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stoves

February 3, 2014 By Chas Bruce

Envirofit Biomass Cookstove G-3300

Envirofit Biomass Cookstove G-3300
Envirofit Biomass Cookstove G-3300

At just under seven pounds this is no ultra light unit, but for boating or car camping it makes an interesting alternative. It may look like a woodgas stove, but no, it’s basically a refined rocket stove.

This clean burning unit will outperform any open fire, particularly the classic 3-stone setup. With a combination of insulation and directed flame, the rocket stove will reduce energy use by 60 percent while lowering smoke by 80 percent.

Envirofit Biomass Cookstove G-3300
Envirofit Biomass Cookstove

These stoves were invented by Dr. Winiarski to help developing countries where firewood usage and health issues are a continuing problem. Pioneered at the Aprovecho Institute twenty some years ago, Winiarski and the crew are still refining the idea and providing testing, support, and impetus to get these stoves to the developing world.

This stove uses a ceramic insert to both insulate and focus the flame. The metal tray allows you to push wood into the fuel chamber as needed to control the flame. The tray and a grate keeps a constant flow of air for clean combustion. In use we found it easy to light with a wad of newspaper covered by the tips of four sticks of wood. Once the flame was going it was easy to feed more sticks into the firebox to keep it going. We used a wok which made a potskirt impractical. Still we cranked in more sticks and got a blaze going, and in matter of minutes a steaming rice n’ veggie stir-fry was on our plates.

The grates fit neatly within, and the whole outfit will stow neatly in a 5 gallon plastic bucket.

$99

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: Envirofit, stoves

June 28, 2013 By Chas Bruce

mKettle Wood-Fired Water Kettle

mKettle Wood-Fired Water Kettle
mKettle Wood-Fired Water Kettle

A compact update to the classic Irish Kelly Kettle or Volcano Kettle for those like us that always need that spot of tea handy. Made of hard anodized aluminum, this stove is made specifically to heat the pint of water it holds using twiggs or other found wood. The design wraps the water around the central chimney, so it efficiently uses the heat from the flame. A silicon stopper allows you to carry water in it full time.

Weighs 13 oz., 7″ tall, 3.75″ diameter. A neoprene sleeve protects you from the hot surfaces; replaces the wire bale of the Kelly Kettle.

Comes with a Rip Stop Nylon Carry Bag with D-rings. It just takes a second to find a handful of twigs and it handily boiled water for us in under 8 minutes at 4000 feet.

mKettle Wood-Fired Water Kettle
The mKettle in action.

We particularly liked the woodsy smell of the twigs as it heated up. We didn’t have one on hand but there is an accessory Tri-Cross stand that provides pot support and makes it easy to use the chimney to cook other items.

$82

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: mKettle, stoves

May 1, 2013 By Chas Bruce

Esbit Alcohol Stove and Cookset with Heat Exchanger

Esbit Alcohol Stove and Cookset
Esbit Alcohol Stove and Cookset with Heat Exchanger

The GearGuys have long felt that there are advantages to alcohol as cooking fuel. More than white gas, propane or canisters, it’s cheaper, easily available, odorless when you spill it and in a pinch you can load it up with your Everclear. The downside is alcohol has less energy per once, extending cooking times.

Now Esbit has introduced a heat exchanger pot that increases efficiency by 30% and makes alcohol more viable as a cooking fuel. With this extra boost we were able to boil a pot of water in around 8 minutes at 4k feet. The pot is constructed from extremely light, hard anodized aluminum that has a wavy finned outer ring on the bottom that both provides more surface area and a efficient conduit for the flame.

The cookset includes a pot stand, lid, and a solid brass alcohol burner. The alcohol burner is constructed from brass and allows variable temperature control with a cover we could rotate in and out of the flame, plus it holds the denatured alcohol in it during transport with a screw top lid. Everything stashes easily in the large pot, which comes with a mesh bag, and fits compactly in the old backpack.

Dimensions-packed: 4.9″ x 4.9″ (12.5 cm x 12.5 cm) Weight: 10.9 oz. (310 g)

$70

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: stoves

February 14, 2013 By Chas Bruce

BioLite Portable Grill and Campstove

Biolite Portable Grill and Campstove
BioLite Portable Grill and Campstove

We were wowed by the Biolite Campstove introduced last summer. This unique camping stove uses the woodgas principle to fire up your campside meals. Your fuel is simply trailside twigs, wood chips or pinecones. This innovative stove uses the heat of the fire via a thermocouple to provide electricity to drive a draft fan that most efficiently burns the woodgas.

Not only that, it will generate extra electricity to charge your iPhone or iPod. Promised and now on the market, the BioLite Portable Grill turns the CampStove into a handy grill. As you grill you can pop a metal cap and add twigs and such to keep the fire good and hot. The stainless steel grill provides about 55 sq. in. of cooking area. The unit folds neatly into a plastic container. The grill adds about 1 3/4 pounds to your total kit, or just under 4 pounds for CampStove and Grill. Load with  flavorful woodchips like mesquite and you’ll have a smokin’ good barbeque.

$60 for the grill, $130 for the stove, $190 for the whole show.

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: BioLite, stoves

August 13, 2012 By Chas Bruce

Camp Chef Outdoor Oven & Range

Camp Chef Outdoor Oven and Range
Camp Chef Outdoor Oven and Range

A surprising number of car campers, and off-gridders have been looking for just this: a gas Camp Oven and with a 2-burner Range. About the size of a small microwave, and you can boil or saute up your favorite dishes, while something special bakes in the oven.

