Yonipi

Hello all
I am planning to buy a mini stove that i will carry in my back pack or cycle pannier. The question is wich one I am going to buy and what am I gonna cook? If you can tell me wich one you have that you like or no like. What do you cook with it beside those dry food? How do you store your perishable food?

thank you

Yonipi

Machka 

You might ask this question in the touring forum ... there are a whole pile of people over there who will be more than happy to have a lengthy discussion with you about the pros and cons of various stoves, etc. etc.


Incidentally ... you don't store perishable food ... you buy it and eat it that day or the next day.

slowandsteady

How long will you be gone? When I go backcountry camping, I don't bring truly perishable food. I bring instant rice, pasta, oatmeal, powdered milk, freeze dried meals, a few fresh veggies, fresh fruit, tail mix, beef jerkey, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Freeze dried meals are expensive but do give you a light weight meal that is far tastier than what you could possibly do with non-perishable food.

You can actually boil your beef jerkey and turn it into a stew. That was the original purpose of beef jerky. I have a very small camp stove and two fuel bottles shown below. It is very light. Always try it out at home. These things are not like your stove at home.

I typically use 2-3 bottles of fuel in a week, but this really depends on how much cooking you do. Try to buy as much instant food as possible. Also, the white gas that these stoves use does have a point where they will not light....I once camped when it was 15 degrees below zero F. That fuel will not light when it is that cold. I literally put matches out in the stuff at that temp. Now that isn't fun. And yes oatmeal can be eaten raw.


https://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...HP_CAMPING_TOC

ModoVincere

check the web for "Pepsi can stove". This is a very compact and light weight stove that you can make yourself. You burn denatured alcohol in it. Most hikers on the AT use a stove like this. The real beauty of it is, if something happense to your stove, all you do is make another one. Takes mabe 20 minutes to make one.

slowandsteady

From the website...not exactly practical for a tour or the trail.
Although the novelty of making a stove out of a pepsi can is neat, it is hardly practical. Not only would you have to bring all those tools, but you would have to get soda cans and flue tape. All of which will weigh more and take up more space than an actual stove. A real stove also pressurizes the gas which makes them far more efficient. As light as a pepsi can is...what is the point if you need to carry 5 times as much fuel? Real camp stoves also come with a wind blocker which is essential.

I have had my camp stove for 15 years with no issues. They are amazingly simple so there isn't much that can go wrong. I have hiked the Appalacian trail among others and never seen anyone with a pepsi can stove.

ModoVincere

Ummm...what site were you on.....there are plenty that show how to make this stove with just a pocket knife....It won't look pretty, but it works and about 60% of AT thru-hikers use this type of stove because its so light and easy to replace.
https://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html
for a wind blocker, I just use a large coffee can. Cut out 1/3 of the can (side) and then you have easy access and a solid wind blocker. You can save the plastic top and use the can to hold items in a pannier as well.

ModoVincere

Ok....I don't know what happened to the websites I used when I learned to make an alcohol stove. They seem to be gone and all the ones on the net make it a lot more complicated than is necessary. All you need are two cans of the same type and a good mutli tool with a sharp blade and a pair of pliers. Most multi tools on the market now would easily have this covered.

To cut the cans, you need to hold the blade against the can where you wish to cut. Then spin the can. This will mar the can. Then take the pliers and pull the edge of the can down to the marred part. The aluminum will snap off at the point you marred it. (note...the two bottoms of the cans will form the top and bottom of the stove). On one can bottom, cut slits with the blade in the center and along the edge. The center slits are for filling the stove, the slits along the edge will be the burners. This may be better off done before you cut the bottom from the top of the can. Now put the two halves together and you have an alcohol stove.

efrobert

Look for backpacking stoves. MSR makes some nice ones. I've been using an Peak 1 stove for years. You can buy dehydrated meals, you just add boiling water. Check out Campmor.com.

Az B

I still have my old SVEA stove. Simple to use. Burns almost any kind of liquid fuel. It can be completely rebuilt in the field with no other parts or tools needed, only 2 orings need to be replaced every couple of years.

