Complete Hobo Stove Cooking Pots System Bundle No

instructables
Complete Hobo Stove & Cooking Pots System Bundle, No Tools Build, for
Dirt Cheap or Free - Easily Expandable and Infinitely Upgradable!
by ElectroIntellect
So things didn't end up the way you had planned which is unfortunate, but don't worry; for very little money or possibly
free, you can still enjoy small warm meals with this complete hobo cooking system. There are all sorts of potential
upgrades to this system too so use your creativity and look at things from a di erent perspective and you will be
surprised the abundance of materials that can be useful to you that most people just see as garbage. So lets dive right in
as its cold today and a warm drink sounds great right now!
Supplies:
The supplies are minimal and no tools are required. If you have to purchase these items it shouldn't cost more then a few
bucks in total locally. You may be able to nd some of these items, or a similar substitute, discarded in the trash for free! I
will also link to the cheapest version I can nd on amazon for you, that being said it will be a lot cheaper not at Amazon as
many items are sold in packs only on there. Walmart would be much less expensive for most of this. The name of this
game is clever reuse of things you have or someone you know may have lying around or about to toss out, so before
buying anything look and ask around. Only exception maybe the Can Tapper, if you don't have one of those they are are
well worth the price for this project and your future can tapping needs.
Note: Also keep an eye out, you want the cans that will be used as cooking pots, the 15oz and 10.5oz cans on this project,
to be a BPA free lining if at all possible. If you cannot get that, and are in a desperate situation its better to be able to cook
food and eat then to worry about BPA of cans.
Disclosure: The links below are a liate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I may earn an a liate commission if you
click through the link and nalize a purchase. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an
a liate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to
Amazon.com.
Supplies (Notes) = Prices as of 11/21/21 (Items starting with * I consider must haves)
*Bottle Opener / Can Tapper - (This is the same style I used which will make the build easier then some
of the other styles, and in a two pack. This is the second most used item for this build.) = $3.85
McCormick Everyday Essentials Spices Pack - (This is cheaper then buying the empty jars and gives
you lots of good spices to use for cooking. Personally I would go to a local grocery store and get two of
the cheapest spices and pour then into a plastic bag to use later, wash them, then ll with salt and pepper.
I got lucky and had two near empty ones already I lled with Salt and Pepper. Or even better if you don't
have salt and pepper you could grab a bunch of salt and pepper packs for free at most fast food
restaurants or the deli section of most grocery stores. Which I should have done but just thought of it
right now as I am writing this.) = $16.36
Coghlans Backpacker Salt & Pepper Shakers - (This is similar in size and would compact a bit better
then the reused spice jars.) = $5.99
Folding Spoon, Fork, & Knife - (These would take up a lot less space and give you 3 utensils to work
plete Hobo Stove & Cooking Pots System Bundle, No Tools Build, for Dirt Cheap or Free - Easily Expandable and Infinitely Upgradable!: Pa
with. That being said it is not required and you can get a silverware set at a thrift store for cheap or at the
dollar store for a buck or two.) = $6.99
Camping Spoon, Fork, & Knife Plastic - (Would give you at least a spoon and fork for cheap. Plastic will
be less versatile however. With metal you could use a spoon as at head screwdriver if you absolutely had
to, which I have done with the very spoon used in this project.) = $3.99
*Survival Can Opener - (This is the style I used. This is also a two pack. These are well worth having as the
size to functionality is hard to beat. They are very useful for camping as well. Useful for both opening
nearly any canned food as well as removing the ring left behind from pull top cans.) = $3.98
Utility Knife Razor Blades - (This is the style I used, this is used as my food knife. If you had to you could
probably get away with the 6oz can lid and sharpen one end on a sidewalk. It would already be sharp
enough for cutting something like a potato.) = $2.99
Pocket Folding Knife - (This would give you a more compact and versatile type of knife.) = $6.90
*20oz Can, Pineapple Chunks - (The contents are not as important as the can size, this is much easier to
do at a grocery store, I am going o of can ounces hopefully its the same size as I used.) $1.38
*15oz Can, Tomato Sauce - (The contents are not as important as the can size, this is much easier to do
at a grocery store, I am going o of can ounces hopefully its the same size as I used.) = $0.88
10.5oz or 10 1/2oz Can, Mac & Cheese- (The contents are not as important as the can size, this is much
easier to do at a grocery store, I am going o of can ounces hopefully its the same size as I used.) = $0.98
