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What is your favorite UL solo alcohol cook system?
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Jul 31, 2013 at 12:44 pm #1306046
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.).
Jul 31, 2013 at 1:44 pm #2011225Caldera 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.)
Jul 31, 2013 at 1:48 pm #2011229“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=item56514aac42I 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 TevasJul 31, 2013 at 2:18 pm #2011238I'm pretty fond of this set up.
http://cenazwalker.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/litetrail-550ml-cookpot/
Jul 31, 2013 at 2:56 pm #2011246I 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.
Jul 31, 2013 at 4:30 pm #2011285Flat Bottom Foster's pot
Fancee Feest stove ( both from Zelph )
Homemade "cone" windscreen
2 oz fuel bottle
fuel measuring cupEverything 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.
Jul 31, 2013 at 6:01 pm #2011302zelph 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 bottleboils 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.
Jul 31, 2013 at 6:40 pm #2011315Caldera Cone, Keg-F
Jul 31, 2013 at 9:17 pm #2011347CC 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.
Aug 1, 2013 at 9:10 am #2011451I 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
Aug 1, 2013 at 10:47 am #2011471It 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
Aug 1, 2013 at 10:52 am #2011474I 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.
Aug 4, 2013 at 6:55 pm #2012410I've been very happy with the following:
DIY Caldera Cone and Pika stove
Grease pot with reflectix cozyCaldera cone 67 g, Stove 11g, grease pot 65g, cozy 48g, pot holder 44 g. Total for those items is 263g / 9.3 oz.
Aug 4, 2013 at 7:09 pm #2012417Caldera 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.
Aug 4, 2013 at 7:39 pm #2012430The 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.
Aug 5, 2013 at 6:51 pm #2012754If 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.
Aug 6, 2013 at 4:03 pm #2013041I 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.
Aug 6, 2013 at 4:06 pm #2013044Nick,
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.
Aug 6, 2013 at 10:02 pm #2013182I'm not too fond of the Esbit residue and smell. Otherwise I agree it's ideal.
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