Touring - a stove from a TA trip

Hey guys what do you think of using this stove for a Ta trip.
I it uses HEET or Denatured Alcohol

People swear by their lightweight and inexpensive alcohol stoves and claim that HEET is easy to find when touring. But bear in mind that a gasoline stove will boil water 4 times faster and consumes half as much fuel as an alcohol stove.

Which stove?

My very limited experience with alcohol stoves(Trangia)was basically positive as long as all you want to do is heat water for coffee and instant whatevers. It is a fuel hog. I estimate that one btl of Heet will last about 1/3 as long as a propane fuel cannister for my Pocket Rocket, making Heet more expensive. The combo of stove plus Heet is about 1/2 the weight of the Rocket and cannister.

I'm considering adding the Trangia to my kitchen as a second stove and use it to heat the water for my coffee while cooking my usual toast and oatmeal with the Pocket Rocket.

As fuel cannisters can be hard to find on long tours, the alc stove is a decent backup.

In general I agree with Cyclebum. And Cyclesafe is correct - it does cook slow conpared to gas. What I like most is that it is almost noiseless - no jet engine sound. But don't try to cook a multi course meal. It will cook rice, and canned dinners, etc. And fuel is easy to find - in fact, a trangia will run on drug store alchohol, though it will be smokier and slower.

so basically my version of the alcohol stove is alright?

Yes, an alcohol stove is alright. But don't plan to eat anytime soon after you start cooking.

Did you intend for there to be a link to a specific stove? If so, it's not there. At least on my version of this site.

The only stove I would not take on a long tour is my canister stove. While it's a great stove that boils/cooks and is easy to use..... The fuel is a bastard to find in the mid west. Learned that the hard way last summer. Wished to god I had brought my white gas stove. This was on the Northern Tier.

You will be good to go. As mentioned.

Did you intend for there to be a link to a specific stove? If so, it's not there. At least on my version of this site.

sorry i forgot to post the link here it is, ones again its a diy
http://www.instructables.com/id/Pocket-Sized-Camp-Stove-The-Improved-quotPenny-/

Yes, an alcohol stove is alright. But don't plan to eat anytime soon after you start cooking.

Disagree... I love my trangia and cook full meals all the time (e.g soja meat fried with onions, rice, two veggies and garlic sauce) ;p *sorry I'm a bit hungry at the moment ;)*
With a good windbreak I find it definitely fast enough :)

you can do lots of searches thru Youtube and find all sorts of "penny stoves", "cat stoves", etc...

i always laff when i meet someone who is very familiar with these types of stoves, and are proficient at their use.

the paradigm shift is....

with a stove you buy, obviously there is this object that you now use, when or if it should break, you have to buy a new one. in the mean time, its junk, or you have to try to fix it, etc...

the thing with these "cat stoves", etc...
is that
now the skill
the knowledge
is in your head

its a skill
its a learned art

suddenly now all you need is a few teaspoonsfull of HEET, etc

literally you can pick up a couple of cans from the side of the road, and make a stove

I'm guilty. I have at least 3 different stoves.

my favorite has been a SnowPeak mini giga... isofuel stove

now my favorite are these "cat stoves"

what i don't like, is making trash
what i like is using trash to cook my food...
that is...
there is something gratifying by cutting up a can to use as a stove...

somehow i think that is cool
and what always blows my mind, is how well they typically work.

just like any other skill
its all in the way you make your stove, and how well you shelter it.

peace...d

sorry i forgot to post the link here it is, ones again its a diy
http://www.instructables.com/id/Pocket-Sized-Camp-Stove-The-Improved-quotPenny-/

That stove works fine. It is at its best when cooking for one person or maybe two.

The only stove I would not take on a long tour is my canister stove. While it's a great stove that boils/cooks and is easy to use..... The fuel is a bastard to find in the mid west. Learned that the hard way last summer. Wished to god I had brought my white gas stove. This was on the Northern Tier.