6oz Can, Tomato Paste - (Not Required, this is used as my drinking cup. You could nd something else to
t in the 10.5oz can to use as a cup. You could easily reuse a smaller (I think they are 6oz) soda can. Plastic
could work too this is purely used as a cup not for cooking. Tomato paste on amazon can only be found in
a 12 pack, this would be cheaper anywhere else and probably sold individually. The contents are not as
important as the can size, this is much easier to do at a grocery store, I am going o of can ounces
hopefully its the same size as I used. This was useful however to elevate the tealights closer to the stove
top.) = $10.08
Hand Sized Rock Roughly 2" or 3" - (Seriously don't buy this on Amazon unless you really want a bunch
of rocks, the cheapest I could nd is a 20 piece set of rocks. Just look outside and go for a walk you will
probably nd something. Doesn't have to be a rock, just anything solid you could use as a hammer. Heck
you could probably just hit the nail against the sidewalk and accomplish the same thing. The rock is used
as a hammer, it may be cheaper to just buy a hammer. You could probably get by just using more force on
the Can Tapper as I found out later in the project. You could also use an old brick, chunk of wood, old
shoe, bigger stick, anything solid enough to apply downward force on a nail. The cans don't take much
force to puncture.) = $13.99
Nails - (Well you can get 30 nails for really cheap, but you can also nd nails on the ground near
construction sites, in old fences, in free wood pallets, etc. Turns out a nail maybe optional to this build if
you just put more force with the can tapper I learned later in the project.) = $1.19
*Stick or Wooden Dowel - (Seriously don't buy this on Amazon either, trees give these out for free all the
time. Walk around outside and you are bound to nd something on the ground. If a wood stick cannot be
had you could use a wooden dowel. I couldn't nd a stick on Amazon so a 5 pack of wooden dowels is
linked instead. Believe it or not the single most used item for this build was a stick and its useful
afterwards.) = $4.97
Alternative Fuel - Tealight Candles - (Alternative cooking option if you cannot nd anything else
ammable or need something that doesn't smoke. This is a 45 pack, its cheaper per candle if you buy 200.
These are also a few bucks for 50 at Walmart which is a better deal. They cook slower, I did use this later on
in the project.) = $14.49
Alternative Fuel - Camping Fuel Tablets - (These things tend to stink but they do work well, I have
cooked with them historically. Comes in a 24 pack.) = $6.99
Alternative Fuel - Survival Candles 115 Hour Burn Time - (These cost a bit more up front but if the
burn time is as advertised it would be quite cheap overall for the amount of potential cooking time. It
would come out to something close to $0.06 cents per hour. Comes in a 3 pack.) = $21.99
Alternative Fuel - Cooking Fuel Diethylene - (Advertised as 6 hours and a 6 pack.) = $16.99
Anyway you probably get the idea, you could cook with all sorts of di erent types of fuel, some of which
should work indoors.
Total cost of what I consider must haves for this project (Items starting with *) = $10.09 from Amazon.
Might be closer to $5 locally.
You can likely nd most of these items for super cheap at your local dollar store. If you have a Dollar Tree nearby you
should be able to nd most of these items for $1 each, food however often costs more there then at grocery stores. Some
of these type of items can be found at Walmart or any Grocery Store individually for much cheaper too, like spices.
Problem buying them on Amazon is after a certain point its cheaper to just buy a camping mess kit and wood stove, but
where is the fun in that. Also if you don't have salt and pepper you could grab a bunch of salt and pepper packs for free at
most fast food restaurants or the deli section of most grocery stores. Which I would have done if I had thought of it
sooner.
Step 1: Prepare the Stick

Why step one you may be wondering, well that's simple this will be the most used item on this build and after it. First we
debark the very end of it, then we sand it o on some concrete so it doesn't have any jagged edges to cause damage to
us or the cloth later. Also I will say it now as it will happen throughout the rest of the project, ignore the reddish/pink hue
that will show up on some of the pictures I got a camera lighting setting wrong apparently.
plete Hobo Stove & Cooking Pots System Bundle, No Tools Build, for Dirt Cheap or Free - Easily Expandable and Infinitely Upgradable!: Pag
Step 2: Remove Pull Top Ring & Deal With Sharp Edges
First remove any ring left behind by the pull top lids using the survival can opener. Then if any of the cans have very
sharp edges on top lets deal with them before they deal with you, using none other then the stick! Maybe you will have
more luck with the rock but for me the stick worked much better. I got lucky and only one can needed it, the 10.5oz can.
One of the photos shows on the stick what the sharp can edge would do to your nger if we skipped this step.
