>>95820>what is good yet not too expensive stove?What do you want to be able to do with it? Do you just need to boil a few cups (.5l) of water in fair seasonal conditions, or do you want to be able to sear/simmer/sautee/fry/bake/boil/heat up in all weather conditions? Do you want your stuff hot fast, or do you make camp with enough time to wait 15 minutes for water to boil?
I strongly recommend either a DIY alcohol stove (costs usually <$1.00, ultra lightweight) or a solid fuel stove (there are diy plans, or you can spend 5-10 for an Esbit or less for a used milsurp). You can make the "fancy feast" stove with a 50-cent cat food can, a hole punch, and about 10 minutes. Burns denatured alcohol or HEET gas-line antifreeze additive.
For a casual-use, commercially-made first backpacking stove, I'd go with an adjustable flame canister stove, like the Pocket Rocket, Snow Peak GigaPower, or a comparable Primus or Optimus model. There you're in the $30-60 dollar range new, setup and use is quick and easy, you've got control of your flame, can use in most conditions, and you don't have to buy any additional accessories (like a fuel bottle). Fuel costs are generally a little bit higher than, say, white gas in the long run, but a small canister will last you a little while and only runs about $5. So again, for casual use and easy, quick setup, fast boil times, flame control, etc. these are good affordable first stoves.
Also: you've got to pack out the canister, and it can be a pain to recycle them, though you can buy a tool for like six bucks to relieve the excess pressure and puncture the can for recycling.
