Esbit Fuel

31
May/100

Where can I buy esbit?

besides online....what kind of store? or any major chain stores?

and also, are there any other fuels that burn hotter than esbit?

Just about any camping/outdoors store carries them. REI and EMS both have them on the shelf.
+1 on the Coghlans brand.

There's several alternatives to esbit. There's butane backpacking stoves, if you don't mind packing the canisters. Alcohol stoves (also called Meth's stoves or Spirits stoves) are popular, such as the Trangia and many home-made designs (search for: alcohol stove, penny stove, supercat stove, mini-bull stove). Cheap, lightweight and will boil .5L water in about 5 min with 1 oz. denatured alcohol (about $4.00/gallon at your local home improvement store). The Trangia stoves are available at REI, EMS and most other camping/outdoors stores for between $20 and $35.

The simplest, lightest and most versatile stove is simply a tin can with holes punched around the top with a can opener. You can pour in alcohol and light it, or add a few holes at the bottom and burn small bits of wood.

Don't know exactly if this burns hotter than esbit, but they get the job done: boiling enough water for an MRE in about 5 minutes.