In 2004 I first posted the original instructions for a design that I had been working on for many years. This site documents the response and continuing search for a homemade camping stove that is safer, lighter, heats faster, burns longer, uses less fuel, easier to make and use. Most alcohol stoves will heat two cups of water, but when I go hiking, I may want to melt snow or sterilize two quarts on 2 oz. of fuel. Or, bake some scones, or simmer a pot of real rice or grains on 2/3 oz., or make tea for two on 1/2 oz..
The penny pressure regulator and simmer ring combination let it function as two stoves. It can prime and boil a quart of water just 20 seconds slower than a gas cook-top, or simmer at max efficiently for almost an hour. Web reviews from around the World show that it “performed like a champ” with a wind chill of -9°, “excellent” even with 50 mph wind gusts, and “great” at the top of Mt. Whitney – 14,491 ft..
Independent tests document that it heats faster, uses less fuel, simmers longer, and packs lighter than any commercial alcohol stove. It combines the features and performance of three basic designs – the efficiency of a high pressure/Photon Stove, the ease to fill and light of a double wall/Pepsi Stove, and fast heat of a tub/Cat Stove. So simple that you can build a rough one on the trail with a leatherman or good pocket knife – no insulation, rulers, epoxy, needles, or tape. If you have played with homebuilt stoves before, this one should be a snap.