Wood-burning stove, denatured alcohol stove or a Solid-fuel tablet stove?

I doubt very seriously that you will be able to find solid fuel tablets where you are going.

Rubbing alcohol will burn, but it is not the best alcohol to use. Alcohol with a high percentage of ethanol is the hottest.

–B.G.–

Considering I won't cook or camp every day, I might take enough tablets with me before hands. What about denatured alcohol?

Yes, you can take solid fuel tablets in advance. Note, however, that you probably cannot board an aircraft with them. Solid fuel tablets are chemically similar to high-powered explosives, so various types of airport screenings will detect them.

The kinds of fuels that are always approved are wood and wax-based. Unfortunately, they are not terribly efficient, weight-wise.

Denatured alcohol is commonly used by some people here in the U.S., and it is sold in lots of hardware stores. It works OK in mild conditions. Alcohol burners are very simple and lightweight. You do not want to try to place a large cook pot on a small alcohol burner, because many of them will be unstable and tip over, pouring the burning fluid on the ground. A few alcohol burners are very low to the ground, so they don't tip.

–B.G.–

Well, I would have to buy them in the US and then get them shipped here in Mexico, but I would have to find out wether FEDEX, UPS or USPS would actually do that and if it is legal to bring them into the country. Otherwise I have to go with a multi-fuel stove and purchase fuel on site. Is rubbing/denatured alcohol largly available? Are these type of stoves good in all conditions and are they lighter weight than multi-fuel stoves?
How many tablets would I need for an 18 months trip, otherwise?

Alessandra,

Maybe the better question, when it comes to how much esbit you might need, is not the length of your trip (18 months), but how many times a week do you think you will need to use esbit and for how many meals in a week will you need to cook/heat up with the esbit.

I find that I can get about 2 meals out of one 0.5 oz esbit cube.

Maybe 1.5 to 2 cups of water per meal.

In my case, I am simply boiling up water to reheat dehydrated food….I am not cooking, which requires more time/fuel.

I love esbit, but unless you are doing very little to rarely cooking with esbit, I don't see it as a good option for you on your travels.

You might want to do some research on what fuels are going to be commonly available to you along the route you are taking.

That might determine which stove you will want to take.

That said, a wood burning stove like a bushbuddy could be attractive, so long as you have some skills for getting a fire going.

Cotton with petroleum jelly would be your friend for that….cheap, easy, and proven fire starter.

Tony

People have previously said canisters to be fairly available in Central and South America, but in case they are not, I would remain without food. Wood burners don't work if wood is wet I am guessing, while I heard that alcohol and esbit are not very good for simmering…do I have any other otpion a part from a multi-fuel?

"Wood burners don't work if wood is wet I am guessing"

They don't "work", period. Not all by themselves.

They're not like a stove that you just light-and-go. You have to know how to build and maintain a wood fire with various materials, under various conditions. It's somewhat of an art unto itself. It takes practice and experience to be able to use one under less than ideal circumstances, like with wet wood, or no readily available tinder.

If you're "guessing" at how well they work, then I would suggest you would need a good deal more experience with them before relying on one. Stick with something you strike-and-go.

So do I have any other option a part from multi-fuel, since alcohol and esbit are no good for simmering?

I would also agree with the poster above….avoid a wood burning stove unless you really can get some experience using it in good and bad/rainy situations.

Even for myself, I have limited experience with my Bushbuddy.

Esbit does not simmer well, unless you have something like a simmering ring from Flatcat Gear.

Some alcohol stoves can simmer.

The basic questions will be…will you need to cook raw food and simmer or are you just going to need hot water to heat up/rehydrate your food???

Something like a canister stove would work well for you.

They don't have many moving parts, can simmer, and are easy to use.

A multi fuel stove like an MSR International white gas stove would give you flexibility in terms of types of fuels, but at the expense of being "heavy".

Perhaps a canister stove with alcohol as a backup for when you are between canisters??

Again, you will need to research what is available for sale along the route you will be taking.

Also, I would suggest that you work this backwards and think about what you are going to be using the stove for- cooking or reheating food.

Once you have an idea of what your food situation will be, then you can chose the stove that will work best for your food needs.

Tony

"The basic questions will be…will you need to cook raw food and simmer or are you just going to need hot water to heat up/rehydrate your food???"

I will only cook raw food and boil water for tea/coffee. That's why simmering is important.

