There are a bajillion ways to make a cheap camping stove – cat food cans are particularly popular – but who doesn’t have any empty beer can lying around? Tom Allen, a long-distance cyclist who knows a thing or two about adventuring on the down low, put together this sweet little how-to.
As for getting alcohol in the States, your best bet is probably denatured or methanol. Zen Stoves has a handy guide to fuels here and a deep dive into stove choices here.
Thinking biomass is more your thing? Check out the classic BioLite stove.
You need something to read? We have something to read!
Adventure Journal’s print stories are only available in print. They are deeper, longer, and more nuanced than what you find online. Find out why 99% of subscribers renew every single year.
Order a subscription and current issue you today and most U.S. address will have their copy in three days. West Coast addresses it’s 1-2 days.
I’ve got the cat can, the ax can, and various others. They make for fun little projects. I still tend to grab the JetBoil for most trips though.
Love it; reduce, re-use…
I did this early this morning – it took me about 10 minutes to make it.
Two notes – I tried cutting out the lid twice. The first time, it scared the hell out of me, cutting metal with a knife so close to my fingers. I started over with a regular old (can opener, and it worked like a charm on the lid. The rest of the process went very quickly. Drinking tea now as a result of boiled water.
Second note – the plastic on the inside of the can burned a little and smelled. Do your first trial burn outside.
natefromstowe, if you want an effective and safe can opener, look for a Vietnam veteran. likely he or she will have a can opener on their key ring, called a “p-38”. it is what we used to open our “c-rats” (rations) in the field. they can be used for endless purposes too. they last and last and are the perfect tool to take on the trail or camping. if you are ever concerned about the federal government and its spending of your tax dollars, rest assured the “p-38” (and the huey helicopter) was money well spent! I’ve been carrying a “p-38” over 50 years and it still gets the job done……..
I found drink can alkie stoves about 5 years ago. The first one turned into about 3 dozen. It can be addictive. Bunches of designs, dozens of experiments. Some with jets, some without, some with stands, some without. Big, small, more complex. My favorites were the simplest, like this. With the paranoid way TSA treats hiker stoves and fuel residue, it was cool that I could potentially fly somewhere, unpack a pocket knife, buy a coke or two and HEET in a Walmart or gas station and have a working water boiler in a couple of minutes.
Better yet, eat cold, presoak your food while you put up the tent, drink tea and coffee cold, works great, saves weight, and saves energy. Who needs hot food in the warmer months?
Alcohol stoves have been around for ages. Triangia from Sweden is tried and true cook system. My favorite DYI variant is the Fanci Feast (cat food) alcohol stove. This subject is a YouTube rabbit hole you may never escape from. The Fanci Feast stove needs no pot stand. The up side of these stoves is they are cheap, easy to find fuel, very portable. Wind screens are almost mandatory. Cold weather is challenging. I have a “simmer ring” on my FF stove allowing me to tune down the heat some. Minibulldesign.com has excellent stoves. He is a modern day tinkerer. The biggest plus to this type of stove is, so quiet. You can hear the nature around you.
Nice thing to know how to do but I don’t recommend these at all. Good way to burn your house down or start a forest fire. Had a climbing partner who made one out in the mountains and caught a bush on fire.
Completely unnecessary.