The FeatherFire Alcohol Stove

Today, I'd like to review the FeatherFire alcohol stove from PackaFeather.com.

The FeatherFire alcohol stove from PackaFeather.com

Thank you! to "RingTail" of Colorado for sending this stove for me to review.

OK, so what's the FeatherFire's claim to fame?  It simmers.  In fact, it simmers really well.  And not only does it simmer well, it does so on-the-fly without having to remove the pot or adding any simmer rings or other separate pieces.  Nice.

Let's have a look.  The FeatherFire is a chimney type stove, similar to a BrassLite stove or a 12-10 stove from TrailDesigns.com.  If you look closely at the photo below, you can just see the ventilation ports underneath the silver colored band of metal.

The ventilation ports on a FeatherFire stove

The first thing I notice about the FeatherFire is that it has outstanding build quality.  I've seen a lot of alcohol stoves.  This one is just really nicely made.  For example, the stove comes with built in pot supports.  Each pot support has a fairly elaborate twist that allows it to a) retract under the stove for transport and b) to lock into place against the body of the stove while cooking.  Every bend in the pot support is just so.  Excellent build quality.  

Every bend in the pot supports is precisely done.

The pot supports, as I mentioned, rotate underneath the body of the stove for transport.

The pot supports, rotated underneath the body of the stove.

The pot supports still take up room, but I found the stove packed reasonably well in my 1000ml Snow Peak pot.  I had room in my pot for the stove, a Sierra Cup, and a windscreen.  I added a bandana (not shown in photo) to prevent rattling and to pad the stove.

A FeatherFire stove, packed into a 1000ml pot with a Sierra Cup and a windscreen

Now, I mentioned simmering, and in fact that is what sets this stove apart from many other alcohol stoves.  How does it do it?  Take a look at the below photo.  Notice that silver colored band of metal?  That band is directly over the ventilation ports.

A sliver colored metal band is situated directly over the ventilation ports.  Note also the position of the pot support, locked into cooking position. 

The metal band is held in place by the pot supports.

Detail of metal band and pot supports.

At the end of the metal band lies the secret to this stove's ability to simmer:  The "worm gear," so named I suppose because it looks a bit like a worm crawling when the screw is turned. 

The "worm gear" on a FeatherFire stove

The worm gear tightens or loosens the metal band over the ventilation ports.  Tighten the band, the stove gets less air, and the flame gets smaller.  

A FeatherFire stove with the metal band tightly closed (simmering mode) 

Loosen the band, the stove gets more air, and the flame gets larger.  Ingenious!

A FeatherFire stove with the metal band in the fully open position (maximum flame)

OK, great, but how do you open up and close up the metal band?  Take a look at the below photo.

The control cable on a FeatherFire stove

See that cable with the knob on the end?  Just turn the knob.

That's it?  That's all you have to do?

Yep, that's it.  Turn the knob left to increase the flame.  Turn the knob right to reduce the flame.  And the best part?  The cable sticks out past your windscreen.  You can adjust the flame "on-the-fly," and you never have to burn your hand trying to drop a simmer ring into place.  You never even have to take the pot off the stove.  SWEET!

The control cable and knob on a FeatherFire extend out past the windscreen.

So, in practical terms, what does this look like?  Well, I'll show you.  Take a look at the two photos below.  Notice any difference in the flames?

A FeatherFire stove on maximum.

A FeatherFire stove with the flame turned down as far as it will go (simmering mode)

So, what kind of effect on my cooking is this going to have?  Well, you can go from a full-on roiling boil.

A full roiling boil with a FeatherFire on maximum flame.

To a nice, low simmer.

A very nice, low simmer with a FeatherFire stove on lowest flame

Guys, do you see the difference between the two photos above?  That's a nice range.  And what a great simmer.  That's as good of a simmer as I get on a gas stove.  And that's "on the fly."  In other words, I brought the water to a roiling boil, and then I reduced it to a very low simmer -- without ever taking the pot off the stove.  That's pretty darned good.  I was impressed.

Well, boiling water is all well and fine, but can it cook?  

