Touring - Lightweight cheap stove for cooking with twigs and pinecones

I picked up this fold-able portable stove at Fleet Farm. It cost less than $4.00. Total weight is about 9 ounces.

It is supposed to be used with Sterno fuel, but instead, I used small twigs and pine-cones. The sticks need only be about the diameter of a pencil. A small pinecone would almost be too much.

I was impressed at how much cooking we could do with so little fuel. I cooked a three course meal for two with about two fistfuls of twigs. Well, the "three-courses" were roasted sausages on buns, baked beans (from a can), and coffee.

It started fast, cooked fast, and then afterwards we sat around the small fire in the stove for camp stories and relaxation.

I have visited national and state forests that have been picked over so clean that you can't have a campfire without bringing your own lumber, but this stove is so efficient that even the barest of locations would have fuel enough to cook dinner. You could probably cook a meal on this with dried grass or an old newspaper if you had to.

Need rig.

You can click on the pics for a larger image.

I'm all for traveling light - I use a homemade cat can stove and denatured alcohol - but I wonder how your stove would work if it was raining. Plus, most campsites discourage people from collecting duff for fires because it leaves the soil exposed, which increases erosion. You know the drill; take only photographs, leave only wheeltracks...:)

I'm all for traveling light - I use a homemade cat can stove and denatured alcohol - but I wonder how your stove would work if it was raining. Plus, most campsites discourage people from collecting duff for fires because it leaves the soil exposed, which increases erosion. You know the drill; take only photographs, leave only wheeltracks...:)

Sure, there are good arguments for using liquid or gas fuels per the benefits you mentioned. Of course, the disadvantage is mostly carrying the fuel and sometimes locating fuel after traveling by air, etc.

I camped for many years, however, using only campfires. Of course, a lot of it was back-woods camping where fuel was never a problem. Yes, when it rains, fires are more challenging, but not impossible - especially when burning twigs and pinecones.

If you like travelling light, this little stove is really great. It also saves you the time and energy of looking for campfire wood when you set up camp. The twigs and sticks you move from the tent set-up area is about all it needs for cooking a meal.

Not too shabby. In the photo it was set up on the leaves, twigs, and other combustible litter on the ground. I suggest that next time it be used on a rock slab or a thick bed of sand to avoid fire hazards.

Not too shabby. In the photo it was set up on the leaves, twigs, and other combustible litter on the ground. I suggest that next time it be used on a rock slab or a thick bed of sand to avoid fire hazards.

The photo was just a photo of the equipment, not a photo of the device in use.

Cool idea.

For rainy weather, you could burn a couple "fire starters" that you carry with you. I'm talking about kerosine soaked sawdust sticks.

I use a similar stove and if all else fails, there's Magic Fuel or Sterno. Just carry a can in case of need.

That stove was made to use Sterno.

That stove was made to use Sterno.

Yep, it sure was! or magic fuel, or any other canned fuel.

Cheep & light, I like!!
Ever consider using one of those little hand held fans in wet weather? You know, the kind with the soft blades & use one or two batteries.

having been an avid woodsman for decades, and huddled over too many fires for survival, slept in too many ember pits for warmth, hightailed it away from a couple of wildfires, stuck on ridges while tanker planes dropped water on fires out of control,

I loathe the smell of smoke while cooking or otherwise. blech.

This stove has been mentioned before...

http://www.zzstove.com/

It's like the OP's stove on steroids--it forces air into the mix.

But I'm with Bek. I like the concept, but I don't care for the smoke or soot. I'll take alcohol, thank you :)

Cheep & light, I like!!
Ever consider using one of those little hand held fans in wet weather? You know, the kind with the soft blades & use one or two batteries.

Several years ago I made a coffee can stove for my canoe trip down the Bloodvein River in Manitoba. With it I could use twigs, pinecones, bark etc, with a small pepsi can alcohol stove for backup.

I made an air stoker out of a computer fan and 9v battery. A piece of aluminum foil was the duct work. The fan really stoked the fire and made it quick to boil water.

Everything (fan, duct, battery, spoon, pot gripper and pepsi can stove) fit inside my cook pot and the pot inside the coffee can stove. Then the whole outfit was placed inside a stuff sack. Lots of soot, smoke and creosote.

I have a 20 gram stove, made from two pieces of beer can and i use clean burning methyl hydrate in it. I got sick of lugging around tons of gear, so i went extremely ultralight.
http://www.kruegerservices.com/fritz/osp/pepsi-done.jpg

instructions: http://www.pcthiker.com/pages/gear/pepsistoveinstruct.shtml

I have a 20 gram stove, made from two pieces of beer can and i use clean burning methyl hydrate in it. I got sick of lugging around tons of gear, so i went extremely ultralight.
http://www.kruegerservices.com/fritz/osp/pepsi-done.jpg

instructions: http://www.pcthiker.com/pages/gear/pepsistoveinstruct.shtml
I made one a couple of years ago almost exactly like it that I found on this site. http://zenstoves.net/
It'll boil a quart of water in about 4.5 minutes on denatured alcohol.