Mastodawn

First time trying an alcohol stove in the wild

https://sh.itjust.works/post/42555871

First time trying an alcohol stove in the wild - sh.itjust.works

I forgot my wind shield, so it took way longer and way more fuel than necessary. But we got there in the end. It was just a day hike, after all. For those curious, this is a “cat can” stove, or “super cat”. [https://archive.org/details/super-cat/Super-Cat-3-4-11] I can’t speak to its effectiveness, as I used it wrong. But a lot of people really like it. And it weighs basically nothing!

redlemace Jul 21, 2025

It’s not always about bigger, better, faster, prettier or more efficient.

You’re making good use of something you made yourself from “waste”. It probably was one of the best coffee’s you have had, or at the very least one you will allways remember. Just because of that.

beastlykings Jul 21, 2025

Couldn’t agree more. The Jetboil style stove I usually use has its place. But I’m gonna try switching to alcohol, where permitted.

GiveOver Jul 21, 2025

I used something like this at a music festival, after they’d banned every other type of stove. I found a lot of nerds on the internet who all raved about these little things and after using them I was inclined to agree.

It’s the simplicity of them, they feel so peaceful to use. Yes they take a bit longer to boil than everything else but who’s rushing while camping.

redlemace Jul 21, 2025

I used something like this at a music festival

I still remember decades ago (late 80’s) I brought a stove and coffee to Pinkpop. You would not believe the amounts of beer of wine they offered for ‘just’ a cup of coffee.

kersploosh Jul 21, 2025

Try the soda can design next! I made a few with my kids as a craft project.

Note that these stoves are often banned in the western US during wildfire season. Allowed stoves generally need to have a sealed fuel system with an on-off valve.

beastlykings Jul 22, 2025

I made a penny stove first, and man that thing burns hot! Big big flames haha. Maybe I did it wrong.

This one is way more contained, and some people claim more fuel efficient 🤷‍♂️ I have no idea haha

Thanks for the reminder. No such rules here in Michigan, that I’m aware of. Obviously you gotta be smart when it’s dry out, maybe use butane instead at those times.

Death_Equity Jul 21, 2025

I have made a few of these, including one with an external fuel bottle that I never felt comfortable using in the field because the hose was made of surgical tubing.

The best ones you could make were made from a Venom energy drink bottle before they went to the thinner aluminum. I think Bud Lite also had an aluminum bottle with the same thickness. One of the best ones I made from that was a normal hobo penny stove, I threw it in a wood gasifier stove I made from food cans. It supercharged the stove and made it burn crazy hot and clean. 8 minutes on one ounce of fuel to boil 1 liter was good enough to not shave off 2 minutes and add a few ounces of weight with the gasifier.

I switch from my trusty homemade one to a titanium one from Vargo for no reason other than titanium and it works well enough. I also use the Snow Peak giga when I can’t use an alcohol stove, it works well enough but isn’t as “fun”.

beastlykings Jul 22, 2025

Neat!

Those vargo stoves do look cool, you have the triad?

That’s what I like about the cat, it’s so light, and you can put a pot right on it. Seems like the vargo stoves are the same way?

I’ll probably play with these ones for awhile before spending any actual money on a nice one. To make sure I like it

Death_Equity Jul 22, 2025

I have the Converter + the Hexagon stove.

The multi fuel aspect of the Triad didn’t appeal to me because the gels are pretty terrible. With the Converter and Hex I can do alcohol and, in an emergency, wood.

You can just put the pot right on them, but wind is an obvious issue, so the Hex addresses that. The other problem with them is using them on unstable/uneven ground, another issue the Hex addresses quite well in the pairing.

On weight, the soda can or cat food stoves are very light, but the Converter is also lightweight. The penny stove and stand I made is a bit heavier than the Vargo.

It is like $80 for the pair, but a Snow Peak is like $45 plus $11 for the wind screen and you can use it in more places with less trouble at higher elevations or colder temps.

beastlykings Jul 28, 2025

Thanks for the write-up!

I don’t care about multi fuel, I just thought it looked like the smallest lightest one, but obviously that isn’t always most important.

You really make a good argument for the Hex and converter. I’m gonna use my cat stove for awhile to get some experience, but the Hex sounds like a great option for me.

Thanks!

Death_Equity Jul 28, 2025

TBH, your cat stove will serve you as well as a Vargo except in durability. Just make sure you have a wind screen because the wind really screws your efficiency and can make a boil neigh impossible.

I used tinfoil on a C shaped strip of hardware cloth for a while, which also acted as a pot stand for my penny stove. You can store it in or around a pot. I wanted to try and get a scrap piece of stainless duct for a more long-term option that wasn’t as frail, but I ended up getting the Vargo stuff because it was on sale or a Drop deal.

beastlykings Jul 28, 2025

Yeah I experienced that in the breeze in this video, couldn’t get a boil.

Funny, my wind screen is also tin foil, I was hoping for something a little more durable though. What is hardware cloth?

Death_Equity Jul 28, 2025

I’ve also seen people cut a strip out from a thrift store aluminum baking pan or pot.

Note: Galvanized steel does emit a harmful zinc oxide gas when heated, so heat it thoroughly to red hot in an open and well ventilated space a couple times to minimize the risk of the off-gassing during actual use. The heat will make the steel easier to bend, but I have crushed it flat a few times and it bent back fine. You can also dunk it in HCL to melt it off, once again in a well ventilated open space.

beastlykings Jul 28, 2025

Thanks!

MysteriousSophon21 Jul 23, 2025

The fuel efficiency on these is definately better with the windscreen - cuts boil time almost in half and uses way less fuel compared to exposed setups.