Camping Stove

[Andrew]

Curious if anyone uses a esbit fuel tabs?  I have a MSR international mutli-fuel that I'm thinking of 'shelving' for something much more simple and basic.  Came across a 'really' simple stove at Fred Meyer that weighs a few ounces and burns esbit tabs for $9.  I'm using David Long's "Public Land Mulies" as my bible for my first high hunt and he basically only  'cooks' one meal (dinner = freeze dried) per day; which only requires boiling water.  One tab is good for 14 or so minutes, half a cube is good enough to boil two cups of water.

Says you can extinguish the tabs...how?

[ICEMAN]

I carry a titanium cookset in my pack, good for mid day coffee, or soup. On solo overnighters I can cook up enough water for heating an mre pack, or soup, oatmeal and coffee in the am.

I use esbit tabs for this type of cooking. Tabs run 12 minutes in my experience, and in cold weather or wind, not enough burn time, so I also bring a few trioxane tabs to slide into the flame when the esbit flames out.

[fillthefreezer]

you can make an esbit stove out of a cat food tin and a hole punch for nothing and it will work as good as any store bought. weighs 1oz plus tabs

[300rum]

I have used them quite a bit.  I use them to heat water and then pour in a Starbucks VIA, or to add to a Cup o' noodles.  My Titanium cup holds almost two cups of water (to the brim) and Esbit won't boil even a 3/4 full cup.  I use the Esbit stove btw.  It gets close but no dice.  The problem and where you want to test them is with cold water (just above freezing) and cold weather (below freezing) or whatever your likely hunting conditions are. 

I use it in late Nov/Dec.  archery hunting and even with two tabs I can't get it to boil.  It will get scalding hot, but it won't boil.  I have also used the fuel tabs in Idaho at 9K feet in sub freeing temps and same thing, they work good to get water hot but not boil.  The fuel tabs also stink, which I don't like.  Stansport also makes fuel tabs which are cheaper, are easier to find and work the same.

As far as extinguishing them, you can pour a little water on them or snuff them out with a leaf.  Since I haven't been able to boil water with them, I use the whole enchilada to heat the water so I don't have to worry about cutting them in half or snuffing them out.  Typically I sit down on a ridge, break out the stove and get a cup of water going and then by the time I break out the spotting scope and look over a ridge pretty good, the water is hot.  I also use two of the Stansports as it has more surface area to burn and seems to get hot quicker and I can't wait for my coffee!  On the same note, it takes longer to get water hot with the Esbit fuel tabs vs. a stove. 

I am switching it up this year and going with a pocket rocket and the titanium cup or maybe a Jetboil zip as I am going to need to boil on a 5-6 day hunt.  Hope that helps.     

[Andrew]

300Rum thanks.  Once on the last day of a 5-day trip I was changing bottles over and spilled damn near half of the fuel; which got me to thinking about canister or fuel tab stoves.  Based on your comments I think I'll lean towards canister.

[kentrek]

summer time go with the tablits but winter use the canister type stoves...also those tablets are the best fire starters out there in my opinion

[MikeWalking]

Good thread.  Just discovered the gas valve on my MSR Whisperlite is TU.  $35 for a new pump over two O-rings that wont seal up.  I'll buy a Jet Boil come October but for scouting-fun run on the Motorcycle I want light and cheap.

Haven't used Triox in years, I remember the stink. Like low grade CS..

[300rum]

I think you are on the right track.  The fuel tabs are easy and light but I wouldn't use them for anything more than heating up a cup of water.  On a day hunt/trip, I don't leave camp without fuel tabs and a titanium cup (and Starbucks Via), anything overnight, a canister is the way to go.     

300Rum thanks.  Once on the last day of a 5-day trip I was changing bottles over and spilled damn near half of the fuel; which got me to thinking about canister or fuel tab stoves.  Based on your comments I think I'll lean towards canister.

[ICEMAN]

We get full boils with ours, but always employ an aluminum foil wind guard.

In below freezing I switch to an alcohol stove.

[300rum]

That may be my problem, I don't use a wind guard.  That might be enough to push it over the top.  Most of the time it is below, at or just above freezing so it probably wouldn't boil with the guard anyway.

Do you make your own Alcohol stove?  If so, how did you do it?  I have been kicking around the idea of making one but I don't know what I would be gaining other than having fun. 

We get full boils with ours, but always employ an aluminum foil wind guard.

In below freezing I switch to an alcohol stove.

