Supercat: best backpacking alcohol stove design out there!
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Over the course of my outdoor adventures, I have found the alcohol camp stove to be an invaluable piece of equipment. This stove creates a small high temperature flame that quickly boils water. The stove's flame is quiet, smokeless, odorless, and nearly invisible during daytime. These attributes makes it ideal for preparing hot meals and drinks when outdoors. After experimenting with several alcohol stove designs, I believe that the supercat stove, shown here, is currently the best design out there.
To build a supercat stove you first need to find a standard cat food can. Now the Supercat is incredibly simple to construct. Now the can comes with a relatively sharp lip. So using a pair of pliers, I first crimped down the edge of the lip. Next, I took a quarter inch paper hole punch, and I punched in 16 evenly spaced holes directly below the rim of the can. These holes serve as the primary flame ports of the stove. Finally I punched in another 15 evenly spaced holes directly below the first ring of flame ports. This secondary set of flame ports serves as guide rail between the fuel and the primary flame ports. The completely product took less than 5 minutes to construct.
The supercat can hold up to 2 fluid ozs of fuel. I prefer to use denatured alcohol. After lighting, the stove usually takes about 20 seconds to prime. After which the cooking container can be placed onto it. 2 ounces of alchohol fuel produces a burn time of approximately 16 minutes.
Now the super cat stove design has several inherent advantages over many other alcohol stove designs:
1. First of all, it is the cheapest stove design out there. A cat food can retails for around 50 cents, but such cans are commonly found for free in recycling bins everywhere.
2. The rim of the super cat is made out of thick aluminum. It is strong enough, and stable enough to serve as a stand for most cooking containers.Thus eliminating the need for a separate stand.
2. At just 1 quarter of an ounce in weight, it is the lightest alcohol stove out there.
3. Unlike other stove designs, the supercat is made from a single unibody piece of aluminum, thus there are no internal containers, adhesives, insulative materials, or o-rings, moving parts that can fail and cause a fuel leak. The sheer simplicity of this design makes it extremely rugged.
4. Now the flame ports, at a quarter inches in diameter, produces a stable, low pressure flame. Unlike higher pressure stove designs, the chances of a supercat exploding is effectively zero. Moreover, this design's loose tolerance allows it to prime itself quickly in a wide range of environmental contains.
Now when boiling water with the supercat, one trick that I use is to surround the stove with a sheet of tin foil. The tin foil serves as both a windbreak as well as a radiator. It absorbs the thermal energy of the flames and reflects it into the cooking container. With such a windscreen in place, it takes approximately 5 minutes and 30 seconds to boil 2 cups of water.
The supercat stove is cheap, simple, and rugged, making it my favorite camp stove so far. Anyway, thanks so much for watching, if you want to see more, please like, share, and subscribe to my channel. See you laters.
I’ve made two of these years ago and I’m now using one making pour-over coffee every morning with only half an once of HEET in the yellow bottle as fuel and a lighter. I got rolling boil of water in 5 minutes flat and I’m already enjoying my coffee 2 minutes later. The one thing I love about this DIY cat can stove!? Is that it only cost $.50 cents to make, no moving parts and nothing to explode
unlike isobutane LPG and white gas stoves that could and trust me when I tell you: that this is the last thing you need happening to you when you’re already cold hungry & tired after an all day long hike! The cat can stove I’ve made has YET to fail me and I blow at it after it runs out of fuel and it gets cool to the touch after 7X’s blowing at it and it’s already cool to the touch.
Thanks for watching! These little stoves are quite efficient.
I've been using one of these for over 10 years. Made the windscreen out of a disposable cookie sheet. The foil in those is thicker than regular foil so it's more durable. Cut a few air vents in the bottom. Works great.
Yep it works well
Judging from all the alcohol stoves on the market and varieties that can be made at home. Best might be an over statement but I would agree with most popular alcohol stove. All of the alcohol stoves I have are quiet , smokeless with an invisible flame in the daylight but they do have an odor when I use Denatured Alcohol. The impurities in the denatured alcohol have a distinct odor when they burn. I can eliminate that odor by using a food grade alcohol like 190 proof Everclear. A side benefit to the Everclear is when 1/4 of it is added to 3/4 of water and a lemon aid mix it makes a pretty nice evening drink by the campfire. If the local liquor store does not have Everclear then 153 proof Diesel ( food grade alcohol ) can be used in the stoves.
Thanks for the tip!
151 rum works too
There are other designs that use fuel much more efficiently and also boil water a little more quickly. But this design is definitely effective, simple and cheap. Nicely done.
Thanks for watching! I've definitely seen other more fuel efficient designs.
.. I meant to say what someone else a few comments down. This is the best video that I have seen on this cat food can stove design.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice video. Thanks. You did a great job teaching how to make one as well as explained the benefits of this stove. It is still my favorite design. I have use this stove design 14 years now for international business travel to make espresso in my four serving Bialetti stainless steel espresso pot. It takes just a few minutes to make espresso on this stove.
