Budget Gear: Sterno Stove Kit From Walmart - Preparedmind101 

I've been using that setup for about a year and my mod is to put the Trangia on the bottom of an empty tuna can. The dimensions of a tuna can are the same as a sterno can so it fits perfectly. Elevating the stove to 1 inch from the bottom of your pot is the sweet spot for the fastest boil time

I use Sterno fuel in this stove. It's perfect for heating stuff if not boiling water. What really works is to toss tortillas right on the grill surface. Can't do that over alcohol or propane/butane. Heated some refried beans before in the pan, works great. Also used it for heating Progresso soup right in the can without burning the lining. Nice to see it can also run alcohol but I think I'll use it for sterno fuel.

Thanks for coming back to some budget gear. I appreciate your budget minded videos as I am a budget minded person. Your videos have been great!

Yay for more budget gear reviews! Thanks for sharing! :)

Wonder why no lid. The lid could also be a plate.

Good info here, but I would have liked to see a comparison using Sterno with the Sterno stove also to show why it "sucks"!

I like that big square pot Chris. Reminds me of British mess kit. I used to own a Swiss Army Volcano stove and i used a small Vienna sausage tin in bottom to put my dollop of sterno in as fuel. With the Aluminum cup it came with it boiled water for ny tea or coffee quite fast. Of course it was a small self contained area. Cheaper than Dirt used to carry them for $9.00 I think and the cork on the aluminum bottle was not practical but the stove design was great. They are quite a bit more expensive now.

I have been using Sterno stoves since 65. My mother purchased and presented to me for my 1st camping trip to Starved Rock State Park with the Civil Air Patrol. Great little stove light and did not take up much space.

I was actually thinking of buying the stove to use with wood. I mean just chop up some wood inside, make a nice fire, keep feeding it and it would cook probably just as good as any alcohol stove. Neat review thanks for doing this one. I was wondering if they were junk or not, but it looks pretty solid.

Doing the budget gear brings out all the folks doing very cool things with budget gear and it's more fun too. I watch David West who I don't think has spent more than $10 and is doing lots of great stuff. So thanks for doing this.

First of all I want to thank you for taking the time to make this great video and keep up the great work. 👍 I only have 2 quick questions. At time marker 3:45 you used an alcohol stove, where do you recommend purchasing one? And .y second question is when you lit the stoce, you used some type of telescoping lighter/torch. What kind is it and where can I purchase one? Thank you for your time and keep up the great work. Happy Holidays to you and your family. Mark

I have 2 of these that were made probably 40 years ago. I used them for backpacking. It was in a little box about 1/3 the size of the box you showed. But, I didn't have the pan and cup. I used sterno with no problems. I used it for 3 to 4 years when I used to backpack once a month for 5 to 7 days and maybe another time just a couple of days. It sufficed until I got my Optimus.

I have used that with wood inside and directly on coals. On coals the red paint came off but no warping. it's also great with an alcohol stove too.

If you're willing to carry three or four charcoal self-start brick-kets, it's a great was to use the grill to keep a small wood fire going. You only need two at a time for a small cooking fire. Keep paper towels and zip-lock bags to pack up stove and use later. Coals from the stove can be transferred to start a campfire afterward.

Hey Chris, I turned the cooking pot upside down only for a water boiling test. Probably not safe doing that while frying meat with any of the alcohol fuels. Just helped with a quicker boil. Thanks

I use the $5.00 fold up version. I use the sterno for general cooking, and use my trangia for boiling water and bigger cooking jobs. When the sterno can is empty, I use a can opener on the sterno can. That way I can put the trangia into the can, thus using the can as a base. The trangia is a little smaller than the space where the can goes. The sterno can be used inside. Helps on rainy days when you are stuck in a tent. I use the old school boy scout mess kit, not the newer cheap crap version.

I was really impressed with your comments regarding quality , size and utility of this kit. Price was also right at the top of my wish list so, I went online to Walmart's CANADIAN site and almost fell over at the $80.00 plus pricetag. I thought it had to be a misprint so went to my local store and they had none. Not surprising as few Canadians are buying camping gear at minus 30 degradación

I have one of the Sterno Stove kits and I use it all the time. I like how the stove is made because you can also build a fire in the bottom of the stove.

Chris, thanks for the idea, it prompted me to order the stove on its own vs the whole kit. I walked in to a deal on the Sterno fuel/burner bottles a few weeks ago and was looking to a vehicle to use them in.

good work i like how you keep it simple and real.no tactical talk bull shit.just a money saving tips.keep it rolling.

