Hello,

I am reading and taking an interest in Alcohol Stoves. Stoves like the Vargo line of outdoor products.

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 cannot answer who they appeal to, for my experience is they appeal to different people for different reasons. There are many different styles of alcohol stoves, each with their own pros and cons. Almost all are lightweight, quiet and reliable.If you are looking for one, find one that can boil 16oz of water with 1/2oz of alcohol.

The most extensive collection of alcohol stoves I have seen is from a guy named "oops56". He has both home made and commercial.

In my opinion, the best thing about alcohol stoves is that they're silent. They're also light and pretty much trouble-free as long as you don't knock one over and spill the alcohol, which can be dangerous. They're slower than canister stoves and gas stoves, but did I mention that they're silent?

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.

There must be several hundred posts here on alcohol stoves; use the search function to find them.

There are also a lot of videos on YouTube about them. Look for Minibull designs videos. Tinny, from Minibull has posted all kinds of videos about the stoves he makes, but the principles apply to almost any kind of alcohol stove you can find. He covers different types as well as shows how he makes his own line of stoves.

There are dozens of different designs. As already said, people like them because they are light and cheap to make. Even the commercially made ones aren't all that much.

I have made a couple just for fun, but never bothered to actually use them for cooking. I have a bunch of other stoves that burn everything from gas in a canister to jet fuel.

“Stoves like the Vargo line of outdoor products”

If you can get an alcy stove to work in the cold (below freezing and light with one match) then you have a nice fiddle-free stove. I personally have struggled with Vargo products. Ti is not a good metal for alcy stoves.

Lori mentioned the white box. That is a nice stove! I’m always torn between that one and one similar to Mechanic Mike on eBay. Both stoves can boil 2C h2o on ½ oz alcy at 60F in <6 minutes.

“Are they reliable? Noisy?”

No noise. Always reliable; but then again, IMHO, you have to have a good designed stove. You don’t have to carry stove repair kits. You don’t have to worry about cold. My youngest kid (11 year old daughter) has her own alcy/stove setup and she loves cooking with it.

The one thing to caution is during daylight hours, you cannot see the flame. So how do you know if it’s lit? Practice at home. You’ll get used to hearing the small ‘pop’ sound when lit.



-Barry

Yeah, the "pop" sound and a second quieter one when the side burners blossom out are what you have to go on for when the pot needs to go on... too soon and you put out the flame. (this is referring to the white box, which is its own pot stand).

You can hold your hand over the top to see if heat is rising and see the alcy bubbling... but don't hold your hand too close without the pot on! Unless you want to melt off your fingerprints for some reason. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

For those of you who use White Box stoves....one way to know it is going in daylight is use a Primer Ring under it to light the stove. It nearly instantly lights the fuel.

I keep hearing that, but mine doesn't seem to do that. I put ten or so drops of fuel in the ring and light it but the stove doesn't light. I end up lighting the stove too. What am I doing wrong?

I just returned from a 5 day Grand Canyon backpacking trip. I had lent my Vargo Jet-Ti propane stove burner to a friend and so I used my Vargo Triad EX base as a stove for ESBIT and FireLite fuel tablets. I used 2 tablets at a time but often blew them out half burned B/C my water had boiled already. I just left them in the stove base & re-lit them the next meal after adding one new tablet.

My pot was a 1.5 L. JetBoil with the neoprene insulating cozy and the highly efficient "Flux Ring" corrugated heat exchanger on the bottom edge. I don't own a JetBoil stove as the pot is the heart of the stove and works efficiently with any stove I already own.

So, after using both the Vargo alky insert and the fuel tabs I'd say I'll go with the hotter, faster fuel tabs any time. They worked well in the windy conditions we often had in the Canyon but I always used an MSR foil windscreen.

Eric

P.S. Yes, the fuel tabs (esp. ESBIT) add a bit of residue to the pot bottom but this is easily scoured off W/ a ScotchBrite pad and some water. I prefer the cleaner & somewhat hotter American made FireLite fuel tablets.

I used a trangia solo kit for a combined total of at least several months, but have mostly long ago switched to cannister stoves. Without fuel, it's considerably lighter than any alternative,

Aesthetically, its a wonderfully simple devic.. Practically, it can never malfunction unless you squashed the thing somehow, and it required no maintenance.

Most alcohol stoves look very similar and probably have the same performance.

Under optimal conditions, fuel consumption was probably twice that of a gasoline stove for the same amount of cooking. That's only a rough guess. Using it in a wind, i.e. beach or alpine environments, fuel consumption would rise dramatically.

I liked it okay but wouldn't use it for cooking anything more than a couple of packs of Ramen or the equivalent. The thing runs out of fuel after about 15 minutes when full, and isn't very hot. Generally, it's best to let fuel burn out of it. There is a screw cap with gasket so you don't have to do this, but I find the gasket leaks a little and alcohol stinks.

Regardless, you probably need to fill the thing each time its used, which is a little bit if a hassle.


I've used it in mild winter conditions -- mid 20s -- with no particular problem.

If you somehow managed to tip it over, you'd have a flaming mess, but overall, it's pretty safe. Almost certainly much safer than gasoline or gaz. Can't use it in a tent or vestibule, probably, because flames are shooting around too much.

Currently I hold in in reserve. I think it would be ideal for trips abroad, when/where/IF your need of a stove might be minimal -- that is, a buch of touring and a small amount of backpacking. Presumably alchohol is available everywhere and without fuel the stove can presumably be checked on aircraft with impunity.


I have it with me now, on a trip to midwest, where there is a remote chance I may do some slight amount of camping.

Wow! I appreciate all of the responses. Thanks for the information!

Here is write-up on Trangia that almost has me re-sold on the item.

It's amazingly intelligent and thorough analysis.
http://www.climber.org/gear/TrangiaStove.html

Some sources for purchasing alky stoves are:
Ebay
jasonklass
end2endtrailsupply.com
traildesigns.com