I'm probably going to carry an Etowah alcohol stove on our AT thru hike starting in March. Can anybody advise me on how much denatured alcohol I'm going to need to carry? Our longest stretch between resupply is 6.5 days. We'll probably be boiling water two meals a day, probably an average of 2 or 3 two-cup pots, so maybe a total of around 15-18 two-cup boils on a long resupply. I've got 11 and 22 oz. MSR fuel bottles that I use with my Whisperlite. 11 oz. isn't big enough, right? Is 22 oz. too much? Anybody got some info on this?
_trash kills bears_Fuel bottle size?
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#1
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#2
I have used a 20 ounce soft drink bottle for denatured alcohol fuel on about 600 miles of section hikes on the AT. Light, cheap and easily replaceable. I'd suggest it as a good size to consider. It works fine for me. CBiscuit
_Cbiscuit_
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#3
You'll need more alcohol when it's cold. Alcohol stoves are fussy in cold weather taking longer to heat up and more fuel. Cbiscuit is right though get a lighter bottle to carry fuel.
_Darth Pac-man_
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#4
Ditto the above. I've never carried more than one ounce per day, but that was for just one small meal for two people. Sounds like you'll triple that. Also, I've heard a rumor that alcohol in an aluminum gas bottle is a bad thing, whether the alcohol isn't good for the bottle or vice versa, I don't know. I've always used a 0.5 liter water bottle. Be sure to use one that looks way different than what you drink out of and mark it very well.
I’ve also heard somewhere that the break-even point for alcohol vs white gas is around 10 oz: i.e., if you carry more than 10 oz of alcohol, you might be better off with a heavier white gas stove that uses much less fuel. With that in mind, maybe a 22 oz fuel bottle is too big. Just something to consider and maybe experiment with.
_garlic_
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#5
Back in '05 when Bootz and I thru-hiked we used a 16 oz soda or water bottle. We wrapped some duck tape around the label and wrote fuel so that we or anyone else wouldn't be confused. These bottles seal real well too.
We never filled it with d. alcohol but as has been said, in cooler weather we used more. We did heat a large quanity of water for our meals so I guess at most we carried 10-11 oz. That would be enough for 5-6 days.
_Bluelight_
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#6
I often cooked using very small amounts of alcohol and used bursts of cooking followed with a short break to use residual heat to cook things like rice, pasta, oats, and the occasional coffee. While using this technique I found out that my pepsi can stove stayed very hot. I used a small short 10 oz. football shaped disposable water bottle for a fuel container. The short bottle made it easy to fill a hot stove without spilling any fuel when the bottle was full and the stove was hot. The small bottle made it easily identifiable as fuel VS. water too. The amount of alcohol used depends on the weather, your setup (stove,stand/windscreen,pot), the type of food you are cooking, cooking technique, and if you are using cold spring water to cook or not. Altitude won't significantly affect your fuel consumption. I used a 2L titianum pot with a huge surface area on the bottom that made my system very efficient. I rarely used over an ounce a day cooking 2 large meals. There are alot of variables to consider when figuring out how much alcohol to take out. Experiment, experiment, experiment.
_Spigot_
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#7
I've also heard alcohol shouldn't be used in the MSR fuel bottles because it's bad for the bottle. I don't remember why. I think I may have read that on the bottle... I've always used a plastic mouth wash bottle for alcohol fuel. The flask shape is nice and the shot glass bottle cap makes measuring the alcohol easy. In my set-up, it took 30ml of alcohol to boil 2 cups of water for dinner. It just depends on how you do it, I'm not familiar with the Etowah. Get to know it before you hit the trail.
_banjo boy (hiker miker)_
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#8
Make sure if you use a bottle that could be mistaken for a drink that's it's marked clearly... I prefer to use duct tape around the bottle, that way, no chance myself could accidentally drink the stuff during a dark night.
_nrkybill_
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#9
I used denatured alcohol on my thru hike and it worked great. I used a homemade stove that worked the entire time. I didn't learn until about Virginia that a simmering ring works GREAT. I am not sure if that is actually what it is called...it was the bottom rim of a fosters beer can. Cut the center out so it is just a ring. Set it under your alchohol stove and put some fuel into it when you fill the stove, light it and it will cause the stove to prime MUCH FASTER and uses less fuel in the long run...just a thought.
_Caboose_