Gear and Resources for Long Distance Hikers (2024)

Common Choices for Alcohol Stove Fuel

Long-distance hikers willbe poking around in trail towns looking for fuel for their stoves. Readthis article to find out about your choices.

Canstoves are all the rage these days on America's National Scenic Trails. Ican't help but feel good about gear that is readily made for free from materialsthat would otherwise end up in a landfill. However, the stove itself maybe free but you'll have to pay for fuel. Moreover, trail towns don'talways have a great selection within walking distance.

Here'sa quick list of the most common stove fuels and where you'll most likely findthem:

• denatured alcohol (hardware store, paint department)
• pure methanol from hardware store (paint department)
• pure ethanol (Everclear, liquor store)
• fuel line antifreeze (gas station or convenience store).
• rubbing alcohol (drug store).

Denatured alcohol gets my recommendationfor the best all-around fuel for any stove that burns alcohol. It is quitecheap and usually available in hardware stores. Denatured alcohol ismostly ethanol with some methyl alcohol added to render it unfit for humanconsumption. Often a coloring or smell agent is also added for visual or olfactorycues that the substance is not drinkable. One drawback, though, of this fuel is that you must buy a minimumof 32 fluid ounces. This is probably much more than you want to take onthe trail. Go in on a can with some friends, or leave what you don't usein the local hiker box for the next person to use. It should be noted,though, that denatured alcohol does contain methanol (toxic, about 16%), methylethyl ketone(<1%), and methyl acetate(<1%) which makes it lessenvironmentally friendly than pure ethanol.

Pure ethanol also makes a good stovefuel, butit is much more expensive than denatured because it is potable. You can find it in liquor stores as "grainalcohol"; Graves Grain Alcohol and Everclear are some brandnames. You won't find liquor stores many places along the trail, though,so obtaining it will be a challenge. Pure ethanol may be harder to findand more expensive than other fuels, but it is the fuel of choice if toxicity orenvironmental friendliness are at the top of your concerns. If you're usingmail drops, you may be able to buy it in bulk and reduce the cost. It willneed to be shipped by USPS Parcel Post or UPS ground to avoid violating HAZMAT regulations.

Pure methanol (wood alcohol) burns verywell in a stove. It can be found in the same sorts of places as denaturedalcohol (hardware stores). It has a relatively high vapor pressure ascompared to ethanol and isopropanol; this means that it will vaporize at lowertemperatures. Because of this property your stove will achieve full powermore quickly. Many people use this fuel because of this fact; however,methanol is toxic. It is readily absorbed through the skin or mucusmembranes. Once in the body it is converted by the liver to formaldehyde,a very poisonous chemical. A weekender's short term exposure to methanolmay not be a big deal, but a long-distance hiker should consider this fact carefullywhen choosing a fuel.

Fuel line antifreezes are usually pureisopropanol or pure methanol. Look at the ingredients of the bottle tofind out which is which. You can usually find these in gas stations orconvenience stores, especially up north. A popular brand is HEET; the redbottle is isopropyl and the yellow bottle is methanol. Isopropyl alcoholburns with yellow, sooty flames, indicating that it is not combustingcompletely. It is less toxic than methanol, though.

Rubbing alcohol is 70% isopropanol and30% water. You can find it in drug stores. It has all the problemsassociated with burning pure isopropanol with the added inconvenience of having30% of its volume being noncombustible water. It'll do in a pinch, butgiven the choice I'd go with something else.