View Full Version : Which Wood Burning Stove Do You Prefer?
MaggieMaeFlower
05-15-2012, 19:06
I'm looking to switch from an alcohol stove to wood burning. I would prefer something ultralight (under 5oz) and one that I can use my existing pot (Ti 4.7 oz, 0.9 liters) with. I have saved up a large ziplock bag of dryer lint (pictured) that weights 3.1 oz and should last several months. I am considering the Evernew Ti DX.
15978
Which wood burning stove do you like best and why?
You can check these out, burns wood, esbit or alcohol. At 2.5 oz one of the lightest and no assembly required, from what I have read they seem to be very good. http://fourdog.com/bushcooker-lt/
grateful 2
05-15-2012, 23:35
caldera cone from traildesigns.com
Emberlit-UL or El Mini
http://emberlit.com/buy.php
Stink Bug
05-16-2012, 09:07
Ti-Tri Sidewinder from Trail Designs. Burns wood, esbit or alcohol. Whenever I primarily use it for wood burning mode, I always take the alcohol stove and a couple of oz of fuel as a backup (wet wood is a PITA). Even with the alcohol stove and the stakes necessary, it still falls well under your 5oz requirement.
unclemjm
05-16-2012, 09:38
All of the above are good options. Consider a BushBuddy too. It's efficient, light, and a work of art.
Tom Murphy
05-16-2012, 11:17
http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/woodgaz-folding-backpacking-stove.php
Very happy with this stove.
+1
http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/woodgaz-folding-backpacking-stove.php
I use it with the Super Stove, or, the Companion Stove (melts snow) if no wood is available.
unclemjm
05-16-2012, 13:04
+1
http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/woodgaz-folding-backpacking-stove.php
I use it with the Super Stove, or, the Companion Stove (melts snow) if no wood is available.
I can't believe I didn't think of that one too. Although I haven't used mine recently, I agree that it's a great choice and it is the easiest to pack of all the stoves listed.
I too am thinking about adding a wood burner to my stove collection. After researching all the ones mentioned above I keep going back to the Emberlit UL. Priced right and doesn't look like some POC built in someone's garage.
As a wood burning stove maker myself, I would recommend you take a look at the Emberlit Mini or UL, the Ti Tri Caldera Cone, the Bushbuddy, the Woodgaz, and the FireFly, not necessarily in the order listed. Each of these stoves have a group of very happy users that can tell you how happy they are. They all have their strong points and weak points. One of them is likely to be the stove for you. I think all of these have some kind of option for using Esbit or alcohol as a backup fuel, which is something to consider, especially if your hiking takes you above tree line at times or into and out of areas with fire bans that include a ban on wood burning stoves.
MaggieMaeFlower
05-26-2012, 19:07
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I chose the Emberlit El-Mini. No need for a pot stand, windscreen or alcohol! Got a fire started first try.
16079
Timinator
05-27-2012, 19:57
Has anyone used http://bepreparedtosurvive.com/Product%20Review%20-%20Vargo%20Titanium%20Hexagon%20Wood%20Stove.htm?
http://bepreparedtosurvive.com/StoveSetup.DoorOpen.ForReview.jpg
MaggieMaeFlower
05-27-2012, 22:15
I handled the Vargo Titanium at Trail Days. It had a good feel but I didn't get to test it. It would have been my second choice.
Third or fourth on the Emberlit-UL. I sold my other wood burners after buying and using the Emberlit-UL. That and a Trangia alcohol burner are perfect for me.
Velvet Gooch
05-28-2012, 17:28
I've built small wood fires in my Clikstand (drank all my ethanol). Works OK
I just did over 400 miles with my Emberlit and was very happy with it. I wouldn't choose any woodburner that doesn't come apart and fold flat. I was able to carry the Emberlit along with a water bottle in the side pouch of my Osprey. I do find the Firefly to be also quite interesting.
Cat in the hat
Rocket Jones
05-28-2012, 22:06
Has anyone used http://bepreparedtosurvive.com/Product%20Review%20-%20Vargo%20Titanium%20Hexagon%20Wood%20Stove.htm?
http://bepreparedtosurvive.com/StoveSetup.DoorOpen.ForReview.jpg
With the hinges and six sides, it looks to be a heavier, more complicated version of the Emberlit.
Wise Old Owl
05-28-2012, 22:25
VG I never heared of it, so I looked it up
Here you go folks...http://www.clikstand.com/
16120
mkmangold
05-29-2012, 00:00
In order of preference and weight: Woodgaz, Bushbuddy, Sierra Titanium, Woodgas, & Biolite. I prefer the latter two because the companies donate sales charitably. The Biolite also does multi-function, recharging devices during use. Zelph has also done charitable work with his alcohol stoves, specifically the Mangold Mamba so I'm sure he's open to that with his wood burners.
