We know that the Ti-Tri Caldera stove can use alcohol, esbit, or wood twigs.

Has anybody ever tried charcoal? I would think that the titanium metal can withstand the heat. I envisioned packing a one cubic inch chunk of charcoal briquet in there with wood twigs to get it started.

--B.G.--

I haven't heard of using charcoal in it, but I have heard of people using gas stoves in it...

Burned wood is nothing else than charcoal, so sure, you can use it. If you carry it for starting a fire, consider an Esbit tablet, that works far better and is smaller in size and weight.

Esbit will not be available to start a charcoal fire. I was going to use wood twigs to start the charcoal. I would think that charcoal would not be great for getting a fast boil, but it would be great at maintaining heat for a long time.

I'm just curious how a wood fire would compare to a wood and charcoal fire in a Ti-Tri Caldera.

A few days ago we were trying to standardize on a woodburning test for stoves and nothing got finished.
--B.G.--

I'm not sure there is a useful standardisable test for wood stoves. Some work better than others in a light breeze, but might flame out in a stronger wind where one which performed poorly in the light breeze does well.

It's mostly down to operator skill and conditions IMO. Having said that, some designs are more versatile than others. The Ti-Tri looks pretty good as a combined stove/winshield/pot support for it's weight.

Carrying a few small pieces of briquette might be a good idea for long simmers in places where fuel is limited, but some petroleum jelly and a few locally found pine cones will get a good roar going which will settle down to a useul glow quicker and lighter.

It looks like I am just going to have to test and test again.

--B.G.--

>>It looks like I am just going to have to test and test again.<<

See it as developing your skills. Sounds better ;)

If you cut the charcol in two or three pcs it will help to get it started and also add some very fine twigs no larger then match stick size on top to add to the draw.
Once lit it will burn 45-60 minutes. To get a boil you will have to add wood on top of the charcol to get a hot fire to boil. Charcol works great to bake.
We do need a standerd for testing bio-mass stoves.
They have it for developing world bio-mass stoves !

Never tried charcoal in my caldera, but someone might play with "used" charcoal. In my best and only grill for the house classic weber, when done cooking i close all the vents snuffing out the burn. Next time i cook i only have to add about half the normal amount of charcoal and bit of starter for a perfect cook everytime.

Two thoughts here,
1.the used charcoal may start/burn differently-carry lighter

2.in the field your pot could be inverted over the charcoal when you are done cooking thus snuffing out the coal (like in the weber) and saving it for future use so you could carry less bricks and use them for multiple burns...

You might want to try using these charcoal disks that light fast, used for powdered incense. You light it, and blow the flame out and the charcoal gets really hot. Zen centers use this for ceremonies. One sprinkles the incense on the hot disk. I personally have used the disks. I have a Ti-Tri, maybe could give it a go. Amazon sells these as well. You don't need the entire disk, either. Just a small piece.

http://www.somaluna.com/cat/powder_resin_incense_burning_charcoal.asp

Edited by leadfoot on 04/07/2010 09:21:22 MDT.

Why charcoal? Are you viewing this as a lighter option than carrying alcohol? Certaily not a lighter option than burning wood I would think.

I can't transport any significant quantities of flammable liquids or esbit. However, wax, petroleum jelly, hand sanitizer, firestarter sticks, yellow pine, and charcoal are not a problem in small quantities.

The primary fuel will be twigs, but I just want to be able to supplement the twigs in case they are wet.

--B.G.--

Donna, I'm going out to look for a "head" shop that might have some of those small charcoal items. That sort of thing might work for me.

--B.G.--

Donna,
The charcoal disks are intriguing.

Once they are "lit", is it possible to extinguish them, short of dunking them in water?

This could be an good solution for backcountry "simmering", or baking.

Edited by greg23 on 04/07/2010 15:08:09 MDT.

Greg, flooding charcoal with water is the standard method for extinguishing it. The residual heat bakes out the remaining water, so some hours later you have some remaining charcoal to use. However, these little pieces don't have much mass, so they may burn up quicker.

Yes, intriguing.

--B.G.--

"Swift-Lite charcoal tablets burn evenly, light easily and do not explode."

Implying that other brands DO explode?

This could be interesting, very interrrresting.

Edited by greg23 on 04/07/2010 15:20:14 MDT.

Greg, that is what we call "aggressive marketing."

--B.G.--

I see that some charcoal suppliers provide "pre-scored logs".

Presumably, with a little practice, you could break off a "15 minute simmer" or a "45 minute bake", to suit the need at hand.

One standard problem with charcoal is that you should not use it in a confined air space. Carbon monoxide is not likely to be a problem for us since we would never use a woodburning stove in such a place.
--B.G.--

Bob
If you are thinking of using the TiTri mostly for burning wood, I would suggest you look at the Inferno version.
I did some quick and dirty tests with a (temporary) aluminium insert replicating the Inferno type . It did burn cleaner , probably hotter, than without.
Not sure but I think that it is less than 2 oz more.
Hendrik has a review here
http://www.hikinginfinland.com/2009/09/gear-talk-trail-designs-ti-tri-inferno.html
he also seem to have a review on every wood burning stove made...
Franco