Thanks Chris! I've had the older version of this stove without the cook set in my truck box for a few years and I like this one better.

The water would've boiled in half the time if you had put the water in the pot instead of the cup. You lost a lot of the heat because it went around the cup. I have a Sterno Stove kit, but the main reason that I bought it, is because you can actually build a small wood fire on the bottom rack, if you don't have any other fuel source.

I like the cup and pan portion.

cool, will be adding to my kit... what kind of sweater is that you have on, where can I grab one

i use the sterno stove , a old denny mores can and a can of sterno a set of plyers and a part of drinking water jug use some of water! in my blind in snow boil water and keep you warm!

I agree...a lid would have been great. So what did you think of the spork?

I like gel heat. Can be efficient in some applications. Windscreens, covers and flatter cookware help. not the best but can be convenient too.

At one time , long before recognized prepping these stoves were just common place in most sporting goods department and many sportsmen carried one under the seat of their pick up , station wagon or minivan. Many homes used these for emergency situations like power outages.

As of today January 31st 2019 this stove kit cost $14.96 on Amazon. I'm thinking about getting one to go along with my alcohol stove.

There is even the option to just buy the stove part of that kit on its own. At my local walmart it runs about 5 dollars. The sterno cans that work with that stove in particular work fairly well for the cost. I use the stove and sterno cans at work quite frequently and have never had a bad experience.

Thanks. I used and destroyed the older version of the stove when it was made out of aluminum. This looks a hell of a lot better. Cheers mate.

Also, appears to be amazing for those on an urban campout.....ya know, like no smoke!!

Carried the original model in the top flap of a large ALICE rucksack-cushioned by a Ranger handbook. Stove worked great with heattabs, or the British Tommy cooker blocks. Worked even better with twigs when we were admin in the field. I hunt with an old 782/LBE H-harness, and this fits great in the butt-pack. Wish I had the spork and the pot way back when. Semper Fi, and Airborne all the way!

I had a Sterno stove, when in the Scouts. Never had problems cooking on it, in fact, still got it today and I'm 68. Just wished they'd made an oven to fit on that.

Seems like a pretty solid, budget priced (which doesn't happen very often!) piece of gear. Thanks for sharing it.

I have that same stove. I like it being that it is compact enough for me. It would also be ideal for ATV/UTV camping in the back country.

Looks like good piece for a leave-in- car kit.

When setting your watch, I noticed you have two left hands! That must come in handy when tying those tricky knots and paracord bracelets.

you could go to wall mart and get one of the veggie trays that is perpetrated trim and bend the edge to fit the pot would help a little as a lid but then you could also use it on the stove to grill on

for a lid you can use square pie pan that any grocery store has... i use an 8x8 to bake in a toaster oven and they are sturdy enough for multiple dinners....

Do you think that one of the DIY cat stoves would work in this sterno kit. Not sure since the cat stoves are side burners with the pot sitting directly on the stove. Great review as always. Thanks and have blessed Christmas

I'm looking at this for an 'in house' application. Can the alcohol fuel be used safely indoors OR am I stuck using sterno for that? The alcohol fuel seems to heat water faster. The stove kit itself looks perfect for my needs. Thanks for the review.

Nice. Red too. I have a sterno stove but different design, doesn't come with all that. I might go to walmart and look for that verson now.

My only concern would be the red paint, and how well it holds up. Or whether it should be burned off- which is doable, but a minor bit of time-consuming work. Otherwise, looks like a good purchase. Thanks for the heads up!

Nice review! I have an earlier version of this pot support. The new one is better because the burner support is a grate and not just a couple of wire prongs specific to the size of a sterno can. Mine fits the military surplus Swedish burners. I like the pot a lot. So if you figure the cost of the trangia burner is about $15 so the total cost of $35 which isn't bad. For $45 at Walmart you could pick up the Stanley prep+cook pot and the Primus Classic trail. Neither option includes fuel... But for three season use the butane stove packs more punch. For a kit that will be stored in a car the alcohol will be a less hazardous option.

Aaaand it fits perfectly in a plate carrier with a camp towel for easy connection to molle gear.

Cool stove...I think it's awesome that you're gonna do more budget related stuff again...I appreciate it...being on a pretty tight budget and all.

Version in this review isn't aluminum but light gauge steel.With proper care should give years of service.In a pinch you could use wood w/metal insert[can,etc]

Great idea used to get the old GI canned heat and yes canned heat sucked. But you can make one with a roll of TP in a quart paint can and a quart of 90 % rubbing alcohol. But think of the fact that they didn't include a can of stereo.