Awesome, thank you!
Best video I've seen on this stove design.
Glad you liked it!
I want to make semi-mre bags with dehydrated food and need to hydrate with preferably hot water. I wanted something cheap and I’d put in a leakproof bottle of fuel in these bags. I have my pots to reheat but when I give any of these bags away then hopefully the receiver can find an empty food can to heat water in to process the dried foods. Thank you for your clear explanation!
Thanks for watching!
another can source is in the tuna/chicken salad&crackers snack pack.
using a safer can opener to remove the lip works good and leaves a nice, clean rim.
Very true! Thanks for watching!
I also have that Stanley cup, however its narrow diameter means the flames climb the sides and aren't as efficient. Not a huge deal but I use a slightly wider pot that receives the flames more fully across the bottom. Works very well and is a little more stable and safer.
Thanks for watching! You're right about the narrow body of the stanley cup being less efficient. I have actually switched over to an MSR seagull type pot. It heats water to boil significantly faster than the Stanley cup for the same amount of fuel.
I have been using a Supercat for over 10 years. Wider pot is key to making the most of the ever spreading flame. Evernew 1.3 liter titanium pot for me. Weight of larger pots are minimally heavier than smaller pots by same manufacturer. You have the ability to cook larger meals, spill less when stirring, and can use pot to fetch water.
I have a metal cup and a catfood can stove in my get home bag. :) I filled one of those mio bottles with heet. Im planning to add a second one when I get another empty mio bottle.
That is awesome!
I didn't have a hole punch so I wrapped utility mesh around a can. Altogether the fuel is easy to carry and the stove fits inside a camping pot.
Thanks for watching!
Great video! Just found your channel. You missed punching a hole in your top row. Liked and subscribed
Thanks for watching!
Ótimo vídeo Parabéns muito bom isso 👍
Thanks!
Can this be made with pop cans some how? I would also like to know if you can put in carbon felt or insulation in order to prevent a spill spreading fire ? Will it still work fine?
Thanks for watching! I have never tried with pop cans.
I just opened my cook kit today and found 3 of the 4 ounces of alcohol had leaked out. Cheap "Equate" clear bottles failed. Need to find a better portable container for 4 ounces (4 meals).
Thanks for watching. One trick that I use is to put the fuel bottle inside of a lockable cooking container like the Stanley cup shown in this video, that way the fuel is protected from leakage.
I've found that containers for drinkable alcoholic beverages aren't that likely to leak on you. If you cut the bottom out of the smaller containers with around 50 ml of volume, you get a funnel for containers that are roughly three times that size. These containers can be found in most gas station stores where I live, or can be found on the side of the road where people like to litter. Hope this helps you and anyone else looking for better fuel bottles.
Amazing. I especial have learned something new with the hole puncher idea. Thanks.Question??? Do you think we could use Isoprophy alchohol as fuel for this or vegetable oil? If I was to put corrogated cardboarsd and burned candle wax in this would be a buddy stove?. I would have to forget the holes on the side though. Thanks for the video.
I only use alcohol fuel, I've never tried using vegetable oil as a cooking fuel.
@@WannabeBushcrafter Thank you...
Mine builds up pressure which cause flame explosions, which put the fire out once they are large enough. Don't know what I did wrong. I use bioethanol.
Thx for watching! Just wondering but are you making big holes or small ones in your supercat? I find that the bigger the holes the lower the pressure.
@@WannabeBushcrafter a little bit smaller than those in the picture. Perhaps 75% of the size.
I wonder if diluting the fuel would help.
Its the only alcohol stove I will use, it boiled 16 ounces water in windy storm no wind break and I used red heet.
Thanks for watching, it really is a great design.
I find the red Heet to produce too much smoke and puts a black carbon layer on your cookware. Does this not bother you?
@@ZenoLee0 yeah it sux but when I had to use it during the power outage it's all I had. Will get some denatured alcohol soon and probably in the meantime yellow heet
Yeah heet works in a pinch and can be found at any gas station. Denatured alcohol burns much cleaner but you need to go to town to get it.
I heard these have trouble in the cold because of the lack of wick such as felt or steel wool. Also these dont work as well if you use a stand for pot and pan stability. Could you do a comparison with a regular cat can? I found I liked my regular cat can better because I can use it in my twig stove for instance without having to have the top pressed down. Also the pot is just so much more stable with a stand.
thanks for watching! I've tried these in cold weather. You need to warm up the fuel first before lighting or else it would have issues. Also what is the difference between the super cat and the regular cat can? On the internet both terms seems to refer to the same design.
@@WannabeBushcrafter The original cat can aka fancy feast design was refined by Hiram Cook. It uses a fancy feast can and a tomato paste can inside of it. It has cotton felt (i use steel wool) wraped around the bottom of the past can. This acts like a wick so you can use it on cold surfaces as well as use it without a pot on top. It works way better than the super cat with just the holes. Look up how to make fancy feast stove. Trust me its better. I made both and did several side by side burns
@@highdesertbiker nice I'll check it out!
