I'll be scouring M&S first thing in the morning, Bad Wolf! Chris, I took up your tip on using foil quiche trays as lids and that works well when you've tracked down just the right size.
I like coffee and use 2 pans while camping. I am now using the Trangia 1 litre titanium pan with the new Snow Peak bowl. At only £31 it's a cheap and very light system considering it's all titanium; trouble is you don't get a lid, which is where the quiche trays come in.
As the difference in meths/gas systems is fairly marginal, I think it's important not to go and blow it all carrying heavy pans.
I would go for the turkey foil that has a dimpled appearance and is sold as heavy duty. I don't remember the name. I used duck tape to reinforce the edges and this worked great with the tuna can stove as the flame rises straight up from the middle. However, with the anti-gravity stove I set fire to the tape as the jets shoot out of the side. The next time I make one I'll be sure to only tape the outside of the wind shield, but as I say, in Oz I hiked well over 600 miles making only minor repairs. I find a big paper clip is useful for joining the 2 ends of the windshield.
I've been following this thread for a while and like many others, I've been dabbling with making these coke stoves, but have wondered after all the faff, if it is worth it? The answer I think depends on your needs and expectations when out hiking and using them.
If you have time and the weather isn't against you, then they are great fun, but I didn't see anybody using them on the KIMM when the need was there for hot food fast!
I've just watched the Glen Van Peski Lighten Up DVD and if the environment he uses one it it seems fine. Warm balmy evenings, time to wait, but also he's not boiling much water to use.
After all the effort to make one of these I looked once again at the heart of my Trangia and wondered why just a simple adpation of what is already there isn't the better way to go?
At the NEC someone was chatting with me about what he did and it all made sense. Either 3 or 4 nails or titanium tent pegs to hold the pot, trangia burner underneath and the titanium foil around the edge and - bingo! Decent controllable heat and all in a durable brass stove you can seal afterwards. Okay so the weight issue is there, but we aren't talking about many grams are we?
It is one thing to discuss this from the comforts of our PC screen, but in reality how many of us try to boil water in a gale, unless in an emergency? In general it is more out of the wind, a sheltered spot, behind a rock, tent awning or similar isn't it?
For us the big thing is how fast we want hot liquid and in the winter(ish) conditions we usually head out in we plumb for gas. I'm not dismissing the coke stove meths route, just personally we want it hot and fast and NOW! (At least Rose does!) I must try a superlight trip in summer though and report back on the timings. It could be the whole relaxed approach is the true secret and these guys in the US just have more time on their hands ;-))
A shallow, thin, aluminium pan plus a windshield and you can have a pint (US that is, 16 fl oz) boiling in about 4 minutes with a photon stove providing the water you boil doesn't start at too low a temperature. I tried it in the beautiful sunshine with a gentle breeze on Friday last. Then again Bob, you are right about winter; in cold, blowy conditions I would plump for gas too.
It's true that meths stoves are generally slow and the ones that are not, like the anti-gravity gear model for example, heavy on the gas.
I appreciate Rose likes it "hot and fast" (and she seemed like such a nice girl when I met her at the NEC;-)) but for me that's not what it's really all about, and I don't mind waiting a couple of extra minutes for my little stove to boil.
The Mini-Trangia is good, it's what I used before I started to acquire alternatives that are lighter and more efficient. I disagree about the pegs, I find the aluminium pot support with the Mini-Trangia is the best bit and, in fact, I used this on the AT as a support for home made stoves. In terms of performance and durability I would say the Trangia is about average but it is a lot heavier than the alternatives.
It's true that warmer climes and, most notably, tree cover favour can stoves, but the wind is an adverse factor for almost all kinds of stove.
For me, ultralight hiking is not all about speed and efficiency, in fact, it's not about these at all and should be seen in the light of an overall lightweight philosophy that emphasises DIY gear, a closeness to nature and an attempt to step outside of the orthodoxy and look at a traditional pursuit (hiking) in new ways.
Bob, sorry to be negative about your windshield. You have tons of other great gear which I would probably have ordered from you if I didn't own it, or a close approximation, already. Any news on the Henry Shires imports?
