Topic

What is your favorite UL solo alcohol cook system?


Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) What is your favorite UL solo alcohol cook system?

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1306046
    S Long
    BPL Member

    @izeloz

    Locale: Wasatch

    I have been playing with a few different setups and thought I would check and see what other people have found is their favorite setup for solo, freezer bag cooking. Weight is definitely important, but so is efficiency and speed of the system. What have you found is a good balance? Again, this is only for boiling water for one person freezer bag cooking (~500 mL.).

    #2011225
    Greg Mihalik
    Spectator

    @greg23

    Locale: Colorado

    Caldera Cone, Keg-H.

    And I added a MYOG foam sleeve for the portion of the Keg above the cone. It helps retain the heat, when installed on the bottom it allows me to hold the hot keg while eating, and lastly, keeps all the bits and pieces in the keg when I pack. (No stuff sack required.)

    #2011229
    Barry P
    BPL Member

    @barryp

    Locale: Eastern Idaho (moved from Midwest)

    “Weight is definitely important, but so is efficiency and speed of the system. What have you found is a good balance? “

    A lot of alcohol stoves don’t work well below freezing or require priming. And I didn’t want to mess with any of those situations.

    I know mine melts snow at 0F and doesn’t need priming. Mine is similar to mechanic-mike on ebay.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/0-3oz-Camping-Survival-Alcohol-Stove-Burner-TOP-JET-/370731035714?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56514aac42

    I use AL flashing for the screen and hardware cloth for the stand. All 3 items is <2oz. With 1/2 mass oz. of HEET, I can boil 2C of 39F water in 6 minutes. For some reason these mountain streams always seem to be 39F.

    It all fits in my Ti Kettle.

    -Barry
    -The mountains were made for Tevas

    #2011238
    Chad B
    BPL Member

    @cenazwalker

    Locale: Southwest
    #2011246
    Corbin Camp
    Member

    @heycorb

    Locale: Southeast

    I use a Zelph colbalt with one the corrugated aluminum windscreens and a GSI Kettle. 1 – 1.5 oz will boil 2 cups pretty quick even in cooler weather. The kettle makes it super easy to pour in bags (reflectix cozy). The colbalt fits perfectly inside the kettle too.

    Total weight is ~7.5 oz. Certainly not the lightest thing available, but very reliable. I'm not sure a Ti kettle would boil a quickly. Not even sure if anyone makes one.

    #2011285
    Craig .
    BPL Member

    @zipper

    Locale: LOST, but making good time

    Flat Bottom Foster's pot
    Fancee Feest stove ( both from Zelph )
    Homemade "cone" windscreen
    2 oz fuel bottle
    fuel measuring cup

    Everything fits inside the Foster's pot, plastic top from dog food can keeps lid on. Boils 2 cups of water with 3/4 oz fuel in about 8 mins. Not the most economical or fastest. Everything in the list plus 2 oz of fuel weighs 5 oz.

    #2011302
    M B
    BPL Member

    @livingontheroad

    zelph flat bottom pot
    tealight cup, extended with foil tape
    al flashing windscreen
    wire mesh pot support with most of the mesh clipped out
    4oz fuel bottle

    boils 2 cups on 0.5 fl oz (0.4 wt oz) with 30sec-1 min to spare.

    Weighs 2.65 oz.

    Weighs 5.85 oz total with enough fuel for 8 days.

    #2011315
    Don Selesky
    Spectator

    @backslacker

    Caldera Cone, Keg-F

    #2011347
    Randy Nelson
    BPL Member

    @rlnunix

    Locale: Rockies

    CC Keg-H. 3.2 oz complete. Weight of the fuel bottle depends on the length of the trip so I won't include it here.

    #2011451
    John Mc
    BPL Member

    @retiredjohn

    Locale: PNW

    I really like the looks of 'zenazwalkers' setup. I see that LiteTrail is out of that thin wall 550ml pot. Anyone know who else might sell it? Evernew doesn't seem to carry it. Thanks

    #2011471
    Zorg Zumo
    Member

    @burnnotice

    It kind of depends: If I'm hiking in good, warm weather (like now) then I carry my Whitebox setup. It saves a little weight over my next setup and the WB burner can hold a lot fuel for extended boils.

