Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Page 1 of 2 1 2 >
Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#111366 - 02/16/09 03:34 PM A Thru-Hikers Stove?
Samoset Offline
member

Registered: 07/04/08
Posts: 429
Loc: Newnan ,GA
So I tried my hand at building my first double walled side burning alc stove With V8 Cans the other night in an attempt to lighten my load a little and have a decent alc stove for an attempt at the first couple hundred miles on the AT(See a thru-hikers pack? Lite gear talk) I got the plans for the stove I built from www.Thru-hiker.com 0.5oz v8 stove. Upon testing the stove I was having a little trouble keeping the stove primed. Every time I placed the pot on top of the stove the flames would extinguish and I was using a rather large amount of fuel to boil 20oz of water (upwards of 3 tablespoons) I’m going to try to modify the stove design building a new one a little shorter with smaller jets and placing the jets a little lower on the sides of the can and let you know my results. ive built a few other stoves like the Jim wood cat stove witch burns rather well but throws much of its flame around the outside of my snowpeak trek 900ti. I’m also going to build a small penny stove with the jets ported inside towards the middle of the pot to put inside my esbit stove if I decide to keep taking it. Or I may just use the penny stove with a windscreen pot stand combo. I am looking for a design that would allow me to boil up to 24 oz of water with not using over 2 table spoons of alc(heet). Any suggestions would help thanks. Ill post results on the new stoves as soon as I get a chance to build and test them

Thanks & happy trails
Samoset
_________________________
Some peopole live life day by day. Try step by step.

Top
#111367 - 02/16/09 04:01 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Samoset]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Using too much fuel will make an alky stove harder to get primed. You have to get the alcohol to boil, so it's simply an
issue of thermal mass. if you have a big wad of cold alky in there it is going to take more oomph to get it going.
_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


Top
#111369 - 02/16/09 07:23 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Samoset]
Myke Offline
member

Registered: 09/15/06
Posts: 18
Another factor could be the choice of HEET as your fuel. The BTU/pound ratio is lowest of alcohol types listed in Fuel Comparisons at Zen Backpacking Stoves.

Using 2 TBSP (1oz) denatured (SLX), an aluminum Jim Wood cat stove on aluminum foil (to insulate from heat sinking to ground), and my Snowpeak Trek 900ti, I brought 25oz (as marked) of water to a rolling boil. Once there, it continued for another 1.5 minutes.

Hope this helps!

-Myke-

Top
#111370 - 02/16/09 07:34 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Myke]
sabre11004 Offline
member

Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 513
Loc: Tennessee
I think that I am correct on this and if I am not please some one correct me so I can get it straight, but I think that if you compare ingredients between "heet" and denatured alcohol they will be very close to the same. I have used alky stoves many many times (hundreds) and I always use a small primer pan under it. I fill the primer pan first then sit the alky stove right down in it. Then I fill my stove and then light the primer pan "only". By the time that the primer pan burns out the stove itself is hot enough to light itself. It should be plenty hot to burn on it's own from that point...Hope that helps...sabre11004...


The first step that you take is one of those that will get you there... crazy
_________________________
The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there 1!!!!!

Top
#111378 - 02/16/09 10:22 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: sabre11004]
Myke Offline
member

Registered: 09/15/06
Posts: 18
sabre11004

Quote:
I think that if you compare ingredients between "heet" and denatured alcohol they will be very close to the same.


A review of the MSDS available in Fuel Comparisons at Zen Backpacking Stoves, would indicate otherwise.

HEET (yellow bottle) is 99 percent Methanol, and Iso-HEET (red bottle) is 99 percent Isopropanol, while denatured types (in the Ethanol column) all have a percentage of Ethanol alcohol.

Hope this helps!

