Ideal for your home or auto emergency kit, this pocket-size stove folds down to a small, compact size.
Perfect for its intended uses.
Pros: Stable, Compact, Lightweight, Durable
Best Uses: Backpacking
Describe Yourself: Professional/Guide
What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist
Was this a gift?: No
I was first made aware of this style of stove while reading the "SAS Survival Handbook" where it was recommended as part of a survival kit. Much later, while looking for ways to minimize bulk and weight in my pack I revisited the Esbit stove as an alternative to an isobutane/propane canister. At half the size of a 220g canister it nests easily in any cook kit and adds almost nothing to the overall weight.
This stove is intended for people on the move. I make a distinction between hikers and campers, with hikers being focused on the hike and campers focused on their camp.
For trips where the plan is to make a moderate hike to a campsite and remain there for several days, a more robust stove than this is called for. Persons transporting fresh meats, eggs, bacon and other "luxury" foods will find this stove unsuitable.
For the packer who plans on covering large distances each day and eating freeze-dried meals at a new campsite each night, this handy little thing will be ideal for boiling water and warming up tea.
On a calm day at 60 degrees Fahrenheit one tablet should be more than sufficient to bring 2 cups (1 pint) of covered water to a boil. It is essential to cover the water pot, with this stove or any other. Naturally altitude, wind and freezing temperatures will extend the time required and it is always important to prepare based on your destination and the time of year.
Although simple, the Esbit stove is far from idiot-proof. To get the most utility from the stove, it's necessary to use it properly.
Before lighting the fuel tablet, the water pot should already be on the pot stands, filled with water and covered with a lid. The Esbit opens in two positions; typically the half open (angled) position is stable enough for a quart pot and should be used. This position directs the airflow over the fuel tablet better, generates more heat and focuses that heat to the bottom of the pot.
If needed a windscreen can be fashioned from aluminum foil, but it must be placed in a way that does not prevent air from flowing beneath the stove.
Lighting the fuel tablet is best accomplished by striking a match and holding the flame near one corner of the tab. Because of the narrow space inside the stove and the angle it would have to be held at, using a lighter is not recommended and will result in burned thumbs.
With proper use, 2 cups of water can be brought to a boil before the tablet is fully consumed. The remaining tab can be extinguished like a candle and it will be stuck to the depression in the stove. The stove can be folded up over the used tablet without worry of it rattling around inside, and that remaining fuel can later be used to warm up some coffee, cocoa or tea. It is worth noting that the heat output from the fuel tablets is highest at the start and drops off sharply in the last few minutes of burn time. It is unlikely that a second pot of water can be boiled on one tablet, but a fresh tablet can be placed on top the remnant of the first before relighting.
Partially- or mostly-consumed fuel tablets can also be used as an excellent firestarter.
The Esbit fuel will leave a tacky black residue on the bottom of your pot. This easily washes off with biodegradable soap, water, and a fingertip rubbed in a circular motion. Sand or dirt can be used to scour stubborn patches, but if cleaning is done shortly after cooking it should not be necessary. I have even found that cleaning off the Esbit residue also pulls off blackening from old wood fires which I had not been able to remove.
(legalese)
