Comments on: Stove built from beer can. Hobos rejoice.

By: Nintendo Guy

Nintendo Guy — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:11:57 +0000

This is very cool, I’m gonna try this.

By: skyeagle

skyeagle — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:20:47 +0000

I’d like to see how this hack would scale up to larger cans and other fuels.

I’m also an eagle scout. devoured scout books, and third party books on backpacking, survival, woodcraft. Taught the stuff. Took survival training, read survival manuals of US Air force, SAS, etc. Had to actually use the stuff in training, Never saw this in any of them. might be there, sure don’t remember seeing it.

Since this was so common, maybe someone can scan the pages, plenty of old manuals around. I’d sure like to see how they used to do it.

Does a hack stop being a hack because its well known by some people?

The fact it doesn’t work in extreme situations does not diminish its value. Survival techniques that are useful in the desert, may not be useful in mountains either. Should I therefor not learn them?

I’m guessing some of the commenters have never been close to any situation where this or its concepts would be useful. Be thankful.

Old or not, its still new to many of us. Or is the rule that once its been published somewhere, somewhen, it can never be published again?

By: SilentBob

SilentBob — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:56:25 +0000

“Hobos rejoice”
Yeah, sure.
Just start up your eee. (’cause hobos travel light.)
And go to http://www.hackahobo.com

lol

By: nope

nope — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:03:23 +0000

@AlmostThere no this is really good information before a catastrophe. as you will still need a lot of alcohol. better just to have propane, as i do. a twig stove is even better, though i have not seen any decent plans for smaller ones yet, aside from the ‘commercial’ ones which are awesome.

By: AlmostThere

AlmostThere — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:49:36 +0000

To all those who complain about this hack…

This is really good information to know after a catrastophy (hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, snowstorm…) just hope you never need it.

By: vonskippy

vonskippy — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:43:14 +0000

Because even my wife can come up with more creative crafts then stuff like this, I’d perfer to see more TECH ONLY hacks and leave the quilting articles to the Ladies Magazines.

By: zorro

zorro — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:27:01 +0000

Even though I had seen this before I personally would like to see more non electronic non-computing hacks like this.

By: tjhooker

tjhooker — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:39:43 +0000

I’m sure hobos will open their laptops and use their credit cards to go to that site and have a prefabricated one shipped to them.

“this is trash with holes”

That’s kind of the point of this site and this article. To innovate and adapt instead of spend and ignore like the common hurd. Go sale your stuff elsewhere.

By: stinkymonkey

stinkymonkey — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:07:42 +0000

@ luke
Ah yes someone had to site “Tinny” in anything involving an ultra light stove. For those who don’t know youtube Tinny and ultra light stoves or check lukes link. Tinny makes custom stoves and has drilled it down to a science, you can buy his stoves too and they will last forever I think I would accidentally crush this stove in my pack.

By: luke

luke — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:24:33 +0000

this is trash with holes –

minibulldesigns.com-
leader in ultralight alcohol stoves
done

By: AlmostThere

AlmostThere — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:51:04 +0000

I built the “Cat Can” stove from ZenStoves for backpacking, and it’s still in use several years later.

By: medix

medix — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:12:44 +0000

I believe this *used* to be in the good ‘ol Field Guide before they stopped printing the ‘good’ version (along with countless other excellent info that was considered irrelevant / outdated / unsafe).

This may be cheap, but is not reliable, particularly in high-altitude and cold weather conditions. Try to use this for some serious mountaineering and let me know if you come back alive. And YES, this is old news (it’s been done a million times) If you can’t find this in the scout manual, then perhaps you should go back about 15 (maybe 20) years and find an original edition before they started to edit the hell out of it. (THOSE were the days.. )

“But seriously it’s a little too generic, and the operators from what I’ve seen are pricks with power tools.”

@tjhooker: And I thought I was the only one who felt that way! ;)

By: Rat

Rat — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:30:37 +0000

“I”m also an Eagle Scout, and this is the first time I’ve seen this as well.

Posted at 4:40 pm on Oct 11th, 2009 by tripp”

Boy Scout myself. Never saw this in the books or was taught to do it on my camping trips. They had us build a camp fire the old fashioned way: straw, twigs, branches and logs with one match. No stoves or portable burners were allowed for cooking our foods.

By: tjhooker

tjhooker — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:25:25 +0000

I don’t go to makezine. I’ve seen interesting stuff there over the years but generally I think of it as the sears robuck of the thick framed glasses movement.

I get to see the more gritty stuff here, like hobo/survival hacks, A5 reversing, RFID crypto, lock hacks etc.. If I want to see how to wire an LED array into a abrocrombe&fitch jock strap, or add bluetooth to a hello kitty vibrator I’d go to makezine and hear about it from suburban bob and his test bench gimp.

But seriously it’s a little too generic, and the operators from what I’ve seen are pricks with power tools.

By: tobot

tobot — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:07:52 +0000

we can’t all be uber leet makezine poster boys, this is a simple hack and i will take some enjoyment and satisfaction from building one , so hackaday ftw , mission completed