serious backpackers and campers

After backpacking the entire Appalachian Trail for the better part of last
year, I thru-hiked it, I found 2 very important and ingenious devices for
making the camping way of life much easier. The first being the soda/beer
can alcohol stove and the second being Tyvek.
Soda/Beer Can Alcohol Stoves are the most popular stoves on the AT, period.
If anyone should know whats the best stove don't you think it would be
someone that uses it everyday for 6 months straight in the wilderness. If
you already know about them you may have even tried to build one for
yourself and it can be done, but it takes time and patience and the risk of
cutting yourself on the razor sharp edges of the aluminum cans. Well I have
perfected a manufactoring process and have made them available on-line. I
make 2 types the classic shorter alcohol stove with top holes and the newer
type that can also be used as a pot stand and has the holes on the side. For
those that want to see a picture of each here are the hyperlinks:

soda/beer can alcohol stove short top hole:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MESE:IT

soda/beer can alcohol stove with pot stand:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MESE:IT


What is Tyvek you ask. The most versatile product Dupont has come out with
in years, it is most widly used as a homewrap, because of it's waterproof
barrier qualities along with it's breathability, it is also very thin and
lightweight. Turns out it makes the perfect ground sheet/cloth for your tent
or tarp. People are even making tarps and tents out of this stuff. It is
very durable , my tyvek ground sheet for my tent went the whole distance on
the Appalachian trail. I don't think any other ground sheet can claim that!
I also have Tyvek on line for those interested. Now you don't have to buy a
whole roll from Homedepot or find someone to share the role with. I will
sell you a section 9ft wide and by the ft. So now you can buy that 10x9 ft
piece without going broke.Check it out, I also have a better description of
what Tyvek is and can be used for.

Tyvek:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MESE:IT

Hope this helps out some of you serious backpackers out there, I know that
by switching to an alcohol stove you can save upwards of 1lb(16oz.)of
Backpack weight. and the durability along with ultra lightweight make tyvek
the perfect ground sheet (backpacker magazine recommends it!)

Mike
"Myst"
AT Thru-Hiker
Ga-ME 04

Some of the Advantages of Alcohol Stoves

While alcohol stoves may be unfamiliar to most, they have some major
strengths. Alcohol doesn't need a pressurized burner, so alcohol stoves are
often stone-simple, sometimes little more than a cup to hold fuel. This lack
of complexity means that there is virtually nothing that can go wrong. In
Roland Mueser's book "Long distance Hiking, Lessons from the Appalachian
Trail", Mueser did a survey of stoves used by thru-hikers and found that
alcohol was the only stove type with a zero percent failure rate.There are
numerous types of alcohol stoves from expensive european stoves to plans for
handmade alcohol stoves using materials that would otherwise end up in the
landfill, things like soda cans, mint tins, and tuna cans. Alcohol, unlike
white gas, butane and propane, is not a petroleum by-product and is
relatively non-toxic and safe for the environment. Alcohol is often used for
marine stoves as it is considered the safest stove fuel for use in confined
areas. Alcohol vapor is relatively light compared to the vapor of petroleum
fuels, and is less likely to concentrate and create a hazard. Alcohol
stoves never flare up. Unpressurized alcohol stoves are quiet and don't
intrude on the wilderness experience the way pressurized stoves can. Both
the price of alcohol stoves and fuel compare favorably to other fuels. The
lack of complexity in construction means that alcohol stoves are often the
lightest available and some homemade stoves weigh less than half an ounce!
Soda Can stoves are very popular with Applachian Trail thru-hikers. Here's a
quote from the 2003 Applachian Trail Hiker Survey While many hikers start
the trail with standard backpacking stoves, most switch over to the pop can
style alcohol stoves. They are light, easy to make, and fuel is readily
available along the Trail.. 57% of the hikers surveyed used a home-made soda
can stoves.

Some of the Disadvantages of Alcohol Stoves

Like all stoves, alcohol stoves require care in handling, but unlike other
stoves the fuel will spill if the stove is knocked over and burning alcohol
can spread flames wherever the liquid can run. Also burning Alcohol has a
blue flames that can be difficult if not impossible to see in direct sun
light. So be careful to Never add alcohol to a stove that is possibly
already burning! Since it can be tough to tell if the stove is lit. This
would be a major fire. Always securely cap and move your fuel bottle away
from the stove after filling and before lighting the stove. Another minor
downside to unpressurized alcohol stoves is that they only produce about
half the heat output of a white gas, butane or propane stove. This means
cooking times are longer and you need to carry a little more fuel. Since
most of my hikes are 2 or 3 night solo weekend trips this wasn't a big
concern for me. I enjoy the quiet simplicity of alcohol stoves and don't
mind the longer boiling times, which can be cut way down with the use of a
windscreen. You should use a windscreen with any type of stove.The fact that
an alcohol stove usually takes less time to setup and get burning to
actually start cooking earlier is rarely compared, so true cooking times
aren't much different. People who hike in larger groups, melt snow for water
or just generally get impatient would probably be happier with a different
style of stove.

An aluminum soda can alcohol stove that can be easily made from 2 soda cans,
some time and simple tools:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MESE:IT

one that requires no pot stand (but can be tipsy):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MESE:IT



Idea for windscreen that serves double duty as very sturdy pot stand (made
from aluminum roof flashing):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MESE:IT

mechanic_mike wrote:
ebay pitch

In Australia, the Swedish Trangias are very popular.
But in N America it can be difficult to find the fuel. Supermarkets
don't sell it. I saw a small can in a camping shop for US$10!
Mostly, you need a harrdware store, and ask for "Methyl Hydrate".

How would you cope buying fuel on the Appalacian tail? Barter with
the local hillbillies for extra-strong moonshine?