The bike touring / bikepacking thread

http://www.bikewanderer.com/

I love this guy's videos. True adventurer and free spirit.

Anyone using Alcohol Stoves?

Anyone using Alcohol Stoves?

Good question. what are their pros and cons? I recall they're super lightweight but hard to keep burning if windy. I guess the fuel is pretty cheap…any sort of rubbing alcohol or something?

:idea:

So I use two stoves, both an MSR Dragonfly (multi-fuel) and Trangia alcohol stove. For a windscreen and pot stand I have the Trangia Triangle. Link here: https://www.mec.ca/en/search/?text=trangia

I typically try and buy/burn 85% or better alcohol. This is found in paint stores, construction stores, and even some pharmacies depending on the state/province/country. It's silent. It's light. It's cheap. It doesn't smell. If it spills, it evaporates. I can use it in my hotel room without a) waking the neighbours or b) making the place smell like gasoline. It pretty much just cooks full blast, even with shitty 70% rubbing alcohol I can make a meal or keep a pot simmering once I boil it. Ever had your fuel pump break on your regular stove out in the middle of nowhere? Yeah, I ate cold food that night. An alcohol stove won't break.

For boiling water, hands down, this is slow as molasses. On average, it takes me maybe 25 minutes to boil 1.5L of water versus 7 minutes on my Dragonfly.

Anyhow, for anyone bikepacking, I would recommend it for the simplicity and silence…provided you aren't just eating boil in a bag stuff. Or if you are, then don't be in a hurry.

+ 1 for the Trangia they are pretty good with some methyl hydrate.I use a Clikstand to put the pots on.http://www.clikstand.com/clikstand-pot-stand.html

-1 for trangia and alcohol stoves
even using a wind screen and only a minor breeze, couldn't get enough heat to boil 500ml of water before stove ran out of fuel

you know the old saying "all bikes weigh the same, 20lb bike needs a 30lb lock, 30 lb bike needs a 20 lb lock and a 50lb bike needs no lock at all"

new saying is "all backpacking stoves weigh the same" (for extreme and/or long trips)
white gas - heavy stove but needs least amount of fuel per calorie
compressed gas - canisters are heavier than the stove
alcohol - light stove but needs a tonne of fuel (and time) and big windscreen and some isobutane stoves are lighter than trangia (not as light as make your own out of a beer can though)

alcohol is ok for indoor use (makes a good fondue )
if you winter/high altitude camp or travel to a 3rd world country, go with white gas/unleaded gas/kerosene stove, otherwise go with compressed gas canisters

Those Trangia's were all we used growing up and never had a problem with them. A bit slow but got the job done and the fuel was easy to come by.

…travel to a 3rd world country, go with unleaded gas stove, otherwise go with alcohol

Fixed your post based on first hand experience the last 24 months.

Fixed your post based on first hand experience the last 24 months.

Hey is it true about it being hard to find anything besides 26" tires in the lesser developed countries? What are you touring on (and where are you right now?)

Hey is it true about it being hard to find anything besides 26" tires in the lesser developed countries? What are you touring on (and where are you right now?)

So far between Inuvik and Ecuador, I'd say that in a large town/city you can almost always find 29er and 650b mountain bike tires. 700c and 26" regular tires are available almost everywhere, but the specialized brand/type of tire that I use (Schwalbe Marathon) are really only found online.

I'm on a Surly Disc Trucker (2013), and am housesitting in Ecuador. We've got 24 months and about 20,000km under our belts so far.

cool. Where and how did you hit that top speed???

cool. Where and how did you hit that top speed???

Near Lethbridge, with a 60km/h tailwind last year sometime.

So I use two stoves, both an MSR Dragonfly (multi-fuel) and Trangia alcohol stove. For a windscreen and pot stand I have the Trangia Triangle. Link here: https://www.mec.ca/en/search/?text=trangia

I typically try and buy/burn 85% or better alcohol. This is found in paint stores, construction stores, and even some pharmacies depending on the state/province/country. It's silent. It's light. It's cheap. It doesn't smell. If it spills, it evaporates. I can use it in my hotel room without a) waking the neighbours or b) making the place smell like gasoline. It pretty much just cooks full blast, even with shitty 70% rubbing alcohol I can make a meal or keep a pot simmering once I boil it. Ever had your fuel pump break on your regular stove out in the middle of nowhere? Yeah, I ate cold food that night. An alcohol stove won't break.

For boiling water, hands down, this is slow as molasses. On average, it takes me maybe 25 minutes to boil 1.5L of water versus 7 minutes on my Dragonfly.

Anyhow, for anyone bikepacking, I would recommend it for the simplicity and silence…provided you aren't just eating boil in a bag stuff. Or if you are, then don't be in a hurry.

Thanks. Have a Coleman Peak stove for the more heavy duty stuff. Was kind of curious because used the solid fuel tablets before for making tea and such.

We have a pair trangia's can't be beat until you get to altitude or in the business of melting snow then we get out the Dragonfly.