# How to Make the Only Camping Stove You’ll Ever Need Using a Beer Can and a Knife



## Doc

Very cool.   
*
How to Make the Only Camping Stove You’ll Ever Need Using a Beer Can and a Knife*

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGyPtxh1b-U"]beer can stove - YouTube[/ame]


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## MrLiberty

That's OK Doc, here's another practical how to video.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MYR1NOGB8A"]How to make an arrowhead out of a spoon (hd) - YouTube[/ame]


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## Melensdad

I think the FANCY FEAST cat food stove is probably more practical and certainly much easier to make than the Beer Can stove.

While the beer can stove appears to have gas "jets" the cat food can does not.  I don't think there is much real proof that one works better than the other.

Alcohol stoves made from cans are the MOST RELIABLE backpacking stoves ever invented.  Alcohol is cheap and easy to find at Auto Parts stores _(yellow bottle HEET brand gas line anti-freeze)_ and Hardware stores _(denatured alcohol type paint thinner)._  They are hot enough to boil water, but not to fry most foods so they are best suited for "cooking" dehydrated meals by boiling some water and pouring the water into a bag of Mountain House food, making instant oatmeal, etc.

I would note a few things about BOTH of these stoves, and these apply to ALL alcohol stoves:

They are pretty crappy stoves in the *winter*!  In fact they should not be relied upon in the winter since alcohol doesn't burn hot enough, and at cold temps it tends not to off gas enough vapor to actually burn hot enough to do much.  
Second, they require a windscreen in any weather that can be described as 'breezy' and in 'blustery' conditions really need a very good shielding from all directions.  A windscreen can be made out of HD Aluminum Foil.

For high altitudes consider a white gas stove.  For lots of conditions consider a pressured canister stove like those from Snow Peak, MSR, etc.  These stoves also burn hotter, have adjustable flames, can be used for frying foods (like fish), or for boiling water.  

In Europe consider an Esbit Solid Fuel stove or a Bleuet Solid Fuel stove (different brand, basically same thing).  Solid Fuel is popular and easily available in Europe.  Its performance is similar to an alcohol stove, it can boil water, not much more.  It works better at high altitude than alcohol stoves.

There are lots of variations of of the Fancy Feast stove, this video is by a distant nephew of mine, who was actually named National Geographic's explorer of the year a couple years ago.  

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pajkt594Ruw"]Fancy Feast Cat Food Can Backpacking Stove - YouTube[/ame]


Other stoves to consider, depending upon conditions:

Snow Peak GigaPower Canister stove:  http://www.rei.com/product/643058/snow-peak-gigapower-stove-with-piezo
MSR Rocket Canister stove:  http://www.rei.com/product/830340/msr-microrocket-stove
JetBoil Canister Stove with Proprietary pot: http://www.rei.com/product/813623/jetboil-zip-stove
SOTO Muka White Gas Stove: http://www.sotooutdoors.com/products/item/OD-1NP.html
MSR White Gas & Canister dual mode stove: http://www.rei.com/product/830342/msr-whisperlite-universal-backpacking-stove
Esbit Solid Fuel Pocket Stove: http://www.rei.com/product/653343/esbit-pocket-stove

FWIW, I personally own a Snow Peak GigaPower, a SOTO Muka, an Esbit Pocket as well as an alcohol stove.


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## Umberto

I don't backpack but it helps to know these things. I do fondue and it keep a large supply of stern-o in the garage, as well. 

I'm a fan of coleman gas stoves and coleman gas products, personally.  

Good tips.

One should keep a supply of Zips, too.


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## RNE228

We have built soda/beer can stoves in Boy Scouts. Simple quick, and works pretty well. Ours was like this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB1CB1CYhFU


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## JimVT

I carry those  pouches that will boil water in my survival kit.


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## Snowtrac Nome

I use white gas stoves like the peak 1 they are light efficient and work in all temps. the peak one has one advantage of also being capable of running on unleaded fuel ,I have found lp and other stoves suck at temps below -15 and using that beercan stove in a tent would be dangerous as hell.


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## Melensdad

Snowtrac Nome said:


> I use white gas stoves like the peak 1 they are light efficient and work in all temps. the peak one has one advantage of also being capable of running on unleaded fuel ,I have found lp and other stoves suck at temps below -15 and using that beercan stove in a tent would be dangerous as hell.



Yup you pointed out the problems with some of the stoves, which is why I have a couple different options.

Peak One stoves are nice little stoves, heavier and bulkier than my Soto Muku, but very similar in operation..  The Soto Muku is also supposed to be a multi-fuel stove, but I've only tried it with the Coleman "white" gas.  Honestly I'd pick the Peak One over the Soto if I was not tossing it into a backpack/daypack.  

Alcohol stoves have been around for 100+ years in one form or another.  Some commercially made.  NOT good in the cold weather.  Would not even bother with one in the winter if I expected to be anywhere where temperatures would hit the freezing point or below.

The LP and Butane cartridge stoves are also problems in the winter.  LP is worse than Butane.  The big advantage of Butane cartridge stoves over the LP stoves is that the small Butane cartridges can be worn inside a parka _(they fit into most parka breast pockets) _and kept warm during cold weather, making them useable in the below Zero temps.  Butane stoves can also be TINY.  The cartridge is the biggest part.  The burner elements often fold into a compact size that is 1/2 the size of a pack of short cigarettes, or 1/2 the size of a pair of folded eyeglasses.  There are also much larger options if space and weight are not primary concerns.


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