There is certainly a trend toward using alchol stoves for backpacking, so I wanted to review some of the advantages, disadvantages, and considerations in order to help the novice backpacker understand why an alcohol stove may or may not be the best choice.
General Principles:
Alcohol stoves are different than other popular backpacking stoves - such as white gas, iso-butane or propane - in that the fuel is not pressurized. White gas stoves require a fuel bottle that needs to be pumped while iso-butane and canister stoves use pressurized containers from the factory. Alcohol on the other hand, develops pressue through the process of lighting and then allowing the fuel to heat naturally to that point that it becomes a gas. The priming process generally takes just a minute or so but is affected by outside temperature. Alcohol stoves can be difficult to light in colder temperatures. Once lit however, they will operate just fine. Also, once lit you will find that the greatest heat output occurs in the beginning and gradually decreases as the fuel level drops. Fortunately, this corresponds with how most outdoor cooking occurs naturally – intense heat in the beginning to bring water to a boil and then decreased heat toward the middle and end to actually cook your food.
Advantages and Dissadvantages:
Alcohol stoves are designed to prepare a single entrée meal. Because of limited heat output, it will be difficult to muster enough heat for a pot larger than two liters. On the other hand, if you are cooking just for yourself, using between a 750 ml ~ 2 liter pot, then an alcohol stove will work great to efficiently get the job done. As a rule of thumb, one ounce of fuel will burn for about ten minutes. Ten minutes is generally enough time to rehydrate noodles or cook a backpacking meal. Depending on the number of times you plan to cook each day (dinner only –or- both dinner and breakfast) you can determine the amount of fuel you will need for a given trip. I generally recommend an 8 ounce fuel bottle with a flip-top cap which will allow for easy filling.
The primary advantage of alcohol stoves is weight. Most stoves weigh between 0.5 and 2 ounces. Obviously, any time you have to carry your gear, weight is of the utmost importance. Most white gas stoves weigh around 16 ounces or more, so in comparison, you could carry 16 alcohol stoves for one white gas stove! Another advantage is simplicity. The lack of parts translates into less to break and less to go wrong. As long as the material used to make the stove is sturdy and can withstand intense heat – such as titanium or other durable materials - you can rely on its performance. Lastly, my eyebrows have been singed from white gas “explosions” a number of times and it is never a pleasurable experience. Alcohol is much less volitile and will not explode even if you hold a match directly above it. However, an alchol flame is difficult to see in sunlight. I have heard many stories of people thinking that a stove is extinguished and then attempted to add more fuel, (although the stove was in fact still lit) resulting in the flame traveling back up into the fuel bottle and exploding. The lesson is to be absolutely sure the flame is out before trying to refuel or when priming. Also, immediately after you extinguish the stove you will heard a hissing sound for 10 to 15 seconds. The hissing sound is the result of the gas being produced from the heat from the still hot canister. If you attempt to re-lite the stove too quickly, the fumes that are still being generated from the hot stove have the potential to explode. Wait just a minute or so before adding more fuel and error on the side of caution.
Taking the above into consideration, my recommendation is that for backpacking alcohol stoves are one of the best options currently available. While other systems will prepare your food faster, I have never been in a rush to hurry up and eat in the outdoors.
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