It's not perfect as it's heavy and takes forever to boil water, but it always works and you can find/scrounge fuel just about anywhere.

Az

slowandsteady

I don't know where you get your AT hiker stats(as if anyone actually tracks it), but I have NEVER seen anyone using a pepsi can for a stove. Why go through all the trouble to make a stove from trash? I agree it is a good idea to know how to do it, but I don't think you should try to rely on a stove made out of trash.

The MSR stoves are very reliable, very light, and can burn white gas, kerosene, and gasoline. I would like to see you try to burn gasoline in a soda can. Can we say Kaboom?

ModoVincere

I would never burn gasoline or kerosene in a can....the can would melt. Gas/Kerosene has much more energy than alcohol and will also boil water a lot quicker than my little pepsi can stove will. However, if you are in the field and have a mechanical issue of any kind...you may be screwed. I can find old cans almost anywhere.

I also have a coleman dual fuel stove. I like it, but it is very noisy compared to an alcohol stove. If I've been hiking for 6-8 hours and want to just chill, I like the peace and quiet of the alcohol stove. I don't have to worry about pumping it up. I just measure out some alcohol, put the stove in the windscreen/pot support and light it up. 10 minutes later I have a hot meal or hot drink. I could have the same hot meal/drink in about 3 1/2 minutes with the coleman stove (set up/pump up/ light up/ heat up). I perfer the more peaceful method.

I'll have to look for the book at home that had the stats. It is an book on ultralight hiking that mentioned the different stoves but did not go into detail about any type in particular. By the way, I've heard nothing but good things from people who use MSR stoves. I think they must be a good product, but still heavier than a pepsi can.

kuan

I was pretty impressed with the Jetboil stove. It packs up real nice. I don't know much about its durability though.

I used my MSR for years and years in the High Sierras and it never failed me. You can build a windscreen/reflector out of tin and it'll be just as good as the jetboil I'm sure.

The easiest way IMHO is getting those solid fuel canisters they use for chafing dishes. No spill, no moving parts, no jets, no priming. You will need to build a rack around it so you don't snuff it out but other than that it does the job fine for small stuff.

supcom

Why such a negative reaction to ideas different from yours? Many ultralight backpackers use variations of alcohol stoves. There are even commercial versions made from aluminum or brass. These stoves have an advantage of being extremely lightweight and reliable. There are no moving parts. No seals or O-rings. You don't need a fuel bottle pump or even a special fuel bottle. And alcohol leaves no residue to clog jets. The main disadvantage is that alcohol does not burn as hot as gasoline so it take a bit longer to cook food and you need a larger volume of alcohol than you do gasoline. So, for a long trip with no resupply, a gasoline stove may have a lower total weight. This is not a problem on a cycling trip.

In extreme cold, alcohol is harder to get burning than gasoline. But the same can be said for cannister stoves.

There are other options as well, like Esbit solid fuel stoves and zip stoves. Each of these has their advantages as well.

The truth is that there is more than one way to do most things. Referring to homemade alcohol stoves as "trash" is uncalled for and closed minded.

slowandsteady

I also have a coleman stove and it is nice for camping at at campground when I use my car, but I agree it is noisy and heavy. The MSR stove is VERY easy and light. I don't even remember if it makes any noise or not.

I agree it is a good idea to know how to use a pepsi can for a stove, in case you break the MSR or leave it behind. And since you can use three different and readily available fuels in the MSR it works well in case you run out of white gas, as you can get gasoline everywhere. White gas is typically only found in camping stores. White gas is nice since it has virtually no odor and is the most efficient so that is what I pack.

MisterJ

Pepsi can stoves can be made with just an exacto knife and a push pin. I have made about 10 including four different designs. One clarification, generally you don't really cook with a pepsi can stove, you heat things.

If you look at the serious travelogues, most folks don't really cook anyway.

Pedal Wench

I use the MSR pocket rocket, and I highly recommend Mountain House freeze-dried foods. Much tastier than anything I could cook on my own.

Yonipi

Hi all and thanks for your answers, i'll probably buy a light stove because i dont want to eat at the restaurant every and will buy fresh food everyday.