Author Topic: Touring Stove  (Read 78736 times)

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Offline staehpj1

Touring Stove
« Reply #30 on: October 21, 2008, 08:49:03 am »
Different strokes, but 24 ounces isn't pretty light in my book.  It is about the heaviest solution I would consider and then only if I already had it and nothing lighter.


Offline tgpelz

Touring Stove
« Reply #31 on: October 21, 2008, 03:06:17 pm »
Considering my total weight, plus my bike and my panniers, my 10 liter MSR water bag and my 120 0unces of water bottles that I carry, the weight of my fuel and my stove is minor.

I have the MSR whisperlite.  Before a trip, I fill the bottle for the stove and make sure that my spare is filled.  This I have never ran out ... yet.   I must admit that I usually am on 5 day trips, not a month long trip.

I admit that the majority of my meals are purchased.  However, my wife and I like the freeze dried food and Ramen noodles at least once a day.

Thus, I use the stove only about once a day.  



Offline staehpj1

Touring Stove
« Reply #32 on: October 22, 2008, 08:39:58 am »
I gotta ask...  Where do you tour.

You say you carry "my 10 liter MSR water bag and my 120 0unces of water bottles".  That would seem to suggest travel in arid and remote areas.  Then you say "I admit that the majority of my meals are purchased."  Which seems to suggest services are readily available.




Offline Westinghouse

Touring Stove
« Reply #33 on: October 22, 2008, 12:38:16 pm »
Five day trips are five day trips. I cycled 93 days on one tour. Realities encountered on long and short distance tours might be very different. My experiences bicycle touring have always involved long distances, and that is one perspective I use in discussing matters related to bicycle touring.

I am sure any of the stoves mentioned here would serve well enough, but for weight, cost, and efficiency, I say the small alcohol stove will meet the need.


Offline biker_james

Touring Stove
« Reply #34 on: October 23, 2008, 07:50:01 am »
I find these little stoves intriguing, and they look pretty good for the size weight and price, at least when cooking for one. What about when cooking for two or three-do they have enough heat to boil a large pot of water? I'm just having trouble imagining that they throw anywhere near the amount of heat that my Whisperlite does, so the idea of waiting an extra 20 minutes for dinner doesn't sound great after a long day riding.

This message was edited by biker_james on 10-23-08 @ 4:50 AM

Offline paddleboy17

Touring Stove
« Reply #35 on: October 23, 2008, 12:37:45 pm »
At the start of this thread, I was a white gas snob.  Maybe even worse than that, an MSR white gas stove snob.

Based on some earlier remarks, I got intrigued and looked into alcohol stoves.  My research was not inclusive, but I like this one:
Jim Woods Super Cat Stove.  The stove is based on one 3oz cat food can with some holes in it.  There is no stand.  You dump alcohol in the can, torch it, let it burn for 30 seconds to heat the fuel, and set the pot on it.  Flames will shoot out through the holes in the can and heat the pot.
 
My experiments were done in Michigan (750' above sea level), and at temps down into the the high 40s (F). I can't wait to use these stoves on my next camping trip.  Do your experiments at night so you can see the flames.  And yes, you will need a wind screen (I used the one from my Whisperlite).  And yes, I can live with the fact that this stove will only work above 35 (F).

I would take several of them on your trip.  Why?  They only hold an ounce of fuel, enough for 6-8 minutes of burning.  That should bring 16oz of water to a boil, but if it does not, you can add alcohol to cool 2nd stove and use it to finish your meal.  With multiple stoves (which we do with white gas stoves anyways), you can boil water for hot beverages and cook dinner.

I am going to use a water bottle (appropriately marked) to hold the alcohol and carry it in the 3rd water bottle carrier (at least my bike has one).  I know some people carry their MSR fuel bottles in the same spot, but when I did it the pump mechanism got dirt in it.  I am sure that I can find room somewhere for two Super Cat stoves in my gear.

Danno
Danno

Offline flounder

Touring Stove
« Reply #36 on: October 24, 2008, 12:36:22 pm »
I'm going to try that Super Cat alcohol stove! If anyone else tries it I'd like to know how it goes. I assume for a long tour you'll need plenty of alcohol and plenty of cans. My only concern is wind but wouldn't it work fine if you can block it? Let's hope so. I'll try it at home and see what the results are.

Great site!


Offline WesternFlyer

Touring Stove
« Reply #37 on: October 24, 2008, 01:21:43 pm »
CampSaver.com offers generic malleable aluminum windscreens you can customize to you burner/stove at a good price.  I use one with my Trangia Spirit Burner when biking to save weight and space, and it does decrease cooking time.  I used a standard paper punch to put two rows of holes about halfway around the bottom of the screen to get a better draft.

http://www.campsaver.com/ItemMatrix.asp?GroupCode=trd0002&MatrixType=1

Western Flyer
Western Flyer

We must ride light and swift.  It is a long road ahead.

King Theoden

Offline bogiesan

Touring Stove
« Reply #38 on: October 25, 2008, 11:30:22 pm »
> I am going to use a water bottle (appropriately marked) to hold the
alcohol <

Water bottle? What kind of water bottle? You want an absolutely
dependable and positive seal and you need room for the fuel to
expand.

What you want is bottle that is labeled "approved for fuels."