-Myke-

Top
#111403 - 02/17/09 12:23 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Samoset]
jpanderson80 Offline
member

Registered: 07/28/06
Posts: 292
Loc: Memphis, TN
Samoset,
Try Zenstoves.net for ideas, if you haven't already. I use a Snow Peak 700, so I understand the problems that you are having. The last stove I tried was the V8 penny, with three jets spaced out around the edges (on the inside of the ridge pointed towards the center of the pot) and two jets in the center for filling. The jets were 1/16" in size. I found that with a windscreen/stand combo it worked well. However, I after using it in the field, I think I would better appreciate a cat stove type without a need to pull stakes out of my bag in order to cook. Generally I always cook at camp, but on my last trip I stopped to eat then kept walking after dinner. It would have been nicer to go without the digging for stakes. I have a tomato paste can that should be small enough to not send too many flames up the sides. We'll see how it goes. I'm guessing that the number of holes will be a major factor here.
_________________________
I always forget and make it more complicated than it needs to be...it's just walking.

Top
#111409 - 02/17/09 01:23 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Myke]
sabre11004 Offline
member

Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 513
Loc: Tennessee
Thanks for correcting me on that. I knew that they were both alcohol but I did not know that one was methanol and one was ethanol...Thanks again...sabre11004...

The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there !!!!! goodjob
_________________________
The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there 1!!!!!

Top
#111428 - 02/17/09 05:18 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: sabre11004]
Spock Offline
member

Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 679
Loc: Central Texas
It sounds like you want to use your double walled stove as the pot support as well as the stove. That's a good idea since it saves the weight and fiddle factor of a separate pot support. Look at Fuzzy's Li'l Stove on the Zen site. It is also the pot support and always works - even in cold weather. Made with a V8 can, it will weigh 0.25 oz. It is an efficient fuel user as well unless the pot is very narrow. And it takes about 5 minutes to make. I used one on two thru-hikes - alternating with Esbit just out of cussedness on the second hike.


Edited by Spock (02/17/09 05:19 PM)

Top
#111430 - 02/17/09 06:39 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Samoset]
TurkeyBacon Offline
member

Registered: 10/04/02
Posts: 524
Loc: Boston
You could always try a priming cup. I recently tried a similar stove and noticed how long it takes to prime.
You hinted at being skimpy on fuel usage. Its not exactly what happens on the AT. You fill up your bottle at every town stop regardless of how much it weighs. I never ran out of alcohol and never cared about carrying a few extra ounces of weight. At least that was the way it was in 02...
Scott
_________________________
I had superhuman powers, but my therapist took them away.

Top
#111436 - 02/17/09 07:52 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: phat]
Folkalist Offline
member

Registered: 03/17/07
Posts: 374
Loc: Fredericksburg, VA
How do you make alky into a wad? Wouldn't it be more like a dollop? or a glop? or a puddle? smile

Oh, dear me, the cold medicine is starting to take effect . . . sick
_________________________
Why am I online instead of hiking?

Top
#111438 - 02/17/09 08:22 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Samoset]
Heber Offline
member

Registered: 12/31/07
Posts: 245
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
What you are describing is a well-known shortcoming of stoves that are also pot stands. The stoves heats during priming and gets the alcohol boiling but then you put a large, cold object on top (the pot) and it sucks the heat out of the stove and stops the alcohol from boiling.

Not a problem in milder weather or with warmer water.

A stove that has a separate potstand is better in cold weather.

Top
#111584 - 02/20/09 03:18 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Heber]
Spock Offline
member

Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 679
Loc: Central Texas
I've used the Fuzzy Li'l stove in single digit temperatures. It usually takes a few extra seconds of priming time (no separate primer) and an actual flame (rather than a spark) to get going, but when it does start generating, putting the pot on will not put it out.

If you use other kinds of pot support stoves, a wrap of Kevlar around the stove makes a good priming wick. Just squirt on a few drops of alky and light it off. Before it burns out, light the stove if it has not lit already. In moderate cold, the stove will usually light from the primer.

