[cdt-l] An alcohol stove for two

[Karen Somers]

Alistair,

OK, some good points to make the comparisons fair.

You are correct about the weight of the MSR 22 oz fuel
bottle....my mistake.  It weighs 5.3 oz empty.

WHITE GAS OPTION REVISED
1, 2-L titanium pot:  8 oz
22 oz MSR fuel bottle full:  15.1 oz gas + 5.3 oz
bottle = 20.4 oz
stove: 10.8 oz
Total:  39.2 oz (2.45 lbs)

No, it would take more than 2 esbits to do all the
cooking that you do.  We only ever cook dinner.  So my
esbit weight would probably double for you.

I went back to my own experiences with alcohol/HEET
and we would use about 30 oz of alcohol for 12 days.

WHITE GAS REVISED
1, 2-L titanium pot:  8 oz
28 oz. denatured alcohol:  22 oz fuel + 4 oz of
bottles = 26 oz
Stove:  1 oz (assumed)
Total:  31 oz (1.9 lbs)

Yes, I looked at the important aspect of into-town
weight (pounds per day average), also.  Esbit is
lightest at (10.8 oz), alcohol next and white gas
heaviest.  One benefit of esbit is that you always
have exactly the right amount of fuel and you never
have leftover fuel coming into town (unless you
purposely carry a few spares).

I was also concerned about needing more mail drops
from home for esbits, but it looks like we could just
bump our tabs ahead with our bump box, which we'll be
doing with or without the fuel issue.  And if we don't
get our bump box as often, we can carry a month of
esbits for less weight than alcohol.  

As mentioned, there are a lot of other pros and cons
to consider.  And a lot of other gear, plus food and
water, factor into pack weight.  You can get bogged
down in a few ounces here and then, after all that
thought, get on the trail and "waste" a few pounds (by
carrying too much water, for instance).

Nocona





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