Originally Posted by
spectastic
1. fuel availability: I'm guessing you can't always find stores that have pure alcohol. and even when you do, the alcohol may be different, and there's no way to control how how the fuel burns, especially if it's not pure alcohol
I have never had any trouble finding Yellow Heet, but if you do denatured alcohol from a hardware store is another option. They both burn pretty consistently.
Originally Posted by
spectastic
2. getting the job done: about how long does it take a soda can burner to heat up say 1L of water? It doesn't need to be boiling, just hot enough to make oat meals, mashed potatoes, and the like.
I haven't timed mine for a while so I forget, but it isn't all that long. It is definitely quick enough that it isn't a concern for me. I don't get why the concern for how long it takes as long as it is not super long. I mean do you really pay that much attention to how long it takes to boil? A few minutes one way or the other aren't that big of a deal to me while cooking. Winter snowshoe or XC ski camping where I need to melt snow for water it becomes a much bigger deal, but for bike touring not so much.
For backpacking when I need to carry fuel for longer periods between restock I use a canister stove because it has more BTUs per weight. For bike touring I find that I can go lighter with alcohol since I can restock pretty frequently. The ability to simmer better is a bonus.