Cooking for the seriously light weight travellers
 

I had a go at this and had some pretty good results.
I think that in most places in the world you could make one if not more of these on the fly if you had to.

Zen Backpacking Stoves - Home of the Alcohol Stove


I dont work for Zen, but i do like their thinking.
Cheers
Matt

A good breakdown of the different stove types. For hikers.
For my usage, petrol stoves are ideal. Toxic fumes from automotive gasoline - almost certainly (lead etc.) but that doesn't stop us all from doing it. MSRs and Colemans seem to make up a big share of bikers I know and I don't see anyone getting badly burned by exploding fuel tanks.

The ability to use the bike fuel (availability, cost, simplicity) is such a plus that I can't see myself using other types for my trips (europe and beyond).

Alcohol stoves
 

I've mentioned this in previous posts but the big disadvantage of alcohol/meths is the amount of heat they contain. You need double the amount of alcohol compared with kerosene or petrol for the same amount of heat. Not good if you're a lightweight camper, the very light DIY stoves negate any weight saving. For short trips I'll use gas (Gaz), or petrol which I've got plenty of and is freely available anywhere.

I'll give due credit to Trangia (who seem to be the most popular brand of alcohol stoves), their set up is very efficient in sheltering the flame (it has to be). If I was buying another gas stove, I'd use the Trangia windshield with their gas conversion burner.

Cooking stoves etc
 

I couldnt agree more with both of you except that i really dont like trangias, and my MSR dragonfly is probably the most reliable stove i have ever used. It burns consistently and is pretty sparse with fuel. ive used my mine up to 17000 ft and its been absolutely fine even with poor grade fuel. (mostly kerosine)

I included the info about the Zen stoves, not to drag people away from their preffered use, but to consider and experiment with in case of emergency or lack of fuel. A lot of this stuff is simple to make and is an ideal back up. The wood burners are pretty effective.

You never know when you might need the knowledge!
Cheers
Matt

For practicality/speed when tired I prefer the Optimus Nova+
but always try to light up my Bush Buddy (see avatar) and at 5.1 ounces.... hard to beat for lightness:thumbup1:
Works with twigs and very small stuff and is very very hot as it uses a process called wood gasification.
It has a social aspect too, as it always attracts people who then come and have a chat! - very enjoyable!

Bush Buddy
 

Is that the battery powered fan thing? I was reading about these recently?

The bulk + weight of extra fuel and the need to hunt for a second type of fuel negates any weight advanteges of meth stoves for me. In terms of weight, bulk and efficiency, in my opinion you can't beat the Borde stove. For me petrol is a no brainer (no Hobo for me): you've got plenty of the stuff, the heat output is very good, and it also works at altitude or in windy conditions. The MSR/Optimus type stoves are nice, but the extra bottle kills it for me: too big and too heavy. The Borde on the other hand is something like 240g, extremely small, and has a very impressive heat output. It's true that you need to hunt for some stones to put your pot on, but that has not been an issue for me in the last 2 months of travelling. The only drawback I suppose that it's a bit tricky to light, but once you've got the hang of it it's easy.

No Matt- no batteries whatsover
It really likes mini feather sticks :biggrin3:to kick off but it's maintenance free-
The pot support rotates 180 degrees and stores inside the BB.
There i a grill half way down to allow air belo so it really does burn a lot of fuel-
Because it is small, you do have to feed the fire .
p.s I did look at meths stoves as there are some gorgeous & mini ones but...they need Meths and burn it too fast- and it's yet another fuel to carry- so ruled it out-
Wood- so far- is still plentyful on our planet and you are doing the earth a service by burning dead wood-
(bound to be someone who's going to tell me about CO2 in a second..... !) but then, when you think of the methane cows generate, I don't think such a wee fire will cause any stress!)
Love mine to bits! :thumbup1:
http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/o...3/DSCN1516.jpg
http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/o...3/DSCN1523.jpg

trangia do petrol or gas burners for their sets now, not cheap but you then get the best features of both types.

i made a coke can stove in half an hour, it burns meths, petrol, vodka and white spirit very well.

I thought the whole point of the little coke can stoves was to be light and burn little. Ideal for a night or 2 out in the woods.

They are only meant for heating water and thus probably not a viable option for an extended trip.

I have made one and keep it inside my ti mug ideal for coffee,tea chocolate plus while the water is heating you can have your boil in the bag meal cooking.:scooter:

With no disrespect towards you 'little coke can' intended Stuxtttr, there is a huge difference between that and a Bush Buddy which uses wood-gasification process-

Of course, it takes a bit more time to cook with compared to a roaring petrol cooker - no doubt- and is not as convenient as it will blacken your pans but, provided you can find some wood, don't mind wood smoke and can make a fire in it, you can rely on it.
It gives heat and light and comfort too and people always gyrate towards any fire- great ice breaker and always good for a chat:thumbup1:

p.s tip to avoid your pot being blackened- wrap base in aluminium foil

Just a reminder
 

hey all, im glad you have all had a look at this.

I just wanted to make perfectly clear, this post is not about making you change from your preffered method of cooking or to change you from your favorite stove. The sole intention was to help you with cookin/making a cuppa, when your main stove breaks down or you are tight on petrol/benzine/meths. kero or whatever and you need something. its just a bit of creative info, its not compulsory!

THink of it as a back up plan when you need to or pass the info onto someone who might need the info when they need it.

Got it?

cheers
Matt:thumbup1:

and what do you think about the fuel/gasoline stoves? like coleman 442? I'm thinking on buy one for motorcycle trips... and you always carry fuel! but I'm a little consern in leaking fuel off the stove and into my luggage

somebody try one of these?

Good on you Matt for spreading the word on alternative stoves :thumbup1:

I'm currently debating what route to go regarding stoves for a multi-year trip thru LatAm and Africa. It's between either the MSR Dragonfly or the Penny stove:

http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/jpgs/conrad2.jpg

I love the idea of fabricating my own gear and it's low cost option, but the only thing bugging me is having to carry denatured alcohol and sourcing it along the way...

So, you're saying burning petrol in stoves can lead to toxins getting into the food? Hmmm... are people concerned about his? :confused1:

Swedish Mess Kits .
Simple and compact .Virtually indestructable .

YouTube - Swedish Army Trangia

You can buy these on Ebay for very little money .

I've made a couple of the pop can stoves and although they might get you out of a bind , they are a bit flimsy and don't work any better than the trangia burner which is tough and has a sealable lid so that you can save unburnt fuel for next time .