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squeezebox
02-08-2015, 00:23
I wanted to post this on the esbit thread, couldn't find my way back to it.
So check out , wood gasification camping stoves , on youtube. With 2 tin cans, 1 slightly smaller than the other, and some holes drilled in the right places you get a hotter, more efficient, less smokey wood stove. The intake air gets heated for a hotter flame, some of the exhaust gases get pulled back through the fire to reburn, ie. less smoke. Someone even has a fold up mode. (what about you QiWiz a Ti version)
I'm thinking maybe a good backup to a canister stove.
Am I unreasonable to think about a backup stove?

shakey_snake
02-08-2015, 01:19
backup stove

...to go along with your backup sleeping bag, backup backpack, backup shelter and backup knee joints, I suppose?

StubbleJumper
02-08-2015, 08:00
Well, I'd say that it would be a nice, fun project to undertake during the winter when hiking opportunities are limited, and it would be a cool addition to your gear collection (if your wife still allows you to accumulate more gear :-? )

That being said, I've used wood burning stoves, Pepsi can alcohol stoves, the penny alcohol stove, the Supercat stove and the basic MSR cannister stove. They all do the job, but over the years I've come to appreciate the cannister stove for its speed and simplicity. In some regions it's not easy to find cannisters for re-supply, but on the major trails it shouldn't be a problem. The fuel cannister itself weighs a half-pound when full, so it's not as light as just gathering a few sticks to burn, but at the end of a day of hiking I'm happy to not fart around with collecting sticks and starting a wood fire.

I would not carry a back-up stove in any circumstance because it just doesn't seem to be worth the trouble. If your main stove fails, you can cook over a fire, borrow (Yogi) a friend's stove, or just rehydrate your food with cold water for a couple of days until you hit the next town. Since the consequences of a stove failure are so minimal, I don't bother with a back-up.

fastfoxengineering
02-08-2015, 17:17
I wanted to post this on the esbit thread, couldn't find my way back to it.
So check out , wood gasification camping stoves , on youtube. With 2 tin cans, 1 slightly smaller than the other, and some holes drilled in the right places you get a hotter, more efficient, less smokey wood stove. The intake air gets heated for a hotter flame, some of the exhaust gases get pulled back through the fire to reburn, ie. less smoke. Someone even has a fold up mode. (what about you QiWiz a Ti version)
I'm thinking maybe a good backup to a canister stove.
Am I unreasonable to think about a backup stove?

I don't really feel the need for a backup stove. You can always eat cold mashed potatoes. However, I got a CC Ti-Tri sidewinder. I bring the alcohol setup and the extra inferno insert. So i'm pretty much carrying a really good alcohol stove, and a really good wood stove, at a small weight penalty.

And ever since I got it, I'm always burning wood. I always liked using a campfire to cook on, however it's tedious and inefficient. With my wood stove, it changed the game for me. I need a small bundle of wood and I can cook a full meal. That small bundle of wood would maybe get a campfire going. It's much less tedious to cook over a fire with an efficient, wood burning stove.

The only thing I don't like about my sidewinder caldera cone is that there's like 7 parts and it takes some assembly. I need a larger area for cooking because everything needs to be layed out before putting it together.

QiWiz
02-11-2015, 16:45
So check out , wood gasification camping stoves , on youtube. (what about you QiWiz a Ti version)

Since twigs are easily accumulated, I've not been convinced that the value of "gasification" is worth the construction complexity. You might save a few twigs and get a little less smoke. No big advantage IMO. Top lighting of a non-gassifier will also reduce smokiness, but you need fairly dry twigs for that to work easily. Another consideration is that most of the "gasifiers" do not start easily or work well with damp wood. Bottom lighting with a strong chimney effect for maximum air/draft is the best way to deal with damp wood IMO. My stoves allow for both these methods as needed or preferred. Just sayin' ; )