Sterno Canned Heat

Sterno® gel is a formulation of denatured alcohol, water and gel. Pry open the lid and light the gel for 2 hours of burn time. It puts out a visible flame and a good amount of heat. Since this is an alcohol based product, the combustibility decreases as temperature drops. Make sure you seal it well since the gel will dry out over time rendering it useless.

This product is often used by restaurant caterers to keep food warm. Sterno is good for heating food, or light-duty cooking like scrambling eggs for example, but if you want a long-term cooking solution, you'd best look elsewhere. It’s not that the emissions are dangerous, but it took us 45 minutes just to simmer half a liter of uncovered water so it’s just not practical for cooking meat or boiling any liquids. We were able to cook an egg over Sterno in about 10 minutes.

Sterno also comes in a 73.7g can that only costs $1 per can, but it fits under the canteen stand and doesn't leave enough room for oxygen to circulate. The 198g canister be pressure fitted to the wide opening on a canteen stand, leaving enough space for oxygen to circulate. One pack contains two 198g canisters.

Hexamine ("Hexi Block")

This is a waxy solid fuel, similar to soap, containing hexamethylenetetramine (also known as hexamine). It has been in use since the 1950s. While the US Army used Trioxane the British Army used Hexamine. It was a great fire starter from the days before MREs and MRE heaters. Hexamine can be used with a canteen cup stand, a Tommy cooker, an Esbit stand, or any similar device. It works at high altitudes and in all weather conditions. The non-toxic formula is completely harmless to the environment, although it is toxic if swallowed and can be deadly with prolonged exposure in an unventilated area.

Hexamine tablets are significantly less toxic and significantly more effective than Trioxane (see below), although they are harder to light. Despite the manufacturer’s claim that the tablets are odorless, they in fact have a pronounced "fishy" odor, which, while not offensive, makes it necessary to treat them as food and keep them in bear-proof containers if camping. Hexamine does not liquefy when burning. The packaging says that it leaves no ash residue, but our testing found that it does leave a waxy residue. One cube will bring half a liter of water to a rolling boil in 8 minutes. One box contains 12 individually sealed tablets.

Trioxane ("Tri-Fuel")

Trioxane tablets are a chalk-like fuel used by the U.S. military. It was a great fire starter back in the day before MREs and MRE heaters. They can be used with a canteen cup stand, a Tommy cooker, an Esbit stand, or any similar device. Each tablet is sealed in waterproof foil package. Unlike Sterno, you do not need to worry about spilling the material.

Trioxane is harmful if swallowed and the packaging suggests taking precautions to avoid loose powder contaminating food. The fuel does not liquefy when burning but leaves a blue wax-like residue. The only advantages of Trioxane over Hexamine is that it is less expensive and easier to light. They come three tablets per box.