    When the weather is iffy I use a Trangia burner setup. The burner weight is well worth the fiddle-free, bomb-proof reliability in all temperatures. When it is cold and windy I don't like to be fiddling around with some ultra-light system that won't work because it got dented and dirty, or can't seem to get primed, or runs out of fuel before I'm done with my boiling, etc.

    I freezer bag cook too.

    A rough example of a Whitebox setup – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgj0tZj_Mwo

    An example of my Trangia setup – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHYLXp562-Y

    #2011474
    Brian Johns
    BPL Member

    @bcutlerj

    Locale: NorCal

    I have a few, my favorite is a Zelph's StarLyte burner (modified) under my Ti Fusion from trail designs for my snow peak 700 ML mug, with a Ruta Locura top. It all packs in the mug with room for an SP 450 cup if I want to get all lux.

    I also like my lightest setup, a Heineken pot, with a Zelph's StarLyte stove (also modified) and a Suluk 46 windscreen. This one weighs 2.6 ounces with the fuel measuring cup and a mini Bic lighter.

    Doesn't get as much use b/c it's not truly solo but my all-time fave is my MSR Titan Kettle with classic titanium Caldera Cone. It's bullet proof and in fire mode my Zia Grip will sit right on top for a solo-sized filet grilling or boiling water over the fire.

    #2012410
    Duane Bindschadler
    BPL Member

    @dlbvenice

    Locale: Venice

    I've been very happy with the following:

    DIY Caldera Cone and Pika stove
    Grease pot with reflectix cozy

    Caldera cone 67 g, Stove 11g, grease pot 65g, cozy 48g, pot holder 44 g. Total for those items is 263g / 9.3 oz.

    Cookset

    #2012417
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    Caldera Cone GVP with a Trail Designs 12-10 stove. Pretty simple off the shelf solution. But most of the time I go with just the Esbit set-up.

    I don't have the inclination or time to play around with stoves, too many hikes to spend my spare time on.

    Neither stove is used for winter trips in the snow.

    #2012430
    Troy Ammons
    BPL Member

    @tammons

    The last one I built.
    Boils 1c of h20 3/8 oz of alcohol in 4 minutes, 2 cups in 6 minutes
    weighs 2 oz as shown.

    Needs a titanium wind screen to protect the pot. Need a better SUL spoon of some sort.
    Have a Titanium folding spoon but have not weighed it with that spoon.

    As is drop in a crush proof koolaid container and it weighs 3.8 oz. Good for holding your food cook freezer bag but heavy.

     photo IMGP1676_zpsab45174c.jpg

     photo IMGP1677_zps07a24304.jpg

    #2012754
    Eric Blumensaadt
    BPL Member

    @danepacker

    Locale: Mojave Desert

    If you are not using a Caldera Cone you are wasting fuel.

    The biggest complaint about alcohol stoves is their fuel weight per day. The CC stoves ae THE most efficient known, and not just for alcohol but for ESBIT and wood as well in the Tri Ti and Sidewinder lines. This efficiency keeps fuel weight per day at the minimum.

    Try search here for the Starlyte stove with the Cone.

    #2013041
    Nick Larsen
    Member

    @stingray4540

    Locale: South Bay

    I know you asked for alcohol, but can I convince you otherwise? If just freezer bag cooking, you can get water boiling for less weight with esbit. Lower fuel weight per day, and my modified Caldera GVP weighs less than 3oz. and is easy to use. I tried to alcohol thing, but it was too finicky, esbit is easy peasy.

    #2013044
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    Nick,

    I like Esbit better too. But it is expensive and for some folks alcohol is a better solution. Boil times aren't that much different.

    #2013182
    S Long
    BPL Member

    @izeloz

    Locale: Wasatch

    I'm not too fond of the Esbit residue and smell. Otherwise I agree it's ideal.

Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Get the Newsletter

Get our free Handbook and Receive our weekly newsletter to see what's new at Backpacking Light!

Gear Research & Discovery Tools


Loading...