Can someone describe why an alcohol stove is better (at least sometimes better) than a gas stove compared to say a Jet boil system? I see that the system is super light, but how much weight does the fuel (alcohol) add to the setup?
GoGoGreenGiantIt depends. A 100 gram fuel canister on a typical stove weighs 7 or so ounces full, and a few ounces empty as well. You’re stuck with the canister weight. Fuel for an alcohol stove can be carried in a light plastic bottle and you can as much or as little as you like. However, alcohol stoves can’t be used where there are fire restrictions because there’s no shut off valve. They also take a good bit longer to cook
GoGoGreenGiantI’m not familiar with this specific stove but a good alcohol stove typically boils 2 cups of water with 1/2 ounce of fuel.
As as previously mentioned, one advantage is being able to bring the amount of fuel needed for a particular trip.
Another advantage is alcohol atoves are silent. I do not miss the WOOOSH of an isobutane stove.
Alcohol stoves themselves are lighter and the fuel storage is quite a bit lighter however isobutane fuel has a higher energy density. There is a narrow window where the math works out better for an isobutane stove. It’s discussed in detail here: https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2017/02/gas-vs-alcohol-which-is-lighter.html?m=1
GoGoGreenGiantI have a different alcohol stove setup, but I can boil 500ml of water with a little less than 20ml (16g) of alcohol, using a windscreen. I like flexibility of alcohol stoves; you can carry as much or little fuel as you need, and you don't waste all those metal canisters, or get stuck with a bunch of mostly empty ones piling up. That said, I find myself rarely using them except on the rare solo trip. I usually use a canister stove and share 1 stove and pan between 2 people. Faster boil times of the canister stove make it easier to share. Here is an in-depth comparison of alcohol and canister stove weights: https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2014/09/which-is-lighter-alcohol-or-gas_14.html
GoGoGreenGiantThey're typically rated to last 45-50 minutes worth of burn time. I find one gets me through a 3 day 2 night with some fuel to spare. I'm guessing that with as much as I use my stove, I could probably get by with about 3 oz of alcohol (I have an alcohol stove but I haven't been able to take it on a trip yet... but I've tested it and have been able to bake with it :) ) So the alcohol stove would save me about 4 oz or so on the trip. I run a pretty light setup but there's areas when I don't fuss too much over a few ounces, and my stove is one.
GoGoGreenGiantIn my experience, alcohol stoves are great for solo overnighters, but multi-day or group outings I opts for the canister. I already own the siphon burner (not a stove since it has no integral pot supports), absolutely beautiful to watch bloom, very efficien... for pot support, I just use three titanium tent stakes (already carrying those!)
As as previously mentioned, one advantage is being able to bring the amount of fuel needed for a particular trip.
Another advantage is alcohol atoves are silent. I do not miss the WOOOSH of an isobutane stove.
Alcohol stoves themselves are lighter and the fuel storage is quite a bit lighter however isobutane fuel has a higher energy density. There is a narrow window where the math works out better for an isobutane stove. It’s discussed in detail here: https://adventuresinstoving.blogspot.com/2017/02/gas-vs-alcohol-which-is-lighter.html?m=1
and...
Test on the Toaks Siphon stove https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaO7pETVeno