I just tried out QiWiz's FireFly wood burning stove. At 2.5 ounces, it is quite impressive. It seems that most other wood burning stove manufacturers are making their stoves strong enough to drive a truck over -- at significant weight penalty. QiWiz gets the ultralight point of a wood burner -- which is to save weight because you don't have to carry fuel. His titanium stove is certainly strong enough for the careful use all ultralight equipment requires, and since it is so light and requires no carried fuel, it looks like a sure winner to me. I've been an alcohol stove user for years and find the prospect of dropping half a pound of fuel from my pack to be quite attractive. Best part -- my first attempt at a wood burn was as easy as could be, and, including "fire building" time, had my Heine pot boiling as fast or faster than my alky stove. I'm a fan!!!
I'll echo the comments from QiWiz and those really are applicable to most gear.
Once you find several satisfied users of a product , read carefully how they use it and see if it applies to you or not.
For example a tent that fits me very well (at 5'8" 150 lbs) maybe terrible for a 6'3" 280 lbs guy...
With stoves , you do not use, say , a TiTri the same way as you do a Fire Fly.
One is pot specific the other isn't.
Some are bothered by soot so would opt for a Bushbuddy type, others are not...
So the starting point should be "OK I know it works, but will it work for me ?
Franco
Don Newcomb
06-13-2012, 10:12
There's something called a Markill Wilderness Stove. It's a forced-air wood burner with a SCR controlled fan and an optional solar panel for operating and recharging the battery. The problems are that it was rather expensive in the first place and hasn't been made in something like 20 years. The handful of people who own one are very unlikely to part with it.
http://gearjunkie.com/wood-burning-stove-with-electricity-generator
Pretty cool idea weighs 2lbs though.
http://gearjunkie.com/wood-burning-stove-with-electricity-generator
Pretty cool idea weighs 2lbs though.
My bushbuddy clone DIY stove weighs 6 oz, cost $7 (including two lunch soups because I drilled the first soup can wrong. would have cost $5) . Leave the outer can lid and it weighs 5.5 oz.
Works great and nests in my two piece Colman pot.
Papa Tac
07-22-2012, 15:09
Clone the BushBuddy (Google:Wood Gas Can Stove)
I've geared mine to not only burn wood, but also incorporated the Penny stove (methyl hydrate) and Hex/Esbit tablets.
3, 3, 3 stoves in one.
My MSR Whisperlite and my Coleman single burner are collecting dust.
I've built enough of these delicious wood stoves to start giving them away as gifts to the worthy...
They're basically free if you can scavenge the cans (food or paint cans) - I drive my wife nuts.
I've made them in different size cans as well - just for a laugh, but they all work well!
I haven't weighed them, but they're light enough that I don't leave home without one - got them stashed in the vehicles, too.
Emberlit-UL or El Mini
http://emberlit.com/buy.php
1+. Just got mine in the mail last week and absolutely love it. Plus it doesn't look like it was made in someone's garage!
topshelf
07-22-2012, 15:34
i love my DIY wood stove modeled after a bushbuddy stove. for days when it rains I carry a small bit of wood to get it going and I dip one end of q-tips in vasoline as a fire starter. works like a torch. almost weighs nothing, just a paint can, soup can, and some wire mesh. something like this, http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp23/silverlion7473/Bushcraft/100_1750.jpg
rocketsocks
07-22-2012, 16:31
1+. Just got mine in the mail last week and absolutely love it. Plus it doesn't look like it was made in someone's garage!I like my bacon cooked just a little bit more than that, but that egg with mushrooms and green onion sounded real good!
gunner76
07-23-2012, 21:58
Check out this new one to the market Element Wood Stove...the Ti version wieghts 5oz http://www.outdoortrailgear.com/featured/element-woodburning-stove/
Just got one myself
XTrekker
01-16-2013, 23:51
I like the 'IKEA Ordning Cutlery Caddy" DIY Wood stove. Works great for me. I bring along a Beer-Can Alcohol stove as backup. Pot nests perfectly.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS38ZTY-zL_Uv39eVbbC3ZQmeL11zJweuO128yzPVxSWObALm8Q7Q
1+. Just got mine in the mail last week and absolutely love it. Plus it doesn't look like it was made in someone's garage!
I too am thinking about adding a wood burner to my stove collection. After researching all the ones mentioned above I keep going back to the Emberlit UL. Priced right and doesn't look like some POC built in someone's garage..
