073: CAT FOOD: The DIY Alcohol Stove Episode

Show Notes: Episode 073

Today on The First 40 Miles, whether you love cats or not, by the time we’re done today, you’ll be adding cat food to your grocery shopping list. And you might as well add some denatured alcohol to the list, too. For today’s top 5 list we’ll be sharing the benefits of DIY Alcohol Stoves—and a couple of the important risk factors as well. Then on the SUMMIT Gear Review, baking while backpacking turns out to be a lot easier than you might think. And today’s Backpack Hack of the Week is no surprise—it’s the title of today’s episode.

Opening



* Number one backpacking hack of all time is probably the DIY Alcohol Stove

* It’s number one because it’s a cheap, fun, effective hack that uses an empty aluminum cat food can and a hole punch to create a stove that works

* It boils 2 cups of room temperature water in about 5-7 minutes

* Making this stove is a rite of passage for all backpackers

* Jim Wood, the Godfather of The Modern American Cat Food Can Alcohol Stove, AKA the SuperCat.

* He said, “one can’t just… punch a few holes in any old can and expect to turn it into a working pressurized stove.” Turns out that the properties (volume, aluminum body, thin walls, etc.) of most 3oz pet food cans are uniquely suited for use as alcohol stoves.



Top 5 Benefits of Using an Alcohol Stove

Cheap



* If you can afford a can of cat food and a hole punch, you can have yourself a stove that boils water in under seven minutes

* Even if you decide that this type of stove isn’t for you, you’re only out $2



Lightweight, Nay, Ultralightweight



* 6 grams…just let that sink in!! 0.2 ounces!!

* A US Quarter or 12 blueberries or 384 grains of rice

* That’s insanely light!

* This is normally great, but it does pose a problem if you’re using your SuperCat Alcohol stove in high winds. You don’t want your stove to blow away with fuel in it while it’s lit!



Easy to Find Fuel



* Denatured Alcohol (ethanol)

* One ounce of fuel (2 Tbs.) will probably give you enough fuel to boil 2 cups of water

* Yellow HEET (methyl alcohol or methanol), easy to find in car stores, big box stores, Gas line antifreeze and water remover

* Everclear (grain alcohol, or ethanol) 95% (190 proof) bottles. This fuel works well but is an expensive option. It is also non-toxic and can double for medicinal uses. Over 21 to buy.

* Isopropyl 90%, it will burn sooty, cheap though not as effective

* Hexamine tablets… although not a great option. It was smoky at first and burned out the plastic liner inside the can, but then with 4 tablets it boiled water.

* Tealights: use the cat food stove as a pot stand and put the tealights around the can. With four tealights you can cook on low for 3-4 hours (although wind affects tealight’s ability to stay lit)



It’s Simple to Use



* No repairs, no fuel lines, no faulty starters

* It also doesn’t need a pot stand—just a windscreen

* Lights with a spark or a match

* Once lit, you need to wait for it to “bloom” or “prime” so you don’t snuff out the flame when you put the pot on top. This takes about 20-30 seconds.



Lends itself to infinite tinkering



* If you love charts, graphs and data, then the world of alcohol stovism will be a ton of fun.

* You can play around with hole placement, hole size, material type, wicking material, ground insulation, additional features like a simmer ring—all depending on your desired final result.

* It’s a stove you can nerd out on!           



Disadvantages:

No Simmer, Just Boil



* One of this stove’s drawbacks is that you can’t regulate the flame

* Some designs include a “simmer ring”



No On/Off Switch



* Especially when there is fire danger or it’s been a particu...