You will be good to go. As mentioned.
There is a reasonable solution to that if you want to take the canister stove. It is possible and legal to ship isobutane fuel via ground mail (domestic mail only). The package must have the following label attached on the address side of the package:
"Surface Mail Only
Consumer commodity
ORM-D"

Using general delivery you can either mail yourself cartridges at post offices along the way or have someone at home do it for you. Remember that the post office only holds packages for 30 days, but will forward them at no charge (you can arrange this from any post office, not just the one where the package is). We forwarded stuff multiple times when we weren't ready for it or when we passed through the town when the post office was closed.

I wish we had know about this before our Trans America. The cartridge stove was perfect when cooking for three in every way except fuel availability. Cooking for one I might rather take a pop can stove, but would still consider the Pocket Rocket.

There is a limit of three cartridges per package, but that should be no problem. Even when we were cooking for three a cartridge lasted a pretty good while.

I used this Brunton Crux and a couple of evernew titanium pots last week for a multi day camp ride.
Had to light with a match.

I used this Brunton Crux and a couple of evernew titanium pots last week for a multi day camp ride.
Had to light with a match.
If riding coast to coast you will have trouble finding fuel for this one. We didn't see fuel from Pueblo until we saw a couple canisters in a help yourself pantry at a church we stayed at near the Kentucky-Virginia border. There was a store that reportedly had it in Carbondale IL, but they were closed when we passed through. We stopped at dozens of sporting goods stores, general stores, minimarts, and Walmarts without finding isobutane fuel in that very long stretch.

I really recommend using general delivery and surface mail if you want to use isobutane cartridges on a long tour that crosses the middle of the US. See my post earlier in the thread for labeling requirements.

Any of the alcohol stoves will work fine, fuel is readily available in small quantities all along the route at gas stations (HEET yellow container). The key here is small quantities, white gas (Coleman fuel) is also very available, but mostly in 1 Gallon containers.

For cooking things that need simmer time, use a pot cozie or use freezer bag cooking technique. The cook times are no problem, mosts stoves boil water in under 5 min. (2 cups)

We took out MSR Pocket Rocket stove (cannister) on our Oregon to Boston trip and had no trouble finding fuel. However, we were not on an ACA route, and went through pretty good sized towns fairly regularly. We would just stock up if we knew there was some question about options(Idaho, Wyoming Nebraska).

My wife really likes sweet corn and even when we stopped at a motel, she often used the stove to cook corn.

If I was really concerned about fuel availability and reliability , I'd take an MSR Whisperlite International or its equivalent. It will burn about anything and is not all that heavy. We use one for mountaineering and heavy duty backpacking. In good weather, and for short ski trips we use the MSR Pocket Rocket (3 oz.) and the same tent we use on bike trips (SD Lightning, 4.25 lbs.) Pack acts as a windbreak.

I have been turning on to the Trangia stoves lately, mostly for their simplicity and silent running, and an added benefit is that they don't use fossil fuels. I also really like the S2 ClickStand, combined with their S2 windscreen:

http://www.clikstand.com/

Neil

P.S. We were not fussy aout type or brand of fuel-If the stove screwed into the cannister, we used it.

P.S. We were not fussy aout type or brand of fuel-If the stove screwed into the cannister, we used it.

FWIW: We weren't either. We used whatever brand was available MSR, Brunton, Coleman, Sno Peak, whatever. It was very scarce on the TA for half of Colorado, all of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and even much of Virginia. I definitely would not count on finding it when you need in on the TA and I have heard the same about the NT and ST.

FWIW: We weren't either. We used whatever brand was available MSR, Brunton, Coleman, Sno Peak, whatever. It was very scarce on the TA for half of Colorado, all of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and even much of Virginia. I definitely would not count on finding it when you need in on the TA and I have heard the same about the NT and ST.

Pete, I'm curious as to whether you have a handle on how available alcohol fuel would have been on your trips? Or were you simply not looking for that?

Pete, I'm curious as to whether you have a handle on how available alcohol fuel would have been on your trips? Or were you simply not looking for that?
I think it was very available, but my impression may be slanted a bit since I wasn't always looking for it. I am pretty sure Yellow Heet was readily available and some other alternative was surely available at any hardware store, if in less convenient sizes like a quart. I know that I saw the Yellow Heet pretty frequently for at least part of the trip, but may not have noticed if there was a section where it wasn't there.

