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I have been testing and reviewing many, many different types of backpacking stoves and I have finally came up with an ideal solution for some of my problems. The majority of stoves that I have made used alcohol as fuel and I realized on my last outing that the alcohol would not cooperate with me at higher altitudes. This stove/cup Esbit combo is made from 2 16oz aluminum
budweiser bottles and is really easy to make. I started with the cup portion which is just the Budweiser bottle with most of the top neck cut off and sanded down really good to avoid cutting your mouth while drinking. The next step is to cut the bottom portion off of the 2nd bottle for your stove. I drilled several 1/4″ holes to allow for proper air flow near the bottom of the aluminum bottle and cut 3 rectangle areas from the top of the cut off portion of the bottle. My first attempts with this set up did not function as well because I had less holes and less air flow.One of the reasons why I like this set up is because the cup portion is a perfect 16oz container and that is generally the amount of water need to make most 2 person meals.If done properly the cup should sit perfectly into the top of the stove portion and should leave a bit of space for air flow from the rectangle cut outs at the top of the stove. I also love this set up because it takes exactly 1 Esbit fuel cell to boil 2 cups of water, so I figure if you are alone and only need 1 cup of water for your meals then you should be able to get 2 uses out of one Esbit cube.I have also taken a piece from a 24oz budweiser can to form a wind shield that rolls up and fits nicely inside the cup. One of the things I need to complete on this project is a handle for the cup because the aluminum heats up just as hot as the boiling water. I would also like to fashion some sort of cork or lid to keep all your contents inside. I figure this unit can hold 6 Esbit cubes and 6 single serving meals (soups, mac & cheese, etc.) inside and should weigh no more than 1 pound. I will be testing out the full capacity of this unit, but it should be ideal for a weekend backpacking trip and not take up a bunch of space and add a bunch of weight to your pack. Its simple to make, looks good and will take care of your feasting needs. A huge bonus to this set up is that you have to buy a 4 pack of the aluminum bottles, you get to pound down 2 of them to have your materials and drink the other 2 while making your Esbit stove / cup combo. Have fun and happy creating, if you need any additional details just leave me a comment.