>>2638836if you live in north america and get into backpacking you'll find that owning a canister style stove is mandatory because alcohol stoves get banned anywhere that's a forest fire risk. some regions of the country its not as big of a deal.
that being said if alcohol stoves are fine to use where you're doing your first few trips, make or buy one. commercial ones are $10-20 and you can diy one for even less. look up supercat for a good all around water boiler diy design i like. make sure you use a spill proof design, they're slightly more expensive and less efficient but spilling your last bit of fuel in the woods is even worse, even if its not on fire yet. the other newfag thing nobody will tell you is you REALLY want a tight sealing container with an O-ring seal for your alcohol. it leaks easier than water from vessels.
if you do decide to use an alcohol stove where its illegal don't be a retard. take a few precautions and you won't be a forest fire risk. the reason they get banned is because your average person is too retarded to do this:
dig a hole and an oxygen vent for the stove
cook in hole (bonus: your campsite is much more stealth this way too)
keep pile of dirt you dug out right next to stove to smother out any accidental fires
i have hundreds of dollars of camping cookwear and most of the time i just bring: cat food can stove, $8 stanco grease pot from wal mart, pot stand made out of a wire coat hanger, and a little vapor barrier plate made of aluminum flashing. its my cheapest and also most ultralight setup. $30 tops for the whole thing.
