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The Red Nozzle Ultralight Alcohol Backpacking Stove


A Super Efficient, Continuous Feed, Compact Alcohol Burner

I designed the Red Nozzle Stove for my wife and I for a trans-Alps Backpacking trip (well, actually Vol Bivouac trip) that we are planning for the summer of 2011. What we needed was a light, fast, very efficient alcohol stove that would work with our Snow Peak Trek 900 Ti Pots. I have built many cat food and soda can type stoves in the past but, as I started to research designs this time around I fell in love with the idea of a continuous feed compact alcohol burner. After a bit of tinkering the Red Nozzle Stove was born.

When I sourced the materials for the stove I quickly realized they were sold in quantities larger than what I needed for my own use. So, I decided that I would use the extra materials to make a few more stoves and throw them up on Ebay!

Red Nozzle Stove Features:

  • Great Looking – Anodized red nozzles on the stove and fuel bottle! Stove body is constructed from brushed metal screw top tins that are very durable. This stove will not crush easily!
  • Super Efficient – ~0.5oz of alcohol to bring 500ml (2 cups+) of water to a rolling boil. The burner also seals to save unburned fuel between uses.
  • Fast – About 7 minutes to bring 500ml (2+ cups) of water to a rolling boil.
  • Light – The whole kit (stove, hose, simmer ring, wind screen/pot stand and fuel bottle) weighs only 4.8oz.
  • Dual Purpose Windscreen/Pot Stand – The wind screen/pot stand works with pots with a 5″ or larger diameter and can stow inside a pot that is 4″ or taller. The wind screen/pot stand is made from thick (0.012″) aluminum sheet and is quite durable. The wind screen/pot stand will not crease or crush easily.
  • Self Contained Design – all the stove parts stow inside the stove base.
  • Continuous Alcohol Feed – You can keep the stove running for as long as you have fuel in your bottle. No letting the stove cool then relighting and priming etc. between fuelings.
  • Complete Package – Everything you need (except for a pot) is included so you can go backpacking with this stove right away.


Every ultralight backpacker is concerned with weight. We believe that the Red Nozzle Stove is one of the best overall bangs for the ounce when you factor in its fuel efficiency and versatility. Here’s how the weights break down:

  • Stove w/ simmer ring – 1.8 oz.
  • 18″ high temperature silicon hose (can be shortened to save even more weight) – 0.5 oz.
  • Wind Screen/Pot Stand – 1.1 oz.
  • Fuel Bottle – 1.4 oz.

Total Weight – 4.8 oz.

See for yourself! Here are few videos that will show you what the Red Nozzle Stove is all about, how to use it as well as a burn test so that you can see the stove in action.

A Tour of the Red Nozzle Stove Kit

Red Nozzle Stove Burn Test – Boils 500ml (2+ cups) of Water in Less Than 7 Minutes

How to Use the Simmer Ring on the Red Nozzle Stove


Truth in Advertising:
The Red Nozzle Stove is a hand made product. I have used the best craftsmanship that my skills and tools allow but it is important to note that it is still hand made. There are some some slight irregularities in the top of the wind screen/pot stand as it was hand cut. Likewise, there are some slight irregularities in the simmer ring hole pattern as the holes were drilled using a manual drill press. That said, the Red Nozzle stove is very nice looking, highly functional and durable (much more so then any cat food or soda can stove I’ve made). It is sure to be a favorite stove of a long time.