I make all my Woodgaz stoves in my garage. I don't like the way you smell!!!!!:eek:
1+. Just got mine in the mail last week and absolutely love it. Plus it doesn't look like it was made in someone's garage!
I used to hand-cut the FireFly in my basement but now have switched over to having them laser-cut by a local shop here in NE OH. So they now look a teensy bit snazzier, though the way they work is unchanged. Have to take some new pics and videos and update my website. Laser cutting will help me keep up with demand, which was starting to be a problem. Lots of great products started out in garages, BTW - look at Apple Computer for example.
I used to hand-cut the FireFly in my basement but now have switched over to having them laser-cut by a local shop here in NE OH. So they now look a teensy bit snazzier, though the way they work is unchanged. Have to take some new pics and videos and update my website. Laser cutting will help me keep up with demand, which was starting to be a problem. Lots of great products started out in garages, BTW - look at Apple Computer for example.
And here I thought you were a tried and true artisan. You've gone the way of the world. "out sourcing" next it'll be made in China.
I make my stuff one at a time on a bench. When I get the urge to increase production I go lay down until the urge goes away.:D
And here I thought you were a tried and true artisan. You've gone the way of the world. "out sourcing" next it'll be made in China.
I make my stuff one at a time on a bench. When I get the urge to increase production I go lay down until the urge goes away.:D
LOL . . . Don't worry, they are still made in my basement. I just use a local shop to cut the ti. It was either that or have big delays or raise prices to cut demand. Not for me. I can lay down until "urges" go away, but there are still only 24 hours in a day. I appreciate your concern, I really do, but my artisan skills are not going to atrophy any time soon. And BTW, another benefit of this development is a price reduction that will go into effect in the next 24 hours, as soon as I finish the work on my website. Anyone who orders today will get the new price by PayPal rebate.
Sneak peak: FireFly with FlexPort for 12% less, including a tough 8 mil ziplock pouch! :banana
rhyolite
01-19-2013, 13:19
I was seriously considering either making or purchasing a wood burning stove for my thru hike of the AT this year. Seems like fuel along the trail is over abundant, however, my greatest concern, starting wet wood! One could use dry kindling (packed in), or esbit fuel or a little alcohol, but then it seems to defeat the purpose of avoiding the weight of fuel.
I was seriously considering either making or purchasing a wood burning stove for my thru hike of the AT this year. Seems like fuel along the trail is over abundant, however, my greatest concern, starting wet wood! One could use dry kindling (packed in), or esbit fuel or a little alcohol, but then it seems to defeat the purpose of avoiding the weight of fuel.
I'm sure others will chime in, but I think it really all depends on whether you want to develop the skill and/or take the time at the end of your hiking day for the fuel prep you need for the existing conditions. With practice, it is certainly possible to reliably get a fire going in a wood burner even after days of rain. Basically, you have to select the driest stuff, use a knife to get to the driest parts of the driest stuff, and it also helps to have some type of lightweight fire starter/assist, though the purists will shun that crutch. I won't argue that point.
If I were doing a thru-hike, I would personally bring a wood burner (but would have an UL Esbit burner and a few half-ounce Esbit tabs with me in case I don't feel like doing the prep on a particular day or for a particular meal).
Hosaphone
01-20-2013, 14:17
I was seriously considering either making or purchasing a wood burning stove for my thru hike of the AT this year. Seems like fuel along the trail is over abundant, however, my greatest concern, starting wet wood! One could use dry kindling (packed in), or esbit fuel or a little alcohol, but then it seems to defeat the purpose of avoiding the weight of fuel.
I think that for a wet trail like the AT, a wood stove is not really practical. It's only worth it if you just LIKE it. If you rely purely on wood and commit to either having cold meals or starting fires in the rain, wood has some big advantages. If you start carrying backup fuel, a lot of those advantages disappear. I think it's pretty much a wash between canisters, alcohol, wood and esbit... You can have a great setup with any of them - all comes down to personal preference.
If your number 1 concern is saving weight, I would steer you towards alcohol... My ti-tri ULC setup weighs 6oz (cone, stove, pot, reflectix cozy) and can cook a pasta side with .3 or .4oz of alcohol if you plan to use the cozy to help finish cooking. Add in 2oz of alcohol and now you're at 8oz with enough fuel to cook 4-7 meals depending on the wind and how accurately you measure your fuel (or what degree of "al dente" is acceptable to you :p). You can go lighter weight, but the cone+cozy is just so insanely fuel efficient and wind resistant that I think this setup is better than the SUL beer can pot + cat can setups.
