[Paddlewise] alcohol stoves

Wow, I have used an alcohol stove for a few years now, I use the one liter
pans that come with the kit.
In the morning I boil a full liter for coffee and breakfast.
I've never had the stove take more than 4-5 minutes to boil.
I've used these stoves a lot in cold conditions even, and I've always been
happy with the boil times.
Maybe you were using some other type than I have.
I know the Trangia's are usually pretty fast to boil considering the
relatively low heat output of the alcohol.
But you have to use the style that has a full wind screen, it's like a bowl on
top of an inverted bowl that your liter pot sits down in. This controls air
flow and also contains the heat off the flame.
I've used the smallest model that Trangia makes, it has a small wall for a
wind screen and the flame can blow around without being concentrated on the
pot. This is where they get the rap of using a lot of fuel as well.
Maybe this is the stove you have used. This stove type can take a long time to
boil if the flame can blow out from under the pot. 
Like I said in an earlier post I've used the full screen model as low as 14 F
and it's never taken very long to boil.

Rob

Clyde Sisler
http://csisler.com


It took me 45 minutes to bring 1 liter of water to boil, while
with my butane stove I would take me less than 10.
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