I have been playing around with a couple new stoves for the last couple of weeks. I am interested in using wood fuel because the stoves are generally extremely lite, simple and use a renewable fuel resource found on the trail  which eliminates the burden of carrying fuel from home. Here is a little run down on what I have learned so far… A couple weeks ago, I bought the Evernew ti DX multi fuel camp stove that burns  wood, alcohol or solid fuel tablets.  It’s mainly engineered to be used as an alcohol stove. However, the cylinder shaped windscreen/potstand can be also used as a mini wood burning stove in a pinch. The whole kit weighs just over 3oz which is crazy lite. When the cylinder is used with wood fuel, it acts exactly like a mini “burn barrel” with the chimney fire effect. The holes around the bottom edge of the cylinders allows air to flow into the heart of the burning fire and then escape up through the holes around the top of the cylinder and below the cook pot.  This Evernew stove boils a couple of cups of water in roughly 8 minutes. However due to the small diameter and height of the cylinder; the  stove must be babysat and fed small sticks constantly which gets annoying. So I prefer to use the Evernew DX set soley as an alcohol stove  and having the wood option as backup. I plan on using this system in the summer months when  stove time will be minimal.

More fuel is needed in the snowy winter season rather than summer  because snow must be melted into drinking water on a daily basis. It is more efficient to use readily available wood as fuel in the forest rather than store bought alcohol fuel.  So to overcome this obstacle, I looked around on the internet at what other people have come up for homemade woodstoves. I came across John Falk’s website called “Trail Gear”. On his site I found photos of the “compact wood stove”.  It intrigued me because of its simplicity. No moving parts, no batteries, no blowers and a large fuel capacity. My father and I also watched some videos of the stove in action on YouTube. We decided to try to make one ourselves out of some old cans in the barn.  This is what we came up with  tin-snips, step drill and Thirty minutes.

The stove works outstandingly well. Weighs only 6 oz. The upper “soup” can is removable and fits inside of the lower “paint” can that then fits inside of my cooking pot.  An alcohol stove is also compatible with this system by  using the lower can by its self as a pot stand/windscreen around the alcohol stove tucked inside.  This stove is bigger than the Evernew stove that I bought which is the key difference. It can be stoked with 1 by 8 inch  sticks by  pushing them into the feeding hole located on the side. The larger fuel capacity also allows the stove to be stoked at longer intervals. I am a huge fan of this cooking system and will be using it often. I may even start taking it to work to make hot lunches…!

Please check out John Falk’s website www.trailgear.org for more information, pictures and online store. He has great ideas.