Stoves

For 3.5-season trips I use a Fancy Feast Alcohol Stove, which I made in about 10 minutes at a cost of $.39. I have posted directions (with text, photos, and a video) on this website if you are interested in making one of these stoves for yourself; read them now.

I use this alcohol stove instead of a conventional backpacking stove (e.g. a white gas or canister model) because:

• The stove is cheap -- $.39 for per stove!
• It is more weight efficient for almost all trips, except for long-term endeavors (like, 30+ days) or for when one cookset is being used for a large group (it'd make more sense to have 2-person teams with alcohol stoves; but, if you stick to one cookset, use something that has more firepower than an alcohol stove so that food can be made quickly).
• I can make one myself, which creates a greater sense of self-sustainability
• It is very unlikely to fail -- there are no moving parts, there is nothing that will clog, and there is really nothing that can break (unless it is stepped on, in which case I would make a new one in 10 minutes in the next trail town)
• I've never had one break over 15,000 miles of use
• The fuel is cheap and readily available, and can be carried in a plastic water bottle
• It may take a few more minutes to boil some water, but that time is never wasted -- I can be looking at tomorrow's maps, reading the guidebook, stretching out, sorting tomorrow's food, finishing setting up my shelter, etc.
• It's not a petrol-based fuel, so I can go to bed at night without guilt about supporting petro-dictatorships or contributing to oil-centric wars.

When I need to melt snow in order to get water, I leave my alcohol stove at home and instead carry either a white gas model (e.g. MSR Simmerlite) or a canister stove (e.g. the Vargo Jet-Ti). I prefer the canister models because they are:

• Lighter
• Simpler -- no pumping or priming, no fuel lines, no pre-lighting
• Cleaner smelling