[pct-l] Stoves

[Scott Bryce]

On 4/27/2012 3:36 PM, Alexandra Robinson wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> Another question to shoot out there. I am curious what kind of
> stoves people bring/have the best luck with on the trail. I've read
> that it can be difficult to find certain fuel types and that people
> get into making tin can alcohol stoves.

They are usually made of aluminum pop cans or cat food cans. The best
design in terms of fuel efficiency is the Pika stove.
http://users.sisqtel.net/losthiker/pikastove/. The best in terms of heat
output is my own Yaas stove.
http://scottbryce.com/yaas_stove/index.html, or the Cat stove
http://royrobinson.homestead.com/Cat_Stove.html. The simplest is the
Super Cat http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html, though I
am wary of side burning stoves, having started a fire while testing one.

> I have an MSR whisperlite that runs on white gas. In peoples opinion
> and experience would it be silly for me to rely on being able to find
> white gas along the way or should I shoot for a different stove all
> together.

White gas will be hard to find. Alcohol is much easier to find.

There is some controversy concerning alcohol stove since they are simply
an open alcohol flame. There have been fires started with alcohol
stoves. They should not be used in conditions where nearby flammable
materials could catch fire.