The Soda Can Stove

The soda can stove is the cheapest, lightest, and most reliable stove you'll ever own. You won't hear much about them in magazines or most websites because there's an inherent conflict of interest in promoting them. Magazines such as Backpacker get good advertising dollars from companies who manufacture and sells stoves, and those companies wouldn't be happy about the magazine encouraging people to make their own stoves that are cheaper, lighter, and more reliable than their own offerings. Most websites also have a conflict of interest trying to sell you on stoves you don't need, and after having my own posts deleted from message boards on such websites and my accounts frozen, I'm firing back with this website.

The soda can stove is made from nothing more than a couple of soda cans and a high temperature adhesive to hold it all together. They cost mere pennies to make, weigh about half an ounce, and will last thousands of trail miles. I know—I've carried and used them on my thru-hikes of the Appalachian Trail and Florida Trail, and countless other smaller trails in the backcountry. I speak from experience. I've used it to cook all sorts of meals including pizzas, burritos, cookies, soups, various Hamburger Helper products, and more.

If you're looking for information about whether a soda can stove is right for you, how they work, or other information about the stove, check out our Frequently Asked Questions first. If you already know you want to make your own, go straight to the stove instructions. I've backpacked over 4,000 miles, and just for kicks, I added a page of backpacking tips and thoughts for ideas on how you might lighten your load further based on my own experiences.