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[pct-l] Re: alcohol stoves

Response to Ken Marlow's questions re: Alcohol stove:
>   Do you think that the Trangia stove would provide for a more efficient 
> burning and eliminate the soot problem? 

Yes, it worked fine for Jeremy Wilson - no sooting problem. It is 
also more durable than the tin can, being made of heavier gage brass 
or bronze. I tried to inspect it closely to copy, as best I could, its 
design for my tin can stove. It has very small holes around the flame 
cup, which suggests some sort of internal baffle system that allows 
for better distribution of air through the alcohol flame to support 
complete combustion.

>You mentioned your  stove worked 
> well for one person. Do you think that yours or the Trangia would work well 
> for a couple, and at temperatures encountered during fall and winter? 

The only reason I stated the tin can stove worked well for one person 
is because of the small size of the stove and the small volume of 
water that I boiled (~3/4 to 1 liter). I haven't tried it for larger 
volumes and bigger pots. I don't see why it wouldn't work. I do think 
that, with colder winter temperatures, one might be more delighted 
with the higher energy output of a pressurized white gas stove.
Again, alcohol would work but I suspect at really cold temperatures 
and especially high altitude it would take significantly longer to 
boil water. Perhaps someone else on the list has experience with 
winter trips and alcohol stoves?

Three additional points that I forgot to mention in my last post:
1) Use an MSR-type aluminum wrap-around windscreen for the namesake 
purpose and to help hold in heat around the pot.

2) I used an aluminum pop-top tuna can lid (from those small tuna cans 
you put in a kid's school lunch) to dowse the flame when there was 
alcohol was left in the small can after cooking. When the alcohol 
cooled, I pored it back into the fuel bottle (the plastic container 
the alcohol was purchased in - lighter than a Sigg bottle - Jeremy 
used a Nalgene plastic 8 oz. squirt-top flask to carry his alcohol 
while we traversed Washington State in September '97; at one cooked meal per 
day he never ran out of fuel between the standard resupply points).

3) Best point of all along with light weight: There is no noise with 
the alcohol tin can stove!

Bob Betz Mex-->Can'97
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