I have fooled around with esbit a little, but I really like the benefits of alcohol. What is the lighest setup for an alcohol stove. I would also like to use a heineken beer can for my pot. So I am looking for a light stove and stand design that is narrow enough to support the beer can. any ideas?

I have had very good luck with the Elite #2 stove from www.minibulldesign.com , with a Heineken can pot. You don't even need a pot stand, the pot sits right on the stove.

The absolute lightest alc. stove system I have used succesfully was a mini zen stove + can adapter and a sprite can cut to 4 inches tall. and a foil lid. I could boil 8oz with this little system that weighed in at *0.7oz* and used it on a few trips sucessfully, but there are not very many cooking options with just 8oz of water

so usually I use either a homemade elite, mini zen stove, or supercat stove with a snowpeak 450 or 600 mug.

any combination of the mugs and stoves work great. my favorite is the supercat and 600 combo

Edited by ryanf on 05/05/2007 13:54:10 MDT.

nathan:I like your idea and it looks good, but I wonder have you actually tried doing this with the heineken? I e-mailed mininbulldesign as follows

>I was checking out some of your products and really liked the elite#2. I was wondering if it would still be efficient enough when used with a 24oz Heineken can set directly atop it. Would the flames bypass the bottom of the can? Thanks

and they responded

>Good question, and one most people don't ask before buying the stove. The flame pattern is too large and also the stove is way too hot for the heineken pot. The heineken pot will come to a rolling boil with a NION and an SSBIT will sometimes scorch the liner. I would only use a NION and a light Hardware cloth potstand that will spring together and fit inside the heineken pot for storage. This is a very stable potstand that is easy to make and very light.---Tinny---

Do you think they are right? I dont know how a stove could be too hot if it is still filled with water, that defies physics. Nonetheless I like your idea if you have proven their advice innaccurate.

Ryan: I like your setup, but usually need more than 8 oz or 12 oz for that matter. It would work with a snowpeak mug, but I have already worked out a coat hanger pot handle and lit for the heineken, so I lean more toward finding a way to use it-plus the mug are around $30 vs $2.50 for a beer can.

thanks to you both

I like the stoves that Tinny makes. I also have the esbit set-up from ultralight outfitters - just need to find a foster's can. I'm actually waiting for the ssbit stove from Tinny that you can use instead of esbit for that system. I'm not sure if Tinny's stoves are the lightest, but at around 12 grams for some of them, that's enough for me.

Don't mean to hijack the thread but Nathan, can you tell me how you use the elite#2 with a heineken can? I've tried but it keeps putting the stove out. Thanks.

Aaron

If your 'cooking' is limited to boiling one or two cups of water, then I think the lightest is this combo:

1. Jason Klass' alcohol stove made with a simple tea light candle holder.

2. Snow Peak 600 mug -- with a home-made lid if desired.

Edited by ben2world on 05/05/2007 15:27:09 MDT.

OK , Stephen, I have used the Elite #2 with both a Hieneken can and a Fosters can, and they both have worked for me. The Hieneken is quite a bit stronger, so it's the one I usually use. I can regularly boil 2 cups of water with about 5/8 oz. of alcohol. No damage yet, but I haven't used the combo for more then a couple of days in a row . So I can't comment on the pot lasting through, say a long through hike.

Aaron , To get the stove to not go out when you set the can on it, I hold the can above the lit stove until it heats up ( maybe 30 seconds ?), then set it on the stove.

Edited by Junk on 05/07/2007 14:45:35 MDT.

How's under 3 ounces?: http://www.freewebs.com/jasonklass/subthreeouncesystem.htm

...for the lightest STOVE...
The BPL Ti wing ESBIT stove. Even W/ a small windscreen it's still very light. All the alcohol stoves require a windscreen for even plain breezy conditions.

ESBIT fuel is lighter/BTU than alcohol and hotter to boot.
Try it. You'll be amazed.

Eric

All very helpful techniques. I really like Jason's setup, but It isn't as simple or light as the elite and my heineken. I'm sold on it it nathan. Minibulldesigns responded back again and said that it would work for just boiling water and since my handle is easily detachable, I can just wait until I am ready to take the pot off to attach it. Also, I really only need hot water, no bowls or mugs or cooking surfaces, so I can skip the luxuries and go straight to the simple. Thanks guys, you always have great ideas.

I had a Heineken pot/mini redbull (similar to Elite #2)stove combo I sold for a brief while on ebay that worked great. The flame pattern is fine and it does a nice job of boiling water. definitely one of my favorite combos!

Edited by hammer-one on 05/05/2007 20:43:21 MDT.

A sterno can pot is light at 11grams. Mine boils enough to do couscous in a bag and similar meals when solo. I'm talking those whole boxes of couscous so it works for me. I don't care about stoves much. I like my Esbit but tiny alky stoves are light too.

The lightest alcohol stove would probably be a tea candle stove with hardware cloth stand and a 1 cup sterno or bean dip cookpot with foil lid. The weight would be around 2 oz.

The lightest alcohol stove would probably be a tea candle stove with hardware cloth stand and a 1 cup sterno or bean dip cookpot with foil lid. The weight would be around 2 oz.

The lightest alcohol stove would probably be a tea candle stove with hardware cloth stand and a 1 cup sterno or bean dip cookpot with foil lid. The weight would be around 2 oz.

John, I think elite#2 and heineken has that beat at about 1.7 oz

My version of the Elite #2 with a 24 ounce Heiney pot comes in at 1.3 ounces.The version I sold had a rather heavy (1.2 ounce) winscreen, a fuel bottle and polycarb spoon and came in at 3.6 once total kitchen weight. A lighter windscreen could come in under 3 ounces total weight.

Weighed my alcohol stove:

Tea candle stove
Fosters cookpot (1 cup)
Cookpot lid
Hardware cloth stand

All comes to 0.7 oz.

Edited by jshann on 05/06/2007 09:04:55 MDT.

What is a Tea candle stove? I have never heard of one. Can someone provide a link to one?

Also, why isn't there any discussion of fuel efficiency in the above? I have heard that the Caldera Cone system is the most fuel efficient alcohol based stove and the extra weight of the system would be saved in the fuel you don't use.

http://www.freewebs.com/jasonklass/subthreeouncesystem.htm
If you click on the My Blog link, there is a video of the tealight in action too.

A tealight stove is simply a small tealight candle holder with the candle removed and filled with alcohol. Simple and easy to make and pretty darn efficient. 1/2 oz of alcohol will boil 16 oz of water in about 10-11 minutes.
I'm really pleased with mine.

Adam