Dometic alcohol stoves

I will second that suggestion.
Been using Coleman duel fuel stoves for camping & backpacking for over 20 yrs & they never let me down.
Unleaded is cheap to buy & available everywhere. Use a few drop of injector cleaner in every tankfull & the generators last for years.
They take a bit of getting used to lighting but I will never go back to carrying LPG.

Cheers
Stu

You take a Coleman duel fuel backpacking? I assume you mean the Sportser?

I've looked at the Coleman dual fuel stove but I'm reluctant for a couple of reasons. One is the size of the stove (they're very deep and stick out a long way). It probably wouldn't fit on my camper trailer kitchen (a Drifta slide-out).

Two is the fact that petrol is an inherently dangerous fuel. I've used gas, metho and shellite fuel stoves over many years. My most "interesting" times camping have involved a shellite stove due to fuel leaks (perished seal, and didn't I have fun sourcing a replacement while camping!). I like metho because it's clean and simple. No (or minimal) moving parts to the stove and no reliance on seals, pumps, regulators etc. The Dometic stoves don't use much fuel so I can carry plenty to cover a full trip.

Gas is convenient, but I'm finding it harder to get refills conveniently (all the servos in Vic have swapped over to Swap-and go cylinders and don't do refills any more).

I'm against petrol because I want my kids to be able to safely use the stove so they can get their own breakfast. Maybe in five years they could use a petrol stove but not now.

Yep the Sportster.
I use the 2 burner for car based camping. I did have it mounted on my camper trailer kitchen when I owned one & it fitted ok.
Never had leaky seals because I make a point of regularly checking seals etc.
Your right when it comes to children using the stove. I never let my kids at it when they were younger because as I said it is very important to use the correct lighting procedure to prevent high flames at startup.

I've looked at available gas stoves and so far I'm not too impressed, although a Primus stove I borrowed performed well. There's still the issue of reliability when a long way from any spare parts or replacements.

>Alcohol is much lower heat output than gas - therefore, slower water boiling and cooking times.
Not entirely true. Alcohol has a lower energy density, but the stove output can compensate for this. Reviews I've seen comparing the Origo vs propane stoves showed not much difference in cooking times.

>Possibility of lower availability of alcohol when travelling.
I've never had a problem sourcing metho, apart from Edinburgh ( we had to go to a chemist and sign for it so they could check we weren't metho drinkers).

>Alcohol burners are more susceptible to draughts and wind gusts than gas burners.
They put wind shields on stoves for a reason, and I've had problems with gas stoves when the wind is from the wrong direction. The Origo needs wind shields made for it.

>If alcohol leaks in a confined area, alcohol fumes are still explosive - but not quite as explosive as gas fumes.
You'd have to spill a lot of alcohol to get an explosive mixture in the air. I'm cooking outside anyway so it's not an issue.

>Alcohol burner flame is nearly invisible - thus, a much higher chance of accidental burns.
The pictures I've seen of an Origo in action show a blue flame. My old Trangia flame was always visible.

>I've seen user reviews on Dometic-Origo where the user claims their stove finish is poor, with many sharp edges and poor quality spot welds.
I've yet to buy a camping stove without sharp edges on it. I thought they were a standard feature :>) I'd like to look at one before buying, I just have to find somewhere local that stocks them.

Be told! Metho flames can be nearly invisible, I have seen several bad incidents on board for that very reason!
In one incident, he thought the stove had gone out, so he topped up the tank & as he was putting the lid back on the metho bottle, he felt the bottle getting hot, luckily he was able to get up the companionway fast enough & throw it overboard.
You have obviously made up your mind, so be very careful with children near methylated spirits.

Shaker,

I haven't made up my mind yet. I'd like to see one to check it's build quality, but also hear from someone who has actually used one. I might check with my brother in law who mucks about on boats a fair bit.

I was a yacht broker with Vicsail for 19 years, I know a bit about spirit stoves, they are reliable, not quite as hot as LPG, do have seals that can leak around the tap shafts but are generally inherently quite safe, as are most stoves.

I've got one of those stoves as a backup, but they're not good for long term use as they chew through the cylinders pretty quickly.

There are a lot of people running those cheaper cartridge stoves.

Yeh the cartridges may not contain as much as the more expensive systems ...but they are cheap and available all over the place.

They are definitely putting a very big dint in sales of more expensive stoves.

AND..there are heaps of other devices that will run on the same cartridges.

cheers