Fair question.  Hmm.  Now, let's see.  What would be a good test?  How about my favorite, an omelet?  If an alcohol stove can cook an omelet, then that's a pretty good cooking stove in my opinion.  Let's give it a try.

A small backpacking type pan on a FeatherFire

Cooking the eggs

Adding salmon and shredded cheese

A delicious omelet!

And the final results?  See for yourself.  I got nice, fluffy eggs, and I gotta say, it was delicious.  And this was with a cheap little lightweight pan.  I got a little sticking, but nothing bad.  NICE!

Minor sticking occurred 

So, in summary, this is a really good cooking stove, and really good for an alcohol stove.

OK, so nice stove, but how's the weight?

On my scale, it weighs 45g/1.6oz.  Maybe a little heavy compared to something like a Trail Designs 12-10 stove at 16g/0.6oz, which is  about 1/3 the weight, but the FeatherFire's weight includes the pot supports and the little snuffer cap, features not included in the 12-10 stove, and the FeatherFire simmers.  On the other hand, compared to the 112g/4.0oz Trangia burner, the 45g/1.6oz FeatherFire seems as light as, well, a feather.

Downsides?  Well, maybe a couple, both in the durability category.  First, the pot supports are perhaps a little spindly.  I think they could become bent with use.  They're surprisingly strong, and I haven't had any problems so far, but I've been careful.  Second, will the simmering apparatus stand up to the rigors of the trail?  I can't say for sure, but there are more small parts on this stove than on other stoves.  No blatant "red flags" here, but something to bear in mind as one uses the stove.  Of course, if the band were to fail somehow, you could still use the stove as a non-adjustable chimney stove, so you wouldn't be completely stuck out on the trail.  You'd just lose some of the precise simmer control.  I haven't had the stove for long, but I actually think the simmering apparatus will be OK.  It's those pot supports I worry about.  I notice that PackaFeather has a second stove, the XL.  The XL is not an "eXtra Large" version of the FeatherFire but rather appears to be in the same class as the FeatherFire.  The XL appears to have improved pot supports of a type that will last well, so it appears that PackaFeather may be well aware of the limitations of the pot supports of a FeatherFire.  I have not had a chance to review an XL as of this writing.

One other item of note.  Sometimes a FeatherFire "burps."  What do I mean by "burp?"  Well sometimes you'll hear a pop and there will be a flash of flame.  It seems to happen most when you turn up the stove.  It doesn't seem to happen at all on fully open or fully closed.  But if you're somewhere in between, sometimes the stove just plain burps. I'm not completely sure what's causing it although I suspect vaporized alcohol is escaping out the ventilation ports, building up, and then "flashing" from the heat of the flame when sufficient build up occurs.  It doesn't seem to hurt anything although it is a little bit weird.  I found that by playing with the flame control setting, I could find "burp free" settings.

I was able to capture what the flame from a burp looks like with my camera.

The flame from a "burp" on a FeatherFire

Notice that in addition to the the primary flame arising out of the burner, there's sort of a wraith like flame just under the pot.  This is the flame from a "burp."  Like I say, odd, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything.  If it happens, just adjust the flame knob down a bit and it typically doesn't recur.

The little snuffer cap (0.07oz/2g) that comes with the FeatherFire is kind of handy.

The snuffer cap of a FeatherFire only weighs two grams!

Now, if you're just boiling water, you can pretty quickly figure out how much alcohol you need to boil, say, two cups of water.  So, in that case, you just dispense the proper amount of alcohol and let the stove burn itself out.  But with real cooking, it's a lot harder to predict how much fuel you'll need.  With the FeatherFire, don't worry about it.  When you're done cooking, close the vents on the stove and put the snuffer cap on.  The stove quickly goes out.  Hopefully you've got the excellent PackaFeather cap along with you and you can then just vacuum up the leftover fuel.  PackaFeather has put together a nice little system here.

I didn't have a PackaFeather windscreen and heat reflector to test at the time of this writing, so I cannot comment on those items.

The FeatherFire stove:  Highly Recommended except maybe for the pot supports.  Time will tell on the pot supports.

