscreen, don't have a stand
- Bonus points if it works as an esbit stove even a shitty one
alcohol sucks as a fuel source, gas has 4x the efficiency and heat
alcohol stoves are comfier, cheaper and quieter than most gas setups though, even a bsr 3000t is 7x more expensive than a can of cat food.
i already got a pocket rocket and a brs3000t i just want to try alcohol out
Andrew Skurka used a Supercat when he did the Great Western Loop. It’s pretty simple.”; literally just an empty cat food cat with holes punched in it. SupercatStove.com has an easy to follow template. There’s no reason not to try one, considering the stove is basically free and you’re paying for the fuel.
>grease pot
A wider pot is more efficient since the stove is a side burner. However, a pot that’s too wide can become a little unstable. Grease pot + Supercat is the ultimate Walmart/hobo setup.
>pot stand
The pot has to go directly on to a Supercat. It forces fuel vapor through the burner holes as it evaporates.
>which fuel
Everyone swears by yellow bottle heet but I think regular old denatured alcohol from Lowes is cheaper.
>other shit
Amazon is a great source for small bottles for fuel. Contact lens solution bottles work well too. Aluminum foil is too light for a wind screen; soda cans joined together by folding work better. Disposable baking pans too.
Also heavier. Thanks for playing.
made a flimsy one from the cans my drunk rommates left in the recycle to test it out, with rolled edges, waxed hemp primer and a little pivoting stand
cat should finish some mini cans off this week
works great m8 thanks
i have not experienced this 4x efficiency you speak of.
I used to backpack with a pika stove made from soda cans. It worked pretty well for boiling small amounts of water. Then I switched to a twig stove made from a coffee can. Much heavier, but infinite fuel.
God damnit I just bought a trangia
So just buy the gas burner for it and be happy
I got the spirit burner. But yeah it seems pretty sweet.
Trangia is a solid choice. A little heavy, and requires a stand, but it’s a lot easier to conserve fuel. I’ve seen knock offs for like $9.
Trangia usually refers to the whole kitchen.
But if you're talking about just the burner originals cost $15 so I don't really se why you would buy knockoff
I bought just the burner for £15 I already had an old hexi stove that I plan to use in conjunction with the burner, as a stand, for the time being.
Maybe I have only $14 richgay
Alcohol stoves dead ass suck. Sure you can make one for almost no money out of a used tuna can. Or if sneaky you can trash dig someone else's used tuna can and save that.
So you can stuff one with wick then soak that with alcohol to avoid the tipping problem. Boom done. Enjoy waiting 30 minutes for your tin water cup to get hot enough for morning tea you can just sit and watch squirrels and catch up with your buystove hiking mates at lunch.
Of Mahoney being so autistic you sit around with a stop watch waiting for water to boil instead of setting up or breaking down camp.
Putting a tent up only takes like 3 minutes and for lunch / coffee brake it is actually a valid complaint.
If you care about it is up to you though
i just want to mess around with them and have the option. i already have canisters anon.
waiting isn't a problem to me either, i'm not a hot drinks person.
i am an aussie..
use a redbull sized can.. no longer use coke can because was too wide and flames went around pot.. use daves design i think from memory.. used instructions from youtube
dont use a wind blocker.. just use rocks logs or my body.. hasnt been super windy though
fuel options are ethanol methanol isopropyl alcohol.. maybe other stuff
look up their moecular structure.. the longer the structure the more soot is cuased but i think has higher energy density
i just use ethanol.. not too sooty.. not posionous like methanol.. cheap.
i used metholyated spirits which is 95% ethanol and 5% water and some or shit.
my stove is 8 grams.. i think maybe use 15ml of fuel each time.. i take a bit of ethanol with me like 150ml.. can use as antiseptic and lighting fires..
just put the pot or pan directly on the can and pull it off to reduce heat as needed
>tipping
>wick
should i use housing insulation?
Yes some types. The pink stuff is fiberglass which works great. I have used polyester out of the couch cushions at the library it does ok too.
The idea is something you might hit the stove without wick some alcohol can spill and sometimes it is on fire.
i might experiment with reinforcing these white claw cans.
too flimsy on their own, but it nests perfectly inside my advil bottle mug with room for a lighter and secondary ignition source, and the stand.