Another survival stove option is
the solid fuel tablet burning esbit stove.
It has been around since 1936 and is a
favorite of minimalist hikers, militaries, and outdoorsmen of all kinds.
It just doesnt get much simpler than this, fold it open, place a
fuel tablet in, light it. This
stove is compact and extremely light, yet
very durable and well made.
This stove can burn all types of solid fuel
tabs, but I've found the esbit fuel to be cleaner, and burn longer
than any other solid fuel. Esbit stoves prices this
particular model at around $10, they also make some
alcohol burning stoves, and charcoal stoves at different
price levels. The esbit fuel is generally
around .50 cents (USD) per tablet. They burn for around
12-14 minutes, so unless you want to use more than one tab, it
pays to get to know this stove a little before you take it on
any sort of hike / trip / outing. This is designed to
prepare food for one person only, but it does it pretty well,
and with some experimentation and practice,
this stove can prepare a pretty impressive menu
of meal choices.
As with most stoves, but unpressurized
stoves in particular, the wind is the worst enemy of the esbit
stove. If the wind is not calm, you really need to
have a shield around the stove to keep
the flame where you need it to be,
dead centered under your cookware.
In the video below, I
have tried to show the boundaries of this stove, but as you
will see it is a very capable little unit and works well with just a
little thought given to the menu. Only you can decide which
type of stove is the best stove for your needs, but if you are
looking at something small for
a one man kit, the esbit stove
is worth a look.
