Alcohol stoves for camping

I posted a couple of days ago about a simple recipe for the trail, "peas and mash", using my Alocs alcohol stove:
http://bkhome.org/news/201605/peas-and-mash-on-the-trail.html

Here in Australia, we use methylated spirits, readily available everywhere, though in some towns in northern Australia it is kept behind the counter, as there are those who drink it.

I bought my Alocs stove a couple of years ago, from Deal Extreme:
http://www.dx.com/p/locs-portable-camping-alcohol-stove-spirit-burner-black-golden-256330

In its favour, are the simmer-ring (that leaver sticking out) for adjusting the flame down, a screw-on lid with rubber gasket so as to keep left-over fuel, and the stand-cum-wind-shield.
The arguments against it are the wind-shield is not really enough, another is really required, and it is a tad heavy, at 143gm.

I have ordered two more stoves, both due to arrive very soon.
One of these is the Vargo Triad, all titanium, weighing only 28gm. Home:
http://www.vargooutdoors.com/triad-alcohol-stove.html


The main arguments in favour of this stove are the extreme light weight and strength. Against it, it needs a separate wind shield, and there is no means to reduce the flame.
That last one is significant for me -- when I am cooking something, I want to reduce to a simmer after bringing it to a boil. If you want to keep a furious boil going, wasting fuel and possibly burning the pot and food, that's what you will get without a simmer-ring.
Many hikers accept this limitation and work around it.

I bought my Triad from amazon.com. They ship to Australia.

Last, and this is the one that most excites me, is the Packafeather XL stove. Home:
http://packafeather.com/xlstove.html


It weighs only 45gm, and has the neatest flame control of all -- a little knob on the end of a cable.
It does require a separate wind shield, ditto for the two other stoves. I have some thin aluminium for that.
There does seem to be a lot of points in favour of the XL, and I can't, without having actually used it, think of anything against it. All reviews have been positive.

Anyway, the XL should be here in a day or two, and I will post a review, along with another of my culinary creations.

Tags: light