Alcohol Stove
The alcohol stove, largely unknown in our modern REI world of high-tech camping, dates back more than a hundred years and was the standard cooking device for explorers, adventurers and hobos. Designs vary from an open pool of burning alcohol to double-wall designs that self-pressurizes and a good design will boil water every bit as fast as a commercial backpacking stove.
Alcohol stoves have two primary benefits over commercial stoves: (1) they are extremely lightweight and (2) they are a heck of a lot more fun. To be fair we have to define lightweight and we have to define fun.
Because they are typically constructed from soda cans or other lighweight cans (such as soup cans or tinned cat food), they are significantly lighter than their commercial counterparts. However, they also run on alcohol, and therefore not as heat/fuel efficient as say a canister stove. In the real, world this means that alcohol stoves are more weight efficient in the short-term but after about 5 days, the amount of alcohol you have to carry catches up with you and at that point commercial stoves become more weight-efficient. So for those weekend trips you’re better off with one of these but should us your high-tech gigwatt stove for those two-week wilderness treks.
The fun-factor is definitely a matter of perspective. For those who prefer high-tech solutions which self-prime, have nice little control dials and buttons, this stove may fall in to the category of a “hassle”. For those who love low-tech solutions, fiddling with designs and playing with fire, and especially the satisfaction of building your own stove and using it, this is definitely “fun”.
Whichever camp you fall in, alcohol stoves are definitely a great survival skill to have under your hat. It’s also a great travel companion to throw in a pack with a 3oz bottle of methylated spirits and some Ramen noodles. I often take one with me to Africa – like this photo of me in Central African Republic cooking noodles in a 24oz Heineken can. Which by the way makes a fantastic ultra-light cooking pot. I highly recommend getting a $5 horizontal can-opener which leaves a rounded edge and use that to cut the top off. Then you can use the top as a lid.
There are a lot of awesome designs out there. My absolute favorite is the Penny Alcohol Stove. You can find detailed construction instructions here. Wikipedia has a great article and Zen Stoves has a huge amount of resources and links. My absolute favorite stove designer is a Minibull Designs. My favorite designs from Minibull are the MBD Elite 2 which is a double-wall design and the Nion 3. Here’s a video on one of his prototypes. I bought both awhile back and then reversed engineered them. Tinny’s a great guy and loves helping out fellow stove-inventors. He has it down to a science.
One tip on fuel – all alcohol is not equal. I avoid Isopropal (rubbing alcohol) like what you get at the pharmacy. Instead go for methylated spirits. The yellow bottle of “HEET” that you get at automotive stores or gas stations is perfect.
