Backpacking Stoves

If you enjoy backpacking in the wilderness or hiking in the woods you must be certain to have all the things you require with you. Depending on the length of time, difficulty on the trail, time of year and how much you enjoy hot food one of the things you may need to pack is a good travel stove. There are many options in camping stoves that you will need to explore before deciding, which one is right for you. Some of the things that will help you decide will be how heavy it is to carry, what type of fuel they require and how easy it is to purchase replacement fuel and the safety factors

Some fuels are better than others under certain conditions. You can cook anywhere if you can find enough wood. Gas stoves will operate better under conditions that are very cold. Butane is easier to use, alcohol burns cleaner, and hexamine stoves are lightweight while solar ones are a way to cook without putting anything bad into the air. Yet although each has a benefit in their use they also have a disadvantage. If you choose gas you must carry the canisters to fill it. Alcohol stoves are not very efficient, wood covers your pots with black soot that is very hard to wash off. Hexamine stoves are more expensive than most people want to spend and solar stoves take a long time to cook a meal. With so many advantages and disadvantages which one is the right choice for your backpacking adventure?

Stoves that use canisters for fuel are probably the most common. They fit comfortably in a backpack but availability of refills on your backpacking trip depends greatly on where you are traveling. If it is couple of days hiking and camping this one is probably fine. If it's across the world you may find problems buying replacement canisters that fit.

Alcohol stoves are an excellent choice for backpackers because they are small and lightweight. The average alcohol stove weighing less than an ounce. There are few places in the Untied States, or Canada, where these could not be filled. So this is a good stove to consider.

There actually are small wood backpacking stoves you can take with you if you like, or you can simply build yourself a campfire and cook on it. The key here is if you will be able to find enough wood to build a good cooking fire. But as well if you will be backpacking somewhere that cook fires are permitted. Solar energy is free, clean and readily available. But not always is the sun strong enough to cook the backpacker's food. Even when it is it seems to take forever. There also is the issue of not being able to cook if the sun has gone down. Some people will use a solar stove only if they have a backup with them. If it's a desert location the backpacker has chosen this may be the only option for fuel.