Thanks for joining me on another Adventure in Stoving,

HJ


FeatherFire Related Blog Posts

• The FeatherFire Alcohol Stove
• The FeatherFire With a Caldera Cone
• (Pot) Sizing Up the FeatherFire Alcohol Stove

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The Clikstand (alcohol) -- A Brief Introduction

I recently featured some tests of the Clikstand with Trangia burner.  For my general thoughts about the Clikstand stove system, I suggest you check out that link.

In this post, I thought I'd show the Clikstand with Trangia burner in a little more detail, and I thought I'd show you my typical day hike configuration.  My overnight hike configuration is the same, only I'd carry more fuel.

First, a pot of about 1000ml in capacity with "traditional" proportions (wide not narrow, short not tall) works well with the Clikstand.   Smaller pots don't fit well with the span of the Clikstand.  I tried a 780ml Snow Peak pot and an 850ml MSR Titan kettle on the Clikstand, and neither was very stable.  See the Clikstand compatibility information at the bottom of this post for more details.The other big advantage of a pot of about 1000ml size is that all of the of the components will nest inside the pot (Clikstand, burner, small fuel bottle, lighter, spoon,windscreen, and fuel measuring cup).

A 1000ml Snow Peak pot containing all the components necessary to operate a Clikstand/Trangia combination.

The same set up as above with the pot lid removed so that you can see the contents.

The Clikstand is quite compact in terms of stowage.  To better appreciate just how complete the set is, let's take a look at all the components spread out.

All of the components of my Clikstand/Trangia set up on display

Now, let's take a little closer look at the central components.  Note the roughly triangluar piece with the circular cut out.  This will form a "deck" and hold the burner.  The burner can be seen just above the upper point of the triangular shaped "deck".

The central components of my Clikstand/Trangia set up.
Top row, L to R:  fuel bottle, Trangia burner, lighter
Middle Row, L to R:  fuel measuring cup, Clikstand "deck", telescoping spoon
Bottom row:  the Clikstand's "walls"

Let's take a closer look at the Clikstand's "walls."  Note the tab on the left side of each piece, the slot on the right side, the "hooks" to the right of the slot, and the projection on the top of each piece.   The slot and tab connect the walls.  The hooks hold the windscreen.  The projection supports the cook pot.

The three identical stamped pieces of stainless steel that form the walls of the Clikstand burner stand/pot support

The Clikstand is first formed from the three identical pieces of stamped stainless steel (there is a titanium version as well; see below).  The tab from one piece is fitted to the slot in the next until all three pieces are connected, forming a triangle.

A fourth piece, the "deck" that you saw in earlier photos (roughly triangular in shape, with a cut out for the burner) is then fitted within the triangle.  The deck "clicks" into place when inserted properly, hence the name "Clikstand."

The three identical pieces form the "walls" and the fourth piece is emplaced as a "deck" within the walls.

The Trangia burner is then placed into the cutout in the center of the deck.  A windscreen is then placed onto the "hooks" that extend from the slotted end of each of the wall pieces.  Note:  The windscreen shown is not a Clikstand windscreen.  The windscreen is a BPL titanium windscreen.  The Clikstand I bought was used and did not include a windscreen, so I included one of my own.

Clikstand with Trangia burner and windscreen in place.

A pot is then of course placed on the assembled burner and stand.

A Clikstand with a 1000ml Snow Peak pot in place.

The regular stainless steel Clikstand with brass Trangia burner isn't the lightest set up out there (see my thoughts on the titanium Clikstand below).  Indeed, many will argue that a small upright gas stove will be as light or lighter, even when you factor in the weight of the steel canister that a gas stove requires.  True, but the Clikstand has a several advantages over a gas stove: 
1.  Windproofness.  Upright gas stoves are typically quite vulnerable to wind.  The Clikstand functions very well in wind (although its fuel consumption will typically go up)
2.  Foolproofness.  The Clikstand has almost nothing to go wrong on it.  There is no delicate thread that you might cross thread.  There are no "O" rings or gaskets to crack or dry out (well except for the one in lid of the Trangia burner, but that gasket does not affect the operation of the stove).  There is no tiny, single jet to clog.  There is no Lindal valve to get stuck open (It happens!  Ask me how I know!).
3.  Fuel availability.  To get a gas canister, you generally have to go to a specialty shop.  Alcohol, at least in the US, is far more available.  Stove appropriate alcohol is available at gas stations, hardware stores, cleaning supply stores, paint stores, and even some grocery stores and pharmacies.  Availability is particularly important when traveling by air and you don't want to burn a day gathering supplies.  Who wants to drive around looking for a specialty store when you could just grab some alcohol from the first hardware store you pass?  For information on what alcohols are appropriate for stove use, see my post on Alcohol as a Stove Fuel.
4. Alternative fuels.  Not only is alcohol fuel widely available, the Clikstand can run on alternative fuels.