I took notice on my more recent tour across KS, OK, and NM and it definitely readily available there.

BTW, the clickstand looks interesting, but the picture on their page looks like there is a yellow flame. That made me wonder if it sooted up the pots much. Did you find any tendency to soot up.

I think it was very available, but my impression may be slanted a bit since I wasn't always looking for it. I am pretty sure Yellow Heet was readily available and some other alternative was surely available at any hardware store, if in less convenient sizes like a quart. I know that I saw the Yellow Heet pretty frequently for at least part of the trip, but may not have noticed if there was a section where it wasn't there.

I took notice on my more recent tour across KS, OK, and NM and it definitely readily available there.

BTW, the clickstand looks interesting, but the picture on their page looks like there is a yellow flame. That made me wonder if it sooted up the pots much. Did you find any tendency to soot up.

Thanks, that gives me some confidence - I've not actually gone on tour with the Trangia, I've been curious about how available appropriate alcohol is in the "small town America" we all know and love (you know, the places with just one small grocery store and a bar).

I don't know why the pic on the ClikStand site has a big yellow flame, it does look a little odd now you mention it. The Trangia certainly doesn't behave like that usually, in fact the flame is pretty much invisible during daylight hours. Maybe they made the flame more visible for the publicity photo, so that it's obvious the stove is actually on? I dunno. In any case, there's no reason I can see why the ClikStand would affect the flame quality - really it's just a stand for the Trangia, and it acts as a wind guard at the same time as channeling air to the stove in a way that doesn't also blow all the heat away. The ClikStand folds up very small, it's made of stainless steel (but it's still very light) and together with the S2 windscreen (which fits into the grooves on the stand) they just seem to do two things very well: Support the pot, and protect from the breeze so that more heat is directed to the bottom of the pot. I like simple ideas that are well executed, and this certainly seems to be in the same spirit as the Trangia itself.

Neil

if you stick to the yellow HEET there is no soot.
the red HEET soots

perhaps the big yellow flame in the pic is only due to what can be photographed and show the product at the same time.

being that a small blue flame is difficult to photograph

I don't know why the pic on the ClikStand site has a big yellow flame, it does look a little odd now you mention it. The Trangia certainly doesn't behave like that usually, in fact the flame is pretty much invisible during daylight hours. Maybe they made the flame more visible for the publicity photo, so that it's obvious the stove is actually on? I dunno.
Thanks. It seemed weird to see the big yellow flame. I have used a Trangia and never saw such a flame. It is probably just as you said just there to make the flame visible for the photo.

On the subject of stove alcohol, does anybody have any insight on how available it is in other interesting countries like Tibet, China, Australia, India, Africa and so on? On the one hand the simplicity of the Trangia is a definite plus in the middle of nowhere (nothing to go wrong) but on the other hand a multi-fuel stove such as the Primus Omni-Fuel has obvious advantages - though there are a lot more little bits and pieces to break...

Neil

you can do lots of searches thru Youtube and find all sorts of "penny stoves", "cat stoves", etc...

i always laff when i meet someone who is very familiar with these types of stoves, and are proficient at their use.

the paradigm shift is....

with a stove you buy, obviously there is this object that you now use, when or if it should break, you have to buy a new one. in the mean time, its junk, or you have to try to fix it, etc...

the thing with these "cat stoves", etc...
is that
now the skill
the knowledge
is in your head

its a skill
its a learned art

suddenly now all you need is a few teaspoonsfull of HEET, etc

literally you can pick up a couple of cans from the side of the road, and make a stove

I'm guilty. I have at least 3 different stoves.

my favorite has been a SnowPeak mini giga... isofuel stove

now my favorite are these "cat stoves"

what i don't like, is making trash
what i like is using trash to cook my food...
that is...
there is something gratifying by cutting up a can to use as a stove...

somehow i think that is cool
and what always blows my mind, is how well they typically work.

just like any other skill
its all in the way you make your stove, and how well you shelter it.

peace...d

Could you provide a link or two? Lost the ones I had.

Could you provide a link or two? Lost the ones I had.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiyWB1-3zfM

this subject is huge
tons of stuff
really...

