Sterno

[Bearman202]

I was sitting around, thinking of ways to boil water, cook food, etc. and realized that they make little heaters that come in a can. The stuff is called Sterno, and comes in 7 oz cans. When lit, they burn for over 2 hours, and can be put out and re-used. After reading up on them, I looked and Wally World has them for camping for $3.88 for two of them, before the government's cut (taxes). That seemed high, so I looked around and found a restaurant supply place that sells a generic brand. They come in a case of 72 for $46. Considerably cheaper. This stuff is basically jellied alchohol, so it burns clean. It's the same stuff they use under the fondue pots to keep the cheese melted. You can buy a small folding stove for them on Amazon. I thought of using them as a heater in a vehicle if I were stranded, but they do give off some fumes, so I would crack a window before using it. I could see a couple of them in a BOB with the stove for eating on the run.

[Spock]

when i was a kid in scouts I had a sterno stove , infact i have one laying around here somewhere as a matter of fact. in my opinion sterno sucks. all its really good for is heating up food NOT cooking it. its hard to get it to boild water as its bTU output is low. if you are looking for something compact lightweight and that works good look at an alchol stove instead. just google it and you'll see what I am talking about.

[monkeybird]

I used a sterno stove during hurricane Ivan when the panhandle lost power for a while. It works great. It does take longer to cook food, but the flavor of the bacon I cooked was wonderful. I have stored a lot of the stuff. I also carry a sterno stove and sterno fuel in my car BOB. It's cheap, safe and easy to use.

[Klayton]

I would not recommend using it to heat "you" in a stranded vehicle, even if you crack the window.

May I suggest the old fashioned hand warmers for your car survival pack? :)



Still would suggest cracking the window, but these bad boys can placed on between your shirt and your coat, keeping your tummy (body core) very warm...

[jackburton]

I think Sgl21-61 is right on the money here. If you are looking for a lightweight and inexpensive stove an alcohol stove may be better then sterno. Not only could you pick up a stove for cheap if you have a some free time you can make your own out of soda can. The alcohol burns hotter then sterno and is about as cheap. When I was checking around REI it was around $8-10 for 32oz last time I looked. If you look into the alcohol stoves route I