• One alternate fuel is hexamine, which is commonly sold under the brand name ESBIT.  Hexamine is  a little smelly and leaves a residue on the bottom of your pot, but it is very light and convenient.  You'd have to rig something up in the cut out of the deck of the Clikstand, but that shouldn't be too hard.
• Another alternate fuel is wood.  Yes, you heard me right, wood.  The Clikstand is either stainless steel or titanium, both of which will withstand heat quite well.  You can pile small sticks and such in the body of the Clikstand and burn them.  You will of course blacken the pot, stand, and windscreen in the process, but there are times where having an alternative fuel source like wood (which is often available where there are no stores or points of resupply!) could come in really handy.  Note:  As of this writing, I have not tried my Clikstand on wood.

5.  Silent operation.  Don't underestimate the value of silence.  I love to be able to hear the natural world that surrounds me when I'm out in the wilderness.  Experience the Zen of an alcohol stove!

COMPARING THE COST AND WEIGHT OF TITANIUM vs. STAINLESS STEEL
(All prices in USD)

	Steel (g)	Ti (g)	Weight Savings (g)	Conversion Factor	Savings (ounces)	Steel Price	Ti Price	Price Difference	Cost per gram saved	Cost per ounce saved
Stand	94	57	37	0.035	1.3	$29.95	$59.95	$30.00	$0.81	$22.99
Screen	37	20	17	0.035	0.6	$14.95	$19.95	$5.00	$0.29	$8.34
Subtotal	131	77	54	0.035	1.9	$44.90	$79.90	$35.00	$0.65	$18.37
Burner	111	34	77	0.035	2.7	$15.95	$45.95	$30.00	$0.39	$11.05
Total	242	111	131	0.035	4.6	$60.85	$125.85	$65.00	$0.50	$14.07

MY THOUGHTS ON THE TITANIUM VERSION OF THE CLIKSTAND
The difference in weight between a Ti Clikstand and windscreen and a stainless steel (SS) Clikstand and windscreen is 54g (about 2oz), for which you will pay an additional $35.00.  $35.00 is a bit much to pay for two ounces in weight savings, although it may be worth it for some.

The argument for going with the titanium version is more compelling if you get everything Ti (stand, screen, and Evernew burner). If you get everything Ti, you would save 131g (4.6 oz) -- which is over a quarter of a pound. But, to do this, you must pay an additional $65.00 over the price of the standard SS and brass components. In other words, the price more than doubles if one gets all Ti components. For $125.85 I can get a very nice petroleum based liquid fuel or gas stove. $125.85 is simply too much for an alcohol stove. One would really have to be an alcohol stove aficionado in order to pay that kind of money.  Note:  One could save some money if one were to by the components as a set.  Still, even as a set, the titanium components cost significantly more than the conventional SS and brass components.

Add to that the fact that there is no lid or simmer ring on the Ti version of the burner, both of which are very nice features of the Trangia burner. Moreover, the Evernew Ti burner is generally less efficient (but faster) than the Trangia burner according to the tests that I've seen.  A less efficient burner means that you will have to carry additional fuel, thus eroding at least some of the weight savings that you just paid so dearly for.

I'd love to try a Ti set up, but for those prices?  I can't quite justify it just yet.

VIDEO COMPARISON TITANIUM vs. STAINLESS STEEL

The following video was made by Hendrik who is from Finland. The video compares a titanium Clikstand set up (including the Evernew titanium burner) with a stainless steel Clikstand set up with a conventional brass Trangia burner.  You can view Hendrik's interesting and informative hiking and lightweight backpacking blog, Hiking In Finland.  The blog is in English and includes a lot more than just information pertaining to Finland.