I can't use a canister stove, cause I will have to risk that canisters might not be available everywhere in Central + South America. It's impossible to research fuel availability for a such a long route.

"Perhaps a canister stove with alcohol as a backup for when you are between canisters??"

Where do I find something like this?

Which alcohol stoves are good for simmering?

I lived in Colombia from 2010 to 2013 and did a lot of hiking in Cundinamarca department (like I've been to almost every single pueblo there and hiked with a very experienced group on a weekly basis) and so take it for what it's worth, but I don't really see why you would want to try and cook on your own very often. What exactly is on the itinerary for the trip? Do you plan on covering large distances away from pueblos/ people? Food is cheap and people will make you what you want if you know how to ask.

My experience with fuel canisters in Colombia is that they are very expensive and only sold near world-class hiking areas like the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Parque Los Nevados, and El Cocuy, and also major cities like Bogota. The kind of hiking we talk about on this site is a very elitist activity so there isn't much infrastructure to support the "gear" side because of the overall lack of demand (trekking in wilderness is a fringe activity and there isn't much in terms of a trail system). We hiked between farms, short trails connecting farms, caminos reales (rock paths built by indigenous peoples way back in the 16th and 17th century; but really we never got that far from someone who had food to serve.

Seems like a wood burning stove would be the best option but really I'm having a hard time imagining what kind of situations you see yourself cooking in, hence my earlier questions. A stove that works on gasoline might be a good idea. Alcohol of a high percentage will be difficult to find (homemade denatured alcohol was pretty widely available in my time in Colombia but there was too much water in it to burn very well).

Again, this advice is coming from my experience living and hiking in Cundinamarca in Colombia so maybe it isn't all that relevant to the terrain you'll be covering. Sounds like an exciting adventure though and I wish you all the best on your journey!

I just want the possibility to cook my own food, if that arises. I don't want to have to feel like I can't because fuel is not available or because my stove won't work or because I'm too dum to make it work!
And I won't really be hiking, mostly trying to survive!
I probably won't have a great deal of money either to spend in restaurants. Especially cause I'm vegetarian and Latin America is mostly a meat-heating country. When people offered me food here in Mexico was either deep fried or had meat in it.
Which stove works on gasoline?

I recommend the Sidewinder Ti stove with the 3 cup pot for solo backpacking.

The Gram Cracker ESBIT holder is efficient and the optional Inferno woodburning insert works great. You can even burn wood without the insert if necessary.

I've used this stove with alky, ESBIT (a lot) and wood (in winter). It rolls up small and weighs very little and it is VERY windproof, something you'll need where you're going.

You may be able to ship ESBIT tabs ahead IF you can find a trustworthy place to send them. (Big "if".)

This stove is the most efficient ESBIT stove I've found. Make a Gram Cracker holder tray with turned up tray ends to contain the liquid given off when burning ESBIT tabs. (Or use a small strip of aluminum muffler tape around the ends of the included Gram Cracker tablet holder.) This increases tablet burn times by about 20%. Search BPL's archives for info on this.

BTW, the Sidewinder comes with its own alky stove.
If you are concerned that the wind may blow over the Sidewinder or Tri Ti just put some shepherd's hook stakes down through opposing bottom slots and thru the ti floor sheet. (Drill holes in the floor sheet at home.) Works great.

http://www.rei.com/product/830342/msr-whisperlite-universal-backpacking-stove

This is the one that comes to mind. Burns on many other fuels as well. I haven't used it before though so maybe somebody can chime in. My suggestion is to go with a wood burning stove; it will be the fuel source that's most readily available.

If you are living in Mexico right now I think you have already figured out that eating vegetarian is difficult. If you're looking to "survive" as you say, you may find yourself turning into an omnivore as time goes along. Not that it's impossible to maintain a vegetarian diet, just very very difficult. Also, be careful because when I would eat out with vegetarian friends, particularly in more rural areas, vegetarian means no dark meat (as in some people thought eating chicken or fish was still eating vegetarian which it clearly isn't). Also, usually soup stock are meat based, and while the soup might have vegetables only (they are way cheaper than meat) the stock itself is very much meat based. In poorer areas you will see this as a common practice because people just can't afford to put chunks of meat in their food but the stock from bones is still very nutritious. Obviously I have know idea why you eat vegetarian and how you feel about it, but I'm trying to give you a realist point of view from someone with some relevant experience. If you can survive as a vegetarian in Mexico/Central America/South America than all the more power to you.

