Well, you're certainly right that the WM bags are expensive, and maybe too expensive. If I hadn't had a simultaneous attack of gear lust and a tax refund, I wouldn't have them. Still, the combination of lightness and warmth, not to mention superb customer service (they repaired my Ultralite for free, even though the damage was my fault) is hard to find cheap. The venerable old North Face Blue Kazoo is $289 and a half pound heavier.

I've never tried the Esbit stoves, being mostly put off by stories of bad smell and deposits on pots. I can certainly see advantages to them. Might run afoul of regulations in some places.