stored ESBIT “odour”

[Eric Blumensaadt]

ESBIT, even in its sealed packages, gives off a fishy odor. I dislike this, and especially when in bear country for obvious reasons. Then it needs to go into your bear canister.

My solution is to take a good quality 1 lb. size coffee bag and store my ESBIT inside.
By "good quality bag" I mean one that you can tell has an aluminum foil/Mylar laminate. Be sure to fold it over and KEEP it folded with the attached plastic-covered wire fold retainer. Try to press as much air out as possible when folding the top down.

It's the aluminum, not the Mylar, that keeps the "odour" from getting out. It's used in the coffee industry because only that kind of laminate keeps oxygen out of the sealed coffee bag.

You will note that good freeze-dried food companies also use that same kind of aluminum/Mylar laminate in their pouches. Only those kind of pouches are good for long term food storage.

ESBIT ON DUDES AND DUDETTES!

[mik matra]

I don't mind the smell of esbit and luuuuurv the smell when it is burning lol…..I understand the fear in bear country though :)

[Peter S]

Eric, have you tried the 4 gram esbit tablets?

[Bob Gross]

I can't believe for a second that the stuff in 4 gram Esbit tablets is any different from the stuff in 14 gram tablets. So, the smell should not be different.

What I can believe is that the packaging is different. I think the 14 gram tablets are sealed up in a way that prevents them from out-gassing, so the smell is more contained around the tablet.

If we assume that the 14 gram packaging is less than perfect, I wonder if there is a better way to do it.

–B.G.–

[Peter S]

The smell is different.

Try it before making an assumption.

[Steve B]

I've never stored my esbit in my bear canister, always out with my pot (set next to my bear canister). Never any issues, even though bears have knocked my canister around. While the smell might be reminiscent of fish, I don't think it smells like fish, and I doubt it does to bears.

Anyone have any actual experience with bears eating their esbit?

Steve

[Owen McMurrey]

Thanks for the tip. I got some of the 7g Hexamine tabs with my latest alcohol stove that also serves as an Esbit/Hexamine stove when flipped over, and they don't have the odor. When I previously tried an Esbit stove with the 14g Esbit tabs…I actually threw a bunch out after they kept smelling up my gear room, even when triple bagged in ZipLocs. Maybe I'm sensitive to it, but I find their odor disgusting.

[chris smead]

Not sure about Hexamine….but when I first started backpacking I used these cheap trioxane tablets I got from the army surplus store. They left almost no residue….and I don't remember them smelling….BUT when they burn they put off fumes that feel like a punch in the face.

I'd love to switch to solid fuel again….but the smell, and residue are what stop me. Has there been any new products or product improvements since then?

[Bob Gross]

"Try it before making an assumption."

So, Peter, apparently you are claiming that the 14 gram packaging is perfect.

–B.G.–

[Bob Gross]

Christopher, do you refer to the Trioxane bars? The ones that I have are packaged in tan foil, and they are much larger than Esbit 14 gram tablets. They work, but they don't seem to be nearly as efficient as Esbit. As I recall, there was a lot of unburned residue as well as the smell.

I also had Hexamine round tablets that were packaged in a green cardboard tube.

–B.G.–

[BlackHatGuy]

"So, Peter, apparently you are claiming that the 14 gram packaging is perfect."

Ah, but Peter didn't claim any such thing. He made no claim at all in that respect, actually, but simply directed you bring actual self-gathered data before making any assumption with no claim on what that data would reveal…

[Bob Gross]

"Ah, but Peter didn't claim any such thing. He made no claim at all in that respect, actually"

Nor did I, Doug.

I was trying to generate a plausible theory to explain the differences that he claimed as well as the differences that I claimed.

–B.G.–

[BlackHatGuy]

Ha! Good try Bob. Did you major in obfuscation in college?

[Bob Gross]

No, Doug.

Peter claimed that there was a difference in the odor of 4 gram tablets versus 14 gram tablets. I didn't think that the actual material was any different, but that the packaging was quite different. If the 4 gram tablets were allowed to "air out" more, then that could explain why the odor seemed different.

The actual burn efficiency of the two sizes is identical in terms of BTUs per weight, so the actual material must be virtually identical.

–B.G.–

[chris smead]

Yeah they were bars in a foil pouch. It's literally been 10 years…so my memory might be fuzzy.

[BlackHatGuy]

"Peter claimed that there was a difference in the odor of 4 gram tablets versus 14 gram tablets. I didn't think that the actual material was any different, but that the packaging was quite different. If the 4 gram tablets were allowed to "air out" more, then that could explain why the odor seemed different.

The actual burn efficiency of the two sizes is identical in terms of BTUs per weight, so the actual material must be virtually identical."

Gosh Bob, sometimes I think you actually believe yourself. Have at it! It's a bit too meaningless to me to continue the conversation.

[Bob Gross]

"Have at it! It's a bit too meaningless to me to continue the conversation."

Doug, that is perfectly OK. I didn't expect you to understand much of this, and now you admit it.

–B.G.–

[BlackHatGuy]

"Doug, that is perfectly OK. I didn't expect you to understand much of this, and now you admit it."

LOFL! Who says a curmudgeon can't have a sense of humor!

[edited to delete a really unnecessary bit].

[Bob Gross]

"bars in a foil pouch."

Yes, those bars are exactly like the ones that were furnished with Army C-rations, but that was a few decades ago. They are better than nothing, but not quite as efficient as Esbit. The foil pouch suggests that freshness might be a factor.

–B.G.–

[chris smead]

Hrm, okie sounds like the general consensus is that esbit is the best eh?
I'll pick up a few and experiment.

[Owen McMurrey]

"Christopher, do you refer to the Trioxane bars? The ones that I have are packaged in tan foil, and they are much larger than Esbit 14 gram tablets. They work, but they don't seem to be nearly as efficient as Esbit. As I recall, there was a lot of unburned residue as well as the smell."

Comparing 7g hexamine to the smaller trioxane tabs, the trioxane doesn't burn as long, or presumably as hot, and the flame is not as concentrated.
Unlike hexamine, it leaves no residue on the pot, only on the base(and less, plus you can burn it on the foil leaving no mess), and has little odor, either inert or burning. While hexamine is harder to light, it's more efficient and trustworthy, as the trioxaine has to be kept in its foil packaging, and is still easily crushed or broken.
I've been using trioxane for over 20yrs, originally in the military for heating coffee and MREs, but mostly just for firestarting since, and I feel a lot better about relying on hexamine for fuel use for the above reasons.

[Bob Gross]

"smaller trioxane tabs"

I'm not exactly sure what those are.

The trioxane bars that I have are packaged in foil, and each one weighs about 31 grams.

I don't know how long I used trioxane, but I know that I quit using it over forty years ago.

–B.G.–

[Bob Gross]

However, the Esbit manufacturer is aware of that. I saw the price increase significantly two or three months ago. It used to be that a standard package was $5-6 or less, and then it went up to $7-9 for the same thing.

An interesting test would be to see if there is any difference between Esbit and Bleuet. The only difference I've found is that Esbit is pure white, and Bleuet is kind of a pink or orange color.

–B.G.–

[Owen McMurrey]

"'smaller trioxane tabs'

I'm not exactly sure what those are."

Trioxane comes in 15g tabs, and 30g bars.

[Peter S]

Thank you Doug :-)

[Author]

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