I carry Esbit tabs exclusively for all solo trips.

Like alcohol, it's a soundless fuel, which I like -- nothing ruins a quiet moment in the deep woods like the roar of a stove.

Unlike alcohol, if I clumsily kick over my stove I'm probably not going to start a forest fire. The Ouachitas and Ozarks have so much fuel in the form of leaves and twigs laying around the forest floor that's a big concern to me.

I keep my fuel in a ziplock, and that and the stove go into a small uncoated stuff sack I carry in a outside mesh pocket on my pack due to the odor. At night I put that sack in the food bag to hang.

The little bit of residue on the bottom of the pot's never been a big concern to me; I just wipe the bottom of the pot with a handful of leaves before I pack it away, first into its cozy and then into the food bag.