Jim Wood's
Super Cat Alcohol Stove
(Original 2005
article)
First
published: January 29, 2005
Last page update: November 7, 2008
Note: The newest version of the Super Cat article is available here
Build
instructions
(original version)
Description
The Super Cat alcohol backpacking stove is probably the simplest stove that one can build.
It's made from a single 3 ounce aluminum pet food can that serves as both
the stove and the pot stand. Once you've gathered your materials,
it takes only a few minutes to complete.
It's also one of the hottest burning stoves of its kind. I've found that I can consistently—under ideal, no-wind conditions—bring two cups of water from cool room temperature to a full rolling boil in under 4 minutes (testing conducted near sea level). Others, using slightly different hole configurations or wider pots, have reported even faster boil times (see feedback page for more details).
This stove was originally developed in early 2004, followed by the documentation of the design in a white paper completed in March of that year (as you'll note from the date of the build instructions). About ten months later—on January 29, 2005—that paper was released into the public domain. Since that time, the Super Cat, judging from the continuing feedback that I've received through a variety of means, seems to have become the most popular build-it-yourself alcohol stove in use today.
Build Instructions
Click here to download a copy of the SUPER CAT build instructions. The document is an Acrobat (PDF) file about
1.6MB in size, and contains text, photos and diagrams that will allow you to
easily construct your own stove. For best results when printing, I'd recommend
using an ink jet with a high quality setting.
If, for any reason, you have problems opening the PDF file, there's an HTML version of the instructions available here. The HTML version is not as nicely formatted as the PDF file, but the content is the same.
Have fun... Jim Wood.
Copyright © 2004-2008 James E. Wood. All Rights Reserved.