Re: [pct-l] Esbit stove for two

["Brett Tucker" <blisterfree@hotmail.com>]

I don't know about an Esbit stove for two, but I can comment on the fact 
that mine seems barely suitable for one. While I agree that it is 
lightweight - perhaps the lightest way to cook a meal short of an open fire 
- I find that basic function is more important. Today's first trial run with 
the Esbit failed to boil a pint of water using 1 entire cube / 15 minutes, 
let alone the touted "8 minutes to rolling boil." Granted, it was around 
freezing outside, and the water was quite cool at start-up. And my heat 
efficiency may have been lacking.

So I gave it a second run, with slightly warmer water, more protection from 
the wind, and a piece of al foil beneath the stove for heat radiation. And I 
made sure the pot's lid was properly fitted, etc. This seemed to make all 
the difference, producing a semi-rolling boil in around 9 minutes. However, 
at around this time I found that the diminishing fuel tab was producing ever 
less heat, and in fact it could barely maintain the boil for the duration of 
its life. Nor was I readily able to extinguish the tablet, for instance had 
I wanted to save its remains for another cooking session. And even so, what 
remained - perhaps 5 minutes of burn time worth of tab - was essentially 
powder that soon disintegrated. So it essentially takes me 1 full tablet to 
cook a meal, at least a meal requiring a pint of water and a brief and 
marginal boil. And because I'm considering cooking twice a day on this 
summer's hike (up from once a day), the Esbit option now appears rather 
impractical.

With Esbit tentatively out, it's a toss-up between the tried and so-so 
Trangia alcohol stove and the quick and dirty Whisperlite. The alcohol stove 
is heavier than Esbit in terms of fuel weight, and particularly so when the 
fuel burns inefficiently due to any kind of wind. I find that wind is the 
nemesis of this stove. That, along with the opposite problem, not enough 
oxygen. The solution seems to be an integrated pot stand/windscreen that is 
left open on one side, the lee side. But still, the Trangia seems to require 
a greater weight of fuel (1-2 ozs) to cook a meal than does Esbit at 1 tab 
per meal.

Hmmm... to mess around with unreliable and expensive fuel tabs? To stand 
guard in front of the Trangia for 15 minutes while the wind whips tendrils 
of flame everywhere? Or to pack the heavy, sooty, complicated, but hot and 
quick Whisperlite? And all for the sake of cooking the nutrition right out 
of the food so that it arrives at my mouth in luke warm condition.

What a compromise plan! Anyone have a technique for making those Esbit fuel 
tabs run for multiple meals? Seems to me that after achieving first boil 
they become mostly useless.

By the way, I would think that it is indeed legal to mail the Esbit fuel 
tabs, considering that mine arrived via mail order. This is also an 
advantage of an alcohol stove, for those that may be considering one. 
Denatured alcohol is legal to mail in the ground-delivered resupply parcels, 
and easily apportioned out in advance of departure using recycled soda 
bottles. I found this approach ideal last summer, particularly as fuel was 
then one less thing to think about on town days.

- Blisterfree


>From: Eskie user <sfox@eskimo.com>
>Reply-To: Eskie user <sfox@eskimo.com>
>To: PCT-L <pct-l@edina.hack.net>
>Subject: [pct-l] Esbit stove for two
>Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2000 18:28:53 -0800 (PST)
>
>Saw a note on someone considering an Esbit solid-fuel stove system for two
>people. In my opinion, it doesn't work as well for two. It is pretty slow
>and the fuel expensive. If you have two people, you can share the weight
>of a liquid-fuel stove, which cooks a LOT faster and I hear it's pretty
>easy to mooch white gas on the trail. The solid fuel can be mailed (I
>think???) and there are other plusses and minusses. Curious what others
>think about this. I did get ok service out of the Esbit system but was
>solo. Kinda hard to light and it barely would boil my 2 to2.5 cups water.
>But light!! Cheap for short trips too because the stove is only about 10
>bucks which includes about 6 tablets.
>
>Saw another comment about drift boxes. These are used at stream crossing
>to carry your gear. They often end up miles downstream. Just kidding!
>
>
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