👍👍🇧🇷
Thanks for watching!
Hey man, great video! This is Urban stone ages' new channel, I'm gonna make new videos on this channel
Stone Age School thanks for stopping by! I'll check out your new channel!
Wannabe Bushcrafter Thanks man! I had to delete my other content because I was being bullied and harrassed at school, so this channel is going to be a secret one
Stone Age School
Sorry to hear about that. Sometimes you need to ignore the haters and walk your own path. :)
Hi Wannabe Bushcrafter. I saw your video on Facebook group Survival Bushcraft Preppeds Outdoors. Great video. I just subscribed to your channel. I started my own YT channel on bushcraft, survival and preparedness. Question on stove. I know the stove itself doesn't weigh anything. But how much would the fuel weigh? Then if the fuel is gone, is there a way to use pieces of wood or natural material?
Thanks for watching! A 10 fluid oz bottle filled with fuel weighs around 8 oz. Now that should be enough fuel to cook 10 meals, so between 3 to 5 days of usage. After that 5 days, the stove cannot be used to burn wood since the volume is simply too small to have a long enough burn time.
👍👍🇧🇷 Parabéns Ótimo
Thanks for watching!
My problem with the alcohol stove is the sticky residue that remains or drips into my cup during storage. How do you avoid this problem?
Steve Faculak III thanks for watching! So far I simply let the stove completely burn all the alcohol with each run that way there are no fuel residue to leak out.
Lol..zip lock bag...!
Yes, this is the best. I first found it on jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html. I make mine from vienna sausage cans, punch holes w/swiss army knife... I stand the can lid on edge in the bottom for heat transfer. takes longer to eat the sausage than to make the stove!
Thanks for watching! The supercat is still by favorite alcohol stove
do you have to add more fuel to it as it burns
Thx for watching. I like to load it up to capacity and let it burn down all the fuel. Loading it why it's burning could cause an accident.
@Rick Lindsey
*_NO!_* You *_NEVER_* add fuel to a burning alcohol stove. The flames can travel right up the stream to the source bottle, and cause an explosion with corresponding severe burns. If you run out of fuel before your cooking is done, you can easily refill the stove at that time.
Make 2 and have the second one ready to go if needed. Be safe!
Damn, and I thought I was going to learn something I didn’t know :(
Thanks for watching!
Please interview David Blume 'Alcohol is a Gas!' at his official website (sale of machine).
Lol thanks!
Ummm this is just an open can of fuel. No Jets, it's not exactly efficient combustion.
Thanks for watching! The cooking container itself actually blocks the opening and forces the flames through the jets. It's still a low pressure system, so not as fuel efficient as higher pressure designs.
Get caught with one of those in my area during an open flame ban and you'll receive a fine that will make you wish you had purchased about two hundred Trangia stove. There have been so many accidents with cat food can alcohol stoves that I think we've close to adding a new wing on the local hospital just from the pockets of those victims.
I know such stoves are fin to build, and fun to pay with, but they're also incredibly more dangerous that commercial alcohol stoves, and do the job no better at all. I'd understand using them if commercial stoves cost a hundred dollars, but when you can get one for as little as seven or eight dollars, there's no excuse.
And if you should happen to start a forest fire or brush fire while using one of these, there is no defense. You're automatically guilty of negligence, and may be heaving fined, and face a stiff prison sentence, not counting all the restitution and lawsuits you'll face.
As Yogi Bear used to say, it's better to be safe than stupid.
Anyone who can injure themselves on a super cat stove has no business leaving the house.
Get caught with a Trangia stove in some areas, you will have a hefty fine. Avoid stoves like the Trangia and cat food can (same kind of stove, open fuel that can spill) Stoves that have an absorbent material that holds the alcohol and will not let is spill like the zelph stove are far safer. I saw a guy at a shelter with the Trangia bragging it was the best because it holds so much fuel and has a lid. He had about two ounces of fuel in it. Was a windy day, 3 people cooking on the table. A wind gust knocked over a bottle and blew a few stoves all over. That crazy Trangia burner tipped over and spilled fuel and flames all over the table,.. everyone was worried he might burn the shelter down.
@@flashmanv3260 The wind tipped over a trangia? Fuck off with your bullshit, you liar. With fuel in it, it has the center of gravity of a hockey puck. Any wind that tips that over blows down the whole damn shelter first.
@@AlbertaGeek
I _think_ flashmanV said that a bottle blew over, knocking over several stoves. The Trangia was one, and it spilled burning alcohol.
@@xenaguy01 Doesn't matter - there is no fucking way, wind or errant bottle, that a fuel-laden Trangia could get "knocked over". Its center of gravity is far too low to even entertain the possibility. "Flashman V" is simply full of shit.
Copied. So cheap!
Thanks for watching!