[pct-l] Solid Fuel Tablets

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good evening,

There have been some comments lately relative to the high cost of Esbit
solid fuel.  I hiked all of Oregon and Washington PCT while cooking
exclusively over solid fuel tablets, but I didn’t use Esbit.  I have used
the Esbit, but I didn’t like it due to its cost and because it makes a
black, sooty mess on the bottom of my pot.

Instead I began using military surplus trioxane fuel tablets which are
cheap and readily available through surplus outfits.  Trioxane is packed in
nice durable foil packets – single tab or a three-tab stick – and it
doesn’t soot the pot.

It is claimed that a partially-used Esbit can blown out to save for another
time, but I’ve never wanted to do that.  I tried to blow out trioxane once
but it didn’t work so well.

For emergency fire-lighting I often carry one three-tab stick of trioxane.

Some users say they like the smell of burning Esbit better than trioxane,
but I don’t care because I won’t breathe any fumes from any stove.

Steel-Eye

-Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09/