[pct-l] fuel canisters vs. alcohol

[GARY HEBERT]

Well said. We all think our way is best. Any we oftern are afraid to
experiment to see what we might like.
I thru hiked the AT, LT and all my hiking since including winter treks well
below zero (F) with a commercial alcohol Brasslite stove. I love it. But you
are correct it's not as efficient as a canister stove. Nor as convenient. I
frequently resupplied small amounts of alcohol to keep the weight down. It
was easy to get anywhere. That said, the longer the duration of the trek
(between resupply) the less benefit of an alcohol stove. You definitely burn
more fuel than a canister stove since it's crudely designed and wastes lots
of heat generated. (some are better than others).  The biggest cited
disadvantage of a canister stove is usually weight. Because the metal
canister (container) never gets lighter. But for extended treks if you plan
well (based on actual trial and experience of how much fuel you'll need each
day) the weight of the full canister may still be less than the alcohol
fuel.

A great article on backpackinglight.com compared the average daily weight of
fuel carried with these two options and other fuels. I forget the details
but I recall that the canister was hard to beat on longer multiday trips
because it was very efficient.

By contrast for 1-3 days (one small burn per day) it's pretty hard to beat
Esbit tabs or alcohol stoves.

This assumes weight is the only factor. Which, as you pointed out, it is
not. I don't mind the hassles of an alcohol stove but the convenience of a
canister is huge. Turn it up higher or lower, boil just a little longer or
shorter, instant fire when you're cold and wet, etc. with way less fiddling.
 (Winter conditions cause some issues for canisters)

Canister stoves dont look as cool for a thru hike but might actually be
lighter overall if you stay out more than just 2 or 3 days at a clip. And
though not as easy to find, it might not matter since you just plan
accordingly and then it's a nonissue.

This also assumes you plan well and don't carry extra canisters as backup.
Could always carry an Esbit tab or two just in case (but you should practice
this first if you don't have an Esbit stove to use; there are some caviats)

FedEx



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Margavage <davidmargavage at gmail.com>
To: ietura at viajarapie.info, Pct-l at backcountry.net
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:51:24 -0500
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Will I die using Fuel canisters?
This is more good information.  I appreciate your input on the topic.
Thanks

On 1/30/09, ietura at viajarapie.info <ietura at viajarapie.info> wrote:
>
> we all tend to think our gear options are the best. Some may forget
they're
> the best for them but maybe not for everybody. Some may despise other
> options for lack of willingness to try new things or even to avoid
> questioning their present choice. We all do that to some degree.
>
> With alcohol stoves there's the freak factor of using something home made
> out of you know what.
>
> I use and like (and dislike) both alcohol and gas canisters. For the long
> distance I usually take canisters and the deciding factor here for me is
> fuel efficiency and the resulting autonomy in adition to the usual
canister
> advantages: less fiddle factor (easier to use), cleaner.
>
> So what seems like the big dissadvantage of gas canisters (ressuply) may
be
> seen as their big advantage: due to the fuel efficiency, you don't have to
> ressuply so often. Alcohol's higher weight/energy ratio makes you ressuply
> as often as possible to make it weight efficient overall. It's true
alcohol
> is easy to find but it's always yet another thing to think about when you
> hit town. With gas canisters, you can forget about it for a good while.
>