What stove?

[Magnet_]

What kind of stove did/will you use?

Any concerns or advice?

[chai guy]

I know a lot of people like to use the pepsi can stove (or some kind of variation of the do-it-yourself alcohol stove).

But I really, really, really liked my Jet Boil. It's the best thing to come out in stove technology ever. The thing is so incredibly efficient it's unbelievable.

I cooked 2x a day and one medium cannister would last me approx 15 days. The stove is super simple to use as well, just attach the cannister, fill up the tube with water and food, hit the ignite button and you're cooking.

And this thing cooks fast, it will boil 2 cups of water in 2 minutes! Ain't no alcohol stove gonna cook that fast!

Best of all, you don't have to worry about spilling fuel all over your gear, no sooty pots to deal with, no fragile wind screen, no pot holder, no large open flame to start a forest fire (it's happened).

Oh, but if you want to do something like cook quesadillas or fry fish, I'd opt for the jet boil "group cook" pot instead of the single person "pcs".

http://www.jetboil.com/Products/Cooking-Systems/Personal-(PCS)

[AlohaTink]

I voted alcohol...but I really used two types...that and a Pocket Rocket, so canister as second choice.

Many times the canister failed me and I was very thankful for my alcohol stove. We would forget to keep the canister warm in the sleeping bag at night. Also one fuel canister we had gotten at REI just plan failed to work at all :(

No problem for lunch when it was warmer and the sun was shining.

For ziploc freezer food which is mostly want we bring...the extra minutes for the alky stove was not all that bad.

But I love my Pocket Rocket and I am looking into this adjustable alcohol stove called a "FeatherFire" a little pricey but love the idea.

http://www.packafeather.com/stove.html

[AlohaTink]

Wanted to add this TIP about the windscreens etc... but found I could not, so since this is stove related I'll post it here.

I never bother with fragile windscreens. Instead I made a wonderful light windscreen out of Tyvek.
I will not take credit for this idea it is here at this link

http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/KiteScreen/index.html

it works for all stoves of course.
But I did make it long enough and wide enough that I use it as my ground cloth under my sleeping pad as well as a windscreen, and your trekking poles work out better I think than pieces of wood :D

[Ender]

I use a Pepsi stove, but it does have some limitations. I like to make tea sometimes in the middle of the day, and I never found that convenient with the Pepsi stove... I always used too much or too little fuel, which irritated me. For cooking my dinners though, the Pepsi stove workes great.

I have been considering getting a cannister stove, the Pocket Rocket maybe, so I can make tea quickly and easily, but haven't tried one yet so I don't know how much it's really worth to do that. And, you just can't beat the weight savings of the Pepsi stove, so it's hard to make the switch just for maybe a teeny little bit of extra convenience.

And the Pepsi can stove cost me all of $3 to make, which is also hard to argue against. Yeah... I'm probably sticking w/ the Pepsi stove.

[footslogger]

I carry the Trangia burner. A little heavier than the soda can alternatives but durable and reliable. Plus you can carry any left over alcohol in the reservoir. Modified the standard Westwind stand so that it now holds both the burner and the windscreen, which all fit in my cookpot. Nice compact package.

[geek]

I use a Pepsi stove, but it does have some limitations. I like to make tea sometimes in the middle of the day, and I never found that convenient with the Pepsi stove... I always used too much or too little fuel, which irritated me. For cooking my dinners though, the Pepsi stove workes great.

I have been considering getting a cannister stove, the Pocket Rocket maybe, so I can make tea quickly and easily, but haven't tried one yet so I don't know how much it's really worth to do that. And, you just can't beat the weight savings of the Pepsi stove, so it's hard to make the switch just for maybe a teeny little bit of extra convenience.

And the Pepsi can stove cost me all of $3 to make, which is also hard to argue against. Yeah... I'm probably sticking w/ the Pepsi stove.

I love my pocket rocket!!!!!!!
I own and have used both commercially produced and homemade alky stoves in the past and I'll never go back. They are not convient to use nor efficient and when carrying enough fuel for 6-7 days, they are not lighter. I personally don't see the big draw toward them unles it is the satisfacton of making the stove itself and always trying to improve it--that aspect is fun.
If you want to cook, simmer, boil, warm or prepare food, use a stove not a can.
geek

ps. there is a reason that that bottle of alcohol says "heet" and not cook!:D

[George]

I use an MSR Whisperlite running on white spirit (gas?) though I have successfully used kerosine and also standard petrol (gas) in it when nothing else was available.
Can't comment on other types of stove as I've used this one for about 17yrs now and it's still going strong after some pretty heavy use and treatment, so it gets 10/10 for reliability and durability.
I usually have a 22 fl oz bottle hooked up to it and I can squeeze ten days out of that.
Only tricky thing with the whisperlite is getting a decent simmer - it'll boil stuff in no time at all, but there's a bit of a knack in getting a continuous low simmer! :)
George

[footslogger]

For those of you who have been on the PCT ...what is the MOST common stove you saw being used. Not so much interested in brands but in the type of stove: Denatured Alcohol, Cannister Propane/Butane, Liquid Fuel ???

Thanks in advance ...

[Magnet_]

For those of you who have been on the PCT ...what is the MOST common stove you saw being used. Not so much interested in brands but in the type of stove: Denatured Alcohol, Cannister Propane/Butane, Liquid Fuel ???

Thanks in advance ...

I'd say that denatured alcohol was the most common fuel used. I remember a good number using cannisters. I can't recall seeing anyone use liquid fuel until after kennedy meadows.

[Ender]

I'd say that denatured alcohol was the most common fuel used. I remember a good number using cannisters. I can't recall seeing anyone use liquid fuel until after kennedy meadows.

I agree. I'd say maybe 70-75% using alcohol stoves. 20-25% using cannisters. I didn't see any white gas stoves, but I also had to drop off at Donner Pass, so I'm only basing it on the first half of the trail.