Step 3: Forming the Stovetop
Now using the Bottle Opener / Can Tapper, which will now only be referred to as the Can Tapper, we are going to punch 5
holes in the top for re and smoke to escape around the cooking pot cans. You could probably put 6 holes as well, I didn't
want to put too many holes and have the stove top too weak to hold a can later but 6 would have been ne. These are
done in the bottom of the can which will become the top of the stove.
Step 4: Forming the Air Intake Holes
Now we will form the air intake holes on the top of the can, which will become the bottom of the stove. I went with 7 of
similar enough distance apart. Be careful around the seam of the can not to punch a hole too close or it may split the can.
We roll the triangle point around the lip of the can and push it at so it doesn't stick up catch on things, prevent the
cooking pot from tting, or cut us.
Step 5: Punch Holes for the Fuel Intake Hole
Now using the nail and the rock punch holes for the fuel intake hole. This is required for using wood to be able to feed
the re. If you are going to exclusively use alternative fuels like tealights you can probably skip this part of the project. It
doesn't take too much force to do and a few smaller strikes with the rock is better then one hard strike from my
experience. It will reduce how likely the can will bulge or get crushed that way I rst made the 4 corner holes then one
hole in between, you should do 2 holes in between at least on the top so it would be easier. We cut between the holes in
the next step. I didn't put a hole in between on the bottom part so I could roll the metal inside.
Step 6: Cut the Fuel Intake Opening
Now using the can tapper place it in the hole and rock it left and right while applying downward force to cut out the
holes. However do not do it the way I did or you will end up with Step 7 which is a pain. Go up the two sides rst then cut
the top. I stupidly did it one side then the top and lastly the other side and it added more steps to try and x. I didn't try it
at this step but you can likely just use the can tapper and not need the nail at all.
Step 7: Fixing the Fuel Intake Opening
Due to not doing the two sides rst and then the top we now arrive at the mistake, so step 7 is attempting to x it. Avoid
this step it is frustrating and the potential to cut yourself on sharp metal increases drastically. So rst I tried folding the
metal in and out hoping it would break up to the cut line. This didn't work so at this point I used just the can tapper, no
pilot hole with the nail and was able to cut it up to the now accidentally extended top. Plus side I got a bigger fuel intake
hole, downside it was a pain to x without tools. This would have been easy to x with wire cutters or do this whole part
with tin snips but this is a no tool build.
lete Hobo Stove & Cooking Pots System Bundle, No Tools Build, for Dirt Cheap or Free - Easily Expandable and Infinitely Upgradable!: Pag
Step 8: Curving the Sharp Edges of the Fuel Entry
With the mistake resolved its now time to curve the metal and get rid of most these sharp edges. Even after I wouldn't go
sticking my hand around inside the stove, after all we curved all the sharp parts inside so the outside would be less
dangerous and not cut the cloth. The most used item now makes a comeback, the good ol' stick.
Step 9: Curve Sharp Edges Around Air Intake Holes
Now curve the edges around the air intake holes with the stick again. This part goes pretty quick.
Step 10: Curve Sharp Edges Around Stovetop Holes
And last curve the edges around the stovetop holes with the stick.
Step 11: Flatten the Tabs on the Stovetop on the Inside
With all the edges curved its time to do a test t with the second can which is the cooking pan. It doesn't t due to the
tabs on the inside of the can of the stovetop sticking up. The stick once again makes short work of these.
Step 12: Preparing the Hobo Bundle
With the hobo stove done its time to nish preparing the hobo bundle cooking supplies. Now is the time to gather all the
supplies together for your hobo cooking system. If you forget somethings its easy to add them later. At this point we
have 4 cans for various uses: 1 is your nished stove, 2 cooking pots of di erent sizes, and 1 cup. Gather also a spoon, salt
and pepper, your can tapper, a survival can opener, the nail, a razor blade or knife, a lighter, and a water bottle. We will
add a few more items by the end!
Step 13: Create a Pouch for the Razor Blade and Nail
Just throwing a razor blade in the hobo bundle and a nail is going to just puncture right through, so lets create a simple
holder for them out of some junk cardboard box. I did this without using any new tape using just the remaining tape
from an old amazon box, which works, but poorly compared to new tape. This is gummed packing tape which requires
water to activate the adhesive. A box with normal clear packing tape would have been ideal but this is all I found. You
could also easily make the razor blade and nail safer with just a few strips of duct tape the blade on the end of the nail.
