I have all 3 . An Esbit , a small spirit stove and an Emberlit . By far the Emberlit gets the most use . Here in Ontario Canada if you are in the wilds , you in the woods . So there is plenty of free fuel . The great thing about the Emberlit is that you can use such small pieces of wood that even at a campground you can find enough sticks and branches laying on the ground to cook with . The reson for that is that most people looking for firewood wouldn't bother with such small pieces of wood . Or you can split down ONE good sized piece of firewood into enough fuel to cook 4 or 5 meals .

The Esbit is a great little stove too and I prefer it over a spirit stove for the reasons already mentioned , the possibility of it leaking into your pack . However the spirit stove WILL produce a more intense heat than the Esbit .

Hope some of this helps .