What you don't want is alcohol leaking into your panniers.

david boise ID



go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."
I play go. I use Macintosh. Of course I ride a recumbent

Offline WesternFlyer

Touring Stove
« Reply #39 on: October 27, 2008, 12:23:15 am »
Almost any # 2 or #5 polyethylene bottle will hold alcohol safely assuming the top is secure and seals well.  Oddly enough not all aluminum fuel bottles are compatible with alcohol.  I know Sigg and Trangia have alcohol compatible aluminum bottles and probably other manufactures have them as well, but check with the manufacturer.  Your local REI salesperson may not know, or assume if it can hold gasoline and kerosene it must be all right for alcohol.

Another consideration is that denatured ethanol is generally sold in quarts (32 oz) cans and most bike bottles are 22 to 28 ounces.  Zefal makes a 1 litter (33oz) standard bike cage compatible bottle but a review on The Bike Forum had a number of people saying the top leaked (not good).  Others said it sealed fine, but sealed fine for water and alcohol are two different standards.  Im going to try one and see.  The original can, although a little heavier, is plenty secure and can easily and safely be recycled when empty, and that is not true of all fuel cans and canisters.

The best way to keep fuel from spilling in your panniers is to not put it there, although alcohol is much less the disaster than gasoline and kerosene are.  The former is water-soluble without the need for detergents to clean up, and leaves no odor.

Western Flyer

  Cooking is like that.  Barbara Kingsolver
Western Flyer

We must ride light and swift.  It is a long road ahead.

King Theoden

Offline staehpj1

Touring Stove
« Reply #40 on: October 27, 2008, 10:02:25 am »
I have always used the bottles that bottled water came in for alcohol.  I have done this for years backpacking, on my sailboat, and bike touring.  I have never had a moments problem.  Even if the alcohol would spill (it never has) it would not be a big deal like gasoline, white gas, or kerosene.  The bottles have been used for long term storage year round on the sailboat for years and the temperature have run the gamut from < 0F to 100F.

I use a different shaped bottle than any that I drink out of and mark them well.


Offline Westinghouse

Touring Stove
« Reply #41 on: October 27, 2008, 02:33:01 pm »
If I do the southern tier again this winter, I do not think I will bring any kind of stove at all. I never really used stoves all that much to begin with. If I do, it will probably be the alcohol stove with HEET for fuel. Heet comes in 12 ounce containers in Wal Mart and in some gas stations.


Offline paddleboy17

Touring Stove
« Reply #42 on: November 06, 2008, 07:05:33 pm »
Since my last post, I have continued to build and test super cat alcohol stoves.  Here is what I have learned:


  • You will need a wind screen
  • You will need two of them, as you cannot safely add fuel to a hot stove.


I have simplified Jim Wood's design slightly.  I do the first row of holes 3/8" down, and I do the second row of holes 3/4" down.  I also bought a punch set to make the holes.  The engineer in me just cannot make something with ragged holes. I found taping strips of quadrille graph paper allows for accurate hole punching.  

I have tried other cans sizes and can only report success with a 3oz cat food can and an Underwood Deviled Ham or Chicken can.  The Underwood can has the same diameter, but is taller.  It requires a 2oz charge of alcohol to light.

My travel plans are to use the smaller can for heating water for oat meal of beverages, and the larger can for more substantial meals.  Sorry, but I am a bit of a foodie and will not live on dehydrated food.  My touring buddy is pretty exited about the super cat stoves and will carry a similar set.  We are both tired of the finessing that goes with an MSR white gas stove.

I also have been storing alcohol in a water bottle, for the last 2 weeks.  The bottle is LDPE #4, and it seals adequately tight, and has not melted or otherwise been affected.  It may not have been designed to be a fuel bottle but it appears to work just fine.  As was mentioned in an earlier post, I want to use my bikes 3rd water bottle cage to carry fuel, and this works just fine.

Danno
Danno

Offline WesternFlyer

Touring Stove
« Reply #43 on: November 07, 2008, 02:15:10 am »
You dont have a second burner or wait for the burner to cool.  Because alcohol mixes with water you can pour a little water into the burner to cool it instantly and then fill it with alcohol.  The water even makes the flame burn cleaner.  You can mix up to 10% water with the alcohol.
Western Flyer

We must ride light and swift.  It is a long road ahead.

King Theoden

Offline bogiesan

Touring Stove
« Reply #44 on: November 13, 2008, 10:58:53 pm »
Found this on backpacker.com
http://www.backpacker.com/gear/ask_kristin/11
A.} Alcohol stoves definitely have their limitations (mainly cold
weather), but I've had really good luck with them up to 14,000 feet in
summer temperatures. My favorite alcohol stove is the Caldera Kitchen
( antigravitygear.com ), which incorporates burner, windscreen, pot,
and lid to create a stable and efficient system that boils three cups of
liquid in about eight minutes. It comes in a variety of configurations so
that you can use your existing pots, but the version I tested weighed
only 10 ounces, complete with a one-quart lidded, insulated plastic
container which doubles as a bowl, cup, and carrying case. In chilly
weather, however, you're probably better off going with a lightweight
canister stove it will give you much better boil times, which you'll
appreciate when you're freezing your tail off and jonesing for a hot
drink.


go, ristretto, FCP/AE
"Read the manual."
I play go. I use Macintosh. Of course I ride a recumbent