Eating in "restaurants" will often be cheaper than buying the food yourself and cooking, not to mention way easier and an opportunity to share conversation with the people you will be encountering along the way. Beans and rice, which are widely available all throughout the areas you are talking about is pretty darn cheap in a "restaurant". I put "restaurant" in parenthesis because this often means a family who just makes more food than their family can eat and so they will have extra to share at the lunch hour for a very cheap price. Even in Colombia which is a good deal more expensive than most areas you'll be visiting, you can easily find a lunch for $3 if not less.

Edit: I'll also add that you'll have access to a lot of great non-cook food (ie. fruits). Maybe if you want something hot and with more carbs then buy beans and rice at a restaurant. There's also yucca which you'll find a lot of, plantain, potatoes (colder areas like the Andes), and tubers. You could always ask someone to cook them up in plain old water for 50 cents or something. If people can make money on it they will do it for you, almost regardless of the price involved.

Let me put this a different way. If I were going to that part of Latin America for 18 months, then what would I take for a stove?

I would take a multi-fuel (liquid) stove that will burn white gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, or ordinary automobile fuel. That would give me the widest choice of fuel in a stove that will work down to cold temperatures.

I would take one fuel bottle, plus at least one spare fuel bottle. That way I could carry different liquid fuels that were available for sale. Any city will have a hardware store that will sell something that will work as a fuel.

I would also test it out in advance so that I knew what to expect by cooking with different fuel types.

–B.G.–

I suggest you get a stove that burns denatured alcohol/rubbing alcohol.

Full disclosure: I manufacture this kit.

http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/conquistador24-kit.php

The stove sold with the kit is a large version of the StarLyte stove. Once you pour the fuel into the stove it will not spill out, a safety factor found in no other stove.

I have only 2 of these kits available. The large StarLyte stove is not sold separately.

I will include a carbon felt simmering disc for your cooking needs.

Given your variables I think flame control requirements really rule out most alcohol setups (although trangias and some others can sort of simmer). The challenge availability of alcohol across your route even if you choose a setup with some flame control. A multi fuel setup like the caldera ti tri would give you esbit and wood as options but you'll lose any flame control and they aren't designed to move the pot on/off to give you rudimentary control. So this seems dicey at best.

You also list some cold temps where alcohol will be challenged.

Given the need to control the flame and challenging fuel sources really your best option is a multi fuel stove – primus omni fuel, msr international, Optimus nova. Gas is widely available. Will work at elevation and in the cold. Really your safest bet I think.

"Gas is widely available."

There is a language problem. Some people mean that as a gaseous fuel such as butane. Others mean it as gasoline liquid.

When some of us say "white gas" we mean white gasoline, Coleman fuel.

–B.G.–

Sorry I should have said gasoline, white gas or diesel should be the most easily sourced options I'd think in less populated areas and countries.

A multi-fuel stove that burns gasoline, kerosine, etc. is certainly convenient for finding fuel. Yes, it's a great option, but is itself complex, and heavy. I think I would carry as simplistic a stove as possible- a cat can alcohol stove. I doubt that you'll have any difficulty finding fuel-grade alcohol in Latin America, though it may be taxed and thus expensive if it is potable. I'd also bring a cheap aluminum pot with a bail, so that it can be suspended over a wood fire if needed. Again, I doubt you'd have any trouble finding wood for a fire anywhere. Both the stove and pot would be easily replaceable almost anywhere, if you should lose them of have your stuff stolen.

Can this easily simmer? No, not really. But then I don't usually need to simmer. Using the pot on a wood fire makes simmering easier.

Carry a small alcohol stove. You should be able to find alcohol around easily. There is no need for a wood stove, just create a small cook fire on the ground and cook your food. Very simple and easy. When finished, flood it with water and bury the ashes. Relatively LNT.

BUT, which alcohol stoves on the market are good for simmering?

Many alcohol stoves can be adapted for simmering, typically with the use of a metal ring of some sort. Some of the metal rings choke off part of the air intake, and some of them choke the hot flame output area. In either case, it runs slower.

That's why whatever stove you finally decide on will need to be practiced with, just to make sure that it cooks in a predictable fashion for you.

–B.G.–

There is this place called google…