If I were to make a purely wood-burning setup, it would come in at around 7oz (assuming I used a wood stove... you could always just cook over open fires but that increases the fiddle factor significantly again especially when it's been raining for days). When compared to the total weight of the alcohol setup, I'd be saving 1oz at the cost of a huge amount of extra "fiddle factor" if it's wet. I don't mind this for short trips because I love having a fire and enjoy testing my firemaking skills... But on a thru-hike I would definitely want to take steps to reduce the hassle after a long, cold day of hiking in the rain.
People swear by their zip stoves, and I've been meaning to experiment with turning my FireFly into a forced air stove with a computer fan. Forced air would make the stove much much much easier to use when it's damp, but for now I'll assume "steps to reduce hassle" means basically carrying alcohol or esbit. Adding in alcohol stuff to the wood setup brings the weight up by an ounce to 8oz baseweight, and it takes .5oz or so to cook a meal. Depending on how wet it's going to be and how much you want to rely on alcohol, figure 2oz of fuel bringing the total weight up to 10oz.
So in the end, a wood+alcohol/esbit setup is likely going to end up being heavier than a good alcohol setup unless you go super minimalist with either one, which you typically pay for in the form of increased fiddle factor or worse fuel efficiency. (fwiw you can use the ti-tri as a wood stove, so in that sense it might be the best option, but if I was planning to burn wood a lot I would tend towards the extra weight of a stove designed primarily with wood in mind. Ti-Tri doesn't work as well and has pretty severe soot issues whereas it's very easy to avoid getting soot on your hands setting up a FireFly)
If I'm adding it up correctly, the Firefly with flexport, extra titanium floor, multi-fuel option, split-windscreen, and mini-grill is around 5 oz. QiWiz, can you confirm?
Certainly one can have an alcohol or esbit system for less than half that. However, it is still a pretty light option. For those of us who are PL (pretty light) rather than UL hikers, it looks quite attractive to be able to grill some meat the first night after a resupply. Of course, good fire skills make this much more practical.
Hosaphone
01-20-2013, 16:59
If I'm adding it up correctly, the Firefly with flexport, extra titanium floor, multi-fuel option, split-windscreen, and mini-grill is around 5 oz. QiWiz, can you confirm?
Certainly one can have an alcohol or esbit system for less than half that. However, it is still a pretty light option. For those of us who are PL (pretty light) rather than UL hikers, it looks quite attractive to be able to grill some meat the first night after a resupply. Of course, good fire skills make this much more practical.
Ditch the extra floor and you save some weight. I'm also not sure the multifuel option increases efficiency enough to make the weight penalty worth it vs a catfood stove + tinfoil wind screen (possibly also using the walls of the firefly in combination with tin foil to make like a double-walled wind screen).
Depending on how much the grill weighs, you should be able to get down to 4oz or less I think.
If I'm adding it up correctly, the Firefly with flexport, extra titanium floor, multi-fuel option, split-windscreen, and mini-grill is around 5 oz. QiWiz, can you confirm?
Certainly one can have an alcohol or esbit system for less than half that. However, it is still a pretty light option. For those of us who are PL (pretty light) rather than UL hikers, it looks quite attractive to be able to grill some meat the first night after a resupply. Of course, good fire skills make this much more practical.
Before I answer this great question, I'll just point out that you are adding options (MultiFuel, Grill, FlexPort, Split Windscreen) that are probably not entirely an Apples to Apples comparison with your UL Esbit or Alcohol kit. But I think that is the point . . .
But here are the weights (windscreen will vary depending on pot size; the one listed here fits my 900 ml Evernew kettle):
FireFly with FlexPort (new laser-cut version) - 2.55 oz
Titanium Mini Grill - 0.45 oz
Split windscreen - 0.40 oz
DualFuel burner and burner support - 0.75 oz
When I put them all on my scale at the same time, I get a total weight of 4.20 oz. If you wanted to get the lightest backup option, you could use my 2 gram UL Esbit burner rather than the DualFuel burner and get it down to about 3.50 ounces.
The notched titanium floor weighs 9 grams, same as the stainless steel mesh floor. If you wanted to take both, add 9 grams (about 0.3 oz) to your kit weight.
Imagine that: Wood stove, Titanium grill for your steak the first night out, backup burner and windscreen, for a weight penalty equal to about half a cup of water. Now we're cooking! (and skipping down the trail thinking of steak dinner).
So 4.2 oz. with one floor (probably just taking the notched titanium and using the flexport for intake), and you get wood/alcohol/esbit capability with a grill. Of course you could take a UL alcohol setup for an ounce or two, but if you want to burn wood that's not a very onerous penalty, IMO.
