Wood burning stoves?

[retired jerry]

http://thru-hiker.com/articles/stovewei ... 14days.php

Of course, it depends on how much water you boil per day

[retired jerry]

the yellow is an alcohol "cat" stove, light blue is canister

for a 14 day trip, the alcohol starts out heavier, but after a few days weighs less, but really, they weigh about the same

for a shorter trip, alcohol will weigh less, but not a lot

Esbit weighs somewhat less

White gas is heavy (plus it singes your eyebrows)

[Pnw.hiker]

a little off topic but does anyone have a source for info on the comparison of fuel weight between canister stoves and alcohol stoves?

I'm curious if alcohol stove fuel weighs less over longer trips say 3 nights and longer.

The more you cook, the quicker an alcohol setup loses its weight advantage.

But the weight difference of just fuel can be insignificant compared to other preferences. For example, if you cook a lot, your cookset will likely have more stuff and weigh more.

On the other hand, just boiling some water once or twice per day, say coffee and oatmeal in the morning and a single rehydrate dish at night, means less fuel and probably a simpler, lighter cookset. Alcohol stoves lend themselves to minimalist menus, considering they take longer and are a pain to re-fill and re-light.

To really save weight with alcohol, rework the menu and cookset down to the bare minimum. That's where alcohol stoves work the best and have the longest weight advantage.

[Koda]

http://thru-hiker.com/articles/stovewei ... 14days.php

Of course, it depends on how much water you boil per day

I tend to boil more than average as I like a hot cup of tea or coffee with my freeze dried meals.


so according to the article the alcohol and canister stoves are most comparable, almost a toss up unless you count convenience where the canister stove wins.

A surprize winner is the esbit stove, I never thought to consider one of those. I like the looks of the Esbit brand stove and cookset and modestly priced too http://www.rei.com/product/852113/esbit ... nd-cookset but the one in the article is much lighter (but doesnt come with pot so...). What I like about this stove is the empty fuel wrapper isnt anything like an empty canister in the pack....

good article Jerry thanks for posting that.

[Chazz]

I'm using the Biolite wood-burning stove because I typically hike with a group and that thing will heat a large volume of water quickly. Are all wood stoves banned in the wilderness areas at the moment? I was planning on taking it into the Indian Heaven area in mid-September.

[Lumpy]

You have to check with the agency in charge of where you are going for up to the minute information on fire bans, etc. Sometimes things change just before you leave the house, so a quick check with the folks in charge by phone might be your best bet.

[retired jerry]

http://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/ is a more complete site about stoves

ad nauseum maybe

I like it though...

[BurnsideBob]

Wood burning is prohibited in many high use areas regardless of fire conditions to preserve the environment's natural state. SEKI above 10,000 feet (that's a big area), Yosemite above 9,500 feet (another big area), the Enchantments above 5,000 feet (not so big area). Closer to home, Yocum Ridge.


New Sign at Beginning of Yocum Ridge Trail

During wet times you would have to carry dry wood or some other fire starter for wood to insure getting the next fire going.

So what's the attraction of a technology whose efficacy is subject to environmental conditions, can't be used everywhere, violates fire bans/restrictions, gets your pots sooty, and, if you are not careful, you and your pack's contents sooty?

[raven]

About 1974, give or take a year, I ran into a section of trail in the Diamond Peak Wilderness that wasn't on my map. It was the PCT under construction with its ends not connected to other trails yet. I followed it high through some beautiful meadows with wonderful bleached and decaying old Alpine Fir logs on the ground and gnarled-trunk living trees nearby. The trail was finished and announced. The next time I went up there (I'm pretty sure late the year of the announcement--the next year) that scenery was gone -- used for firewood. Sure hurt at the time; actually, still does. I don't think fires are appropriate near alpine areas.

[Lumpy]

I don't think fires are appropriate near alpine areas.

They aren't. It bothers me when I see folks with a campfire in a wilderness area, but if they aren't banned, I don't say anything.