Originally Posted by
Rowan
The fact that we might carry around another half pound of fuel for a given period doesn't make a jot of difference, when we are happy with the fuel source, its performance, its smell, its availability, its safety, and a number of other factors... like you're happy with whatever fuel source you choose to do your camp cooking.
The use of a light alcohol stove saves weight as long as you only need to carry smallish amounts of fuel. On a bike tour I typically carry only small amounts of fuel and restock often. So weight wise it is the way to go for that application.
The use of butane or other fuel with a greater energy to weight ratio saves weight if you must carry larger amounts of fuel. That can be a big help if counting grams on a trip with weeks between restocking opportunities.
That said both work fine and the weight differences are not enough to worry most tourists since the majority of them are not gram counters. That leaves the choice to be based the other characteristics for most tourists.