Camping Stoves
#26
Senior Member
Yeah, I went thru the hassle of cleaning my stove and fuel tank before I went to Iceland. Brought a small butane stove as a backup in case of confiscation. And cleaning it before return home again.
If others are not familiar with the issues on that, more info here on that sort of thing.
https://www.msrgear.com/blog/flying-...camping-stove/
And I found in Iceland that there were free shelves at most campgrounds and hostels where people left stuff that they no longer needed. And enough people were flying out of the country that there were lots of half empty butane canisters there, so even though I bought a quart of coleman white gas, since I had the butane stove along, I use a lot of butane from the canisters that people left behind.
If others are not familiar with the issues on that, more info here on that sort of thing.
https://www.msrgear.com/blog/flying-...camping-stove/
And I found in Iceland that there were free shelves at most campgrounds and hostels where people left stuff that they no longer needed. And enough people were flying out of the country that there were lots of half empty butane canisters there, so even though I bought a quart of coleman white gas, since I had the butane stove along, I use a lot of butane from the canisters that people left behind.
#27
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re cleaning. Ya, I super cleaned my fuel bottle and the Trangia with smelly soaps before travelling for the last three trips, to be sure there was absolutely no fuel smell on anything. May have been lucky as I never got the impression the bags were ever opened. This was in some panniers in a duffle bag for check in luggage. Trangia clearly easier to clean out smell wise than other luiquid fuel stoves with hoses and channels etc
When I went to Iceland, I had my liquid fuel stove burnerhead in my carry on bag, they wanted to see it. I dug it out and handed it to the TSA agent, he apparantly was unaware of the camp stove rules but he saw a saw tooth pot support on the x ray and wanted to feel that to see if it was sharp enough to be a weapon, he commented that it was too dull to cut anything and handed it back to me.
But, in the future I am only bringing butane stoves, if confiscated they are cheaper and no cleaning should be needed.
#28
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It was a common item in hiker boxes on some of the trails in the Sierras when I was backpacking there. I got free canisters twice on the Trans America, once two partial canisters in Yellowstone and once a full canister at a church cyclists box in Kentucky. Unfortunately I went a very long way with no fuel on that trip when I couldn't find any for a long time after Pueblo. There was some at a place in Carbondale IL, but they were closed when we passed through and we didn't wait for them to be open. We got by cooking on tiny fires, eating cold food, and eating diner food for quite a while.
#29
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Oops, duplicate post.
#30
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Here's more fuel to add to the fire...(haha)...
I'm thinking of going with a Trangia stove now instead of the Whisperlite. I feel better about carrying Methylated spirits instead of fuel...Plus the alcohol is more useful than fuel at the campsite; for me at least.
Thanks for all the input and looking forward to many more info sessions. Thanks all for your input.
I'm thinking of going with a Trangia stove now instead of the Whisperlite. I feel better about carrying Methylated spirits instead of fuel...Plus the alcohol is more useful than fuel at the campsite; for me at least.
Thanks for all the input and looking forward to many more info sessions. Thanks all for your input.
#31
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Here's more fuel to add to the fire...(haha)...
I'm thinking of going with a Trangia stove now instead of the Whisperlite. I feel better about carrying Methylated spirits instead of fuel...Plus the alcohol is more useful than fuel at the campsite; for me at least.
Thanks for all the input and looking forward to many more info sessions. Thanks all for your input.
I'm thinking of going with a Trangia stove now instead of the Whisperlite. I feel better about carrying Methylated spirits instead of fuel...Plus the alcohol is more useful than fuel at the campsite; for me at least.
Thanks for all the input and looking forward to many more info sessions. Thanks all for your input.
#33
Senior Member
Us and so many others around the world honestly just don't know what to think.
but yes, "for me at least" did warrant the warning. Thanks
I have used my trangia fuel alcohol to dab or swab on some little external skin infections, but that's all the other uses I can think of.
#34
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After a recent suggestion that you could treat COVID-19 by injecting disinfectants, I was not sure what to think when I saw "for me at least".
In some states you can buy Everclear, it is 190 proof (or 95 percent) ethanol, that can be used internally however must be diluted first. I live in Wisconsin, sold here in liquor stores. It is taxed like drinkable alcohol, so it would be much cheaper to fuel your alcohol stove with non-drinkable alcohol.
In some states you can buy Everclear, it is 190 proof (or 95 percent) ethanol, that can be used internally however must be diluted first. I live in Wisconsin, sold here in liquor stores. It is taxed like drinkable alcohol, so it would be much cheaper to fuel your alcohol stove with non-drinkable alcohol.