Ok, I know this is extremely cheeky, BUT, could anyone find it in their generous hearts to send me some glass fibre insulation so that I can make one of these stoves. Have all the other ingredients, but can't get any insulation short of buying a whole roll (which I can't afford).
Email address is in my profile, and i'll send any generous person my home address.
A friend of mine made quite a few of these coke can stoves, even one with a Red bull can. I find that they ork quite well, but can be slow compared to a pocket rocket.
Gas does have it downside though, one time walking in the Howgills for 3 days, I thought I had enough gas but ran out after two days luckily my friend was trying out can stoves and was carrying two or three and I was able to borrow one.
You don't need glass fibre insulation or insulating tape David. All you really need is 2 drinks cans in terms if materials.
I would recommend making the holes with a strong needle rather than a bradawl, as the holes the latter produces tend to be too big. A thimble and a hammer is useful, a craft knife and scissors.
David: you not really need the insulation but i have so far found it burtn better with it in it. i have "aquired" mine from the loft in my house you dont need that much of it, so its not going to make a noticable difference to the house's insulation
Haha, ok, it's just I live in a flat, so short of taking a hammer to the walls, it's unlikely that i'll be able to get any insulation. Anyways, i'll have a go at making one now.
What do people run theirs on, meths, white spirit etc?
i have been rinning mine on meths so far and it has been burning clean(which was a shock haveing used those big dirty rangias before), but the one i made using pepsi cans burn slighlty dirty. which is strange must be some thing to do with the metel of the cans
it might be worth trying something like steel wool or something insted of fibre glass, as all it does is act as a type of wick, so in theory anything that is of similer consructon to fiber glass should do the trick. as long as it wont melt/catch fire, its something im considering experementing with once i have got the hole size sorted. otherwise try your local builder or anywhere theres a house being built as they might have an off cut going, as i sad you only need a tiny amount
Whatever type of wick material you use should be OK. If the jet flame tracks back through the jet holes to inside the stove you are in deep doo doo. I don't think this can actually happen unless the holes are quite large so don't worry about it. Did you know steel wool is highly flammable in some circumstances? I have used fine steel wool and a torch battery to start a campfire in the past when my, so called, waterproof matches became sodden. Give it a go, I guarantee it will work.
Ermm, like the mo mo gear design, but without the insulation, and instead of cutting out the entire top section, i just made a hole. Think I may have crushed the fuel holes in the inner wall when i put it all together. Going to get some more materials tomorrow and try again.
Quite liberating making your own equipment! Nice to thin that you don't have to spend £70 on MSR kit!!!
David, did you take a look at Cobra's Stove? This is one of the simplest designs and doesn't even require cutting out a central well. It therefore needs priming but that's OK. I would recommend making the holes small. www.boblog.org/at/cobrastove.htm#The%20Cobra%20Stove
Used them all over - up in the mountains of North Wales on day trips and multi-night camps in the lakes in temperatures down to -6. Never had a problem - I use 3 tent/tarp/hammock pegs to make a stand and a lightweight foil shield as windbreak if needed. I'm usually only boiling water for one in a small 0.5 litre pan with no handle (I use a gloved hand to pick the pan up) and all my cooking is done in an oven roasting/freezer bag with dehydrated ingredients (left for 10 minutes wrapped in my fleece/sleeping bag. The only thing I need apart from this is a lexan spoon to eat with and a small plastic cup to drink from. Using this method there's no washing up to do as the only thing you are heating is water and the freezer bag can be folded away and taken home with you. Meals can be prepared and bagged up before you go.
The subject of 'Freezer Bag Cooking' is a complete science on it's own!
Ok, I have finally managed to make one that seems to work, but not nearly as well as I had hoped. I think I may not be cut out for the arts and crafts approach.
So, if anyone has become a dab hand at making any of the different models, has a spare kicking around that they would like to donate me, I would very much appreciate it!!!!
David, I have the same problem. If this was a US forum some public-spirited type would have volunteered to send you one for free by now. The anti-gravitygear stove (fast but heavy on the gas) is available here for a tenner:
