[pct-l] esbit stove

[Bob Bankhead]

I've used Esbit tablets for many years now. I'm sold on them for solo hikes. I prefer a cannister stove when I'm part of a cooking group.

I've used the folding stoves, the BPL wing stove, and now a Caldera Cone with the Graham Cracker esbit option. 

The folding stove worked well, but like any solid fuel stive, needs a good windscreen. The BPL wing stove was a failure due to its weak rivet. The Caldera Cone is the best I've seen and it is now my go-to stove. Used it for 21 days on the PCT and JMT last summer.

I find the tablets are easier to light with a cheap Bic lighter than with matches, and I don't have to worry about the condition of my matches over the course of the hike.

I don't mind the small black deposit on the bottom of my pot. I just abrade it off periodically with sand or dirt.

It is easy to blow out Esbit tablets, but depending upon the size of what's left, it can be a challenge to re-light. I prefer to let the tablet burn itself out.

I find 1 tablet sufficient to bring 24 oz of cold water to a boil. I can get 32 oz hot enough (bubbles on the bottom but but not boiling) to prepare my Mtn House dinner, soup, and tea for dinner. I believe the difference in boiling times for a given volume of water using an Esbit stove vs. a cannister stove is only about 2 minutes (advantage cannister). The difference in fuel weight is definitely advantage Esbit.

One downside to Esbit tablets; they can be very hard to find along the trail. On the PCT, the only places that I know that stock them routinely are Muir Trail Ranch and the Lone Pine Hostel in Lone Pine. I just include them in my re-supply boxes or carry the whole lot from the get-go. At half an ounce each and 2 tablets per day, I can carry a LOT of fuel for very little weight penalty.

All stoves have a trash-to-be-carried-out issue associated with their fuel source. Esbit tablets are individually packed in a plastic tub with a foil seal. Cannisters are self explanatory. White gas and alcohol have fuel bottles. At least with Esbit and cannisters, you don't have to be worried about maintaining the integrity of the empty containers.

Esbit tablets are solid so can not leak or spill. They can not spontaneously ignite. IMHO, everyone should carry a strip of three indidually packaged tablets (that's the way they are packed, although they are perforated so you can separate them) as emergency fire starters.

Try the Esbit system. I think you will like it.........for solo hikes.