Tried virtually every type of stove and fuel on the market, plus some that are long gone, and even fuel experiments that “flamed out” like Fritos.
In theory, denatured alcohol can’t be bought in California since January 1, 2019, and HEET is too toxic for me at 99% methanol plus 1% “proprietary additive.”
ESBIT is my favorite for many reasons – simple to use, easy to count how many days I need and have, almost weightless packaging, and arguably the lightest nearly windproof stove system using a Trail Designs Sidewinder plus Gram Cracker.
The only usability challenge, as others have mentioned, is lighting. Holding a Bic lighter under a near-vertical ESBIT cube mostly works. Shaving the cube plus Bic usually works. Dab of hand sanitizer plus Bic almost always works. Stormproof matches always work, but they are pretty obnoxious, and leave a mess behind. I’m sure something like Vaseline on cotton balls would work, but I’m not talented enough to make those.
SOL Tinder Quik always works, even with a spark wheel, even in serious wind, and I usually take a few for emergency fire starting anyway.
I keep my pot in a lightweight stuff sack, and scrub the ESBIT residue off when I get home. Need to clean up other gear anyway, no big deal.
However
In our new wildfire era, I’m likely to abandon ESBIT for a cartridge stove to keep all the Authorities happy. And since Clumsy should be my middle name, and I’ve been not-burned by the cold-weather performance of traditional tippy upright canister stoves, I’m yearning for a Kovea Spider invertible remote canister stove plus Ocelot windscreen from FlatCatGear.com. At least 7 ounces (195 grams) heavier than my current ESBIT setup, worse for shorter trips.
Yes, I keep looking at Moulder strips, and keep deciding they’re too complex and error prone for my misfiring brain cells when cold, wet, tired, and hungry. And I’d only save about 1.6 ounces (45 grams) for an efficient, reliable, and windproof setup.
Obviously, HYOH.
— Rex
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