thanks for the info everyone! im not familiar with the Trangia, but i have since researched and made a super cat type stove, and liked how simple it was. ill probably keep the super cat with my coffee cup and use the penny stove with my mess kit.

another question, some of the sites ive found say that, because methanol is toxic, theres a risk of contamination from the soot on the pots and keeping your stove in your pots. can you just wipe em or rinse em out, or do they need to be cleaned with soap?