I stopped long ago caring about the weight of certain gear items I consider essential. A canister stove is an essential item in my pack, period. Canister weight is a fact of life, just like gravity. Never stopped me from reaching my destination, but I still have all my eye brows, don't smell like a gas station, and get a stove going the moment I push a button - 4 minutes later two cups of water are boiling. Life is good.
Well, hmm. I suppose, but the choice isn't simply one of canister gas vs. white gas. Alcohol and ESBIT both work pretty well (if you have a good set up); they're just not as fast. They (typically) have no moving parts; there's nothing to fail. They are silent in operation. That last bit is actually one of my favorite parts of such stoves. There's no disruption to the serenity of the wild.
HJ
