Alcohol Stoves

imported
#1

Firstly, thanks so much to all the responses I’m getting to the questions I’m posting.

I’m such a planner… and I have more questions coming!

I’ve been doing research on stoves, and I made a cat-food-can stove that so far has worked well for me on weekend trips here in the northeast. I love how simple it is and I was planning on taking it with me for hiking the CT in August.

I came across an article about how in 2012 certain places in Colorado have banned open, alcohol-based stoves. Can anyone weigh in on whether this ban has affected the CT, and whether this might be a permanent ban or is it year-to-year?

It would be great to hear from someone who’s done the trail recently… whether I should give up on my little cat-can stove.
Thanks!

Laurie

#2

I used a cat-stove for my thru-hike in 2011, and it worked well. Alcohol is easy to find in the trail towns because Heet is commonly used in the winter.

However, I worry about the possibility of starting a grass fire or accidentally catching the forest duff on fire. After a close-call on the Arizona Trail, I decided that I would feel like a real jerk if I caused a forest fire. So, now I use a cannister stove when I hike in the west, and it worked great when I did my second CT thru last summer. My experience is that cannisters can be purchased in Breck, Twin, Salida, Gunnison, and Silverton, so it’s pretty easy. And there’s no risk of setting Colorado on fire!

Loup

#3

I hiked the CT a few years ago and I do remember that there was a section that these stoves were not allowed so I switched to a canister stove. I had no problem finding fuel anywhere.

Big B