Having been quite
fired up* by the thoughts of doing some summer
S24O rides this year, my mind has turned to the thought of the kit I'll need. Fortunately, I own pretty much everything necessary to ride somewhere, camp and ride home. But you know what it's like, as soon as you start contemplating some new endeavor, you start savoring the thought of what new lovely, shiny things you can justify buying...
One of the the good things about the S24O though, is that it forces you to pack light and really get the best usefulness/weight ratio going on. Where cooking equipment is concerned, this would appear to mean the combination of hideously expensive titanium cookware, pitted against a lightweight
Portable stove of some kind.
You don't really
need the Ti lovliness, though. Steel, ally and plastic will suffice. And you can make your cooker yourself - witness the humble
Beverage-can stove. Apparently, most of the walkers on the Appalachian Trail choose one of these for their light weight, simplicity and cheapness.
I've tried to make one and it's not as easy as it sounds. Although there are how-to videos on YouTube and posts all over camping and survival forums (as well as
Zombie Squad, natch...) I'm beginning to see why people still buy them from eBay, ready made. I've yet to take my eyebrows off, but playing with
meths is never going to end well, is it?
Anyhoo, what I wanted to ask was whether anyone's built one of these babies? And if you haven't, do you use a Trangia or a gas system? I rather like the look of the MSR gear (to go with the blingy Ti pots and cups) but I'm really sold on the low weight and simplicity of alcohol stoves.
Apparently, from the reviews I've read, if you're not wanting a Trangia, all the ready made ultralight Ti alcohol stoves are pants and you're better off with a pop-can stove. Of course, you'll need a pot rest anna wind shield an' stuff as well.
What do you use?
*Badoom-tish!