Etowah Outfitters Etowah Alcohol Stove Review

"I tested out the new Etowah Alcohol Stove and it worked very well for me. The design on this is pretty unique from most alcohol stoves that I have seen. Fired right up and worked very well. The windscreen/pot stand/stove combo works very well together and boiled water in about 6 minutes. I'll be definately taking it along for more trips."

"After many trials (12 to be exact)using different alcohol brands, windscreens, etc., this stove failed to boil water in accordance with manufacturer specs. As a matter of fact, it never boiled water! No matter how much fuel I used, bubbles never broke the surface in my pot. I tried aluminum and titanium pots with the same results. Testing was done in 80 degree windless conditions. I was lucky to get 8 minutes of burn time using the entire manufacturer supplied fuel bottle. Additionally, my sample had a very wobbly, unstable pot support. I am thankful I tested this beast at home before taking it on the trail. I have personally built and used about 15 homemade alcohol stoves of varying design, and my 25 cent soda can stoves will run rings around this one!! I sent my ETOWAH stove back for a refund. Do yourself a favor and buy a six pack of Pepsi, then use the empty cans to build 3 stoves!!"

"I purchased this stove for a week long AT hike. This stove has performed very well. The cotton padding inside the small burner slows the alcohol burn and I was able to cook my Lipton dinner using less alcohol than with my Trangia Westwind.The stove is very light and the windscreen worked well for me. I used an Antigravity Gear 3 cup aluminum pot(about the size of the MSR Titan Kettle)the stove with the windscreen and pot supports, all stored in the supplied stuff sack, fit inside the pot. I would highly recommend this stove."

"I love my Etowah stove. Its quiet and I find the boil times entirely adequate. The thing I like best is that once you reach a boil the stove has just enough output to keep a simmer. I've found that it is almost self limiting. With a little experience you can adjust the fuel level to completely cook your meal or perk your coffee without attention. Of course, I only use my Etowah in mild weather and would never think of trying winter camping with it."

"I just got my stove today and ran several tests with it. I found it to boil water even faster the the maufacturer's specs. Can't wait to take it on my next trip. I can only conclude that the tester who could not boil water with his stove might have been using isopropyl alcohol, which almost never works in any alcohols stove. I tested with denatured alcohol. I bet methanol would produce even better results."

"I used mine on the AT 02 for 1000 miles twice a day and it never failed. I used denatured and heet. Heet works the best but cost more. Great stove will use for my 05 AT trip with out question!

c."

"Follow-up to my 9/08/03 review.
I ran trials with several brands of denatured alcohol and HEET. I DID NOT use Isopropyl. The stove failed to boil water at all. I live near sea-level with temps. in the 80's. Additionally, the pot stand was very poorly made and wobbly at best. I consider myself fairly experienced with alcohol stoves. I have built about 15 soda can stoves and own 2 Trangias, 2 Brass-lites and a new Vargo stove. I am proficient with all of these and can honestly say the ETOWAH was the worst of the lot! Maybe I got a bad sample, but it just would not work."

"This stove was a revelation. I did ME -> WV in '03, and got fed up with my MSR white gas stove quickly, but spent a few weeks asking all of the Nobos which stoves they used and why, and got this stove without any hesitation. It has not let me down for what it does. The two stage (boil and simmer) design is genius, as is the construction (two candy tins, some duct flashing, and some cotton wadding.) You need to get a feel for how much fuel to use, but that took no time. You also 1. can't use it in the winter; 2. need to be careful not to tip it over. Tipping is easy to avoid if you press it into the ground a bit before use.
I would recommend this to everybody (and have.)"

"Used this stove recently with denatured alcohol from Home Depot, in temperatures ranging from 60 in the evening, to 35 in the morning. It worked fantastic in either temperature. Great product"

"This stove was sweet. I used it for about a month on the AT, and it never clogged. It does take a little getting used to how much fuel to use, but once you figure it out, you can get water to boil in no time, and then get the outer ring to cutoff, and use the inner for simmer. I have also built many alcohol stoves and this stove was far better then even the best I built."