Eric, I used to think the same as you. Then I spent many hours putting together weight: efficiency charts. As it turns out, for my purposes in boiling 2.5-3 pints of water per day, and my stove's efficiency, my alcohol stove is actually the most fuel efficient and weight efficient option for trips up to about 8 or 9 days, IIRC. I still use the alky system for trips up to 2 weeks, because after five days of carrying a few extra ounces of fuel, I'm back to a lighter system for the majority of the trip. A part of the calculation that many people overlook is inclusion of the isobutane/propane cartridge weight itself… heavy! Caldera Cone, wide-bottomed pot, 95% ETOH, and a gas-station water bottle and I'm set to go. I've been working on a bunch of projects lately, papers everywhere; not sure where those charts are. But I had an strong allegiance to canister systems and felt I had to switch to alky stoves after doing the calculations. Even if you have an empty canister, you still have to carry the weight of that canister. Even if an alcohol stove system is a few ounces heavier in fuel weight at the start of a two-week trip, it takes only days before the system is the lightest you can carry.
