[pct-l] Fuel Amounts for Pepsi can stove

[hiker at godlikebuthumble.com (Hiker)]

At 09:10 PM 4/16/04, ROYROBIN@aol.com wrote:
>The whole difference is BTU content of fuel per pound. That is the
>marvel of science. Alcohol gets beat 2:1, so the advantage of the light
>weight of the pepsi can gets lost in the picture.

The original numbers posted were based on a 12 day trip between resupply, 
and this is way too long. The longest stretches of the PCT without resupply 
are around 150 miles, and that is only 6-7 days at thru-hiker daily distances.

The advantages of a light stove do NOT get lost on shorter stretches, with 
lighter fuel loads, and the advantage of only taking the fuel one needs 
instead of having to carry compressed gas cannisters cannot be overlooked.

Esbit may be better from the aspect of absolute weight, since one does not 
need a stove at all, but the cost becomes an issue.

The moral is there is no "best" stove for all situations, but I think for 
typical thru-hiker use alcohol and hexamine (esbit) are probably the best, 
and pick your choice based on cost.

For longer trips outside the USA, I prefer kerosene, since it has even more 
energy per ounce than white gas, and is more readily available. Once again, 
the "best" stove depends on the situation.

YMMV and HYOH.