There you have it, a very brief introduction to the Clikstand.

HJ

Appendix

CLIKSTAND COMPATIBILITY INFORMATION (Copied from Clikstand.com)

Pot Compatibility:
Minimum pot size 4.2” (106 mm) diameter or larger. Maximum recommended pot size 8.0” (203 mm) diameter. For pots, cups or kettles smaller than 4.2” (106 mm) diameter click here (Note this link leaves my blog and goes to the Clikstand site).

Windscreen Compatibility:
Maximum pot size 5.9” (150 mm) diameter.

Burner Compatibility:
Maximum burner diameter 2.75” (70 mm), maximum burner height 2.5” (64 mm).

Pot Size Required for Storage:
Minimum pot size required to store Clikstand, windscreen, and burner inside 5.2” (132mm) diameter, 2.8” (71mm) height.

Related posts and articles:

• Getting Started with Alcohol
• DIY Alcohol Stoves -- Basic Design Considerations
• Cold Weather Tips for Alcohol Stoves
• Is Ethanol Worth It?
  
• Caldera Cone Alcohol Stove Review (on Seattle Backpackers Magazine)
• Caldera Cone Review Supplement -- Additional Photos and Technical Appendix with Weights
• The Clikstand Alcohol Stove System Review
• Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
• Trangia 27 Alcohol Stove System Review
• The Caldera Cone's 12-10 Burner
• The Trangia Alcohol Burner
• What's the Best Alcohol for Stove Fuel?
• What Is Meths?  (And how is that different than Methanol?)
• Going "Green" with Stoves:  Alcohol and Biodiesel

Disclaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with Clikstand.com nor do I have any financial interest in any product displayed on this page.  I am merely a satisfied customer sharing his experience.

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What's the Best Alcohol for Stove Fuel?

A lot of people interested in going light are trying alcohol as a fuel.  But if you head down to the store, you'll see all kinds of alcohol.  Which alcohols are good choices for stove fuel?  Which ones are poor choices?

Alcohol as a Stove Fuel (in order of best fuel to worst fuel)  The best alcohol fuel is ethanol (ethyl alcohol).  It has the highest number of calories per gram* of any stove fuel suitable alcohol (I really don't consider dirty-burning isopropanol to be suitable as a stove fuel) and burns reasonably cleanly.  If you can get lab grade "absolute" (200 proof) ethanol or 190 proof liquor, that's going to work really well, but both of those (lab grade absolute ethanol or 190 proof "drinking" alcohol) are pretty expensive -- if you can even get them.  Lab grade absolute ethanol is often restricted as to whom can purchase it (i.e. not the general public), and many locations prohibit the sale of high proof drinking alcohol.  Check the Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) on lab grade absolute ethanol which may contain benzene which is toxic.

Another option is "denatured" alcohol which should consist primarily of ethanol.  The problem in the US is that there are no standards for what constitutes denatured alcohol.  In fact, some denatured alcohols in the US are less than 50% ethanol.  In addition sometimes nasty stuff is used to denature the alcohol (render it undrinkable), stuff like methyl ethyl ketone, whose fumes you don't really want to breathe.  "Green" denatured alcohol generally has a much higher ethanol content and a lower "nasty stuff" content.  Check the MSDS.  The higher the ethanol content, the better it is for use as a fuel.  Because higher ethanol content alcohol burns hotter, sometimes the burning will "get ahead of itself," and you'll get some soot.  If the stove is overheating and producing soot, try adding water to the fuel (after you get into your camp site; don't carry it!). Adding water will calm down the burning, allowing the alcohol to mix properly with air and burn cleanly.  Try adding a little water at first, and then add more water as needed to eliminate any soot (up to 25% of the total volume).

"Green" denatured alcohol generally has the highest ethanol content.

Outside the US, there is a particular variety of denatured alcohol sometimes available, methylated spirits.  Methylated spirits is ethanol with methanol used as a denaturing agent.  Methylated spirits is often called "meths" or "metho".   Methylated spirits makes an excellent stove fuel.  Would that it were available in the US.