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=super+cat+stove&search_type=&aq=0&oq=super+cat+s

honestly...
the best part of all of this, is that suddenly know you can make your own stoves.

suddenly its as if you had gone your whole life paying your big brother to make you paper airplanes
(well... something along those lines)

its as if
when the day came along and i learned how to make a small fire, and put together a small reflection stove.

the day, when i realized you can put damp moss in your pockets, and when the day has gone, that moss that is in your pocket, is probably now nice and dry... good tinder.

there is a ton of this kind of stuff

char cloth <----- ????
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=char+cloth&search_type=&aq=0s&oq=charclo

have fun

d-

Could you provide a link or two? Lost the ones I had.

also chekc out the link i posted to the penny stove before

I built two of the pop can stoves today and am planning on trying them tomorrow when the jb weld dries. I rode around today and went to 3 gas stations and a walgreens and none of them had heet. I know this is what everyone says to use but are there other brands? I know it is methanol but a lot of them don't seem to have ingredients listed.

I built two of the pop can stoves today and am planning on trying them tomorrow when the jb weld dries. I rode around today and went to 3 gas stations and a walgreens and none of them had heet. I know this is what everyone says to use but are there other brands? I know it is methanol but a lot of them don't seem to have ingredients listed.

try auto parts stores

you can also use denatured alcohol, found at hardware stores

RE: the yellow flam.

I expect because of the photo op they wanted a flame and where using another fuel type.



http://www.clikstand.com/f_multifuel.html][/url]
MULTI-FUEL
The Clikstand system was designed specifically for alcohol burners, but it also works well with solid fuels and compatible gas burners. It can even be used as a firebox for small wood fires!

• Alcohol Fuel – renewable, clean burning, safe and easy to transport

• Solid Fuel Tablets – hexamine, Esbit®, etc., lightweight, efficient

• White Gas – high heat output, high efficiency

• Canister Gas – high heat output, high efficiency, lightweight


Note: Windscreen is not recommended for use with gas burners. The extreme heat generated by these burners could cause deformation of the windscreen.

I built two of the pop can stoves today and am planning on trying them tomorrow when the jb weld dries. I rode around today and went to 3 gas stations and a walgreens and none of them had heet. I know this is what everyone says to use but are there other brands? I know it is methanol but a lot of them don't seem to have ingredients listed.
for more hints:
http://zenstoves.net/Fuels.htm#Alcohol

On the subject of stove alcohol, does anybody have any insight on how available it is in other interesting countries like ... Australia ...
Readily available throughout Australia - typically known as Methylated Spirits.

I love the idea of doing things cheaply. Especially so the idea of using creating something good from others' cast-offs.
But the next time I'm cold, wet, hungry, and far from home, I'll be glad to have a stove that really throws out some heat. And can be refueled at any gas station in the world.
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s262/toronto505/whisper_large.jpg
MSR Whisperlite Internationale = fast dinner

From the "I'm sure you've seen this but it works" department.

My "Penny" stove boils water pretty fast considering I built it for free from recycled Heineken cans. Heet costs me $1.47 a bottle and with several camp outs this Summer, I still have a little fuel left. Scroll down the page for some of the boil test results. http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html (http://www.csun.edu/%7Emjurey/penny.html) However, if we were all in such a hurry we wouldn't be riding slow bikes.

Here's the instructions. http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/stoveinstruct.html (http://www.csun.edu/%7Emjurey/stoveinstruct.html)

I use this version of packing my "kitchen".

http://www.csun.edu/%7Emjurey/jpgs/potpacking2.jpg

BTW: If anyone wants one of these stoves built for them,
let me know.

I love the idea of doing things cheaply. Especially so the idea of using creating something good from others' cast-offs.
But the next time I'm cold, wet, hungry, and far from home, I'll be glad to have a stove that really throws out some heat. And can be refueled at any gas station in the world.
MSR Whisperlite Internationale = fast dinner

no gas
and mega heat
and you can sleep next to it

more at: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=454919

the subject of stoves, is as if... infinite

I just ordered an Optimus Nova+ (http://www.optimusstoves.com/seen/optimus-products/products/katadynshopconnect/optimus-outdoor-kocher/optimus-nova/). It burns naptha, kerosene, gasoline, and diesel (plus jet fuel, but this is irrelevant for most civilians).

