hexamine or gel fuel stove?

Question

just wondering which is better a hexamine stove or a gel fuel stove

Answer 1

Gel fuel burns longer and can be easily extinguished, capped-off and reused. Hexamine melts into a sticky goo and is hard to save any unused portion, and also hard to clean the residue off your stove and pot. A full-size can of Sterno will boil about 10 liters of water or 7 liters of snow, while one Esbit tablet will make one liter of boiling water or one liter of steaming (but not boiling) snow melt. When you add-up the bulk and weight of the several hexamine tablets needed to equal one can of gel fuel, I think gel fuel wins by a good margin. Also, in an emergency, you could get away with burning gel fuel inside a tent (adequate ventilation and safety measures required) but not a hexamine fuel.



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Gel fuel is simply denatured alcohol with additives to make it a gel, so the total BTU output will be similar to alcohol stoves such as Trangia, Pepsi-can, Cat-can and other designs. The difference between any of these stoves is how quickly they work, which (due to the fixed BTU potential in alcohol) inversely determines the total run time, (e.g., faster boil time = shorter run time). With any small stove, a wind screen is an essential accessory for good performance.

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A JetBoil stove/pot is also a great setup, and is the quickest way to boil water. Unfortunately, I have found it unusable below about 15*F, even with pre-heated fuel canisters, so I question the claims about fantastic sub-zero performance. Also, the JetBoil setup runs very hot and is touchy to adjust, making it a challenge to simmer things like rice, beans and pasta without boil-overs.

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Answer 2

That is a very interesting question. I have used both. I think the gel fuel is easy to use and may be hotter. My most recent experiments with the hexamine stove (Esbit brand) has been that it works, but out in the cold with any breeze at all it is quite impossible to get a pint of water to boiling. It has been a while since I used a gel fuel stove (Sterno brand), but as I recall they brought water to a rolling boil. That is why I think they are hotter. A wind screen (like aluminum foil for example) is needed there too of course. Good luck. Because they are inexpensive, you might try both of them before you take one or the other on a long trip. I'd be interested to know which you preferred. I think fuel weight would be similar, BTW.

Answer 3

Hexamine Stove

Answer 4

If I had the choice of the 2 I would go for Hex,solid fuel is easier to use than the gel. Both stoves have a short burning time so ease of use is the important thing here, as opposed to Gas, liquid fuel or spirit stoves which have a longer burning time but are mor complicated to set up

Answer 5

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Answer 6

During a sub-zero winter camping trip, I compared the heating ability of a JetBoil propane stove to a Sterno can in a metal stove shell. The JetBoil had water ready for use in food preparation in less than fifteen minutes, while the Sterno took about twice as long. I am not too fussy about dropping ounces off my backpack, but I like having hot water fast and reliably when the temperature drops below zero.

Answer 7

i think you should go for gel fuel stove.

Answer 8

hexamine, however I would not use either, still better options available.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_can_stove