TOAKS Titanium 750ml Combo – iReviewGear.com

My Story:

I have to admit that my backpacking life has never really yielded itself to the use of an alcohol stove. That said, it has long been something I was interested in trying. I am well versed in the Iso/Butane style stoves and have used nearly all the major brands. I have also used many different wood burning stoves as well, and while I like them, they are often illegal or even irrespirable use due to climate and terrain. So, I was very excited to get the chance to test out an alcohol stove from a company that I have heard nothing but good things about. TOAKS Titanium!

When my sample arrived, I was like a kid in a candy store. I immediately opened the package and began to assemble the stove. I set the whole system up and started a boil. It took me about 8 minutes to get a full rolling boil in the 750ml pot. So, lets get into how it works and how I used it in the field.

The TOAKS alcohol stove is about as simple as it gets. It is a small titanium cup that is folded inside itself with jet ports at the top. This is not really new technology, but it is effective and something that has stood the test of time. The fuel is as the name implies, alcohol, and though it could be used, it’s not the stuff you’re used to having on the weekends. This stove like good old isopropyl alcohol otherwise known as rubbing alcohol. You simply pour the alcohol into the stove/cup and light it with a flame and viola, you have fire that is ready to use for heating water.

To accompany the stove TOAKS also makes a small 4 piece titanium wind screen that doubles as the pot holder. This screen assembles and forms a circle. There are two include titanium stakes that slide through predrilled holes and provide a base for the pot to sit on that is just above the flame. Assembly of this part of the kit is very easy. You may notice that the stakes are a bit longer than necessary and do not stove easily inside the pot or the outer storage sleeve. I found this to be a bit annoying and plan to trim them down to fit at a later date. 

The pot itself is very basic. It is a 750ml titanium pot with a lid and can boil enough water for all the dehydrated meals I know of. Fill with your desired amount of water and place on the windscreen/pot holder. Now it’s time to sit back and wait for that sweet sweet boil!

Fuel consumption is going to be sort of relative to the amount of water you are trying to heat. For a full pot I found that I used about 1.5oz of alcohol to get a full rolling boil. I would suggest when planning your fuel usage you use that as the base and times it by the amount of boils you expect to complete.

One noteworthy piece is that though the alcohol is really just burning off vapor it still has a high amount of carbon. You will notice this as soot on the bottom of your pot and on the stakes from the wind screen. This soot is black and dirty, and it will get on anything you touch. There are some ways to minimize this, but soot is just overall a part of life when using an alcohol stove.

I used my TOAKS combo kit on a very beautiful trip into the Goat Rocks Wilderness while section hiking a piece of the PCT. This was my only source of heat for all my cooking and it proved to be more than sufficient for my needs. Use of an alcohol stove is a labor of love so expect longer boil times and a bit more mess to deal with than an ISO stove. That said, it is simplicity at its best and there is something to be said for the piece of mind knowing that no matter what your stove is going to work.

Overall, I was very happy with all aspects of this product. It works as advertised and is at a price point ($85.90) that I feel is extremely fair for the results if offers. If you are looking for a high-quality titanium kit that comes with everything other than fuel, you would be remiss to look over TOAKS and their line of stoves and accessories.

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