What lighter did you use to light the Trangia? Have you reviewed it, looks interesting. Is it durable?

What do you think about using regular ethanol. I mean ethanol that you could drink ,this would be a good thing to have around because 100% ethanol has about 7 cal per gram so you would be able to use it as a fuel source and also has emergency food ,course it will make you very drunk.

I've been looking at small grills for camping. Hadn't even noticed this. Would work with wood too, I'm sure. Thanks for the review!

this stove platform is outstanding , with a lil MOD it can burn natural as well as Wat was just seen..I have it in my kit. it has been used and abused but it has never let me down. I use it with the esbit spirit store and wood.

I use just the stove itself. It's like $5 at Walmart and it's not Paint coated. I use it in my pack because it folds up to such a slim design I love it. Forget the cup and pan and all that

Looks like a great low budget option. Thanks for the video Chris.

I have the silver model same stove and I have used wood and charcoal briquettes and it worked good.

It would be nice to see a comparison of the alcohol stove and a can of sterno in the thing.

Thanks again for taking your time to share with us I do have two of them that u use alcohol with again thanks wish you all the very best until next time my friend

Sterno sucks! You learn something new every day if you stay awake! I've never encountered any sucking Sterno but if the experts say it sucks, they've figured out more than I have about it. Like Rice Krispies, Sterno does go snap, crackle, and pop at times, but as for sucking....I guess I just need to burn more and pay closer attention! Some of the best backpacking and hunting meals I've ever had were thanks to sucking Sterno and the precursor to this orange stove, the old aluminum, light weight, flimsy one that still sells for under $10. Someday soon we'll be seeing on RU-vid how to cook with the spent uranium cooker set....boils a mountain stream of water in under 1.5 minutes! By the way, great video and thanks for showing off the latest (2015) Sterno gadgetry! As for the sucking comments about Sterno....anything can "suck," but as long as it serves a need and does what one wants it to do, it doesn't quite suck so bad then. Just sayin.

Thanks for keeping us working folks in mind. Our budgets don't seem to go as far these days.

Nice video so don't think I'm trolling. However, if this video is for people new to cooking outdoors it would have been nice to explain that Sterno is great for keeping food warm but you need a hotter flame to cook.

I have one of the older model of a sterno folding emergency stoves made of aluminum ($9). I also use a trangia alcohol burner instead of sterno. This unit however does appear to be a lot more rugged and more accessories..

I'd bet one of those would work really well with Self Reliance Outfitters' alcohol stove. It's a taller and would the the stove a little closer to the pot.

If Sterno had given it to you it would still be a good video. Ignore the trolls who criticize everything. A stove like this would be ideal for tossing in a box to keep around for "just in case". The price is low enough that no tears will be shed if it is never used, yet it would be very handy to have if a storm killed the power or if you had to toss the emergency box in the car and bug out quick. Items like this are of interest for a lot of us. Thanks.

That is a good stove. You were saying about other types of fuel for that stove besides an Alochol stove. First off, your right Sterno fuel does suck. There is one thing that you can do. If you purchase a sterno fuel can, burn out the fuel that is in the can first, puncture some holes in the top of the canister, then what you can do is throw in some esbit cubes in the can or even some small pieces of fire wood. Otherwise, if you have a metal plate that can be used to sit on the rack on the bottom of the stove where the alochol stove was, you can put some esbit cubes on that metal plate in the stove. It does work in a survival situation.

I have the Al version of that stove. The directions tell you not to use an alcohol stove with it. I use the bottom lid of a Campbells chunky soup can to set the alcohol stove on. It works fine. you're right Sterno does suck.

Great video!! Thanks! Just wondering what the Model Number is for the stove?

The plain $6 Walmart aluminum Sterno stove (not orange), is a great wind break. If you place an empty cat food or small empty tuna can upside down beneath the alcohol stove it raises the alcohol stove to the perfect height (about 2 inches) between the top(flame) of the alcohol burner and the Sterno stove top and will boil water easily in about 3 to 4 minutes. Also, if and when you run out of alcohol uou can simply burn small twigs and other combustibles in the stove to cook on. It won’t hurt the aluminum. Eventually you’ll want to replace the $5’t stove though. Also, to keep the black soot off the rest of the items in your pack you will want to haul the Sterno stove flattened out inside a carry bag.

