super light homemade stoves? anyone?

[Yossarian]

How about those army stoves that use chemical tabs? I don't know how they perform but they're just as light as the pop can stove and use solid fuel instead of gas. Anyone ever use these things?

[gapertimmy]

I just had some friends over at my house this weekend who are thru hiking the PCT. I was very inspired by their 25lb backpacks which enable them to do 30 mile days, plab.

anyhow, they had ditched their MSR stoves, like most folks on the PCT, and gone with this super tweaked out pepsi can stove, that some guy called 'stove man'.

was wonderin if any of you ounce shavin supah light fiends have tried out any of these home-made can stoves, and what did you think.

http://www.pcta.org/news/art/stove_12181999.shtml

http://www.pcta.org/news/art/montestove.shtml

tIMmm@Y

[Terminal_Gravity]

Hey Tim,

I consider myself to be an ounce shavin' climber fiend. Besides weight I consider small size (lower pack size & therefore weight), toughness (ability to stuff into a tight pack and take a few hits) and relibility (if I can't melt snow I could die). I just purchased a snow peak Iso-butane stove. It weighs only 3.25 oz and fits in its own cigarette size plastic container. After the stove is in I could fit a small size bic and a book of matches. It worked flawlessly and boiled a pint & a half of water in less than 4 minutes. It also simmers so slowly that I could toast my bagel without burning on my pan lid. The titanium model weigh 2.5 oz.

Its an option you might consider. My biggest two problems with the soda can design is first that it is so fragil that you need a container for it (maybe your pot) and second, the fact that you can't turn it off; what happens if you have to cook in your tent and have a problem. I hope my view has merits.

TG

[freeclimb9]

Experimental results have shown that an isobutane stove such as the Giga, or Primus, heats water more quickly and with less fuel-weight consumption than an alcohol stove. However, there may be room in your arsenal for an alcohol stove. The alcohol stove is small in volume, and you can adjust the amount of fuel you carry to your intended needs.

I made a stove from smaller aluminum grape juice cans that weighs 1/4 ounce and fits inside an aluminum cup with room for a small wire cup holder and a little bottle of alcohol (the cup protects the fragile stove) plus tea bags, sugar, soup, etc.. I haven't tested my idea, but I THINK it would be great to have in my pack for a fast and light alpine excursion --the kind of trip where a couple cups of hot water makes a big difference (a minimal bivy, a morning after a night of climbing, etc.). At the very least, it will no doubt impress my ice-climbing partners this winter when I share a hot drink.

[Jarred_Jackman]

Isn't altitude a real problem for those super small 3.5 oz. isobutane burning stoves? Let me know if I'm wrong but I'm under the assumption that there isn't a lightweight/canister fuel type stove out there that won't let you down at altitude, unless you have some tricky way of keeping the fuel warm.

Jarred

[Terminal_Gravity]

Your right, the canister does get cold after about 20 min. of full burn time at 32 degrees ambient and then start burning a lot less hot.

So... here's the trick. Take a copper wire and wrap it against the can, put the other end in the flame. Voila. It doesn't take much to keep the iso-butane gaseous. Specifically, I took a few strands from a stranded wire and wrapped it around the can, twisting it tight. then I took a 16 gauge solid wire ( about 4 1/2 inches) made a tight hook on one end and put hooked it around the stranded wire and bent the other end into the flame. It gets hot so don't touch it with your poly or tent. There maybe beter systems but this works so well I didn't try for any thing better.

If your are caught in a cold snap without the wire get some water hot and then pour a little in your pot lid, sit the operating canister in the lid and within seconds it will be back at full blast. ;D

 

[jtflyfisher]

I've been using a Coleman Xtreme stove for a while now and it has replaced all my other stoves except for the XGK. Its not light compared to a soda can but it is next to an MSR. Burns super hot and simmers great.

The fuel canister feeds the fuel as a liquid so it does not lose efficiency in the cold. The cans are also recyclable. And no priming.