For many years I`ve used one of those multi fuel Colemans with the little fuel tank integrated into the stove (Model 442?), though only the last part of that time was as a bike camper, and I loved it. Still love it. The only problem I`ve had was when I threw a pork chop directly on the pot support out of necessity- it wasn`t pretty. I`ve heard they need to be cleaned out frequently if you use gasoline though I used mine with gas on a few isolated occasions and didn`t notice any bad effects.

About two weeks ago, I took my first trip with a homebrew alcohol stove and I`m sold! I doubt I`ll ever carry my Coleman again on a solo trip. For two people, maybe two alcohol stoves, more than that, and it`s back to the trusty old Coleman. Mine was even simpler than the penny stove- just an empty 3 oz can with two rows of holes punched around the rim. That`s it, really! It`s so simple I didn`t think it would ever possibly work, but it worked like a champ on a four day trip and, being so stinkin simple, I can`t imagine a way for it to fail. Well, if I stepped on it, it`d be a gonner for sure- have to watch out for that. One downside is that I can`t use this stove until it`s light enough to see well. The Coleman I can light by Braille. An advantage to alcohol that was implied, but not mentioned directly is that HEET comes in 12 oz plastic bottles. Try finding 12 oz of white gas on the road.

Butane cannisters never turned me on. I never tried one, so maye they`ve got their nice ponts, but I don`t like the idea of fuel that comes only in sealed cannisters. If you go out for a weekend and don`t know how much you have left, do you just go and cross your fingers? Drag a whole extra with you just in case? Take a brand new one and leave the partial at home with a growing collection of partial tanks? Maybe it isn`t that complicated, but I don`t want to mess with them.