Wakefield Wanderings

If you are new to backpacking, the alcohol stove may not be a familiar item to you. I have used Coleman type single burner stoves that burned Coleman fuel in the past. You had to pump up the stove to pressurize it, and the stove tended to be very heavy.

In order to have a lighter cooking solution when backpacking, there are several options. First, you could just take a cook pot and build a small fire to cook with. Fuel is easily available, unless it has rained, and then you might have to settle for cold oatmeal. There are solid fuel tablet type stoves, butane canister stoves, etc.

I am an engineer, and sometimes the simplest solution is the best. I consider this to be the case with the alcohol stove. It has no moving parts, and it burns readily available denatured alcohol, which is not explosive. Isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol is not recommended since it contains about 30% water and does not burn as well. Methyl alcohol, commonly available as HEET – a gas additive in yellow bottles, will also work and is easy to acquire.

Other advantages of the alcohol stove include: simple to build, easy to use, odor free fuel, safe, low cost, and environmentally friendly. There are several types of alcohol stoves including open flame, low pressure, and pressurized jet. They can be made from tuna cans, other small cans, and even aluminum soda cans. The AntiGravityGear Alcohol Stove is a pressurized jet stove made from used aluminum soda cans.

Product Information:

The stove comes by itself when ordered individually. If ordered as part of a kit, some additional accessories may be included. The basic shape looks like the bottom 1/3 of a soda pop can.

The stove has no moving parts, and is composed of two pieces that have been fitted and sealed together with epoxy and silver heat tape. The center of the stove is open on the top, and this is where up to 1 oz (30 ml) of denatured alcohol is poured into the stove before lighting. On the outside of the stove, around the middle, are a series of pin sized holes – 24 in all. As the fuel warms and begins to vaporize, the side holes become jets where the burning fuel forms a ring around the stove.

Field Testing:

I have carried the stove on many trips over the last 9 months. It has been on multi-night backpacking trips, as well Boy Scout camping trips – since I am an adult leader (Scoutmaster). It has been used in light rain, under sunny skies, during the day, and at night. Since most of the trips were in the central United States, elevations were all less than 3000 ft (914 m) during my use of the stove.

The stove is simple, so it works the same and works well every time. I typically need to boil 2 cups of water at a time. I first fill my 0.9 L (0.95 qt) pot with 2 cups (0.47 L) of water and cover it with the lid. Next, I set the stove on the optional primer tray (0.3 oz / 8 g). I put a few drops of fuel in the primer tray around the base of the stove, then I pour 1 oz (30 ml) of fuel into the middle of the stove. Next, light the stove and the primer tray. It takes about 20 seconds for the stove to get hot enough to vaporize the fuel and for the jets to light around the outside of the stove. Once the outside jets have ignited, I place the pot of water directly centered over the stove. Since the pot rests on the stove top, no pot holder or other support is necessary. On a warm day, with temperatures around 60 F (16 C), it takes about 5 minutes to boil 2 cups (0.47 L) of water with the 1 oz (30 ml) of fuel. Obviously on warmer or cooler days, or with very cold water, these burn times would change slightly.

I always boil water in my cook pot, and then mix meals in a Ziploc bag, so I don’t need to simmer or cook on low heat. This stove is on or off, there is no adjustment for the flame level or heat output.

Evaluation:

The only real issue that I found was related to stability. If the cook pot is very large, then I have to be careful to balance it carefully on top of the center of the stove. It would not take much of a nudge to dump the pot off onto the ground.

The primer tray is not necessary, but gives the stove some stability. Also, having a few drops of fuel in the primer tray helps the stove’s side jets to ignite more quickly. As with any stove, a windscreen will improve the efficiency and help the stove to perform better.

Since the stove is constructed of 2 nested soda cans, durability is quite good. I carry the stove in a small plastic container that came in the Stove Set from AntiGravityGear. This protects the stove, and fits nicely into my cook pot.

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Low cost
• Compact size
• Made from recycled materials

Cons:

• Stability is not great with a large pot
• Cannot simmer or slow cook

Summary:

This alcohol stove from AntiGravityGear is a lightweight stove that burns denatured alcohol. It is easy to setup and use, and it does not have any moving parts to break or wear out. I could not ask for anything more to heat water.

- Shawn