Ultralight Stove Options

I've been researching various ultralight, ultra simple, stove options and was curious to get some feedback here. Basically narrowed down to Esbit or wood style small stoves for boiling water for coffee, dehydrated meals or other simple tasks. Essentially looking for an option with as few components as possible. Love the idea of the wood stoves like the Solo Stove. Basically if you can start a fire you have the ability to cook without having to worry about running out of fuel, temps, etc. If you have the stove and a way to ignite something you can cook indefinitely. The Esbit is a close second for me but it does have the need to have the fuel tabs. Still convenient but not quite as "sustainable" for long periods without resupply.

Be curious for any feedback on these stove options, performance (i.e. boiling times, etc), pros and cons for various times of year, etc. The Solo Stove seems like a pretty cool product but appears very expensive relative to what is essentially two nested cans. Wondering if other brands or styles are available out there.

As a related "side question" I'm wondering what people carry as their absolute minimalist but highly reliable firestarter option, again with the idea of being indefinitely usable without resupply. I use magnesium stick with striker now, which I assume is about as simple as it gets but as I have found in the past on this forum someone always seems to have a better idea so I figured it was worth asking.

I used a solo stove for a time. It works as advertised but you have to babysit it. It screams through fuel. If you have a lot of time at camp it can make for a nice distraction in place of a traditional campfire. I started carrying a Trangia to use in the Solo Stove and ended up using alcohol more than ever using the wood stove so I moved away from the Solo Stove completely. I then started carrying an Emberlit FireAnt wood stove, which is just a box. Doesn't work nearly as well as the Solo Stove but it can also hold a Trangia and has an esbit tray so it was my pot stand/backup stove for a while.

I now use a fancee feest alcohol stove and I think I am settled on that for anything other than melting snow.

My experience with the solo wood stove mirrors JoshandBarons. Works well, if you can keep it fed. Need a whole pile of wood sticks broken into two or three inch pieces. Little pine cones work, too, but burn pretty quickly. I only took mine out two or three times and decided that a canister fueled stove is too convenient. I have a Caldera cone alcohol stove for my snowpeak 1400 ml pot, but I couldn't get the water hot enough on one fill of the stove with alcohol. I'd have to put another half oz or so in the stove after it burnt out. I have a fancy feast stove that works great with the caldera cone, but it's a thirsty bugger. I've used the canister stove enough that with the caldera cone as a windscreen, I get two boils of a liter each on less than an oz of fuel. It's efficient enough for me and my GF.

Beer can stove.

Directions can be found here and here. I fashioned a stand from a coat hanger and some picture wire, but here's another idea.






I use it for dehydrated meals, instant oatmeal, coffee, tea, etc. It definitely takes substantially longer than an MSR Whisperlight, but for one or two nights it is substantially lighter. (Silicone 24 oz. "doggie" bowl doubles as both a pot lid and a bowl for a human.)

DayTrip said:

Be curious for any feedback on these stove options, performance (i.e. boiling times, etc), pros and cons for various times of year, etc. .

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I have ZELPH woodgaz folding stove that is fun to use but isn't very reliable when it has rained and all the twigs/sticks are wet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypXz0xMF7XQ

For 3 season use, I use an ESBIT folding stove and carry the fuel tabs in a ziplock. I carry one tab for every 2 cups of water I plan on bringing to boil.

https://www.amazon.com/Esbit-Ultralight-Folding-Pocket-Tablets/dp/B001HYIHGC?ref=ast_p_ei

From mid-October thru April, I bring my SVEA

DayTrip said:

As a related "side question" I'm wondering what people carry as their absolute minimalist but highly reliable firestarter option, again with the idea of being indefinitely usable without resupply.

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Usable without resupply? to be a bit literal, you would need to have the knowledge and experience to be able to make a friction fires with the materials at hand.

I carry a clear case bic, plus a second in my first aid. I also carry a MY LIGHT FIRE swedish firesteel for the fun of it.

Here's a link going back a few years to a thread on alcohol stoves. In post 9 I have placed several pictures of my Esbit setup. http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?58470-Let-s-see-your-alcohol-stove-kits!

Ed'n Lauky said:

Here's a link going back a few years to a thread on alcohol stoves. In post 9 I have placed several pictures of my Esbit setup. http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?58470-Let-s-see-your-alcohol-stove-kits!

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Thanks. I remember that thread. Had given me some ideas I had forgot about!