[Cdt-l] Stoves

[Jim Eagleton]

There is no "best" stove, so most opinions are valid.  However, I would rely on physics statements that apply to this universe.  
 
1)  Canister stoves work better at high altitudes than low altitudes.  Less pressure outside allows the gas to escape faster.  Also, the boiling point is lower so less heat has to be generated.  The altitude affect was very pronounced with the butane stoves in the 70's that used pure butane.  I could easily tell the difference between sea level, 8000 ft and 13000 ft.  Since then they have added iso-butane and propane to the canisters which makes them much better (but not great) in cool weather.  The fuel will unmix some as it is being used.  So you will have less propane, and if you are trying to use up two old cylinders they will appear not to work as well.  It is better to use them at high elevations, but they may be weak if it is cold or windy (at high elevations).  
 
(Yes, I know about choke flow, which says the altitude effect drops to zero when there is a lot of pressure in the canister, say warm propane.  I call this the I don't care universe.)
 
2)  No stove works even "good" in the wind.  I say, white gas is better than butane which is better than alcohol.  The wind screen can improve of any of these stoves.  It may be slightly easier to build an effective windscreen for an alcohol stove because the flame is closer to the ground.  However, it should not be too difficult to make a canister stove perform better than an alcohol stove.  
 
3)  If you are going to use an alcohol stove in cooler weather, yellow HEET (methanol) will be better than standard denatured alcohol (ethanol).  Neither will be great at freezing (and it would be a boring race against a canister stove.)  I prefer denatured alcohol when I can get it because it has more fuel value, most stoves are "tuned" to it, and it is much less deadly (but still very toxic) if you take a sip.  However, these advantages are probably not worth the higher cost.  The lower availability takes care of its self; No denatured, go to a gas station and buy HEET.
 
4)  Last year I gave up my MSR Simmerlight white gas stove for an alcohol stove.  Perceived fuel availability is why I kept using it, but white gas fuel availability is no longer an advantage (at least in the US.)  I would go back to the Simmer light if I had to have the best performing stove for say, a 10 Day trip with 4 people or, I had to melt snow.  
 
5)  I did not test out the alcohol stove on many cold nights.  I would jump in my bag and eat peanut butter and crackers.  There were several windy nights when it took twice the fuel and twice the time to get my dinner cooked with alcohol.  This is on top of the extra time that alcohol takes over a canister stove.  
 
6)  In Helena, I bought a Primus 3213 canister stove.  The Base Camp was out of stock on the Pocket Rocket.  I think they are similar price and weight, but you should check.  The Pocket Rocket has a small wind diverter.  The Pimus has a built in lighter.  This may be extravagant, but I like the idea of making the most convenient stove even easier to use.  I would highly recommend the large 8 oz canister.  It is much more stable and reduces resupply issues.  I used about 1/2 canister in 8 nights, but don't know how accurate or reproducible this is.  The canister had one of those strips that you run under hot water.  Also, fuel usage is individual based on cooking patterns.  
 
So far, I think the canister is best for me.
 
7)  What was your AT 2004 trail name?  Are you pictured in Ghosts pages?   http://at04.com/photos/ghosts  
 
Rambler
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