Many people have fond memories of experiences with their family and friends sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. But for the adventurer on the move when time, space, and safety are the main considerations, having an old school campfire is not the most efficient method of making a hot meal or getting water from snowmelt. While campfires are fun, they are also rather harmful for the environment, whether from people being careless, or cutting live branches for fuel, or spreading invasive species of insects by transporting firewood—not to mention wood smoke and its effect on air pollution. Additionally, wood is only a viable option in areas where it can be found. Consider the forested hills of Colorado—while dry downfall wood is plentiful at the lower altitudes, above 9500ft supply diminishes until at 10,000ft (above the treeline) it is almost non-existent. While one should not camp above the treeline if possible, it can be nice to have a cup of tea. However, the places where fires are possible are also harmed by over-collection of deadwood and the ash of burning it (Frederic Beaudry. Do Campfires Pollute?).
MSR PocketRocket2 with compressed Isobutane fuel canister
There have been great advances in the efficiency of stoves, with most lightweight canister stoves having one liter boil times of slightly over three minutes. As much as this saves the wallet of the thru-hiker, it also reduces the number of canisters needed per trip and thus ending up in a landfill. More outfitters are now providing recycling services for discharged fuel cells as well. As great as this is, it does not completely overturn the fact that the fuels in compressed canisters or used in pump bottles are derived from petroleum. Isobutane is the cleanest burning and contributes less to atmospheric greenhouse gasses, and is likely the best option for these types of stoves.
To avoid the use of petro-fuels, and for some skilled hikers and DIYers, the use and/or making of alcohol burning stoves is the solution. These small, non-pressurized burners can be purchased in the twenty-to-forty dollar range or made from an empty soda can with some practice (self-made stoves are more fragile and may be less appropriate for distance thru-hiking). Denatured alcohol is the most common fuel and is more sustainable, although less efficient than some other alcohols and any petro-fuel, so more fuel is needed for an expedition. Boiling a liter of water on an alcohol stove can take up to 6 minutes (perhaps more depending on the style of burner) and there is very little control over the size of the flame. Safety is the main concern with this type of stove, as they are much more likely to spill and cause a wildfire; and the flames can be almost invisible, increasing the risk of burns.
DIY alcohol stove by Ashley Brown
So, for the building of memories, the occasional campfire is probably okay. For camping trips at well established sites (which will have level, possibly concrete cooking areas), or for backpacking with caution, alcohol burners are a great choice. For extended backpacking trips compressed canisters are safer and reduce the amount of fuel needed to be burned (although outside temperature and altitude can negatively affect the efficiency and heat output of canister.) For more information on stove efficiency, visit here.