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#35
Senior Member
In general, the higher the percentage of alcohol, the cleaner it burns in a trangia. The stuff I've bought at mec in the past was good, t think I got a large bottle from Canadian tire last time.
In my travels in France or Latin America, finding higher quality stuff was sometimes tricky, 90% was better, and I found some in a medical supply store in Guatemala City that was great, but I had to ask at pharmacies and luckily spoke with a smart pharmacist that referred me to that out of the way supply place, which I would never have found without reasonable Spanish and the day or two off in Guat city and the time to do all that.
In France I found so so stuff in a regular supermarket, cheap bottle of probably 2 litres, probably common with fondue use etc maybe.
In my travels in France or Latin America, finding higher quality stuff was sometimes tricky, 90% was better, and I found some in a medical supply store in Guatemala City that was great, but I had to ask at pharmacies and luckily spoke with a smart pharmacist that referred me to that out of the way supply place, which I would never have found without reasonable Spanish and the day or two off in Guat city and the time to do all that.
In France I found so so stuff in a regular supermarket, cheap bottle of probably 2 litres, probably common with fondue use etc maybe.
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#36
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I've ordered some bicycle parts from MEC and they arrived here at home within the week. I think I'm going to buy the Trangia now...
I hadn't thought of injecting the disinfectants when I was posting. I'm trying to listen less to those briefings and pay more attention closer to home. If there's a spot in this forum where it's ok to talk about politics I would be interested in putting in my two cents... That being said maybe it's better we only talk of bikes and bike related things here...in this day and age people become too passionate about things and can't engage in dialogue, even if they disagree...
I hadn't thought of injecting the disinfectants when I was posting. I'm trying to listen less to those briefings and pay more attention closer to home. If there's a spot in this forum where it's ok to talk about politics I would be interested in putting in my two cents... That being said maybe it's better we only talk of bikes and bike related things here...in this day and age people become too passionate about things and can't engage in dialogue, even if they disagree...
#38
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I don't know about Canada, but in the western U.S. alcohol stoves are considered an open fire and are prohibited in certain situations. This is a post from another thread:
I think alcohol stoves and Stermo type stoves also come under open fire bans in most western states. Open fire bans essentually include any gas stove without an on/off valve.
Complete list from US Forest Service site:
Complete list from US Forest Service site:
Non-approved Fires
- Campfires that utilize wood, pressed logs, wood pellets, paper, cardboard, or other solid fuels.
- Campfires utilizing solid fuel that do not distribute the flame with a wick.
- Briquette fires.
- Unapproved fires on a summer home or residence porch or in an uncontained structure.
- Unapproved fires in a tent, open garage or carport, fenced area, shelter, porch or other nonstructural surrounding.
- “Tikki torches” which utilize liquid fuel.
- Alcohol ultralight stoves (these tend to be homemade from aluminum or tin cans and burn rubbing alcohol)
- Wood “twig” ultralight stoves
- Campfires, lanterns, or stoves that use non-pressurized liquid gas or fuel.
- Liquid fuel citronella lanterns or liquid fuel candles.
- Solid fuel candles which are not contained within a metal container or glass container.
- Liquid fuel stove or lantern fires which utilize a wick to distribute the flame.
- Solid fuel fireworks of any kind.
- Wood, solid fuel or non-pressurized gas campfires contained by a rock barrier.
- Wood, solid fuel or non-pressurized gas campfires contained in an open camp stove, container, or barrel.
- Wood, solid fuel or non-pressurized gas campfires contained in a closed camp stove, not in a fully contained residence or summer home.
Last edited by Doug64; 06-07-20 at 12:41 PM.
#39
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There have been thousands of posts in hundreds of threads regarding "stoves for touring" here over the years. You can read most of them by googling this site specific search: "stove site:bikeforums.net" <---- simply copy and paste to google, leaving out the quotation marks. I use this method to find my old posts, with keywords "seeker333 keyword2" (after I gave up on this website's search function in 2004).
Regarding stoves, there are many new-to-me stoves that have come out in the past 10-15 years that I have not tried. However, I can personally vouch for the MSR Whisperlite International for a multi-fuel stove (it's relatively heavy and large but you'll never have trouble finding fuel), the Snow Peak Gigapower (lightweight,compact and super easy to use, but fuel cartridges may be expensive and hard to find locally, i.e. characteristics of all cartridge stoves), and the Trangia Mini (minimalist, ethanol easier to find than cartridges, performance highly dependent upon windscreen/potstand and wind strength, use restricted in Western USA as Doug wrote).
