Biolite Stoves

[immadman]

Anybody out there have any experience with the Biolite Stoves? Yeah, yeah, I know...we usually consider that leaving the electronic devices at home would be a wonderful thing to do to escape, but there are some that could be useful in the backcountry or even on a week-end jaunt. This is a rather interesting concept...basically uses some sort of thermocouple type device to power a fan to supply a flow of air to the wood and also to something that would recharge via a USB port. Granted, one might consider it heavy for a backpack at 33 ounces, but consider not only the cook stove you would carry, but the fuel you would need to carry to cook with (most liquid fuel weighs in at about 3/4 of an ounce per ounce), the container(s) for that fuel and the limitations therein. This thing runs on whatever small pieces of wood you pick up along the way.

No, I am not trying to sell it, just curious if anyone had experience with one or what were y'all's thoughts.

[terasec]

Re: Biolite Stoves

looks expensive, bulky and not practicle,
would prefer to fashion similar using a coffee can with holes,
and can use a battery powered fan of sorts if you want increased air flow,
also unless your grilling a Tbone steak, dont need air assisted flame for most backpack cooking

[WanderinWhitlows]

Re: Biolite Stoves

We have one. It's pretty cool but I wouldn't carry it with me in a rucksack if I had a choice as it isn't as lightweight as lots of other options. It does perform as described but they omit that the fan assisted fire requires quite a bit of maintenance to keep it stoked and operating optimally. If you are hiking in then you can gather lots of fuel - and I do mean lots - to stock up as you will need it to get the battery charged back up. If you are planning to be above the treeline or in an environment that is free of vegetation then I'd advise against it completely.

If you are comparing apples to oranges and weight is a factor then I'd seriously consider a pack-able solar arrangement with a rechargeable battery - or even two - that you can then use to recharge your devices and something else to cook with.

Please don't take my comments as coming from someone who is against utilizing the benefits of thermoelectric generation but as someone who recognizes the limitations that the device has to work within to perform optimally. I personally think the technology is phenomenal and look forward to seeing more and more innovation come forward that utilizes it. Personally I am keeping an eye on this device which also uses the same principles yet requires you to provide the flame from another device.

[actad]

Re: Biolite Stoves

I really wanted one this camping season, but it wasn't in the budget. It is still in my cart at REI.com as they do free shipping.

I went with a Sportsman Guide pocket stove and a Motorola P4000 universal portable power pack that can charge cell phones and any USB charging item such as a flashlight. It can charge two things at the same time, too.

This was just to make do until the Biolite purchase, but I find that for a weekend it is all I need. If everything is already charged up to start, then the powerpack keeps things topped off without a problem.

As for the stove, a paper plate makes a dandy fan and doubles as firestarter. It goes from zero to fire in no time. The Biolite appears to burn cleaner, but I can put up with dumping the little bit of ashes into a fire pit. I wrap the stove in a ziplock bag which takes care of any soot and it takes up little room as it folds flat.

Costs less, too - $13 for the stove and $25 for the power pack.

[MacGyver]

Re: Biolite Stoves

Right before I blew out a knee and had to stop hiking, I looked at the BioLite. I came to the conclusion that, if I was going to cook with wood, something small and lightweight would suit me better. For less weight, and less bulk in the pack, I figured a folding titanium stove and a separate solar charger would suit me better. The stove takes up next to nothing in a pack and the solar would be clipped outside the pack. Yes, the Biolite will charge at night but, when I'm out in the woods, I never plan to be on the phone long enough to need 24 hour charging.

[petersumpters]

Re: Biolite Stoves

That's lightweight and compact.

[Mike]

Re: Biolite Stoves

I am very intrigued by the biolite stoves and would like to hear more from people that use them. I just got back from solo winter camping. I had to melt snow for all my water and it took a lot of liquid fuel = about a half gallon of Coleman fuel for four days and nights. It would have been nice to use the readily available wood twigs, etc.

I tried the DIY tin can stoves. That was a disappointment and i was glad to have my liquid fuel stove as back-up.

[MacGyver]

Re: Biolite Stoves

Mike - I would recommend checking out some of the online reviews. In addition to my comments above, there seem to be quite a few people calling them out for their sketchy charging capabilities, their need for constant attention because of the small burning chamber and their difficulty in lighting. All in all, they look like a nice first generation gadget to me. Maybe they'll perfect the technology down the road.

[dougnash]

Re: Biolite Stoves

I have the Biolite stove.

I only used it once so take it for what its worth.

Its easy to set up and get the fire started.

Once its going, just turn on the fan and start feeding it tender.

The key is before you start to collect a bunch of sticks and have a nice pile so you can keep it going without having to run around all over.

What I found works best are sticks between the diameter of a nickel and a quarter (next time I want to try wood chips that are used for smoking to give a nice flavor)

You have to feed it I would say every 2 - 5 minutes to keep it going properly.

Some people might find this annoying, I think its part of the experience and fun, Im 44, I bet kids would have a blast with this thing.

So turn the fan on high, wait for the green charge light to go on , then just plug a device in to charge.

I am a foodie so I also bought the grill attachment.

It worked great, just enough room for 2 steaks or 2 burgers, or a bunch of hotdogs.