Thanks QiWiz. I'm definitely considering one of the Firefly setups.
Just ordered the Firefly w/ Flexport, Tyvek pouch, notched titanium floor, windscreen, DuelFuel burner with stand, titanium mini grill, and Evernew 900ml titanium mug….
Achilles will likely take it when he heads up to the Whites for the summer, but not before I get a chance to play with it. :)
I'm in the process of testing the Titanium Caldera Cone for a custom pot and so far it's 1st class. Check out Trail Designs Sidewinder. Made to do all three most common fuels. The high heat of wood fires has no affect on their cone closure. I'm impressed.:)
Trail Designs "Sidewinder" (http://www.traildesigns.com/stoves/caldera-sidewinder)
Durtydan
07-01-2013, 13:08
great choice with the el-mini. got one a little over a year ago and it is amazingly easy to use and set up. Emberlit has my future business for sure
I'm in the process of testing the Titanium Caldera Cone for a custom pot and so far it's 1st class. Check out Trail Designs Sidewinder. Made to do all three most common fuels. The high heat of wood fires has no affect on their cone closure. I'm impressed.:)
I have not tried the Sidewinder, but I typically use the classic Ti Tri when I'm using either alcohol or Esbit as primary fuel (eg., above tree line out west), retaining the option to burn wood for backup in a pinch. When I have tried my Cone with wood as a primary fuel, I have not been as big a fan. It works, but I find that it is harder to start and maintain the fire and messy to deal with a soot-lined cone in the way that I like to pack up and carry it (compared to "box" stoves that fold flat like the FireFly, Emberlit, or Element). When burning wood as primary fuel, the cone stays home. Just my opinion.
I have not tried the Sidewinder, but I typically use the classic Ti Tri when I'm using either alcohol or Esbit as primary fuel (eg., above tree line out west), retaining the option to burn wood for backup in a pinch. When I have tried my Cone with wood as a primary fuel, I have not been as big a fan. It works, but I find that it is harder to start and maintain the fire and messy to deal with a soot-lined cone in the way that I like to pack up and carry it (compared to "box" stoves that fold flat like the FireFly, Emberlit, or Element). When burning wood as primary fuel, the cone stays home. Just my opinion.
Recent experimenting has me going in the direction of the Titanium Cones from TD. They made a custom cone for me (not a Sidewinder) I'm more of a DIY kinda guy that like to do things outside the box. My cone has excellent drafting abilities used in conjunction with the cross pot support used on top of the cone as seen in my video. The cone fits in the pot horizontal or vertical. I really like how small the Titanium can be rolled up and it doesn't get out of shape, the stuff is amazing. The dovetail closure on the cone is fabulous!
Vertical stack the wood and light from the top and let it burn downward for easy , one load boiling of 2 cups of water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAy3lkIW5JY
got an email today and thought I'd share a toot;)
I spent this afternoon comparing your Cobalt Soloist to the Batch Stove 2.0 (BS 2.0) and the White Box Stove (WBS). I tested each stove with 2 cups of water and 20 ml (2/3 oz) of denatured alcohol. I tested three different pots: GSI Soloist; GSI MicroDualist; and GSI Ketalist. What I found out is that your stove boiled two cups of water with 20 ml of alcohol in all three pots with flame out occurring a minute or so after the boil. The WBS and BS 2.0 boiled the two cups with 20 ml of alcohol for the Ketalist and MicroDualist with flame out happening less than 30 seconds after the boil. However, on the Soloist (smaller base pot) neither the WBS or the BS 2.0 reached a boil before flame out. They only made it to around 188 degrees Fahrenheit.
Speed to boil: the WBS was the fastest, BS 2.0 was close behind, and the Cobalt Soloist was quite a bit the slowest; however, had the most burn time after reaching a boil - approximately 60-80 seconds after boil. Still it typically had a boil in around 6 minutes which is very respectable.
My conclusion is that your stove is best all around. Works with 20 ml of fuel to boil two cups of water on all three pots. One thing I really like is that it blooms right away so I don't have to watch for the bloom and then put the pot on. I can put it on right away. I'm guessing that it has something to do with wick material you use between the body of the stove and stainless sleeve.
I'm looking forward to testing it in the field. Thanks again for building a great stove. I'm going to order another one as a back up in case you stop building them.
John
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My recent test of the Caldera Cone in the wood burning mode has me convinced it's a very worthy system.
<font color="#000000"><span style="font-family: arial">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAy3lkIW5JY