Two 7,500 BTU brass burners on the top shielded by a windscreen are combined with a 3,000 BTU oven burner with a double rack oven. A clear glass door and supplied oven thermometer allow you to keep track of the goodies. The unit’s heat-efficient, insulated oven box heats up to 400° F and has plenty of room to fit a 9 x 13 pan in it. Durable stainless steel construction helps fend off corrosion and nonstick enamel makes cleanup easy.

Easy to light with Pietzo-electric ignition. Powered by a disposable 1-pound propane can or can be adapted for a bulk tank by using the bulk tank hose adapter. Overall dimensions: 21″ wide x 18″ high x 12.5″ deep. Range top: 17″ x 9.5″ deep. Inside oven: 16″wide x 9″ high x 11″ deep. Weighs 32 lbs.

This unit is something you would see in old French Films of the 50/60s as a minimalist kitchen set, a step above a single gas burner. Have some brioche with those omelettes.

$290

Filed Under: Car Camping Tagged With: Camp Chef, stoves

July 31, 2012 By Chas Bruce

Eydon Poppin Storm Kettle

Eydon Poppin Storm Kettle kit
Eydon Poppin Storm Kettle kit

You can never get enough hot liquids in the great outdoors. Nothing is faster than a Storm or Kelly Kettle in getting the water for that spot of tea or coffee. Like all storm kettles it is meant to use twiggs or other small wood found along the trail.

The Poppin is the latest addition to the Eydon Storm Kettle range. While it’s only  11″ tall  x 5.5″ dia. (28cm x 14cm packed dimensions) the Poppin holds a generous Pint and a half of water (850ml). This is more than enough for two big mugs of tea.

The Poppin weighs in at only 1 1/4 pounds (.5kg) empty, so it’s also lighter to carry than its big brothers. The Poppin is supplied in black finish as standard (a cost option on the larger kettles), complete with a full kit of accessories, including a Poppin CookKit comprising two-piece grill, saucepan, frying-pan and universal handle grip, plus a Storm Pan Support and a jute Storm Carry Bag.

$105

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: Eydon Kettle Company, stoves

July 30, 2012 By Chas Bruce

BioLite Stove

Biolite Stove
BioLite Stove

This unique camping stove uses the woodgas principle to fire up your campside meals. Your fuel is simply trailside twigs and pinecones.

The best use of woodgas really needs a strong updraft. While some units use batteries, this new innovative stove uses the heat of the fire to provide the electricity to drive the draft fan via a thermocouple. Not only that, it will generate extra electricity to charge your iphone or ipod.

Weighs in at 2.1 pounds. Made of stainless steel and plastic in a package 8. inches tall by 5 inches in width. Promises to boil a liter of water in 4.5 minutes. The pot stand will support up to a gallon of liquid.

$129

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: BioLite, stoves

July 11, 2012 By Chas Bruce

WoodGas Stove XL

Woodgas Stove
WoodGas Stove XL

The WoodGas camp stove is different from most camping and backpacking stoves in that it doesn’t require commercial fuel, but uses twigs, pinecones or other burnable surface debris.

The powered fan drives the wood smoke to the top of the unit where it’s heated and re-burned into the brilliant flame of woodgas. Saves carrying other fuel sources. The system efficiently burns the fuel in closed system without fire danger.

The WoodGas Camp Stove XL is a larger cooking stove, optimized for longer cooking times and higher heat. One load of twigs will typically burn for 20 minutes, while producing 12,000 btu/hr of cooking heat. It measures 9″ tall and 6.5″ in diameter, and weighs 35 oz. The Camp Stove XL is the perfect size for cooking complex meals or meals for small groups.

As in other WoodGas products, fuel can be added during cooking for longer burn times. Compressed wood pellets also work very well, burning for 3 times the burn time of twigs.

$52

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: stoves

July 11, 2012 By Chas Bruce

Kelly Kettle

Kelly Kettle users have described their kettles as the “Greatest Invention of all Time”. Cost-Free, Carbon-Neutral, Eco Friendly Camping at its Very Best!

The Kelly Kettle boils approximately 9 – 6 oz. mugs of water at a time and is the size traditionally used by Irish Anglers.

Height 13 inches. Diameter 7.3 inches. Capacity 50 oz, 6 cups, 1.5L. Weight 2.7lbs. Add a Pot-Support and Cook Set to cook small amounts of food (Noodles, Rice, Oatmeal, Re-hydrated food, Soup, etc.) over the Kelly Kettle while your water boils.

The Kelly Kettle works in harsh weather conditions bringing water to boil within a matter of minutes using whatever solid fuel is naturally occurring in the area — sticks, grass, pine cones, bark etc. No need to carry fuel. Ever!

$85

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: Kelly Kettle USA, stoves

July 11, 2012 By Chas Bruce

Four Dog Ultra Light LT2 Bush Cooker

Titanium ultra light bush cookers will burn alcohol, solid fuel tabs, charcoal, wood and any biomass. These super efficient stoves actually burn the wood gas, giving you a smokeless cookstove with complete combustion.

Weight 3.2oz. Dia. 4″ Height  5″

The LT 2 will nest inside the 5 cup bush pot pictured (not included). Will also nest inside the 12cm zebra pot with insert tray removed. Includes: Detailed instructions, Titanium ground disk and alcohol tin, Fuel tabs.

$90

Filed Under: Camp Kitchen Tagged With: Four Dog Stoves, stoves

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