>>1961949>solid fuel tabsTab stoves are awful. They stink, they leave a sticky burnt residue all over everything and the heat output is absolutely bottom tier. Sterno cans are a better option. They still don't have great heat output but they'll burn for hours, don't make a mess and can be had as cheap as $3-$4 per can if you buy a bulk package (hint: restaurant supply stores).
Liquid fuels are really the way to go, though. Especially multi-fuel stoves like the MSR Whisperlite International or the Coleman Sportster 533. Either of those stove can be had for $100 or less and will literally last decades. When I was working as an /out/fitter I knew several oldfags that were rocking the same Whisperlites they had bought in the 80s.
The Coleman Sporsters are bigger and bulkier but they're absolute tanks and have been used everywhere from the Amazon to the Arctic.
