Esbit solid fuel stove

[mikep]

Anyone have any experience with the Esbit solid fuel stove. Just saw this in REI. Looks nice and light, but does it sufficiently heat water quickly? I'm thinking this might be a good emergency stove.

[drobarge]

Check out the forums at bushcraft usa, there is more than one would ever wish to know about stoves on there.

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/search.php?searchid=24117

[DonNewcomb]

Here is a good general discussion on fuel pellet stoves.

[mikep]

Thanks guys. After reading that, I think I'll stick to the white gas stoves.

[Gimp]

Most people who were in the Army before C-rations went away knew how to convert a ration can into a stove so you could use military issue heat tablets. I was in Germany in the early 1980's when MRE's came out and heat tablets went away with the C-rations so I bought a small Esbit stove and used the tablets as a quick way to heat up a cup of water for coffee. Esbit is a German company and that's the first place I ever saw the product. For years I've carried Esbit tablets without the stove in my backpack as an emergency heating source. The tablets are relatively easy to light even when damp, the wind won't blow the tablets out very easily and if your wood supply is damp it can get it to burn. With the tablet it's important to contain and direct the heat so if you don't have a stove of some sort, you can arrange a few rocks and get the same effect. So, while I prefer my lightweight gas stove, I still keep a few Esbit tablets close at hand.