Alcohol stoves are my favorite. Just buy a Trangia burner. The weight difference over others is minimal (Trangia with cap and simmer ring is only 4ozs.) and the Trangia has a cap where you can store a day's worth of fuel in it directly without needing to carry a bottle. This is great for day hikes away from camp. It also has a simmer ring you can use to lower the temps for cooking things like eggs without burning them, etc.
The Trangia is made of brass because how it handles heat gives it a really consistent burn vs. metals like Ti from what Trangia told me years ago (yes, I asked if they were going to make any Ti models and they told me no because brass works better in their testing).
A Trangia with something like a Clikstand or the Trangia knock off is lightweight and works well in all weather. The Trangia pot system is called a "storm cooker" in Sweden because the harder the wind blows the hotter it gets. The Trangia nesting pots like the 25/27 series is great for a base camp, but not likely something you'd carry though.
For winter alcohol is harder to light, but easily solved in two ways:
1) Put a "wick" in the pool of alcohol like a small stick or leaf. Light the wick and the flame will heat the alcohol and light it.
2) Just carry the sealed Trangia in your jacket pocket for a few minutes and bring the temp up. Then take off the cap and light it when you are done setting up your cookset.
Here is a list why I think alcohol stoves are great:
- You always know how much fuel you have vs. a canister.
- You can bring exactly how much fuel you'll need without overage.
- They have no moving parts to break or small orifices to clog.
- They work in all weather, even pretty cold temps where canister stoves can slow down depending on the gas mix. I wouldn't use them mountaineering, but in most camping situations I've always had good luck with them.
- They are silent and I like being quiet when on a hunt.
- You can make a very lightweight stand using a few pieces of bent wire, or use a pre-fab stand like a Westwind or Clikstand with windscreen.
- Easy to meter our fuel and know how long you can burn. A full Trangia will burn for about 25-28 minutes with about 8 minutes to boil 1L of water. A full Trangia with cap can easily heat up breakfast/lunch/dinner for an average person.
- Fuel is non-explosive and can be stored in hot vehicles, etc. without worrying about leaks or bursts. If it leaks in your pack it just evaporates and your gear is fine.
Are they slower than canisters? Yes. But not by much and I'm not in a huge rush anyway when in the woods so it's never bothered me. Maybe it takes 3-4 minutes to boil 1L with a canister and 8 minutes for alcohol.
I use canisters as well and they are convenient and safer to use inside tent vestibules though. Alcohol stoves can spill and the flame is invisible so you need to be careful about how they are handled vs. canisters.
At the end of the trip you can pour your unused fuel back into the main bottle. With canisters you end up with a bunch of partially used bottles that often aren't empty enough to toss, but not full enough to bother taking out with you.
So yeah I'm a fan and think the simple Trangia burner is one of the best stoves ever invented. Paired with the right stove stand they are simple, light and work in most environments without any drama.