How to choose a suitable cooker

Proban/butane cookers

• low purchase price of the stove
• maintenance free
• convenient to use - just screw it on and turn the wheel, nothing will get you dirty, spill, etc.
• you do not have to solve the surface on which you cook (it can also be used carefully in a tent)
• low performance (not suitable for winter use)
• various types of gas cartridges that are not available everywhere
• cartridges are not refillable
• if you run out of cartouches, for example, when crossing mountains, you will have to drag with an empty cartouche to the rubbish bin in civilization

Solid alcohol cookers

• the cheapest variant of the cooker
• in the event of a fault, it can be easily repaired or part should be replaced e.g. with aluminum foil
• the fuel is universal, you can get alcohol cubes everywhere and their shape does not matter
• you can take the fuel with you on the plane (as opposed to gas cartridges)
• the cubes take up a lot of space compared to gas cartridges of the same energy
• efficiency is low, so you use a lot of cubes if you want to boil water for a long time
• alcohol cubes are smelled even through a plastic bag

Liquid alcohol cookers

• very cheap fuel
• low price of the cooker compared to petrol (both liquid fuel)
• you can get fuel all over the world (if not, you can easily replace it with strong spirit)
• work at all temperatures
• lower efficiency than petrol and propane/butane cookers
• danger of fuel spillage - you must be careful

Gasoline/multi-fuel stoves

• the highest to extreme performance - the food is heated faster than by other cookers
• good combustion at all temperatures
• gasoline is more affordable than gas cartridges
• flame gets the dishes dirty
• it is not maintenance-free, it must be lubricated from time to time, the seals must be cleaned or replaced
• high purchase price of the cooker