FeatherFire
I bought a Packafeather FeatherFire alcohol stove last year, and my recent trip out into the woods was my first chance to try it out. The first time I tried to light it was a fiasco. I’m used to my homemade pop can stove where I simply stick my lighter inside and poof! My stove is lit. The FeatherFire is not so easy. I tried my lighter. Couldn’t get it inside the stove. I tried lighting a stick on fire. The flame went out before I could get it anywhere near the alcohol. I tried matches. Same thing.
I don’t know how, but I managed to get it lit. I also managed to spill alcohol all over the stove, and in the little space between the inner and outer wall of the stove where there isn’t supposed to be fuel. All the spilled fuel lit as well. This is how shelters burn down. Luckily, I didn’t burn down the Windsor Furnace Shelter. There’s a cute little snuffer cap that you use to put out the flame. Being slightly stupid, I put the cap on, lifted it up, and the flame was still burning. Puzzled, I had the bright idea to try to blow the flame out. A blast of heat washed over my face and singed my right eyebrow. Eventually I realized I need to leave the snuffer cap on the stove until the flame went out. I’m not very quick sometimes!
The next time I went to use my stove I tried dipping a stick in the alcohol first, then lighting it. That did the trick! I was able to light the stove on the first try! I also learned that opening the air vent on the stove all the way helps as well. All in all, I really like the FeatherFire. I don’t really know if it uses more, less or the same amount of fuel as my homemade stove, but I do really like how I can adjust the flame. I was able to get my water boiling, add my mac and cheese (not from a box, my own concoction), and let it simmer for a few minutes until it was ready. With my old stove it was a nonstop rapid boil once it got going, and I usually ended up burning some of my dinner on the bottom of my pot. If you’re looking for a lightweight alcohol stove with an adjustable flame, I highly recommend the FeatherFire!
