Cat Can - Home made backpacking stove

In my quest to lighten the load and shave weight, I did some research online from the ultralight backpackers. Almost all the serious ones use alcohol stoves. These stove have several advantages. They are lighter, more efficient on fuel usage, easier to procure fuel (can’t fly with cylinders), and have no working parts to go bad. So I set about making one. Plans called for a 3 oz fancy feast can and a hole punch……two rows of holes and Voila!

The canteen cup makes a seal and pressurizes the gases out of the burner holes.

I used well water cold water and it boiled for about 2 minutes vigorously before the 1 ounce of fuel was used up.

I then weighted the new system with tin foil wind screen and it weighed just over 1 pound total including 12 ounces of alcohol in the collapsible moose bottle (enough for 12 meals), cup, stove, and fork. Compared to last year’s set up I save ½ a pound in weight.

This stove can burn almost anything flammable. I plan on using HEET brake line additive available at all walmart stores but this thing will work with isopropanol or even grain alcohol! Going to test the HEET next and work on getting a lighter better wind screen out of some sheet aluminum.

Alaska vacation

I spent a 12 day excursion into the Great White North. "North to Adventure"! Had a cruise portion leaving from Vancouver, B.C. to several Alaska ports including Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau and Whittier took in some great views of glaciers calving, watching whales, otters, sea lions, seals, and an abundance of eagles. Then, we took a train tour back into the Yukon territory that took us into Canada and the arctic tundra. From there we set off to Denali National Park and eventually Fairbanks by motor coach. Here are some of the animals we were able to photograph along the way: