Couldn't we just take a Super Cat stove optimized for boiling water and close a certain amount of ventilation holes so that it doesn't burn as hot??

Steve

Well, they're really easy to make. Test it out and let us know. How are you going to switch from boil to simmer, or back?

How about just a metal ring on the outside of the burner to cover just the lower holes?

I think the Super Cat Stove is light enough you could just carry two for about the same weight as messing with a metal ring.

Hi Steven,
I've actually tried this before without great success:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/344058483ktRMsE

I tried covering either the bottom or top holes both completely and halfway and could not get a decent simmer out of it.

If you cover some of the holes once it has been primed, I think the flames would shoot out further from the remaining holes. The pressure inside will remain the same, and it has to go somewhere.

You might get a better result from covering some of the surface area of the meths, so that less evaporates into the chamber, creating less pressure inside it and weaker flames coming out. You might have to block some of the holes aswell, to prevent the flames retreating inside the can and being extinguished.

Steve 1,
Yes, that's exactly what happened--the flames shot out even further with the design I posted above. For less weight, I think it would be better to just pack a tea-light stove if you plan to simmer.