Date: 2007-05-04
To: Let me tell you about my stove
Miles today: 0.0

I'm taking a Trangia alcohol-burning stove on the AT. I chose Trangia because they are incredibly simple, and pretty much fool-proof. You pour liquid alcohol in. Then you light it. No gas, no pumping, etc.Note that there are more simple stoves out there. Many people make alcohol-burning stoves from soda cans, tuna cans, etc. I am not that hardcore. Furthermore, I do not trust my mechanical skills enough to make a stove. (If you want to, Google "pop can stove" or "alcohol stove" and similar phrases and find lots of good info.)But I did get a little adventurous and built my stove stand. This is the thing upon which I set my cookware.If any readers want to make a similar, simple stove stand for their alcohol stove, here's how:(Also, see my Photos section for too many photos.)You need:Hardware clothWire cutters of some sortHeavy duty aluminum foil (for the windscreen)Steps:1. Buy some "hardware cloth" at the hardware store. I found mine at Home Depot, outside in the plant section, next to the chicken wire. Seriously. I used the 1/2" hardware cloth, which means the grid is made of 1/2" squares. This stuff, at least at Home Depot, only comes in 2 foot x 5 foot rolls. A litle more than we need, and about $7. Too much. But $7 is not bad.2. Cut a piece about 5" x 12". 3. Bend the piece around your stove, so that you basically make a tube that is 5" tall. You want it near your stove, but with at least 1/4" of clearance all around. You might need to trim the piece down from 12" to about 11 1/2".4. When you have your piece the right size - wrapped around the stove, but not touching it - you need to fasten it to itself. Use the little "tails" of wire from where you've cut it. Just wrap the one from one side around the other side. Now you have a tube around your stove, and it should look like stove stand that is twice as tall as it needs to be. So we'll cut it down, and make the "wings" that the pot sits on in the process.5. For three "wings," mark off two spots that are 1/3 of the way around the tube. For example, since your tube probably has a circumference of about 12", start at the seam (where you connected the ends), and go four inches. Mark there. Go another four inches around the top of the tube, and mark there.6. In your two marked spots, cut down 2".This leaves us with 3" below, right? That is perfect, because a Trangia is 2" tall, and you need at least 1" above it for the flame.7. Bend the "wings" down. You might need to work the wire a bit to keep the tube rounded, and the wings in the right place.8. Trim off loose ends of wire.Stove stand is done! Now we need a windscreen.The windscreen doesn't just block wind, it keeps the heat in. And actually, you don't want all the wind blocked. A healthy amount of air is needed to feed the fire.Windscreen:1. Cut a piece of foil that is long enough to surround your pot (with stove and stove stand below it), but not be taller than the handle of the pot. So long-wise, this piece will be long enough to surround the pot - but not touch it. For the best airflow, you want about 1/4" of air all around the pot.Height-wise, you want the piece of foil to go from the ground to just below the handle of the pot. This keeps the heat in, but allows you to grab the pot if you need to.2. Punch some holds in the bottom of the windscreen for more ventilation. I used a hole-puncher that is meant for paper. Simple, cheap, effective.I boil water in less than ten minutes, and the 3 oz of fuel stored in the Trangia is more than enough for a hot, huge trail dinner.