Fancy Feast Cat Food Can Stove

While a Jetboil stove can boil 2 cups of water in 2 minutes it comes at a cost(and weight). You can use this simple/reliable alternative and spend very little(if anything). The only things you will need to make this stove is a empty cat food can and a hole punch. You probably even know somebody with a cat(or two) that will be happy to donate a can. Who says going lite cost more??

Things To Keep In Mind
I keep the stove, along with a aluminum foil windscreen(a single piece of foil has held up for over 1,200 miles for me) inside my cooking pot to protect it from any impact and lengthen it's life span(I have yet to wear one out).
Since the pot sits directly on top of the stove(no potholder needed) all of the heat will be produced from the hole punches along the side of the stove(and not the bottom). It is important that your pot is wide enough to take advantage of this side burn. My pot is 5.75" in diameter, and the cat food can around is 2.5" in diameter. Keep this in mind while deciding on a pot and can to use for your cooking system.
Denatured alcohol can also break down plastic, so be careful with whatever container you are carrying your fuel in. I still use a empty water bottle, but switch it out with each trip. The longest I have carried one bottle is 2 months, and it was still fine.

Where To Find The Fuel
I have had no problem finding fuel at any trail towns be sure to check hardware stores, walmart and other general stores(it may be in the paint section). You may be able to find some stores that sell it by the ounce.

Note: I did not include fuel container for either weigh-in.

Closing Comments
I love the convenience of my Jetboil, but after trying this cat food can stove system for one week, I never went back. As with any new piece of gear, it is important to test it and learn any quarks before heading out into the backcountry. Pay attention to how much fuel you use to boil water and how long it takes(this will change with temperature and altitude).

Make Your Own
Andrew Skurka made a nice video describing  how to make your own, just follow this link.