Make Your Own Sterno

Since I live in Florida, Hurricane season is as good a time as any to do an annual gear check. I always change out my stored water at the very beginning of hurricane season. This ensures my water storage is never older than 1 year. I recycle old juice bottles and fill them with tap water that I can run through a Britta filter if I need to drink it. At some point after that, I deconstruct my Bug Out Bag and reassess the contents. I change out any canned goods in my bag that are nearing expiration and replace them.

When we start to see storms, I check my “Bug In” gear. After our last big storm Wilma, I invested in a camping stove and several disposable propane bottles. That was 6 years ago. 2 of the bottles were light so I hooked them up to see if they still had gas.

They still worked, but leaked out the remaining gas when I unhooked them. The rest had a little rust on the bottom so I sprayed them with a coat of galvanize paint.

Rather than replace them for around $10, I remembered a trick my old Scout leader, Mr Yager taught me. You can make your own Sterno with left over candle wax, some coiled up cardboard and an empty tuna can.

        

I used an empty soup can to melt the wax in the double boiler to keep me out of trouble with Mrs. Prepper Recon. I then used my multi tool to evenly pour the hot wax into the tuna can and over the card board; this will effectively waterproof it.

It is pretty easy to construct a stove out of any materials you may have around. The homemade Sterno should burn around 45 minutes to an hour. It is not as clean as Sterno brand Sterno, but I am manufacturing this for a hurricane or TEOTWAWKI. Always use a pan or foil, and never place meat directly over the flames as it will be covered in soot.

Resourcefulness is a key tool in survival. Let us know how you prep on a budget.

Happy prepping!