Canadian Backpacking and Hiking activity has decreased while we Canadians take on other endeavours for the winter. I have been working on a hobo stove a little. I really like the backpacker stove made out of a coke can and while that stove works well for heating up a few cups of water from 15 or 20 ml of rubbing alchohol, I think I will use my most recent wood burning stove made from an empty can of cream corn the most.
I may have some pics and instructions up soon but until then, check out the links that describe both types here;
http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/pennywood.html
http://zenstoves.net/LinksGeneral-DIY.htm
The alcohol stove looks very simple but to get a unit that works really well it will take a few tries. My son has actually perfected and done all the hard work for me but even after he told me what worked well I still found it difficult to get the unit to go together without any kinks.
I like the alcohol coke can stove because it heats up a few cups of water in less than 10 minutes and you can use it when there is now wood fuel available. A nice bonus is that I always like to have some rubbing alcohol in my backpack for mosquito and spider bites (works wonders) so I do not have to add extra weight to my pack when adding fuel for short term heat/cooking source.
The reason I like the wood burning hobo stove better is because it is simple to build (my first try worked very well) and where I hike there is always wood available to use for fuel. My favourite benefit to the wood stove made out of a can is that after I am done my cooking I can position the stove anywhere near the opening of my shelter and use the heat for warmth.
With my Search And Rescue and other commitments, I haven’t been able to get all of my hiking stories, pictures and info. uploaded to www.tracksandtrails.ca yet but I had a couple of new links to more hiking video alive.
Edmonton Hiking Trails and Camping
Calgary Hiking Trails and Camping