Lightweight Alcohol Stove Kit for Paddling

While canister stoves are great, one of their main problems is the canister. You have to be in a location that stocks them or bring them with you. But, if you plan on resupplying or flying to a destination, if there isn’t an outdoor retailer nearby, getting a spare canister can be a hassle. That’s where lightweight alcohol stove kits shine. Nearly anywhere there’s a gas station, you’re going to be able to find a product like yellow-bottle HEET, which is primarily methanol and burns clean. And, local hardware stores usually carry denatured alcohol, which can burn even better — make sure to get one that is safe for stoves.

I’ve put together a new alcohol stove kit that I’m planning on testing out on a trip this summer. The trip that I put this kit together for includes a resupply at day ten that I would mail to myself general delivery to a post office, and one where space was at a premium. I didn’t want to haul an extra stove canister with me from the beginning. That’s the perfect scenario for an alcohol stove kit.

Downside of Alcohol Stove Kits

The downsides of alcohol stoves are that the setup can feel fussy, and they are hard to cook with. If you haven’t used one before, many require priming, can struggle in wind, and lack the ability to simmer. Also, at about nine or more days, canister stoves generally are overall lighter. Alcohol stoves generally work better for solo trips instead of group trips where there’s a shared stove.

Avoiding the Downsides

With a good alcohol stove kit, setup becomes easy. For example, the Toaks Titanium Siphon Alcohol Stove doesn’t need priming. If you’re just boiling 10 to 12 ounces of water for a freeze-dried meal at night then you never need to simmer. With resupplies at day eight or sooner, then alcohol stoves are lighter, too. A well-fitted windscreen largely neutralizes the wind problem for a simple boil.

A History of Mixed Results

Over the years I’ve tested a number of different systems and have had mixed success. Here are a few examples that I’ve written about.

• Lightweight Sub-5 Ounce Cook Kit: A friend’s kit that comes in at 4.62 ounces. I’m not sure if the stove is available anymore.
• Vargo Titanium Ti-Lite 750 Mug and Red Bull Stove: This one worked well, but the priming of the stove was a hassle and the support/windscreen was bulky and a hassle to set up.
• Penny Stove Setup: I didn’t care for the priming, the support, or the system overall after several trips.
• Homemade Sideburner Alcohol Stove: I still have this one in my stove bin, but I found it doesn’t work well with the narrow Vargo 750ml mug that I use now. Maybe if I remade this stove with a Red Bull can it would work better for my current pot.

None of the ones that I used felt perfect, and I always found myself back to using a canister stove.

A New Lightweight and Efficient Kit?

I wanted to try a new system and one that was commercially available, so I didn’t have to make a new stove. To that end, here’s a lightweight alcohol stove kit that’s easy to use, commercially available, and seems to be efficient in testing.

While I haven’t used this setup on a trip, yet, I did test it. I found that it boiled 10 ounces of 53°F (11.7°C) water using only a 1/2 ounce of Klean-Strip Denatured Alcohol in calm wind conditions. It took about six minutes to bring the water to a boil. I suspect in windier conditions, it would require more fuel.

The above setup is the simplest and easiest commercially available alcohol stove system that I’ve found. It’s light, too.

Item	Weight in grams (ounces)
Vargo Alcohol Fuel Bottle	28 (0.99)
Toaks Titanium Siphon Alcohol Stove	20 (0.71)
Evernew TI Stove Stand	17 (0.6)
Vargo 750ml pot	107 (3.77)
Toaks Titanium Windscreen	13 (0.46)
Grifiti Cross Band	8 (0.28)
Total	193 grams (6.8 ounces)

Notes:

• This could go even lighter by using a 500ml pot, a foil lid, a rubber band instead of the Grifiti Cross Band, and a smaller fuel bottle for shorter trips. The Vargo holds 8 ounces of fuel.
• I left out the spoon in this kit, because everyone has their own personal preferences. I carry a handmade wooden spoon.
• There are also cheaper ways to get an alcohol stove, such as making a cat can stove.

This kit, while not as cheap as a homemade version, may be a nice option if you’re trying to lighten up your stove, only boil water for your meals, and want something that you know is going to work well and be efficient. I’ll be trying this over the summer and will report back if it stays in my kit for next year, or if I go back to a canister again.