[pct-l] Stove Fuel

[david booth]

Hi to all my PCT friends.
Like Ken I mostly use canisters as I find them the most convenient.
If I know canisters are not readily available I use a Tinny alcohol  
stove. Alcohol is more messy (it tastes yukky if any gets in the  
food) and it flares up if you are not careful lighting the stove.  
(This can cause forest fires)
I even use a MSR XGK at times. Using this in Washington on the PCT I  
had trouble getting white gas at Snoqualmie Pass so I loaded my fuel  
bottle at the unleaded gas pump for about 10 cents. The unleaded gas  
burns badly and splutters and produces a lot of black smoke. I can't  
really recommend it unless in an emergency.
Canisters are convenient, you can control the flame and can be used  
under the tarp or in the tent vestibule in bad weather. Fuel is  
available at many towns, usually those with an outdoors store. By  
buying at these stores or mailing the canisters from REI you can use  
them all the way on the PCT. The biggest pain is when you use too  
much and run out or else too little and end up with carrying  
additional canisters. So canisters are great but not quite as  
flexible as alcohol. In a typical 5 to 7 day hike between resupply  
alcohol and canister stoves are very similar in weight.
By the way I found on the PCT that Heet Yellow was also not always  
available, especially late in the season after hikers had depleted  
supplies. I also found that many thru hikers didn't seem to care if  
they had enough fuel so they went with what they had. This laid back  
attitude meant they were not stressing about their hot food (this  
also applied often to water supplies).
Others use esbit stoves and swear by them but again fuel is often not  
available at trail towns.
There has been some recent development of lightweight mini wood  
stoves which may be a good standby in lower elevations. It is  
possible to light a very small amount of pencil sized wood to heat  
your food and the mini  stove controls the flame and minimizes the  
ash and hot coals allowing these to be safely buried. Then there are  
the "no stove" people who save hardware weight and bulk but probably  
carry more weight of no-cook food.
Stoves are a very personal preference and a source of endless  
experimentation to get what is right for you and suits your hiking  
style.
I can't wait to hear from Switchback who is probably at this moment  
developing a lightweight wheeled stove with built-in umbrella holder  
for PCT hikers.
Aussie Dave
Canberra Australia
(it is 100 degrees F here today and you can cook your lunch on any  
flat piece of metal today! Solar heating.)