However the goal was to be resourceful with what I could nd and cardboard is easy to nd. You can slide both inside the
gaps of the various cans but then it could fall out and cut through the cloth or your skin. This is one of the rst things I
would upgrade, even if it was just getting better tape.
Step 14: Finish Preparing the Hobo Cooking Bundle
With the razor blade and nail now taken care of lets gather the supplies and compact them to get ready for tying in the
bundle. If you store anything metal inside any of the cans be sure to wrap it in scrap cloth, a paper towel, or put
cardboard rst so it doesn't scrape o the lining of the can I found this out later.
Step 15: Bundling the Hobo Cooking Set in Cloth & Tying
Now with your bundle place it on top of an old handkerchief, bandanna, or scrap cloth. An old shirt would be perfect,
that will be a future upgrade for mine. I will cut probably just the back o an old T-Shirt to tie o as the bundle so it can t
more and be tied o better. Place each item one at a time as close together at the center as you can. Then fold up two
sides on the right, and the two sides on the left and twist them through each other then one more time into a knot. Slide
the stick through the openings and under the knot and you are good to go.
Step 16: Find a Location to Cook
Traveled a bit and found a good clear spot on some concrete. You will need some kind of at surface that won't catch re
or be ruined by heat to use the stove.
Step 17: Unpack Hobo Cooking Bundle
With a good spot found we now unpack the hobo bundle and get ready to cook! Now is a good time to nd some sticks
as well for fuel or get another fuel source ready. I added an old tea light at this point as my alternative fuel. Its a good idea
to have something like two tea lights kept inside so you can cook in case you cannot come by something better like
sticks.
Step 18: Create Fire & Light the Stove
With everything unpacked its time to start a re and light the stove. I had to add the tealight originally to be able to start
the re and take pictures at the same time with one hand. But it is a good cheap alternative fuel so it gets to stay.
Step 19: Pour Water in Cooking Pot Can 1 & Put on Stove
This probably did need its own step but here we are. Pour water into the Cooking Pot #1 (15oz can) and place on the
stove. I would let the stove preheat for longer on the rst burn to burn o the lining inside, this also will mean more
smoke the rst time. Use sticks that are not green on top of that and you will have way too much smoke making people
think there is a re. Pouring less water initially too should help it heat up in a bit less time. Cooking Pot #2 may of cooked
better since it blocks the holes less as I found out later on.
Step 20: Alternate Cooking Fuel Using Tealights
So all the sticks I used were too green and wet which caused way too much smoke even after the can lining should have
been gone. It looked like I was trying to send o smoke signals not cook. So I had to switch to my backup fuel of tealights
as a cooking fuel instead for the remainder of this. Sticks would cook so much faster, it managed to raise the water to
warm in the few minutes the can was on top of it and are much easier to come by. If smoke is a huge issue, which
depending on where you do this it might be, tealights will work, eventually. It will take longer on a colder day which it
happened to be around 50-60 degrees outside today. The water used was also pretty cold which didn't help. Advantage
to tealights they can be used indoors which you will see later.
Step 21: Lid Ideas to Improve Cooking Time
This is why we saved the lids from the cans, the can one size up makes the perfect lid for the can one size down. If that
doesn't work you can also just use cardboard, though it will be less reusable as it gets wet from steam and dirty with
food. Though plus side it works as re tinder and is easy to come by. I also added a photo of using it later when making
food of putting a rock on top also keeps the lid on if its windy or to make the lid stay closer to the top of the can.
Step 22: A Really Long Time Later
After quite a long time, easily over an hour if not 2, you will have hot water. Wind and cold ambient temperatures didn't
help with that, and I initially over lled the cooking pot with water. Cooking with just tealights outside is very slow on a
cold day. I think tealights would be a better for cooking indoors which I will try later. Be sure to do an initial burn inside
the stove using wood before you ever attempt something indoors to try and burn o the lining inside the can we turned
into a stove. Probably goes without saying but the stove and cooking pot will get hot so don't touch it directly until it
cools o . You can see the steam in these pictures. See the next step on how to grab the pot without getting burned.
Step 23: How to Move the Hot Cooking Pan
If you were wondering about it earlier, the sock will now be explained. It makes an excellent hot pad holder to remove
the hot cooking pan from the stove without getting burned. Hot water on a cold day is not bad, but tea would have been
better.
Step 24: Putting Out the Stove
First move the hot stove o of the fuel source using none other then the small end of the stick! The stick is the most
versatile item in the whole project and after it. Place it through one of the holes in the stove top and lift it up slowly to
move it o the fuel.