I just ordered an Optimus Nova+ (http://www.optimusstoves.com/seen/optimus-products/products/katadynshopconnect/optimus-outdoor-kocher/optimus-nova/). It burns naptha, kerosene, gasoline, and diesel (plus jet fuel, but this is irrelevant for most civilians).
thats a good stove
i've had 2 of them
its weakness is the single nut that holds the whole burner assembly together
see pdf: http://katadynch.vs31.snowflakehosting.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/optimus/Downloads/Manual_Optimus_NovaPlus_EN.pdf

if i remember correctly, what occurs is something with the heat, and breaking the threaded section with the nut still attached.

I broke 2 of these stoves
one right after the next.

i liked the stove too
a lot

then i switched to a Snow Peak WG

they are all about the same
huge and heavy in comparison to something like a "Cat Stove"
not to mention the $

I broke that Optimus stove when they first came out with that current design.

HEET is more likely available in places where it gets cold. It may be hard to find in southern california for example. Luckily there are plenty of hardware stores with denatured alcohol. Most towns with about 300 had an ACE hardware.

I have had plenty of success cooking multi-course meals with my trangia, to the surprise of many other bike tourists in camp. It may take a bit of planning for you if you don't cook in your normal life, but if you do then it's not too bad.

Make a pot cosy.

Then with any stove you can even cook thing like rice and save loads on fuel. They are light and cheap to make. Plus when it's cold you can keep your pan in it when your eating to stop your food chilling too quickly, which can happen very quickly with thin aluminum pans.

Make a pot cosy.

Then with any stove you can even cook thing like rice and save loads on fuel. They are light and cheap to make. Plus when it's cold you can keep your pan in it when your eating to stop your food chilling too quickly, which can happen very quickly with thin aluminum pans.

I typically par cook the rice and set aside to let it finish cooking while I prepare something else. Multi-course meals are not hard if you do it this way.

Fajitas with beans and rice on the side is one of my faves with the trangia. It probably takes an hour to prepare, so most of you guys talking about fast probably wouldn't go for it. Occasionally I cook this type of meal, especially if just a weekend trip, because I like a nice hearty meal and it keeps me out diners with often overpriced and mediocre food.

That sounds nice do you have a link to a simple recipe.

This one looks nice but it's a lot of bits 'n' bobs to take along. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/fajitas_8651.shtml

I`ve been using a homemade alcohol stove lately too- a much simpler version than the penny or popcan versions. Mine is just an empty can with two rows of holes punched around the top and it does a nice job. I haven`t used it in STRONG wind, but it doesn`t have much problem with a stiff breeze. The latest experiment was an additional simmering stove made from a tuna can (much more fuel capacity) and with fewer holes (not quite so hot). That one passed muster cooking pasta/rice dishes for two last week, but it did consume a lot more Heet than simply boiling water for oatmeal, instant soup, tea, etc.


I typically par cook the rice and set aside to let it finish cooking while I prepare something else. Multi-course meals are not hard if you do it this way.

That sounds like what I`m getting at for my next step, but I`m not sure I understand. Do you mean you boil it and wrap the pot and all in some kind of insulator, then wait another fifteen minutes or so? Instant rice, or just whatever you find?

I've toured in China with a Mini Trangia and was very happy with the results. The cooking set included with the Mini Trangia is excellent for a solo tourer.

Apparently the 95% alcohol (readily-available in supermarkets and hardware stores in western countries) is found at hospitals and medical clinics in China.

I buy 100ml bottles of 56% Chinese vodka for less than 50c each. The stuff is disgusting and perfectly suited for burning! Cooks slower and uses more fuel than the almost-pure alcohol. The main advantage is this liquid is available in even the smallest, most remote towns in China. It is fantastic in warm or cool weather but I've had a lot of trouble keeping the flame alight in cold temperatures - it just keeps going out, or even worse, won't light at all if the temperature is really cold.