[pct-l] If not alcohol stove, then what, query #2

[Eric Lee]

TheDuck wrote:
>
Many thanks for the quick replies...   but let me ask my question 
differently... 'cause maybe an alcohol stove is in fact the answer...  it is
sure hard to argue with the weight of the things.
>

1.  There are several different alcohol stove designs out there and the
exact answer to this question will vary according to design.  It's *very
difficult* to "turn off" an alcohol stove by blowing on it.  Alcohol very
much likes to keep burning.  (This is why they can be dangerous in high
winds or when kicked over - fuel goes everywhere and keeps burning.)  The
only reliable way to stop it before it runs out of fuel is to smother the
flame.  Some simple designs have an open well without any air holes and
those can be smothered simply by placing any non-flammable flat object on
top of the well.  Other designs have air holes or vents for the vaporized
alcohol to come out of and you have to enclose the whole stove and wait
awhile to smother them.  Basically, don't plan on trying to stop an alcohol
stove before it's burned all of its fuel.  Instead, get good at estimating
how much fuel you need to load it with to cook your meal.  Yes, this may end
up wasting a bit of fuel, but the stove itself weighs practically nothing so
it's a wash.

2.  This may depend somewhat on the design you use but most alcohol stoves
have some kind of flame visible if you look carefully, except if you're in
direct sunlight.  Even then, it generally works ok to do a quick hand check
by waving your hand over the stove (a reasonable distance away) to see if
it's still burning.  Alcohol doesn't burn super-hot like propane/butane
does.  The style of cooking that most people do with an alcohol stove means
you don't have to mess with it much.  You put in just enough fuel to heat
your water, dump in the food, light the stove, let the whole thing heat up,
at some point the stove burns out, you let the pot sit there awhile longer
to give the food a chance to hydrate some more, then pick it up and eat it.
If you're the kind of person who wants to mess with multiple pots or
complicated preparation then maybe a different stove would be better.

3.  Again depends on the design you use, but generally you just let alcohol
stoves burn out.  Maybe wastes a bit of fuel but you save in stove weight.

4.  Don't know if HEET is shippable.  Personally I wonder a bit about what
other additives might be in HEET that maybe I don't want to be breathing,
but no one's reported any problems and it's a convenient way to resupply
from many places.

5.  Alcohol stoves seem to be in a bit of a grey area as far as the
regulations go.  A lot of agencies seem to be not very thrilled with alcohol
stoves because they're not very controllable, but I don't remember any
instances where alcohol stoves were specifically banned while other kinds of
stoves were still allowed.  Typically if the conditions get to be too
hazardous they'll just ban all stoves or close the forest.  Maybe some of
our SoCal residents can clarify this.

In SoCal with the huge fire danger you might consider either a canister
stove or going cookless.  If you carry an alcohol stove, be prepared to
alter your dining plans if the conditions aren't safe (i.e. high winds) for
cooking right then.  I personally had a very scary experience around Mt.
Laguna several years ago where the wind nearly sent my still-burning stove
careening across the ground. Fortunately disaster was narrowly averted.  For
the rest of the trail, an alcohol stove would be my first choice.

Eric