Step 25: Bonus: Hobo Coffee in an Old Sock, Part 1
Hot water was good but lets make a cup of hobo co ee. This next part is very important, wash your sock before doing
this, that is unless you want foot avored co ee. Cut the old sock in two, ideally this sock won't have a hole like the rst
sock I used earlier. I had to grab another sock that didn't or the co ee grounds would leak out into the water. Ideally you
should use a 100% cotton sock or some other natural ber instead of plastic. Now roll the sock over the cooking pot top,
in this case I used cooking pot #2 which is 10.5oz. Then pour in the co ee grounds.
Step 26: Bonus: Hobo Coffee Part 2, Pour Hot Water
This step is easy enough, carefully pour hot water from the stove into the sock full of co ee grounds. Pour slowly as this
can is smaller then the pot the water was cooked in, also the sock will start to absorb water. The elastic part of the sock
can be wrapped around the can so you have something to easily grab onto without burning yourself. Don't over ll the
sock either and carefully, but quickly, unfold the sock from around the can and hold it above the pan. It starts leaking
down the side of the can you don't do this, not that I would know (not pictured).
Step 27: Bonus: Hobo Coffee Part 3, Let Coffee Seep
Much like when you make tea let the co ee seep into the water. You can accelerate this by lifting it in and out of the pot a
few times like I did, but it will make your co ee stronger. When you pull it entirely out of the water let it drain into the
cooking pot and if you want give it a squeeze which will be hot but get most the remaining water out.
Step 28: Bonus: Hobo Coffee Part 4, Serve Up
Pour the co ee carefully into your cup and enjoy. I emphasize the carefully because while trying to take pictures and
leaving the sock inside instead of removing it before pouring it made a good mess. So don't make that mistake or you
lose out on delicious hobo sock co ee.
Step 29: Bonus: Hobo Coffee Part 5, Enjoy!
If you did better then me, which I hope you did you didn't have a camera in one hand (that is my excuse and I am sticking
to it), then you also don't have a mess waiting for you to cleanup which will make the co ee all the more enjoyable. Enjoy
your delicious hobo co ee brewed in an old sock!
Step 30: Bonus: Hobo Coffee Part 6, Cleanup
As soon as you are done cleanup the cans or the co ee make the cans can rust. It is as simple as rinsing them out with
water afterwards. The sock you will have to ip inside out (which makes a big mess if done on your surface, I tried to do it
for the pictures) and then shaken o outside over a garbage can or dirt and rinsed afterwards.
Step 31: Bonus 2: Cooking Chili, Indoors, Part 1
Hot water and co ee are all great, but a meal they do not make. So since the hobo cooking system is done, lets make a
basic meal and what better to start with then a 15oz can of chili! This is as simple as it gets and I have a can of chili so lets
do this. It is too cold outside today for me to attempt it being around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so I am going to cook it
indoors using two tealights. It is about 60 degrees inside where I cooked, which is still better then outside today. It is
colder then when I heated the water and made the co ee outside. You would need a better fuel source then tealights to
do this when its that cold out or colder.
Step 32: Bonus 2: Cooking Chili Part 2, Increasing Temperature
To try and make it cook faster I also tried blocking the fuel intake, since its not needed for tealights and elevating the can
of chili o the stove using the lids of the other pots. I noticed more heat on the outside of the chili can after doing this.
The 15oz cooking pot and this 15oz can of chili blocks a large portion of the holes on the stove top when placed directly.
Step 33: Bonus 2: Cooking Chili Part 3, Stirring & Temperature Check
Every few minutes I would stir the chili up from the bottom and drop it on top so the whole can contents get shifted. I
would check the temperature using one nger, its a quick and easy way to tell if its warm enough. It is canned food which
is fully cooked already so I am just trying to get it to a good eating temperature by warming it up.
Step 34: Bonus 2: Cooking Chili Part 4, Put Out Stove & Enjoy!
Once it was warm enough it was time to grab it o the stove using the hot pad holder that is the elastic part of an old
sock. I would have liked it a bit warmer personally but at this point its been over 40 minutes and I am hungry so time to
eat! Tea lights do work but take a really long time as is, I would suggest you try and nd a way to elevate them closer to
the stove top which I am going to do next time. Personally I think it may be worth doing a di erent cooking fuel like
those 115 hour emergency candles perhaps or a bigger candle in general, unless elevating them makes a huge
improvement which I will try rst.
