Hello,
Can someone fill me in on the basics of using an Alcohol Stove? Who these stoves appeal to and what they're good at? They must have some good qualities, Right?
I think, Light weight, is one thing. Are they reliable? Noisy?
Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.
Scott
I am a noob, and I have two stoves, a pocket rocket and a white box stove. The pocket rocket is basically a blow torch with an adjustment knob. The white box takes up to 2 oz of alcohol, or HEET (yellow bottle) and burns steadily for 10-12 minutes depending on environmental conditions. The white box comes with a windscreen and a square of foil to plant it on; you can add a primer pan to lessen the time it takes to get the side jets going.
I take the white box on day hikes and boil tea, or rehydrate a hot lunch, as prep for longer trips. I have used the pocket rocket several times on car camping trips and found that because a full windscreen is not recommended for canister stoves, I've had to resort to standing or squatting with my jacket held out to try keeping the flames going. I have tried foil and using my pack (carefully!) to shield it as well. The white box, on the other hand, heated a liter of water on a very windy day without these heroic measures on my part. The white box plus however many ounces of denatured alcohol is lighter than the pocket rocket, the canister, and a second canister as backup in case I mis-guessed how much is left in the first canister. Alcohol can be packed in squirt bottles, soda bottles, re-used contact lens cleaner solution bottles.... Canisters have to procured at ye camping supply store and eventually pierced and recycled after you pack them back out.
In short, if I have a reason to simmer, or actually cook, the pocket rocket will probably go along. If I am rehydrating food and making tea/coffee, I will probably take the white box. The rocket is noisy, the white box is quiet. Balancing a stove on either is not difficult, but when I was tired, I managed to tip over the white box - oooo, little duff fire! I take a sheet of foil and spread it under the little foil square now. Or, I take the time to make sure the stove is on sand, dirt, or rock, and level.
I did try to make my own alcohol stove out of pepsi cans, but I guess I'm not that much of a gearhead yet. I'd rather simply buy something like the white box than spend hours and buy tools I don't have. The white box is a great little stove - I've impressed other hikers with it. I think that having the two stoves gives me more options.
I found this comparison on
Sgt Rock's website - you might find the conclusions helpful. Mine are based less on weight than on function.