The grill cleans up easy and has a unique plastic cover that seals the grill so any soot or mess wont get all over the place.

after about an hour or so of use the stove only produced a small amount of ash, it burns very clean.

I also have the kettlepot but didn't use it yet.

The stove does store in the kettle pot which is good.

This combo is compact enough and will be going with me when I hike, camp, bicycle ride, kayaking/canoeing

Its not the best stove for everything, but it has its place and I am glad I bought it.

That flamestower looks pretty cool too.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Biolite Stoves

33 ounces, are you serious? Get a Bushbuddy. http://www.bushbuddy.ca/

[Mike]

Re: Biolite Stoves

33 ounces, are you serious? Get a Bushbuddy. http://www.bushbuddy.ca/

The Bushbuddy looks OK, but it really is nothing more than a stainless steel hobo stove for $120.

What I don't understand is all these guys building glorified Hobo stoves recently and putting a $100+ price tag on them. I like buying nicely fabricated products, but the technogical leap from Hobo stove to Bushcraft is not so great. It is hard to justify spending $120 on something I can make in 15 minutes with old coffee cans, a dull pocket knife, and an old church-key can opener (a bit more crudely, of course, but just as functional

[kcscout]

Re: Biolite Stoves

I'm going to tag on to this conversation because I'm also in the market.. I was at a place yesterday looking at the same biolite stove and next thing I know he pulls out a grill that made me think of the George Foreman grill that you could plop on top of the biolite stove... Interesting... but not sure I thought it went hand in hand with backpacking... I do like the fact that you could stop by and get wood pellets and use it in the biolite stove and if you had to fly somewhere, you 'probably' wouldn't have to worry about packing wood pellets where you can't pack gas canisters!

I checked out the outdoor gear lab and they showed the MSR reactor as #1, MSR dragonfly #2, and then 2 of the jet boil stoves as 3/ 4 respectively. I saw one of the Jetboils at the store and thought that it would probably suffice for a lot less money than a MSR reactor, although the reactor appears to be really well built. and at a price.

My dilemma now is that I'm looking for options for backpacking and I know I have seen the kids in scouts usually going with the whisperlite type stoves that you can put a pan or pot on top of and cook with and adjust the heat, where as I believe the jetboils are all about buying the dehydrated food and mixing / boiling with water.. that is probably fine, but I generally like a little more versatility.

Thoughts between the Jetboil and MSR stoves?

[Mike]

Re: Biolite Stoves

KCScout, Don't buy a stove because some sales guy tells you it will burn wood pellets. Of course it will burn wood pellets.

Hell, forget the wood pellets. If you want to haul your solid fuel, just carry a pocket full of dried corn and put it into an empty tuna can with holes poked all around it for air. Dried corn will burn hotter and longer than wood pellets. While you are coughing at the smoke, ask yourself why you hauled solid fuel into the bush in the first place. Note that IF any of these so-called gasification wood stoves really were gasification stove, you pots would not be turning black.

Frankly, after research, the solid wood stoves are losing their luster IMO. They are hugely expensive, bulky, dirty, and have virually no flame control, and are reliant on the availability of dry wood fuel.

Look at these wood burning backpacking stoves costing over $100. Now why would anybody choose a big bulky wood stove over the miriad of excellent liquid fuel choices?

It doesn't make sense. The wood/biomass fuel stoves are a fad that will soon play out cold. If Daniel Boone saw people paying over one hundred bucks for a tin can to make a fire in, he would laugh the coonskin cap right off of his head.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Biolite Stoves

That's the price of titanium for us gram weenies. A good backpacking stove on the cheap is the white box stove (alcohol). $20, or you can make your own approximation from "soda" cans. I've done the latter - the $20 for the WBS was well spent. I could make one just like it, but why? Wood stoves like the Bushbuddy are for those who do through-hikes in the back country, where you may not resupply for a month or so. You sure don't want to be packing a month's worth of fuel, not even Esbit. For car campers it doesn't matter - get whatever you want. Get two, in case the first one fails. It's all a matter of camping style/perspective.

[Mike]

Re: Biolite Stoves

That's the price of titanium for us gram weenies. A good backpacking stove on the cheap is the white box stove (alcohol). $20, or you can make your own approximation from "soda" cans. I've done the latter - the $20 for the WBS was well spent. I could make one just like it, but why? Wood stoves like the Bushbuddy are for those who do through-hikes in the back country, where you may not resupply for a month or so. You sure don't want to be packing a month's worth of fuel, not even Esbit. For car campers it doesn't matter - get whatever you want. Get two, in case the first one fails. It's all a matter of camping style/perspective.

I also do a lot of backpacking and have a long history of backpacking with just about every stove available and all kinds of fuel. Normally, I cook with wood fire, but carry a small lightweight liquid gas stove for back-up. So, I don't have to carry much fuel. Sometimes after days of rain and miles of hiking, you just want to boil some water, get in the tent and hit the sack. In times like those, I want the most reliable and efficient stove possible. For me, an alcohol stove takes too long and the BTU:fuel volume and weight of alcohol stoves isn't as good as petrol based fuel/stoves.