Alcohol Stove Options

stonemonkey

stonemonkey

Ultralighter
IMG-20200128-WA0018.jpeg Right you lovely lot!!

Alcohol stoves...

Iv never used an alcohol stove, always used gas.....

But im thinking of trying one, i have a very heavy cheap ebay one on standby.... its been in the cupboard for nearly 2 years haha

i nearly set my van on fire once with a homemade one that wasnt sealed correctly and nearly burnt my van down and when i moved it... quickly to get it out... yes you can guess... it was like shifting a fireball!!

Anyway..... what do you lads n lasses use?
and any suggestions will be welcomed.

I would probably prefer one with some sort of pad thing in the bottom to avoid flare ups if it gets knocked (maybe not as bad at least)

i recall speedster stoves do one and not sure which is best to use,
probably only use it for boiling water and for making a pasta or similar...

cheers

this is the cheap ebay one 110 grams with simmer ring.
 
dovidola

dovidola

Thru Hiker
I tried the Speedster 30ml and liked it so much I bought half a dozen of them because I wanted a stash in case they weren't available one day. 12g, plus 4g for a simmer ring if you want one. £3.70 at:https://speedsterstoves.co.uk/30ml-spill-proof-meths/alcohol-burner.html
Some people here knock up their own from various bits of aluminium detritus, and I have nothing but admiration for their ingenuity and self-sufficiency, but Blue Peter stuff is beyond me so these do very nicely indeed.

Like you, I'd always used gas (unless you count a weighty paraffin Primus c1975), but torching my tent with a Pocket Rocket one evening in wildest Knoydart started me thinking about alternatives. I've been on the meths ever since. It's not for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Plenty of discussions on this site comparing the pros and cons of gas vs alcohol, which just go to show how much a matter of personal taste it is. You'll either find meths dirty, slow, inconvenient and primitive, or you'll love it!
 
stonemonkey

stonemonkey

Ultralighter
dovidola said:
I tried the Speedster 30ml and liked it so much I bought half a dozen of them because I wanted a stash in case they weren't available one day. 12g, plus 4g for a simmer ring if you want one. £3.70 at:https://speedsterstoves.co.uk/30ml-spill-proof-meths/alcohol-burner.html
Some people here knock up their own from various bits of aluminium detritus, and I have nothing but admiration for their ingenuity and self-sufficiency, but Blue Peter stuff is beyond me so these do very nicely indeed.

Like you, I'd always used gas (unless you count a weighty paraffin Primus c1975), but torching my tent with a Pocket Rocket one evening in wildest Knoydart started me thinking about alternatives. I've been on the meths ever since. It's not for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Plenty of discussions on this site comparing the pros and cons of gas vs alcohol, which just go to show how much a matter of personal taste it is. You'll either find meths dirty, slow, inconvenient and primitive, or you'll love it!
Click to expand...

Thanks and erm..... ordered half a dozen? Haha...
Ye the one that flared up on me was home made.. by me.
I knew it wasn't finished but I'm impatient and thought I would try it lol
 
stonemonkey

stonemonkey

Ultralighter
Thanks for your replies.....

Couple of quick questions if I may tho...

1- what alcohol do you use?
2- how much do you take? Took cook or boil what? I suppose it's trial and error really.
3- doesn't it blacken your pots with the soot?

My mate uses gel... I tried it but found it didn't burn so well until it heated up and not sure but it seemed harder to light.

Bio-Ethanol... is it the cleanest to burn?
I presume the more efficient the stove the better all round.
 
Dave V

Dave V

Moderator
Staff member
Bio or standard meths is my go to. Sometimes you get a bit of sooting but not often if you have the right gap burner to pot. There is quite allot of info within other threads on the forum, guides to building your own cone, wildsheild etc as well as lots of burn tests.

Gel does not burn as well as liquid alcohol imo.

I generally allow 17-20ml per boil of 450-500ml water. There are a number of stoves, Speedster and Stomin to a couple of variants that once boiled you can simply blow the burner out and save the remaining fuel without spillage.

A good windshield is key for heat direction and wind resistance.
 
Whiteburn

Whiteburn

Thru Hiker
Summary of my experience:

Plan your cooking to avoid the need for simmering. e.g. wholemeal pasta can easy by cooked in a cosy without the need for any fuel & there are plenty of meals that will cook quicker.

Short squat pots are the most efficient shape for alcohol stoves e.g. 600ml Evernew ECA251R, 900ml Evernew ECA252R, 1300ml Evernew ECA253R, or similar

Good windshield essential e.g. Caldera cone sidewinder (fits inside the Evernew squat pots) or similar. Ti is probably the best followed by SS, aluminium cones are an easier MYO solution but don’t last unless they really babied.

Burners (I’ve tried loads), my favourite is a MYO 50ml with adsorbent insufrax fill e.g. original Speedster or Trail Design Kojin are similar. No measuring of fuel needed, easy to light, don’t spill & store unused fuel.

Bioethanol or meths burn equally as well (they both have the same basic combustible components), personally I don’t the smell of meths (IMO gel is useless).

Consumption is dependent on burner/ pot/ windshield combination & use: on long summer trips I’ll use <50ml/ day, in winter I’ll carry 100ml/ day.
 
stonemonkey

stonemonkey

Ultralighter
Wow... some great advise and suggestions as usual. Thanks.

I forgot to mention I use a 650ml toaks pot/cup and I also have a 900ml toaks pan/pot... havnt used the latter much tho.

Think il give it a go.... il get on to speedsters website later if I get chance and put an order in.

Does any one know the difference with his carbon fill ones?

Windshields. .. stormin do look really good but not sure if I could spend that much atm.

I tried a really thin foil thing once and could not get on with it... very fiddly things that blow about in the wind in my experience.
 
Whiteburn

Whiteburn

Thru Hiker
stonemonkey said:
….I forgot to mention I use a 650ml toaks pot/cup and I also have a 900ml toaks pan/pot... havnt used the latter much tho…..
Click to expand...
For the Toakes 650 (95mm diameter) I'd recommend the Speedster 30ml.
The Toakes 900 (130mm diameter) would probably suit the Speedster 50ml & be ideal for a sidewinder type cone (pack in the pot).
You could use the 50ml with the Toakes 650, it would just be less efficient but faster boil.
 
Enzo

Enzo

Thru Hiker
I tried quite a few setups, for me I've settled on the squat risks 900 with the biggest burner that doesn't send all it's heat up the sides. Big in my tests = fast without a drop in efficiency, if anything efficiency increases.
900 will do a dehydrated meal and a coffee at the end of the day, 650 for me wouldn't, and brewing up twice contravenes the second part of my mantra, Weight/Faff.
YMMV.
 
bazpoint

bazpoint

Backpacker
Another vote for the 30ml Speedster from me, in my case with an MSR Titan Kettle in a Stormin' Ti cone. A tad over 15ml to hit the the boil then straight into the coosy with whatever's for supper. Great little setup. Plus with a couple of extra bits the cone can go into wood furnace mode... not that I've ever done it beyond the garden :)
 
stonemonkey

stonemonkey

Ultralighter
WilliamC said:
I have a Toaks 550 and 750. The Speedsters that I use have an internal diameter of about 46mm. They match the pots well.
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Ahh so there must be a formula to work out what size burner works best with what?


Whiteburn said:
For the Toakes 650 (95mm diameter) I'd recommend the Speedster 30ml.
The Toakes 900 (130mm diameter) would probably suit the Speedster 50ml & be ideal for a sidewinder type cone (pack in the pot).
You could use the 50ml with the Toakes 650, it would just be less efficient but faster boil.
Click to expand...

What is this sidewinder contraption you talk about? Sorry I'm newbie on all of this.

Imagedude said:
I've used an Evernew DX at temperatures as low as -20. Works well in a Caldera Cone too.
Click to expand...

Caldera cone? Don't know what one is but I have heard the term used on here...
 
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