Alcohol Stoves

After many years of Svea-type stoves, I shifted almost exclusively for seven or eight years to Trangia solo Hunter stove and cookset. About five years ago I shifted to cannisters. I don't mind using cannisters in tent or especially floorless tarp shelters.

Flames from Hunter are TOO unruly for inside a tent. I've never tried Trangia's more deluxe windscreen-supplied models, which probably have very worthy merits and slightly safer..

The Hunter set up is extremely cheap, amazingly simple and light, and relatively SAFE (compared with gasoline) and effective..But carrying alcohol was sometimes as much or maybe more trouble than gasoline.

I used Hunter, like all of my stoves, for up to four nights but mainly 1-2 nights at a time. At the time I took gasoline for winter spates. Now I'd go for cannisters unless things were going to get pretty rough.

Wind has important influence on alcohol's fuel efficiency though I did use Hunter much at beach, and for at least several nights in mild weather lower alpine with no major complaint.

Still I imagine it is much easier to acquire Heet and/or alcohol for roadside resupply than extra cannisters. So the various mini alcohol stoves continue to have many advantages.