Methanol (methyl alcohol) is another popular fuel alcohol, frequently bought in the yellow HEET bottle because HEET is so widely available (at least in the US).  You do have to carry a bit more methanol to do the same amount of cooking since methanol contains fewer calories per gram* than ethanol.  Methanol fumes are toxic, and methanol absorbed through the skin is toxic.  How toxic?  If you're cooking out doors, I don't think fumes will be too bad if you're observant of wind direction and position yourself accordingly.   I don't have a way to state a safe limit for skin absorption, but handling with care should be enough.  It's not like you hear about a lot of through hikers on the Appalachian Trail (AT), where yellow HEET is easy to get and very popular, getting stricken with methanol poisoning.   Methanol has a higher vapor pressure than ethanol and works better than ethanol in cold weather.  I can't comment a lot on methanol performance in cold weather because I typically bring a gas or liquid petroleum fueled stove for cold weather.  Conversely, methanol can have "runaway thermal feedback" in hotter weather.  "Runaway thermal feedback" basically occurs when the alcohol gets so hot that it boils really violently and doesn't burn efficiently.  Adding water (see remarks above) can help calm down a burn so that the alcohol can burn more cleanly.

Yellow HEET is methanol.

Red HEET (Iso-HEET) is Isopropanol

LAST choice is isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol).  Isopropanol is easy to find at most any drug store (typically called rubbing alcohol), but it's usually a sooty mess to burn.  Even though Isopropanol has the highest heat content per gram*, it is really not suitable as a stove fuel because it's such a mess to burn.  Isopropanol is toxic in terms of both fumes and in skin absorption.   Red HEET (i.e. Iso-HEET) is isopropanol. Not recommended.

With any alcohol fuel, your flame velocity is going to be fairly low (think candle as opposed to blow torch).  Therefore, an effective wind screen is really essential for an alcohol stove.

SUMMARY
The best choices for fuel for an alcohol stove are:
1.  Lab grade absolute ethanol (200 proof) or high proof liquor (190 proof).  High heat content per gram (relative to methanol), relatively clean burning, and generally non toxic, but check the MSDS on lab grade absolute ethanol which may contain benzene which is toxic.  A good choice for warmer weather.
2.  "Green" denatured alcohol in the US or methylated spirits (ethanol with methanol used as a denaturing agent) outside the US.  Methylated spirits is often called "meths" or "metho".  Good heat content, relatively clean burning, fairly non-toxic depending on the amount and type of the denaturing agent.  In the US, always check the MSDS.  A good choice for warmer weather.
3.  Methanol, for example yellow HEET.  Decent heat content, very clean burning, but definitely toxic in terms of fumes and skin absorption.  Reasonably safe if used with care.  A good choice for colder weather.
4.  You can use Isopropanol, for example red HEET (Iso-HEET), but it is not really suitable as a stove fuel because it's generally a sooty mess when it burns.  Highest heat content, but dirty burning, and definitely toxic.  Not recommended.

Finally:   Drinking anything not intended for human is pretty much a bad idea, but if you're going to do such a thing, always check the MSDS before you drink anything not intended for human consumption.

HJ

*Heat Content of Alcohols
Fuel          MJ/kg     MJ/l 
Methanol      19.930    15.78
Ethanol       28.865    22.77
Isopropanol   30.447    23.93

Related posts and articles:

• Getting Started with Alcohol
• DIY Alcohol Stoves -- Basic Design Considerations
• Cold Weather Tips for Alcohol Stoves
• Is Ethanol Worth It?
  
• Caldera Cone Alcohol Stove Review (on Seattle Backpackers Magazine)
• Caldera Cone Review Supplement -- Additional Photos and Technical Appendix with Weights
• The Clikstand Alcohol Stove System Review
• Caldera Cone vs. Clikstand Alcohol Stove Tests
• Trangia 27 Alcohol Stove System Review
• The Caldera Cone's 12-10 Burner
• The Trangia Alcohol Burner
• What's the Best Alcohol for Stove Fuel?
• What Is Meths?  (And how is that different than Methanol?)
• Going "Green" with Stoves:  Alcohol and Biodiesel

Read More