what are the draw backs of sterno

psy-ops

psy-ops

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Sep 27, 1999
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I am putting the finishing touches in my BOB. I have come to stoves.

My propane stove with containers are best for car camping. alittle bulky for BOB.

I have a good camping stove that runs on butane cartridges but they are a little bulky too. My father bought a sterno as his back up cooking source in NYC. I suggested propane. which I still think is better for emergency home use. (below a window)

but I am looking at a sterno just for my BOB and maybe back packing. it seems so compact, 3 cans and stove top.

each can burns for 2 hours and generally boils water in 15 minutes.
so I figure 1 can can last a day or so.

cooking rice would be a major fuel issue problem

it seems safer if you need to use it for warmth,(than propane).

any opinions?




thanks for the help

chris
 
It works. But, like you said, it takes 15 minutes to boil water. I would rather use propane that boils water in 4 minutes. It seems more economical to me.
 
I don't know what a "BOB" is...? But, the only advantage to sterno is that you can store it forever in any environment (it won't explode or leak). However, it gives off little heat for a short period of time and stinks/smokes. I prefer a good multi-fuel stove and you can bring the size fuel bottle(s) that fit the size of the trip. They work in all conditions in all weather including below freezing and high altitudes.
 
I have CampinGaz butane very simple and light.

thanks


Stogie, a BOB is an emergency pack, "break out bag" or "bug out bag"
alot of us on this site really work on getting the right stuff in the right place. in case of natural disaster or terrorist attack or any situation where you might have to leave your house, work, etc within minutes.
 
Thanks Chris... I knew it didn't mean "Bring your Own Booze"... after all, you don't heat booze with a sterno stove... lol...
Jeeze... it used to be so much easier to laugh before 9/11/01... :confused:
 
chrisaloia,
Good post. I've gotten several of my BOB stove ideas from lightweight backpacking sites. Here's an interesting link.

http://www.thru-hiker.com/

look under hiking articles in the left pane, and follow the stove links. There's lots of information here, but the organization leaves a bit to be desired. The alcohol stove tests article is pretty good.

I'm also fond of the Esbit system. I have the box type esbit, I'm still waiting to try their three leg "wing" stove. The fuel is the best part of the system.

http://www.monmouth.com/~mconnick/esbit.htm

and for general lightweight packing info:

http://www.monmouth.com/~mconnick/index.html

also

http://sgtr0ck.tripod.com/

(Good web site, but some of the links are stuck. Anyone know how to turn off those anoying pop-ups?). Anyway, the stove reviews and comparisons are here:

http://sgtr0ck.tripod.com/stoves/stove_compare.html

and Esbit specifically at:

http://sgtr0ck.tripod.com/stoves/esbit.html

A standard multifuel stoves are also a good option. They can run on a variety of fuels and burns hot (neaning short boil times). On the down side, they are a bit heavy and bulky, and fuel storage may be an issue.

And if you have more time than cash, there are any number of stoves you can make yourself, mostly alcohol based. You can check those out here:

http://wings.interfree.it/html/main.html

Sorry this is a bit disorganized, hope the info helps.

Patrick
 
outdoors, thanks those sites were awesome.

question to you, can you use the esbit fuel tabs without stove.

I already have a sterno stove those tabs should be able to go where the sterno is and work just fine??

if so I am ordering from campmor very soon>

thank you

chris
 
esbit tabs without a stove?
Well, they'll burn, but you'll need something to hold up the pot and a windscreen of some sort. One of the Army trioxane stoves (that nests on a canteen cup) would probably work fine, too.

The link for Mike Connick's site showed a home made stove for the esbit tablet made from a coffee can, a tuna can and a bit of 1/4" wire mesh.

There's also this site:
http://www.footprintpress.com/Newsletters/newsletter14.htm#Esbit – the Lightweight Stove Option

It don't get much cheaper than that!;) :D

Patrick

Shucks, that link doesn't work.
OK, try this:
http://www.footprintpress.com/
then go to newsletters, and then May/June 2001 issue. The second topic is the esbit stove.

P.
 
I would go for trangia I went on a D of E expedition and my camping gaz stove was cr@p but the trangias all worked well. If you go for camping agaz go for one that pre heats the fuel or your screwed in wind or cold weather.
 
I am gonna try it with a sterno stove. if that don't work than I'll do one of those light home made ones.

great info.

thanks outdoors
 
just got esbit fuel tabs in the mail.

immediately pulled my sterno stove from my BOB and got too work.

I put 1 qt of water in a stainless pot on the sterno stove.
at 3:53pm I put one tab in a tuna can and lit it with 2 matches and paper from the cover.

at 4:00 I added another tab which lit immediately

by 4:08 the water was boiling really effective.

why does anyone bother with bottled fuel on a backpacking trip?

the weather was slightly windy enough to blow out the first match.



later this week I will try to boil rice and see how many tabs it takes. and also see if I can get it going with a flint.
 
Esbit :cool: :D
cut them in pieces to simmer, blow them out and let 'em cool off when your done, and you put them right into a plastic bag. They are hard to beat for convenience, assuming conditions aren't too extreme. Not as cheap as liquid fuel, though. White gas rules the roost for efficency per $. I think one of the thru hiker web site has a weight per trip comparison of various fuels/stoves.

Patrick
 
Don't know how heavy it is but I personally like the Peak one featherlite 442. Don't know what you mean by Sterno exactly, but it runs on coleman fuel if that's similar. May be a little heavier than butane, but it really does the job, and I worry less about carrying it with a full tank of fuel than I do about carrying propane cylinders. Also, the tank and burner are an integral unit so you don't have to be worried about carrying seperate pieces. Just my two cents worth.
Lagarto
 
they even say you can burn them in your tent. I wouldn't.

but I have been fooling with them since I got them. they are easy to light.

they also are light in wieght.

I have not tried Hex so I can't give you a true comparison.
 
lagarto- "Sterno" is geled alcohol in a can... used for keeping the fondue warm at coctail partys and stuff like that... y'all can cook on it, but it takes forever... ain't nuthin' like white gas.
 
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