Top
#111605 - 02/20/09 08:26 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Folkalist]
GDeadphans Offline
member

Registered: 12/26/08
Posts: 382
Loc: Maine/New Jersey
I read on the Zen website that if the alcohol is going out when you put cookware on top, its cause the stove was not hot enough.
_________________________
"To me, hammocking is relaxing, laying, swaying. A steady slow morphine drip without the risk of renal failure." - Dale Gribbel

Top
#111758 - 02/23/09 12:41 AM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Myke]
Samoset Offline
member

Registered: 07/04/08
Posts: 429
Loc: Newnan ,GA
Ive been using my jimwood catstove for a year or so. With a wider pot than my trek900ti and it works well with that pot. ive tried using it plenty of times with my trek900ti but always seems that the stove does a better job heating the wind screen than the pot and alot of the time not boiling the 25oz.
_________________________
Some peopole live life day by day. Try step by step.

Top
#111762 - 02/23/09 01:16 AM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: Samoset]
Samoset Offline
member

Registered: 07/04/08
Posts: 429
Loc: Newnan ,GA
Well after a week of building and testing and modificatios and more testing. Ive setteld on the 1/2 penny stove made from 1 5.5oz v8 can. With a double u potstand and oven liner windscreen. Flipd upsidedown i can burn esbit on what was onse the top of the can . Im going to do some more tests to get the best pot stand height for both alc and esbit. I will post some specs/boil times tomarrow after i have had more time to fiddlewith and test this setup. Thanks for all the advice.
_________________________
Some peopole live life day by day. Try step by step.

Top
#111964 - 02/26/09 04:03 PM The 1/2 penny [Re: Samoset]
Samoset Offline
member

Registered: 07/04/08
Posts: 429
Loc: Newnan ,GA
Ok so I have concluded that the superior ease of building this stove (Specs) http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/halfpenny.html I can put one together with a single redbull can, penny, leatherman, and a thumbtack in about 8 min. As well as its efficiency with a narrower pot make a very appealing to me. I found with a pot stand at 2 1/2 inches this stove can consistently bring 25oz to a rolling boil with one full tank (just over one ounce) simply over fill stove to prime, and when flipped I can boil 20oz with one esbit tab (Note: since the bottom of the stove is infact the top of the can it helps to have the tab removed and to slightly indent the center of the top with your thumb to keep the hot esbit centered). I have not taken any temps of anything but I did these tests with water from my lake and outside sitting by the lake so very real world conditions slight wind maybe 40f outside not positive though. I’m going to make a better pot stand I made a double u stand out of 2 aluminum drip pin stakes and bound them with a piece of tin. This is very stable but I think id like a hard wire cloth stand to slide twigs threw when cooking with esbit all in all compared to my folding steel esbit stove this thing weighs practically nothing. I hope this helps any one interested in burning esbit and alc with a small pot.

Thanks Again
Samoset


Edited by Samoset (02/26/09 04:05 PM)
_________________________
Some peopole live life day by day. Try step by step.

Top
#113410 - 03/28/09 01:22 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: sabre11004]
MountainHiker Offline
member

Registered: 03/27/09
Posts: 22
Loc: Rocky Mountains ... USA
Originally Posted By sabre11004
I think that I am correct on this and if I am not please some one correct me so I can get it straight, but I think that if you compare ingredients between "heet" and denatured alcohol they will be very close to the same. I have used alky stoves many many times (hundreds) and I always use a small primer pan under it. I fill the primer pan first then sit the alky stove right down in it. Then I fill my stove and then light the primer pan "only". By the time that the primer pan burns out the stove itself is hot enough to light itself. It should be plenty hot to burn on it's own from that point


And the good thing about the primer pan is you can start boiling the water as soon as you light the primer. That way, the primer fuel is also used to heat the water.

Top
#113526 - 03/30/09 04:02 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: phat]
sabre11004 Offline
member

Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 513
Loc: Tennessee
I find that a primer pan is almost a necessity with an alky stove and it is also a major convenience rather than a major hassle. If it is chilly outside, I sure do not want to be messing with trying to get a stove to light. All you have to do is fill the primer pan with a little alcohol, then fill the stove. Light them both at the same time and you're off to the races , no problem at all, and they get really hot too which is exactly what I want from my stove. I have a couple that will boil two (2) quarts of water in around three (3) minutes...sabre11004... wink wink wink

The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there !!!! wink
_________________________
The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there 1!!!!!

