lol. Been there; done that.

That's what finally got me to stop using my Whisperlite as my primary stove even though I was reasonably happy with it.

The trick with the different stove types is to tailor them to the trip. With a trip where you don't necessarily know everyone (say with some outdoors club), canister gas is good option since it's fast and has an easy set up and take down. That way you can keep up with the group and you're not holding up the show when it's time to hit the trail.

If it's just you and a buddy, then some of the "alternative" fuels like alcohol, ESBIT, and even wood are very workable, particularly if you've hiked together before and you both "know the drill."

For three or more, I'll usually go with gas. Alcohol, ESBIT, and wood seem too slow, and gas actually can save weight since gas has more heat content for the weight than alcohol. I've seen different estimates, but for my planning, I use five person days as the break even point where gas will start be lighter overall than alcohol. With three or more people, a trip that lasts for a full two days will be lighter on gas.

For trips with three or more where I know people really well, I might be willing to try wood, depending on the type of trip and the conditions.

I generally don't use white gas or kerosene stoves except for winter trips or when I just want to use a cheap fuel and time isn't super critical.

HJ