Alcohol Stove

 

What is Zen?  It is a word that has many different meanings.  The word Zen is a Japanese (禪) word and concept derived from the Chinese Chán (禪) which originates from the Sanskrit dhyāna (ध्यान) meaning meditation.  Zen religion is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism that focuses primarily on meditation in pursuit of enlightenment based on Buddha's teachings with influence from Taoist and Confucius teachings.  Yet, beyond Buddhism, Zen has an openness that transcends all religions and non secular beliefs and allows all that seek truth a path and means to the mystical transformation of consciousness.  And with this, the concept of Zen goes far beyond its original sacred teachings, and is now commonly used to describe many of the metaphysical concepts in the Western world.  It is the epiphany of serendipity, the feeling of euphoria while surrounded by the magnificence of nature, and the bliss of finding inner peace that arises from seeking Zen.

Many backpackers are in fact Zen Seekers.  Even though they may not be able to explain or be aware of why they venture out into the outdoors, many are doing so to experience an inner peace that comes from being connected with nature.  And with stoves, Zen may be present with a simple system that heats our meals and drink without taking away from the unadulterated surroundings that we travel through.

Beverage-can stove

I have tried many different types of stoves over the years since I have been backpacking and camping. I have tried just about any type of stove I can think of. My preferred stove is the alcohol stove I made out of Heineken beer cans.

I have made several other types of stoves from soda cans and have not been as satisfied as I am with the Penny Stove. The Penny Stove can actually be used as a multi-fuel stove by flipping it over, putting a piece of screen in the bottom and using an esbit, or fire starter.

The Best Camping Stove

There are several important questions to consider before buying. In a nutshell, you will want to start by considering whether a car camping stove (like the ones in this review) or a backpacking stove will better suit your needs. You should also think about how many people you typically need to cook for, how often you camp, and what the conditions of your favorite camping locations are (elevation, wind, etc). Addressing these questions will significantly improve the likelihood of being satisfied with your purchase.

Before diving into our Best-In-Class review, here's some additional information on the scoring criteria we used to evaluate the products in this review. Each criteria was weighted in order to calculate the final score for each product. For example, the most important metric, "Time to Boil," has a weighting of 25 percent, while less important metrics like "Ease of Set-Up" are only weighted 10 percent. Breaking down the metrics in this way helps you decide which categories are most important to you and which product will ultimately best meet your needs. Other metrics we included for this review include simmering, group cooking, ease of care, and packed size.