Hey Chris have you tried that light weight butane stove from walmart, it's $25 , I got one for my birthday from my wife it's great, weights about 3 oz total weight with caring box

Super Video Chris... Great Tip On a Budget Stove... Im looking forward to more budget reviews in the mix.

Stopped by a discount place and saw a pallet of "Handy fuel" , essentially sturno. Asked the price and was told $4.99. Thought that was per can, but was per case. Bought four cases at basically $5 per 72 count case. Been using them forbyea4s

I wonder how it would hold up if you had to use wood tinder instead of the alcohol - just wondering.

This is the PREPAREDMIND 101 I miss!!!

A Pathfinder, or Trangia military burner will fit... I know with the other Sterno folding stove, or the Coughlin folding stove will take a Trangia, Tatonka, or Pathfinder burner without any problem!

Just got one on Amazon for $13 free 2 day shipping. This was exactly what I was looking for, thanks for the video nice to see it while I wait! subscribed, stay safe and have a good holiday!

Thanks Chris..I will add it to my emergency kit but do you sell a alcohol stove? Great info..

nice kit would great for my family bug out kit. have to go and pick one up

Looks like there's plenty of room to fit some foil to fold over for a makeshift lid for the pot. Good thing to review. I've seen them plenty of times and always assumed they were junk because of the price lol

Hey, I’ve seen boil tests. When it comes to actual cooking. How long do you think it would take to cook 1/4 lbs cheese burger (patty) on this or, maybe, fry some scrambled eggs and sausage? What if I used alcohol instead of the Sterno fuel?

Great item to have. I wonder though if a jet boil type butane stove would fit in the grill area?

might be useful to show how you put out the stove for us novice preppers.

Also, because if the too grate on the stove you can place small as well as large pots kn it safely and later grill a steak or rabbit etc.

judging from the design of the stove and the cook pot it looks like it is designed to capture all possible heat from the sterno, I would like to see how it does with its intended fuel source.

Hand sanitizer at dollar store will burn or 70% isopropyll alcohol+ Heet will substitute just reuse empty sterno can.First checkout videos on You Tube on substitute fuel mixtures on similar stoves before attempting.

it's good to see you review common products that the average Joe can afford not like a $200 knife or A $150 survival bracelet the things a guy on a regular budget can afford thank you

I would like to see a steak or hamburger cooked with that alcohol burner and sterno kit do you think it would flare up and cause a fire great video

C'mon Chris --is this product aluminum or stainless steel ???

Hey Chris, I know you get alot of request but will you some time in the future be doing a review on the Solo Stove. I'm in the Philippines and really undecided what to get for a cooking system that can be somewhat undetectable. The Vietnamese used something similar during the war but looking forward to your thoughts on it

there also another one chris without the kit just the stove that works great with wood and it's only 5 or 6 bucks works great with all sources of fuel bubba

Have you ever tried the ust folding stove from walmart? Or the esbit pocket stove? What's your take on those kind of stoves?

The Pathfinder stainless steel alcohol stove works perfect in that stove

I definitely wanted to see you test out this stove since I considered it highly but wanted more before purchase for its multi-fuel possibilities. What was that cool adjustable length lighter you used?!

Trangia stoves work better with a 1 inch space , also you can burn wood in the Sterno stove ATB Alan

I have a couple of Sternos emergency prepared kits. I keep one at home and the other in my jeep. Could you do a review on it?

Good review. While I don't think I would go so far as to say that Sterno fuel "sucks" (after all, dependent upon circumstances one must use whatever resources and supplies are available), this does seem like a very useful -- and, importantly, compact and light weight -- item to have for both emergencies and back packing. There should be adequate room in the "pot" to hold better eating utensils, a packet of condiments (e.g., salt and pepper), and a small bottle of fuel though I would suggest wrapping and metal items in cloth or a paper towel to reduce the "clanking" noise they would make. I have a similar (without the pot and drinking cup) Sterno "fold up" stove which I have used with a "penny can stove" which holds 3+ ounces of fuel. I agree that a lid would be a useful accessory for the pan that came with this kit.

I used one of these for a little more than a year, but I had a small fire in it every time. after awhile though the stove broke down, it warped and so on. I believe its aluminum

I would have hoped there would be a can of Sterno inside as this IS for emergencies and sometimes we don't always carry these in our cars

When are you going to make a 10lb mega kit out of it?

Was at sportsmans warehouse the other day, they had these on clearance for 5.99$

The $20 kit is okay, but do u really need the square pot and the spork and cup? The $6 stove (orange part only) is all u really need 👍😄