For the risk-taking frugal tourist, there are several inexpensive clones of popular cartridge and multifuel stoves to be found on Amazon. Also, ethanol stoves can be made from leftover steel and aluminum cans with common hand tools, although the Trangia Mini is absolutely worth 15 bucks. If you feel the need to be creative, put that energy into a homemade windscreen/potstand, as this is as important to overall stove performance as the stove itself. I made my Trangia windscreen from scrap aluminum found in the trash pile at a nearby home under construction, discovered on a daily walk around the neighborhood.
Regarding stoves, there are many new-to-me stoves that have come out in the past 10-15 years that I have not tried. However, I can personally vouch for the MSR Whisperlite International for a multi-fuel stove (it's relatively heavy and large but you'll never have trouble finding fuel), the Snow Peak Gigapower (lightweight,compact and super easy to use, but fuel cartridges may be expensive and hard to find locally, i.e. characteristics of all cartridge stoves), and the Trangia Mini (minimalist, ethanol easier to find than cartridges, performance highly dependent upon windscreen/potstand and wind strength, use restricted in Western USA as Doug wrote).
For the risk-taking frugal tourist, there are several inexpensive clones of popular cartridge and multifuel stoves to be found on Amazon. Also, ethanol stoves can be made from leftover steel and aluminum cans with common hand tools, although the Trangia Mini is absolutely worth 15 bucks. If you feel the need to be creative, put that energy into a homemade windscreen/potstand, as this is as important to overall stove performance as the stove itself. I made my Trangia windscreen from scrap aluminum found in the trash pile at a nearby home under construction, discovered on a daily walk around the neighborhood.
#41
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1. if the context is ultralight solo/duo not-too-long-trip with a stove for hot beverage/oatmeal or soup/etc. my vote goes to the Evernew DX stand (52g) + Esbit tablets (no need to carry a container), safer than alcool (invisible spills are no fun)
2. for most trips, single-use canister+ultralight stove. Several options. Pocket rocket works for us. Most convenient.
3. as others have suggested, the more trekking (long time, faraway places) solution would be a multi fuel stove, typically a Whisperlite International. I hate priming, so it is now sitting somewhere with other seldom used pieces of equipment.
In the good old days, when we were allowed to fly to our destination, we'd spot a camping store as a first destination to purchase 2 canisters (or Esbit tablets) at the start of a trip. Not enough experience to claim that canisters are available everywhere, but, still, lots of countries and never a problem. (a bit nostalgic.
2. for most trips, single-use canister+ultralight stove. Several options. Pocket rocket works for us. Most convenient.
3. as others have suggested, the more trekking (long time, faraway places) solution would be a multi fuel stove, typically a Whisperlite International. I hate priming, so it is now sitting somewhere with other seldom used pieces of equipment.
In the good old days, when we were allowed to fly to our destination, we'd spot a camping store as a first destination to purchase 2 canisters (or Esbit tablets) at the start of a trip. Not enough experience to claim that canisters are available everywhere, but, still, lots of countries and never a problem. (a bit nostalgic.
#43
Senior Member
FWIW ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is used as shellac thinner, and also for some wood stains, I would imagine the world over. Shellac is shellac. So rather than paying a kings ransom at pharmacies for medical grade stuff which may or may not be (the preferred) ethanol, hit the paint or hardware store, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. They'll have it.
#44
Banned
20 years ago things were different.. I put 50p of unleaded Petrol in the fuel bottle , I flew over with it empty,
flushed out, even passed a sniff test @ SFO getting on the flight to LHR. ..
flushed out, even passed a sniff test @ SFO getting on the flight to LHR. ..
#45
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FWIW ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is used as shellac thinner, and also for some wood stains, I would imagine the world over. Shellac is shellac. So rather than paying a kings ransom at pharmacies for medical grade stuff which may or may not be (the preferred) ethanol, hit the paint or hardware store, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. They'll have it.
https://fuel.papo-art.com/
Last edited by Doug64; 06-08-20 at 03:56 PM.
#46
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This brand is popular and may be found at the LHS (local hardware store) on the paint aisle, pretty reasonable price at $8/qt, and can doesn't leak. I've used it and it is mostly ethanol, burns without soot.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-St...SL26/100118908
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-St...SL26/100118908