Step 35: Bonus 2: Cooking Chili Part 5, Cleanup
When using cans you have to clean them up right away, you don't want to leave things to eat through the lining or cause
it to rust. Water will work ne for this if its all you have. I also used an old paper towel but a rag would work or a sponge if
you have one. Even better if you have a bit of soap which I did, this also works a lot easier with running water. But if not it
just requires a few water changes inside the can.
Step 36: Elevating the Tealights
I was thinking about how to elevate the tealights closer to the top and came up with the perfect solution. You put the
cup can 6oz upside down, take the largest lid and fold the tab (so it can clear the metal of the fuel entry we curved
inside), place it on top of the cup can, place the 2 tealights and light them, then slide the stove carefully down over them
(it will get hot the longer you hold it there so work quickly). Using just the pieces we already have you now can elevate
the tealights to cook faster and nothing had to be added. This method I used to elevate the tealights is perfect because it
doesn't require any additional supplies but it does put the ames a bit too close to the stove top causing a smaller ame
on the tea lights, and air ow is not great this way but was enough they didn't go out unless you put to big a pot. This was
resolvable by elevating the stove as you will see in the next step pictures. I did it using the can lids, can tapper, and
survival can opener because it only had to be raised a tiny bit for a better ame. See the next step for my conclusion on if
elevating the tealights made a di erence.
Step 37: Bonus 3: Cooking Ramen & Jerky
With the tealights elevated lets try cooking again, this time its chicken avored ramen and beef jerky. At rst I was trying
to cook with the 15oz cooking pot #1, but I switched maybe 10 minutes in to using the 10.5oz cooking pot #2. I did this
because it doesn't cover up the stove top holes as much and that way I didn't have to put the other lids to elevate the
cooking pot and could use them to elevate the stove slightly. I used the cardboard as the lid as it cooked since the rest
were being used. Its not shown at the end as you get the point, but be sure to clean everything as soon as you are done
eating.
So to answer the question did elevating the tealights help? I would say yes, between that and cooking in the smaller pot
it only took about 30-40 minutes to get to a warm enough temperature to cook the noodles. Which was a higher
temperature then the can of chili ended up being, that only ever got warm. Even elevated and using the smaller cooking
pot #2 (10.5oz can) tealights are still going to take longer to cook with in general with a stove this size. A single tea light is
only about 100 BTUs/hour and with 2 we only get 200 BTUs. A residential gas stove on low heat is around 400 BTUs so its
like cooking everything on a low heat. So keep that in mind and start at least an hour sooner then you want to eat. I think
if you are only going to cook exclusively with tealights a di erent stove design should be used. You could make them out
of the cans that are similar width to the stove can that often have things like canned chicken (which is usually a bigger
can then tuna cans) or tuna (the bigger cans, not the normal small tuna cans). Those cans are the same width as this 20oz
stove can but maybe 1/3 the height. Anything in a can like that but wider would also work too, then all you need is air
intakes and a few stove top holes and your done, no elevating the tealights would be required then. Downside it would
only work with 1 fuel source unlike the current design.
Step 38: Completed Hobo Cooking System (so Far)
Here is the complete (so far, its easy to upgrade) hobo cooking system with 26 pieces in total.
The parts include:
1. Hobo Stove (20oz can)
2. Cooking Pot #1 (15oz can)
3. Cooking Pot #2 (10.5oz can)
4. Cup (6oz can)
5. Salt (in old spice container)
6. Pepper (in old spice container)
7. Bottle Opener / Can Tapper
8. Survival can opener
9. Lighter
10. Spoon
11. Utility Razor Blade
12. Nail
13. Razor blade & nail pouch
14. Reusable co ee lter out of old sock toe end
15. Elastic hot pad holder out of old sock elastic end
16. Cardboard sheet, re tinder, at surface
17. Tealight #1
18. Tealight #2
19. 20oz can lid for 15oz can
20. 15oz can lid for 10.5oz can
21. 10.5oz can lid for 6oz can
22. 6oz can lid for undecided
23. Water bottle
24. Stick
25. Rock
26. Handkerchief to carry the hobo bundle
Step 39: Re-bundling & on the Road Again
Re-bundle up your complete hobo cooking system and head back out on the road!
Step 40: Other Ideas & Upgrades
The wonderful part of this setup is you can repurpose anything you can think of to upgrade your cooking system later. If
there is something you need to add, think of a clever way to make it yourself and add it. Find you don't use something?
Remove it and replace it with something useful. You can also upgrade any part at any time for free by clever means.
