# Canned Heat



## C.Winslow

I've seen a few things about canned heat. How exactly does canned heat work? And where can I get some? Can you just throw a few cans into your survival kit and be good to go?


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## PaulL

Hi 

I use canned heat. Have you ever seen Sterno in stores. I carry it in my pack all the time. the only down side to using canned heat it is slow cooking. It may take about 20 min. to boil water, but I think it is great to use.


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## ke4sky

*Sterno Canned Heat*

*Sterno is alcohol jellied with calcium acetate. * It is widely used in the food service industry for keeping buffet foods hot over 140 degs. F. which is necessary to maintain food safety under FDA guidelines. You can buy 3-packs of Sterno in any grocery store, and a box or two is a great thing to keep at home for when the power goes off, or in your car survival kit with your coffee can stove. The Sterno folks also make a product which burns hotter, lasts longer and is safer for indoor use:

Emergency Resources - Canned Heat

*Solid fuel tablets such as Esbit are better for backpacking or bug-out bag use. *
Military trioxane bars burn hotter than Sterno, but produce toxic fumes and deteriorate with age. Trioxane has been replaced by a flameless, smokeless fire gel product in packaged in single-use envelopes, having the same chemical composition as Sterno safe fuel linked above.

*Esbit has been around since WWII*, and is used by most European NATO forces. It is widely sold in backing stores and is the preferred compact solid fuel among backpackers.

For more information see:

Cooker / Stoves (final update) Kit that works and kit that doesn't

The RuckSack

-Esbit Stove "Tommy Stove" Nitro-Pak.com The World Leader in Innovative & Affordable Preparedness Gear


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## dksac2

The bad thing about canned heat is that it evaporates from the can over time, even if fully sealed. It's good for short time usage, but I would not count on them for long term storage. I've opened old cans that have never been used and found it fully dried up. Others have said the same.

JK


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