[Swannytheswan]

Check out this stove for simple it burns what ever is around I had it at a rolling boild with just a few pine sticks and some pine cones. nice thing is you don't have to carry any fuel

http://www.amazon.com/Innovative-Products-Foldable-Pocket-Cooker/dp/B000HR95NO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1343280758&sr=8-8&keywords=backpack+wood+stove

[ICEMAN]

300Rum, I have built a few over the years. I preferred the open side low pressure type.

Good site is Zen's site (  http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm   )

I stopped carrying alcohol stoves in my hunting bag, but for our back country snowshoe over night camping trips we still use an open vat type alcohol stove (trangia)

[Shawn Ryan]

If you want less weight and more simple, I think the alcohol stove is the way to go.  George at http://end2endtrailsupply.com/Alcohol_Stoves.html makes a great stove (Gram Weenie Pro) that weighs .7 oz and costs $12.50 (he really should charge 2-3x as much). I have his Thru Hiker, but haven't seen it on the website for several months. Fuel (HEET in the yellow bottle) is cheap and easy to find, even at remote gas stations in the woods.

At that price and the quality of stove he builds, I can't justify making my own.

[Miles]

If you want less weight and more simple, I think the alcohol stove is the way to go.  George at http://end2endtrailsupply.com/Alcohol_Stoves.html makes a great stove (Gram Weenie Pro) that weighs .7 oz and costs $12.50 (he really should charge 2-3x as much). I have his Thru Hiker, but haven't seen it on the website for several months. Fuel (HEET in the yellow bottle) is cheap and easy to find, even at remote gas stations in the woods.

At that price and the quality of stove he builds, I can't justify making my own.

What's the total weight for a 3-4 day trip (fuel/stove/cup/lid/wind shield)?

[Shawn Ryan]

I don't have a scale that will measure all of my items accurately.  But you can do a good comparison between stove weights if you assume you will use the same cup no matter what stove.  Also depends on how much you burn/how much water you boil.  For one person, 1 ounce of fuel will usually boil enough for a typical Mtn. House dinner (2 cups).  If that is all you cook, then 4 oz of fuel last 4 days.  If you boil water for breakfast or drink, just add 1 oz of fuel for every 2 cups boiled.

EndtoEnd's wind screen comes in 2 sizes, .9 and 1.3 oz.  So the Gram Weenie Pro, priming pan, and (recommended medium) wind screen are 1.7 ounces total.  Add 4 oz of fuel for a total of 5.7 oz for 4 days of dinners.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Day trips the tabs are fine in a drilled Tuna can for a wind break. You can boil water with a full tab if you have a pot with a generous amount of bottom surface area. But they just don't cut it in really cold weather. It is nice to have a few on hand for emergency fire starter on the wet side. I've built a few alcohol stoves and will toss one in the day pack once in a while. They work, but the fine tuning is a PITA. The stove is light as heck, but I'd still take 6oz. of fuel with me. I've got a Pocket Rocket now for anything overnight that is so much more convenient. I love the JetBoil system, but the weight and size is a turn off.

The Snow Peak Hybrid Ti cookset with Ti spork (8oz.) gives you a polymer bowl, cook pot and a pan/plate that doubles as a lid to the pot. -Which retains more heat when boiling and reduces boil time by nearly 1/3. The pocket rocket (3oz.) fits inside the cookset. If I use a piece of foil, rocks, my pack or other 'something' as a wind break, making sure to use the pan as a lid every time I boil water, then the amount of fuel is reduced. A 4oz. canister lasts quite well.  I can leave the polymer bowl home and save a couple ounces.

I might have gotten a little off track huh...?  What I'm trying to point out is that the weight difference isn't everything, and if you put a lid on your boil pot and use a wind break, you'll likely have a better experience boiling water with any type of stove/fuel.

-Steve

[Miles]

I hear what you're saying...

I use the Snow Peak 700 cup/lid, spork, giga power stove (8.2 oz), along with the 100g jet power fuel canister (6.5 oz) and it's a grand total of 14.7 ounces.
I have yet to run out of fuel on a 4 day hunt making mountain house and coffee every day.  Sometimes I'll even use it to cook some Ramen Noodles mid-day if it's cold.  I like it because everything nests together and I can also toss in my packets of Starbucks Via/sugar (which helps keep everything from rattling around).

[AKBowman]

That may be my problem, I don't use a wind guard.  That might be enough to push it over the top.  Most of the time it is below, at or just above freezing so it probably wouldn't boil with the guard anyway.

Do you make your own Alcohol stove?  If so, how did you do it?  I have been kicking around the idea of making one but I don't know what I would be gaining other than having fun. 

We get full boils with ours, but always employ an aluminum foil wind guard.

In below freezing I switch to an alcohol stove.

The guard makes all the difference in the world. It's best to have one that covers 360 degrees and well up over the top of the canister into the pot.