Having tools would also greatly increase your possibilities as well, not that this no tool challenge was not fun. It made me
have to think about how to do a lot of it without the convenience of tools which was totally worth it. I would also like to
experiment at some point with alternative fuels for this stove as well. I focused only on the cooking aspect but this could
easily be expanded into everything else you need on a daily basis not just cooking. The mindset is creative uses of what is
around you so why not try it and see what you come up with!
Here are some upgrade ideas:
Cutting up an old shirt to replace the small handkerchief with so you can t more supplies in there and tie
it in better.
Making a handle for the razor blade to become a knife, even better if it doubles as blade storage. Cutting
a stick this should be easy enough, then ip it so the blade is out when cutting, and ip it back so the
blade is inside when not. Tie it o with some old string or an old shoe lace and it would be good.
Making a cutting board out of the bark of a tree, or maybe some kind of plastic.
Making a better pouch to carry the razor blade and nail with out of an old plastic card would beat the
cardboard.
Adding cordage of some kind be it: rope, string, an old shoe lace, old shing line, or even scrap wire.
Having something to tie with is always helpful.
I couldn't decide and like the old sock approach for now, but you could add two small holes with the nail
to the top of the cooking pot cans to run cordage through instead of using an old sock as a hot pad
holder. This would have the advantage of cooking right over a re as well as the stove. This can be done at
any time so no sense doing it before you need to, especially since we keep the nail with us and a rock.
Tea Light Platform. Having used them a few times it is too slow so I would suggest moving them up closer
to the stove top. It would likely increase cooking temperatures drastically if I can nd a half height can
that ts inside the stove which can hold two tea lights closer to the stove top I will try this soon. Done see
Step 36 & 37 for results!
Better Tealight Cooking. With the two tealights used on this small stove you only get about 200 BTUs/hr.
A residential gas stove on low is around 400 BTUs/hr so it is cooking everything on a very low heat. A
larger stove capable of holding maybe 10 tealights would cook at least 10 times better then a single
tealight. I don't have one yet but if you can get the large cans like co ee used to come in or some food
storage still does I bet that could hold enough tealights which would greatly increase the heat capability
and be large enough to cook much bigger meals. Downside it would go through fuel that many times
faster potentially. But if it could cook in 10 minutes compared to the current nearly an hour with 2 maybe
it would be more e cient.
Alternative Fuel: Homemade Alcohol Lamp, I recently saw someone make one out of a small paint can
with a sealing lid, a cheap roll of toilet paper the cheaper the better, and 91% rubbing alcohol that would
be a perfect fuel alternative. They even used rocks to control the ame intensity. I bet it could be made
out of small cans that would t inside the stove, but to prevent the alcohol from evaporating you need a
sealed lid which I haven't gured out how to do that with an old can just yet. I mean there is options like
putting it in zipping plastic bag but I would prefer a more self contained option. But I may try it anyway at
some point in a old tuna can I am betting.
Alternative Fuel: Soda Can Stove - Shared by rosieleithhead in the comments, looks like the simplest is
made out of a single can where you cut the top and bottom o , remove the top of the can with a can
opener, and puncture a lot of holes around the outer rim then ll it with an alcohol likely rubbing alcohol
of 91% but 70% should work too. This looks promising and I will have to try it, I bet it can be made with
just a razor blade or knife and the nail. Easily done with tools.
Alternative Fuel : Crayon Cardboard Candles - Shared byrebecca.besherse in the comments, "Cut a strip of
cardboard straight on one side and wavy or jagged on the other, roll it tightly, and put it uneven-side-up
in an empty tuna can or other small at can. It's OK if it unrolls a little inside the can. Ideally you want gaps
in the paper of less than 1/4 inch but as long as the strip stays inside the can when you turn it over you're
good. Melt some wax (household para n, candle ends, crayons) and pour in over the cardboard strips to
about 1/4 inch from top of the uneven tips. Best to make sure that the uneven tips get some wax on them
but that they are not buried, as these are going to be your candle wicks."
Alternative Fuel: Crayon Cotton Wafers, Shared by co eeguy123, Using cotton balls and a source of
para n wax (candles, crayons, etc) you can melt the wax, dip half a cotton ball into it, then as it sets up
atten it out. This forms it into a wafer of sorts, all you have to do is bend it or rough it up to expose the
cotton bers and it will burn with a very healthy ame for around 5 minutes, more than enough to boil a
cup of water or heat a can of soup.
A plastic grocery bag would provide a good waterproof cover for the hobo bundle too.
Maybe using stainless steel dog food dishes could provide pans for cooking as well instead of only pots.
