Cooking in the Wilderness Part Two: Alcohol Stoves

I had never heard of, let alone cooked on, an alcohol stove until a couple of years ago. My husband started saving (read: hoarding) tuna cans. Then I bought a rare 12 pack of Coke, and he kept those cans every time one was used. Then he saved V-8 cans. Then little cans from sliced olives or mushrooms.  All the while he and my boys were making these stoves--and cooking on my nice countertops when there was a perfectly good gas range right behind them.

Needless to say, I wasn't into the can cooking thing at first.  But, I have seen the light (no pun intended---alcohol actually burns invisibly unless it's dark out--so there's no light to see...hahaha).  With multiple multi-day backpacking trips with my family now under my belt, I LOVE these little homemade stoves.  I decided to make a list---

WHY I LOVE ALCOHOL STOVES:

• They are FREE to make; they are made from used food cans!
• De-natured Alcohol is a clean, cheap, easy to store fuel.
• They are light-weight. Every ounce counts when your packing your own stuff!
• My kids can each pack their own, and they can help make our food!
• If they wear out over-time or get lost, no problem--just make more!
• The varied sizes of cans make customizing stoves to fit specific pots easy.

I have nothing against some of the backpacking stoves that are out there.  We have friends who use the MSR Whisperlite Stove and are quite happy with it.  But if evaluated on the same points I outlined above, I would (and do) choose the alcohol stove route.

Tutorials abound on making these stoves. I will link to a few, and then I'll share some helpful tips we have learned through putting these stoves to real use in the wilds of Washington.

HELPFUL ALCOHOL STOVE INSTRUCTION LINKS:

• About a year ago, my oldest son made a post: How to Construct a Camp Stove from a V8 Can. 
• This post from Andrew Skurka first taught us to make alcohol stoves. 
• This post from Indefinitely Wild does an informative side-by-side comparison of alcohol stoves to expensive backpacking stoves.
• This post from ZenStoves is the most comprehensive instruction on alcohol stoves we have found.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED: 

1. Paper hole-punches are meant for paper, not steel. Most tutorials tell you to punch holes in your cans using a regular old  $3 hole-punch (pictured on the left).  What they don't tell you, is it is VERY HARD to get enough torque to actually punch holes, they dull quickly, and they often break in the process. If you know someone who sews or scrapbooks, they may own a heavy-duty hole punch. This one (pictured on the right) is used for setting snaps and grommets. It has a variable-size hole punch and it ROCKS the other paper-punch's world. 

2. Wider cans for wider pots.  Since these stoves don't have variable settings (no high or low--just ON or OFF), you can adjust the power of your stove by the size of the can.  These are side-burner stoves so the flames jet out the sides. You don't want the flames going beyond the circumference of the pot they are heating. For larger pots, use a larger stove; smaller pots, choose a smaller stove. 

3. Wind Screens 4-1-1.  We used to pack a stiff aluminum windscreen made from roof flashing. It worked well, but it took up quite a bit of room and has sharp-ish edges, which isn't good for backpacking. Then my husband and boys used heavy aluminum foil and folded it into 3-4 piece thick rectangles about twice the diameter of their pots.  They folded those accordion style. Voila! Collapsible Wind Screens! 



4. Collapsible Stove / Pot Trivet: I began to wonder about my husband's hoarding problem when he started saving the heavy foil seals from my peanut cans. Then I saw them put to use on the trail. Brilliant man I married!  These stoves don't have little feet that put them an inch or two off the ground like store-bought stoves. So the flame is less than an inch from the ground. And here in Washington it is often muddy, and often cold or snowy up in the mountains. Other areas may be so dry, a flame that close to the ground could pose a fire-threat. The foil reflects heat back up into the pot, making the heating process more efficient. This simple foil trivet is an excellent piece to add to your alcohol stove repertoire. 

5. Fuel Storage and Use: We store our cans of fuel in a cabinet in our kitchen. It is odorless, so no big deal when we open it to fill smaller bottles to take camping.  We have found that any thicker-plastic bottles with tight-closing lids work well for carrying fuel on trips. Empty honey bears have been a go-to staple. The taller bottle pictured is from one of those Sparkling ICE Carbonated Waters. 

We bring along a little medicine measuring cup to measure the fuel as we use it. When you are depending on that fuel to cook your food, you don't want to waste a single ounce.  We have found that 20 milliliters will burn 7-8 minutes.  If we are boiling 3 cups of water for a meal, we will use 40 milliliters. This is enough to bring the water to a boil, and continue the boiling for about 8 minutes--long enough to cook most pasta, quick rice, or vegetables. 

6. Priming your pot: These are side-burning stoves, but in order to push the flames out those little holes in the side--and not just out the big opening in the top of the can--you need to prime your pot before setting it on the stove. This is done by holding the pan a couple of inches above the burning (invisible) flame. Hold the pan there for about 60-90 seconds (longer if it's really cold outside), allowing the bottom of the pot to heat and the flame to begin to move outward instead of upward. Then gently place your pot directly over the stove. 

