I'm new to the soda can stove world and have recently become very interested in them. However i do like the weight savings they offer and it seems cool to be able to cook on something that i made.

Anybody who has any input on designs or sites where i can get directions on making these stoves would be helpful.

Also, i was particularly interested in designs that have jets coming out of the side (like the weenie stove, http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/8815/index.html). I'm not sure what the technical name is for this type of design, but i like that these stoves don't require a stand for smaller pots.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Kyle, check Zen Stoves for a variety of alcohol stove designs.

Kyle,

I will second Steve's selection of zenstoves.com as a great introduction to all kinds of stoves.

Two of my favorites are the penny stove and the SuperCat stove at:

http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html

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

The supercat is a "sideburner" style stove. It is ultra easy to make and works AMAZINGLY well.

Good luck and have fun building.

-Mark

Edited by markhurd on 09/04/2007 19:54:51 MDT.

Kyle,

I third the Zen Stove website. That's where I started. The site is a little tricky to navigate IMO but there's lots of great info and DIY instructions. My current favorite is a top burner made from Red Bull cans using a slightly modified Pepsi-can design. It's pretty small and works great with smaller cookware like cups which is my preferred method to boil and FBC.

Hi Kyle,

I've recently been using this "Ryan Bozis" side burner stove described in this forum:

http://hikinghq.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1054

(at the end of the first forum post there is a jpeg link where you can see a picture of the stove). It's made out of a 3 oz cat food can and weighs 0.2 oz. No pot support needed.

I found out about this stove reading Andrew Skurka's site. It's the stove he has been using on his long distance trips.

It's similar to the Supercat stove but I like it much more, plus it's easier to make, you don't need to measure anything. The only tool necessary is a paper hole punch. Compared to the Supercat, it burns slower and seems more efficient. The Supercat burns hot and fast, but does not work well with narrow pots. It shoots the flames pretty wide and I have not gotten consistent results with it, often needing a full 1 oz/30ml to boil 16 oz of water (in about 4 minutes). The Ryan Bozis stove generally takes about 7 minutes to boil 16 oz since it burns a little slower but it's a real fuel miser, I can consistently boil 16 oz with 15 to 20ml of alcohol, and the flames don't shoot out as far so it works better with narrower pots.

Edited by dag4643 on 09/04/2007 21:50:45 MDT.

Hi Kyle,

my favorite stove design is the Garlington YACC-stove (YetAnotherCokeCan-stove). Also very simple to make and only 8 grams (0.3oz).

I used one on my three weeks hike - Tour du Mont Blanc and on the Walkers Haute Route (Chamonix - Zermatt) - this summer.

You can find the instructions here

Harald

As if you haven't had enough 'helpful' hints about pepsi-can style stoves, here are a few more just in case. The other members are right on the money when they suggested zenstoves. It is one of the better sites out there. Be sure to check out the template pages as they will prove very beneficial. In addition to the former recommendation, may I also suggest you look at www.alcoholstove.com for directions. They are very good. These instructions are hosted by George "Tinman" Andrews of Antigravity Gear. Arguably, he has one of the best pepsi-can stoves out there. Work through those instructions and see what you can come up with. If all else fails, just go to www.antigravitygear.com and pick one up that he made. If you're beyond the point of tinkering (heh, as if that will ever happen with any hiker on these pages) you may also want to check out the Caldera System. Their new asymmetrically ported dovetail model is very nice. You can check those guys out in Yosemite at www.traildesigns.com to see their stuff. Hope this helped, or at least didn't hinder. Take care!

lance,
I went to www.alcoholstove.com, but it is a dead link. Know anything about that?