Though there would need to be some elevation o of the ridge of the stove or the re couldn't vent
properly.
Another Stove Design. I haven't tested it but I do wonder if instead of holes in the stove top directly you
put holes at the top on the sides just like the air intake holes on the bottom of the stove but on top, would
provide a better cooking experience. That would also let you cook right on the stove top, potentially, with
things like eggs. Though maybe not on a 20oz stove, its kind of small.
A much better stove would be made out of a large can like co ee used to come in or some food storage
still does, but I unfortunately do not have one of those, that could t easily a 20oz can as a cooking pot
instead of only a 15oz. It could also hold a lot more tealights to make them cook faster. I may have to try
another stove if I can get my hands on one. It would be a bit less compact would be the drawback, but
then it could t this whole hobo cooking setup inside the can so with a bigger cloth it may be pretty
compact still.
An old 1 gallon metal paint can that you burn out the old paint could also make a good large stove that is
still portable as well, especially for wood cooking.
An old 5 gallon metal paint can with the paint burned out could easily make a space heating and cooking
stove capable of warming a tent, or room easily.
Need somewhere to store your hobo cooking system outside? Check out my other instructable titled Hobo Storage Shed
.
Do you have any more suggestions? I will add good ones to this list and if there is enough demand I will possibly do
some of these ideas in the future.
Very nice idea and I like the compactness of the kit! Instead of the tealights, and assuming one
has access to cotton balls and a source of paraffin wax (candles, etc) you can melt the wax, dip
half a cotton ball into it, then as it sets up flatten it out. This forms it into a wafer of sorts, all you
have to do is bend it or rough it up to expose the cotton fibers and it will burn with a very healthy
flame for around 5 minutes, more than enough to boil a cup of water or heat a can of soup.
Thank you, it is very compact! That is a good idea for an alternative fuel and could probably use
crayons as well. This has been added to the Other Ideas and Upgrades List.
I have made portable fuel sources for use outdoors only. Cut a strip of cardboard straight on one
side and wavy or jagged on the other, roll it tightly, and put it uneven-side-up in an empty tuna
can or other small flat can. It's OK if it unrolls a little inside the can. Ideally you want gaps in the
paper of less than 1/4 inch but as long as the strip stays inside the can when you turn it over
you're good. Melt some wax (household paraffin, candle ends, crayons) and pour in over the
cardboard strips to about 1/4 inch from top of the uneven tips. Best to make sure that the uneven
tips get some wax on them but that they are not buried, as these are going to be your candle
wicks. I used them in a coffee can stove like yours but it coated the whole inside with soot. Also
used them in the BBQ pits/fire rings at campgrounds all over the country. Again, soot all over the
coffeepot so I put the pot in a plastic bag before I put it back in the car. To extinguish the can-dle
move it out in the open and set a pot or can directly on it to smother it.
This has now been added to the Other Ideas and Upgrades List.
That is a good idea for an alternative fuel and crayons can be found for cheap at thrift stores.
If you can find one to use, a can opener that cuts the rim of the can and leaves a super smooth
edge and no sharp edges. I found one in a second-hand store and love the results. You don't
have to be a Hobo to use this rig, it will make a very good 'emergency' cooking stove. Thanks for
your Instructable.
That would save you the step of having to remove the ring left behind by the pull top cans. It
does make an excellent emergency cooking stove. Glad you liked it!
For cutting rectangular holes without distorting the can, consider cutting the metal with a thin
Dremel tool abrasive disk.
That would give much cleaner cuts.
To improve efficiency, take a 28oz can. Remove top and bottom lid. make 1/2 in hole on each
side at bottom. Side it over the hobo heater to act as wind shield. It will force the heat around
other can and reduce the time it take to cook. Be carfull, even it is is outside can it can be very
hot.
That is not a bad idea, if I come across a larger can like that I will give it a try.
I love this! But I would suggest using a soda side stove under the big tin to use as the fuel source
as they're damn effective and cheap. It not quite as hobo as your kit but metho is cheap and
would bring a little more convenience. I've made these before
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage-can_stove
This has now been added to the Other Ideas and Upgrades List.
Good link, I like the DIY alcohol burner. It reminded me of Sterno which is jellied denatured
alcohol. I effectiely used that method of cooking in Scouts. As an adult I relied on compact
backpacking stoves that produced higher BTUs an important consideration when cooking in
cooler temperatures.
Not a bad idea and thanks for sharing it! I will have to try that out and see if I can use it as an
alternative fuel source on the hobo stove.

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