Sure, you can run your alcohol stove on methanol; that's what comes in a bottle of HEET. I mean it's cheap and available and all -- but it doesn't have as much heat content as ethanol. In other words, you have to carry more methanol just to do the same amount of cooking.
OK, so I can get more heat from ethanol than methanol, great, but alcohols with high ethanol content tend to be more expensive. Just how much weight can I save? In other words, Is Ethanol Worth It?
Join me on today's Adventure in Stoving as we "do the numbers" on ethanol.
HJ
Is Ethanol Worth It? (for alcohol stoves)
Yeah, it's pretty tough to beat the four-pack deal at Wal-Mart. That was my last fuel purchase too.
SLX denatured from Home Depot is about the same price if you buy by the gallon. A few cents more. Slightly more heat content.
When I costed things out by the gallon, both HEET and SLX came to around $16/gallon with HEET being slightly cheaper. HEET does come in those long necked bottles which some people use out on the trail. I prefer a flip-top squeeze type bottle.
HJ