For wood/found-fuel, I use a Backcountry Boiler. For alcohol I use a homemade penny stove. I used to carry a giga canister stove, but the fuel is expensive.
When I was in Boy Scouts we played with hexamine because it was available cheap at the local Army surplus store. Our experience was about the same as in the video - it burned out before we were done cooking. Individual tabs were handy as fire starters though. They're sort of waxy and aren't bothered by getting wet.
If you're interested in a wood burning stove, search "wood gas stove." These are designed to burn wood very efficiently by directing air flow in the combustion chamber a certain way. The one in the video might have been a wood gas stove, because it burned hot and without smoke. They can be a bit slow though because you may have to move your pot to add more wood.
For vehicle camping I'd probably go with propane myself. It's available pretty much anywhere. If I'm backpacking I'd go for a liquid fuel stove like the Primus he mentioned, or cook over a campfire.
I'd have to be pretty desperate to cook over gasoline. Even with unleaded, the other additives in it aren't meant for human consumption. I'd stick with alcohol or Coleman fuel.
Something to take note of, many campgrounds enforce a no fires policy which ban any stove that doesnt have an off valve, this includes the vast majority of alcohol stoves, wood stoves, hexamine, etc.
White gas, propane and propane/butanes are fairly cheap and work well for those scenarios.
For wood/found-fuel, I use a Backcountry Boiler. For alcohol I use a homemade penny stove. I used to carry a giga canister stove, but the fuel is expensive.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Boy Scouts we played with hexamine because it was available cheap at the local Army surplus store. Our experience was about the same as in the video - it burned out before we were done cooking. Individual tabs were handy as fire starters though. They're sort of waxy and aren't bothered by getting wet.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested in a wood burning stove, search "wood gas stove." These are designed to burn wood very efficiently by directing air flow in the combustion chamber a certain way. The one in the video might have been a wood gas stove, because it burned hot and without smoke. They can be a bit slow though because you may have to move your pot to add more wood.
For vehicle camping I'd probably go with propane myself. It's available pretty much anywhere. If I'm backpacking I'd go for a liquid fuel stove like the Primus he mentioned, or cook over a campfire.
I'd have to be pretty desperate to cook over gasoline. Even with unleaded, the other additives in it aren't meant for human consumption. I'd stick with alcohol or Coleman fuel.
Something to take note of, many campgrounds enforce a no fires policy which ban any stove that doesnt have an off valve, this includes the vast majority of alcohol stoves, wood stoves, hexamine, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhite gas, propane and propane/butanes are fairly cheap and work well for those scenarios.