Top
#113527 - 03/30/09 04:05 PM Re: The 1/2 penny [Re: Samoset]
sabre11004 Offline
member

Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 513
Loc: Tennessee


I have recently made a pot stand that works like a charm and couldn't weigh more than an ounce, if any one is interested...sabre11004...

The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there !!! crazy crazy
_________________________
The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there 1!!!!!

Top
#113559 - 03/30/09 09:45 PM Re: The 1/2 penny [Re: sabre11004]
MountainHiker Offline
member

Registered: 03/27/09
Posts: 22
Loc: Rocky Mountains ... USA
Originally Posted By sabre11004


I have recently made a pot stand that works like a charm and couldn't weigh more than an ounce, if any one is interested...sabre11004...


I'm interested! ... any pics?

Top
#113567 - 03/31/09 08:38 AM Re: The 1/2 penny [Re: MountainHiker]
froldt Offline
member

Registered: 01/13/08
Posts: 67
Loc: Ireland
Originally Posted By MountainHiker
I'm interested! ... any pics?


I'm interested as well! ('cause, after all, my to-make list isn't nearly long enough!) laugh
_________________________
www.Adventure-Some.com
More adventure in your life today.

Top
#113574 - 03/31/09 11:35 AM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: sabre11004]
jpanderson80 Offline
member

Registered: 07/28/06
Posts: 292
Loc: Memphis, TN
Sabre,
I'm quite shocked at this...
2 quarts in around 3 minutes is blazing fast. It's faster than any stove that I've ever heard of. That's a half gallon of water! Are you sure about your measurements here? If so, please post pictures and details regarding your burns.

These claims are hard to believe.
_________________________
I always forget and make it more complicated than it needs to be...it's just walking.

Top
#113590 - 03/31/09 06:17 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: jpanderson80]
thecook Offline


Registered: 10/03/08
Posts: 541
Loc: Minnesota
I'm interested too! Pics or plans (drawing?)
_________________________
If I wouldn't eat it at home, why would I want to eat it on the trail?

Top
#113743 - 04/02/09 04:47 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove? [Re: sabre11004]
BarryP Offline
member

Registered: 03/04/04
Posts: 1574
Loc: Eastern Idaho
“I find that a primer pan is almost a necessity with an alky stove”

I shy away from stoves that need priming pans. That’s just another item to keep track of. And it’s too easy to overdue the priming fuel; waste.

I like it simple. Fill the center with any amount you need. Touch the match to it and wala. It’s lit. Jets should go in about 30 seconds. I use the stove to these exact dimensions from Brawney: http://www.trailquest.net/BRcookset.html I don’t use anything else in the pictures; i.e., I made my own stand and windscreen. And this stove lights easy at 0F.

“I have a couple that will boil two (2) quarts of water in around three (3) minutes”

This should have been posted on 4/1/09 smile

-Barry

Top
#114728 - 04/20/09 03:06 PM Re: A Thru-Hikers Stove?(ESBIT) [Re: phat]
300winmag Offline
member

Registered: 02/28/06
Posts: 1342
Loc: Nevada, USA
You can use ESBIT chunks for priming... OR just use ESBIT/FireLite tabs for the main fuel, since it's hotter than even "Red Bottle" HEET, the hottest alky fuel. I always cook with TWO tabs at a time. Usually have 1/4 left over for the next hot meal.

Just had to make that plug for solid fuel. Maybe someday the JPL guys at NASA will release a de-tuned form of solid rocket fuel for us to use in place of ESBIT... Hee, hee ("Hey Y'all, got my new JPL fuel stove. I'm tryin' double fuel tabs. Watch this..." KA-BOOM!)

Eric



Edited by 300winmag (04/20/09 03:07 PM)
_________________________
"There are no comfortable backpacks. Some are just less uncomfortable than others."

Top
Page 1 of 2 1 2 >

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 180 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum