Alcohol Stove Options

[Balagan]

Are they really?
I thought they were a different size.... was a while ago since I looked tho.

I'm sure they do a lighter weight version.

Good suggestion with the short pot and silicone band tho.

Yes, they are both 95mm in diameter with the 650 a little higher. There is a lighter version but the dimensions are the same. The 650 light is lighter than the 550 so there is really nothing to be gained if that's the one you have. Even if you have the slightly heavier 650, I'd just use that.

 

[stonemonkey]

im struggling to choose the correct size pot stand from speedster.... anybody here use one of his?

 

[stonemonkey]

Caldera Cone is similar, but not the same as a Stormin' Cone
https://www.traildesigns.com/products/caldera-cone-system
https://www.storminstovesystems.co.uk

I considered the Speedster combined pot stand/windshield but though it too heavy. Bear in mind that with a properly fitted cone you don't need a pot stand as your pot is suspended within the cone from its lip. You just make any adjustment needed to the gap between stove and pot base by varying the height of your stove - I find mine doesn't need any.

which one have you got bud?

 

[stonemonkey]

View attachment 21127

how do find this set up nigel?
is it quite heavy?

 

[Nigelp]

how do find this set up nigel?
is it quite heavy?

280g

 

[Nigelp]

I’ve not used it yet. Only to test and cook some noodles and heat water. Worked fine for that. Off to Dartmoor next weekend so will report back then.

 

[Nigelp]

how do find this set up nigel?
is it quite heavy?

I also got a Trangia kettle today. It’s the 1.4 litre one. With a the stand, meths stove, MSR handle and the pot it comes in at 468 grams.

 

[dovidola]

which one have you got bud?

see #32

 

[stonemonkey]

see #32

??

 

[WilliamC]

??

Stormin's cone (aluminium, 35g) has served me very well and will I hope carry on doing so for some time yet. Not cheap but worth it (unless you're handy enough to make your own).

Evernew 900 Ti pot (112g) is perfect for a meal plus hot drink.

I plan to boil 750ml of water twice a day, for which (in reasonably mild conditions) I allow 25ml per boil, or 30ml if I want a short simmer as well. Thus an 8oz Vargo fuel bottle (weighs 30g) is perfect for a 4-day hike. It is a cool container with its easy-pour spout and its handily graduated markings. One of the things you will welcome having come from gas is the way you can now see exactly how much fuel you have left!

Baseplate is a trimmed-to-size foil pie dish at 9g.

I used to use a MYOG Pot Cosy until I realised what it weighed (40g). Now I use my beanie instead, turned inside out so any soot from the pot will only end up on the outer worn side. It helps if your beanie has a different colour inside and out.

As for meths vs bioethanol, I use both and find there's not much difference. If anything bioethanol has the edge in burning a tiny bit hotter and cleaner and having less smell, but the difference is very slight in my experience.

Posts in a thread are numbered (bottom right).

 

[Shewie]

You might need to view in landscape if using a phone as portrait drops the post number

 

[stonemonkey]

You might need to view in landscape if using a phone as portrait drops the post number

Cheers... that worked!

 

[stonemonkey]

Ok so I put an order in at speedster and received my order. Decided mainly by the recommendations from you guys.

I got a pot stand
30ml burner
50ml burner
50ml Simmer ring
Fuel bottle
Fire steel thingy

And a couple of little bits like silicone hose and velcro.

Not tried these out in anger yet but these burners are so easy to light and you can as you know just..... blow them out!

Can't wait to use them for their intended use

 

[Nevis]

Started off with Speedster stoves but moved on to Stormin after the screw lid on the Speedster became cross threaded and ending up having to break it off with a small rock!! Built up an appetite though after nearly an hour of trying to get the lid off in the cold!!!

 

[Shewie]

I find the threads last much longer if you remove the lid when not in use at home.

Not sure if it’s the alcohol reacting with the ally?

 

[Nevis]

I even tried rubbing the threads with a pencil to see if that would help in the future with the spare i had and that didn't seem much help and didn't really trust it after that!!

 

[WilliamC]

Apparently, ethanol can corrode aluminium and methanol corrodes it aggressively.
I leave the burner open for a day after a trip to allow the meths to evaporate then store it with the lid loosely closed. I haven't had a lid stick yet.

 

[TinTin]

Anyone know how much fuel the 30ml one takes? Or to put it another way will it take enough to boil enough water to re-hydrate a typical meal and make a cup of tea?

 

[dovidola]

I use my Speedster a lot, at least weekly, because I enjoyed it so much when first used it for hiking that it now comes with me wherever I'm outdoors to make a brew-up on the go. There's no way this is (or is intended to be) a high-end luxury item, hence my buying a bagful of them so that I can start a new one each year. The threads are going to wear, the interior gauze stuff will eventually break down, the lid's liner will eventually detach and deform. Treat it with respect and it will be fine for a good while.

I only had a 'can't get it off' problem with the threads once, and that was because I'd threaded it badly when doing it up, I think because it was still too warm from use. Still came off after a little coaxing. I wouldn't try to leave fuel inside it other than temporarily.

The important thing is, as I see it, it's not going to suddenly malfunction to the extent that it can't be used. This cannot be said of a gas stove or petrol stove, where if valves, joints, etc fail you may well not be able to effect a repair on the hill.

If you're that worried, you can always take a spare - perfectly viable at 12g a throw!

 

[dovidola]

Anyone know how much fuel the 30ml one takes? Or to put it another way will it take enough to boil enough water to re-hydrate a typical meal and make a cup of tea?

Yes, just the right amount - a big cuppa plus a typical meal rehydrate plus short simmer.

I really can't see the 50ml being needed for a single user, unless you're contemplating snow melting or longer cooking, neither of which I'd want to do on meths.

 

[TinTin]

Yes, just the right amount - a big cuppa plus a typical meal rehydrate plus short simmer.

I really can't see the 50ml being needed for a single user, unless you're contemplating snow melting or longer cooking, neither of which I'd want to do on meths.

Some answers on this forum are really good, this one was perfect!

 

[dovidola]

Charmed!

 

[Whiteburn]

Apparently, ethanol can corrode aluminium and methanol corrodes it aggressively.
I leave the burner open for a day after a trip to allow the meths to evaporate then store it with the lid loosely closed. I haven't had a lid stick yet.

Ethanol (liquid or gaseous form) WILL corrode both Aluminium & Aluminium Oxide (the dull surface coating that inhibits the base metal corroding), hence some of the problems with small 2/ 4 stroke engines since they've started adding ethanol to petrol.
Having a thin silicone gasket (I cut them from a Poundland silicone bake dish) in the lid rather than waxed cardboard helps a lot (better seal) so does a smear of Copper Slip grease. I'll also burn out the stove completely on the last meal of the trip to reduce the corrosion potential in storage.

 

[Calvin]

I've just got a 30ml Speedster to go with my stormin cone. Just seen the heights are a bit different but if I use the lid as a stand for the burner its about right.
Anyone know if this will damage the lid seal?
Is the height difference even an issue?

 

[WilliamC]

I've just got a 30ml Speedster to go with my stormin cone. Just seen the heights are a bit different but if I use the lid as a stand for the burner its about right.
Anyone know if this will damage the lid seal?
Is the height difference even an issue?

If it's still the same white stuff he was using a few years ago, it will damage the seal. You could replace it with silcon, if you have a source.
How big is the difference? In tests, I found there is quite a bit of tolerance without harming efficiency much. I found there was more of an effect on boil time (less distance from burner to pot was slower).