Windscreen for cat can stove

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

travelinhobo

New member
Joined
Dec 21, 2020
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Hi all- I live on my bike and discovered the cat can stove a year ago.  Made myself one and have used it for a year.  Love it, but can not find a good windscreen for it.  I've bought roof flashing and a large foil pan at the dollar store which I cut down to put around the burner, but both rarely worked.  I used to have a Whisperlite Int'l stove with a windscreen, so I know how it should go, but... Can any of you who use the can or cat stove enlighten me as to what to use that works well to keep the flame from blowing out and the fuel from wasting away?  Thanks!
 
I don't have a can stove, but I'm thinking if you get a bigger can and turn it upside down with your  cat stove inside it, it would serve as wind screen and you can put your pot on it.
You will have to open a few holes for the air to come in, and cut slits for the heat to come out. Here it a sketch, if I'm not clear:
Untitled.jpg
You don't HAVE to use flat panels always
 

Attachments

  • Untitled.jpg
    Untitled.jpg
    14.2 KB
Just get a regular folding camp stove windscreen. Sold at Walmart in the camping supply section and in BLM areas the local hardware stores also stock them.
 
I like the outer can to protect from when you can store your stove and some fuel and everything else in in that pan. For years I used a tuna can with tightly rolled up strips of corrugated cardboard inserted and then poured copious amounts of paraffin in a and although it’s hard to control except for moving a lid back-and-forth a little bit it works great cheap emergency snow for people make a few storm away in a box somewhere. They burn pretty hard I’ve even use them for torches out on the deck.
 
Nature lover - I totally don't understand what you're saying.
Maki - money is limited and I don't buy new unless I have to.  I don't see any difference in some of the screens I've seen for sale vs. the flashing I bought and tried.  The only difference maybe is the height?
Sofis - doesn't sound like a bad idea, however, without the flame directly on the container above, it'll take even longer I'd think for it to heat.  If I try it, I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks.
 
travelinhobo said:
...however, without the flame directly on the container above, it'll take even longer I'd think for it to heat.

Shorten the larger can.
 
Sorry I use talk to text. In the first line it should be wind rather than when. The other lines were about a paraffin stove that uses tightly wound strips of corrugated cardboard as a wick. You cut the corrugated cardboard into strips that are as wide as the can is high and wrap the strips it in a very tight roll insert it into the can tightly pour the paraffin on and when it hardens, you’re ready to go. As far as the height of the other can you can get a half gallon can that would work or you could place rods through the can on which to set the little can. Heck, you could even use a rock to set the little stove on inside the can. You’re still gonna have to have a way to regulate the heat. That is normally done by using the lid and moving it back-and-forth making the opening less or more as you go.
 
Top