The great and spacious internets are teeming with information on cooking with these homemade stoves. I don't claim to be an expert--we are definitely still learning as a family every time we go on a trip! But it has been so exciting to have had success with these stoves, I wanted to share our positive experience. I'd love to hear about any adventures you have cooking in the wilderness!

Be sure to check out my first and third posts in this series: 

Part 1: Cup and Pot Cozies

Part 3: Backpacking Meals

And another related post: 

How to Make a Camp Stove from a V8 Can

Participating in these link-ups.

How To Make a Camp Stove from a V8 Can

As you could have guessed, I'm not the only one in my house with a compulsory need to make stuff.  It turns out I'm married to a creative guy, and we have breeded some pretty creative offspring.  :)

So the true author of this post is my 12-year-old son.  He, his 10-year-old brother, and my husband have been on a camp-stove-making journey over the past few months. They have made (and we have used) tuna can stoves, Coke can stoves, and various others. Do an internet search for the various YouTube tutorials out there, and you will see there are many. 

We have had a fair amount of luck with the tuna can stoves, but on the trail they only really burned long enough to make ramen noodles or hot cocoa.  The Coke can stoves burn a bit longer, but are less stable (READ: my husband caught his shirt on fire in my kitchen!).   

This V8 can stove, though tiny, is mighty. It has proven to be stable and more efficient: able to burn for a whopping 17 minutes without needing to re-fuel! 

This stove along with the windscreen pot rack weighs very little and fits nicely in most mess kits, so it easy to bring on any campout--whether you are backpacking or car camping!

To our knowledge, this is the first tutorial for this particular type of stove. My son took all the pictures (and did an amazing job). He was very thorough with each step.  

You will need: 

• 2 empty (5.5oz) V8 cans
• ruler
• hole punch
• sheath metal (3"x 23", available at home improvement store, roofing section)
• needle-nose pliers
• heavy text book
• sharp scissors
• box cutter/ X-acto knife
• push pin
• 3 metal tent stakes
• pocket knife with an awl tool (or other awl-like pointed tool)
• penny
• denatured alcohol (located in paint section at store)

Step 1. Build the  wind screen. This will be a pot stand and a wind screen when you cook with the stove.  Punch two off-set rows of holes on one length of the sheathing.

Use the needle nose pliers at each short end to make folds (one inside, one out, so they can "lock" the screen). Carefully pull the sheathing to make a circle and lock in place with the folds. 

Punch holes near the top of the sheathing (about 1 inch down), close at one end and wide at the other (as shown). This will create a rack for your pot to sit on.

Step 2. Score the cans. Set scissors in the heavy text book so the top blade is 3/4 inch high. Press down on the scissors while turning the can around the open blade. Be sure to only score with the top blade. 

This is what the can will look like once it is scored. 

Step 3. Use the X-Acto knife to cut  the bottom end of the can off, about 1/2 inch above the score line. This cut can, and will be, rough.

Step 4. Remove excess to achieve a smooth edge. This is illustrated in a few pictures.  Make a few cuts from the rough edge to just barely above the score line.

Fold down the loose pieces. This makes room for the scissors to cut.

Cut along score line.

When you get close to the slits you cut, unfold them and cut them off. 

This is what two "clean-cut" cans look like. 

Step 5. Create burner vents.  This is for ONE of the cans--not both.  Set the other can aside. Get your push pin ready. 

Push 6 equally spaced holes into the ridge of the bottom of the can (as shown).  This can be eyeballed to get estimated even spacing.

Step 6.  Use push pin to make 3 holes in center of can bottom. These should be close enough together to be covered by a penny set in the middle of the can bottom. 

The penny should also be able to be moved to the side, still sitting in the can, with all three holes uncovered. 

Step 7. Widen the burner holes. Using an awl or other similiar tool, widen each of the burner holes to about three-times their original size. This is done by applying a bit of pressure and making a twisting motion with the awl. 

This shows how big the holes should be when done. 

Step 8. Making dimples on the can you just punched holes in.  Using needle-nose pliers, pinch the can half-way up the side, directly below one of the burner holes, bending it in at a 15° angle. 

Here is what one dimple looks like. Continue around the can, making a dimple above each burner hole. 

Here it is with a dimple at each hole.  Looks kinda pretty--but you're not done dimpling yet!

Now make another 15° dimple between each one you already made. 

NOW you are done dimpling. Still pretty. Don't stress out if your dimples aren't perfect. 

Step 9. You have one can bottom with all kinds of fancy holes and dimples and one without. 

Place the fancy can into the plain can, as shown. This will be tight, so do this step carefully and evenly. It will be hard to undo a crooked-placed can. 

Congratulations! You have made a V8 Can Camp Stove.  Now to use it...

Step 10. It's time to set up to cook.  Have a lighter ready. Place the penny over the holes. Carefully pour denatured alcohol into the trough, with the penny in place, just until it fills the trough. Move the penny away and let the alcohol drain.  

Replace the penny over the holes. Pour more alcohol into the trough, this time enough to overflow and cover the burner holes (on the outside edge).  Light the alcohol. This will prime the fuel that is already inside the stove. 

Place the windscreen pot stand over the stove.

Slowly set your pot on the stake racks. 

This fuel burns invisibly in daylight. But turn off the light....

And, let it burn! 

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