I just picked-up this set about a week ago and took it for my first backpacking trip this past weekend. I was wooed by the prospect of burning wood, in addition to having a light-weight version of the Trangia burner that I love so dearly.

I am typically cooking for a family of 5. I have been using a Clikstand with a old-style Trangia burner, which works well, but is heavy. The Clikstand/Trangia combo can bring 2L of water to boil and still have fuel left for simmering on a single fill. I have been hoping to try moving to wood so that I don't have to carry as much fuel for our family backpacking trips.

Based on my weekend experience, these are my findings/frustrations:

- The stove needs a windscreen. The idea that the stand is enough of a windscreen is laughable.

- When burning wood with a windscreen, you can't easily feed through the side of the stove into the firebox. You could leave a gap in the side of the windscreen, but then you lose some efficiency and it still isn't that easy to feed wood.

- When using a nice close-fitting windscreen, I decided to lift the pot occasionally and feed the wood through the top instead. Because the stove is so light, tall, and skinny, I actually had it blow over twice in a gust, spreading burning embers all over the place. Good thing I wasn't in a high fire-danger area.

- The firebox is small and requires constant feeding.

- In wood burning mode, it produces a lot of smoke.

- Although the stove is designed (from what I hear anyway) to work with a Trangia simmer ring, the ring won't fit in through the top of the DX pot stand.

- Due to the jets around the outside edge of the stove, you can't snuff out the stove using the Trangia simmer ring. The flames continue to escape and burn around the outside. You have to let the fuel burn out, which is a waste.

- Due to the jets around the outside edge of the stove, you can't fill it as full as a Trangia. I was run out of fuel before my pot of water comes to boil.

Those are my thoughts so far. Yes, I guess I have been spoiled by the Trangia. I guess I am still on the fence with this stove. Maybe I will have to consider getting the lighter titanium Clikstand to shave a few ounces... maybe I will need to try the bushbuddy for wood burning...

I don't know if this would work for you but I like mine. I've used it quite a bit over the last couple of years. I find it easy to feed fuel, extremely stable with a pot on it. The only downside, in my mind is the lack of a bottom. I suppose a piece of stainless steel would work. It also may be too heavy for the ultralight crowd.

http://www.littlbug.com/index.htm

Is the Evernew DX stove a "jack of all trades, master of none"?

I could be wrong and not get what your intended use is, but my understanding is that this type of stoves (including the Bushbuddy) are really meant for 1 or 2 people not for family cooking.
That is to boil 500-1000ml .(?)
Franco

Have you tried it with alcohol? I was thinking of getting one, and had heard mostly good things. So I'm interested in your take. Also as Franco alluded to, do you think it would be better if you were trying to cook for 2 (as I would be)? Thanks!

Eugene:

I am beginning to think that "jack of all trades, master of none" is a very good analogy, at least based on my first impressions.

Franco:

I typically bring two stoves for cooking for 5, I don't try to do it all on one stove, however boiling 1500ml of water is often something I need to do. The trangia/clikstand combo doesn't have any problems with this. I was hoping that this stove might be able to replace one of those, but it looks like it may not be able to.

I would be interested in knowing how a bushbuddy would handle 1500ml of water...

William:

I did try it with alcohol. It works well if you are boiling 4 cups and don't need to simmer. You will need a windscreen though. Probably would be fine for two people.

Do you have a picture of what the Trangia Simmer ring looks like on the stove? I am a Trangia burner user with a titanium version of the caldera cone ULC for the Snow Peak 700.

I love the versatility, but would just like to see what it looks like with the simmer ring sitting on top of the stove.

I think the best way to think of the stove is as an alcohol stove. It is not a primary wood-burning stove.

If you want a light, easy to use, great burning wood stove that can do alcohol w/flair as well... then you need a TD Ti Tri Inferno. One big batch load, burns great, great stability, windscreen... sounds exactly what you're looking for.

+1 on the TD ti-tri, you can use a trangia burner inside one as well. i have. and for wood burning it works wonderfully - especially with the inferno insert. it is a very versitile setup.

Per my previous post I am saying +2 on Ti Tri inferno.

+2 on the Ti-Tri - especially for group cooking. Look at an MSR Titan 2 liter set-up, or similar. Weight is 2.25 oz. for the Cone alone, which, along with .5 oz. worth of stakes is the bare minimum needed for wood-fired cooking. Add about 2 oz. for the inferno and floor for a serious combustion machine.

Damien,

I would like to send you one of my FIREMUG (pat.pend) stoves to try out to see if it might meet your criteria. I have cabinet full of already burned tester versions here for people to try out. In looking at your list of shortcomings regarding the Evernew, I see that most of them do not apply to the FIREMUG.(16-24 fl.oz versions) stove:2-4oz, mug:1-3oz, meshpotstand:0.3 oz


It is true that to get most woodstoves to work efficiently in wind you need a windscreen. I have made really nice ti-ones but they dont work much better than the cut out bottom of a aluminum foil roaster pan. I have had as much luck with creating a wind break out of my pack, my body or sleeping pad.
My stove has a stoker hole in the top through the mesh potstand and in the body of the stove. it is easy to load from either. I probably load more through the top hole because you can drop longer pieces in. The potstand isnt necessary to boil but speeds it up and gives you another place to insert fuel.
the FIREMUG stakes to the ground with "mini" stakes (made from bicycle spokes) with or without a base plate.
The FM lights from the middle. easier by far than any top lit stove, and could easily boil a a couple of liters of water without having to add much if any wood. HOWEVER: I do not recommend trying to single load any wood stove to boil that much water. Putting that much wood in at once would make a very tall flame that would overpower all but a standard kitchen pot.
I have found that a boil can be reached and maintained longer by building up to peak flame by starting with the stove 1/2 full and then after a a couple of minutes of good burning, then add a handful of wood. This will reduce the amount of smoke output. Try not to use pine if you can help it.
I have dedicated wood pots that are blackened but the soot does NOT rub off.
This stove burns very hot and fast but after your boiling is done just a twig or two every few minutes or so will keep a simmer going for a l-ong time which is great for real baking (I use an outback oven and an old non-stick fry pan and top)
links to video: fixed

with ti windscreen experiment:
http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/cadyak/?action=view&current=MARCH2010085.flv

simmer:
http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/cadyak/?action=view&current=VID00087.flv

pm me if you have any additional questions:

Edited by cadyak on 06/02/2010 08:42:21 MDT.

I don't have any photos of the stove with the simmer ring on. I have decided to sell the stove (see the gear swap forum if you are interested) and check-out some of the other wood options.

I'll be testing this stove on the CDT this year. So far, I've barely used it. My first attempt at boiling a half a liter with dry wood took a frustrating 24 minutes. Boiling with 1oz. of water didn't work. Wind definitely greatly affects it.

Looks too small for wood use to me. I bet the alc stove will flare in hot still conditions too.

Evernew should have spent more time on BPL's MYOG forum first...

BTW, I am pretty sure that Lynn Tramper uses a 2L pot (successfully) with her Caldera Cone Inferno set up. She posted about it here, somewhere...
Franco

Hi, Franco-

I also use a 2L pot w/Caldera (for more than one person). Works great!

After reading this thread, Don from Four Dog Stove offered to send me a Bushcooker LT III to try out. I have now had some time to play with it, and I have to say that this is a very good wood stove, especially for group cooking.

For anyone who might be interested in a more detailed review, I wrote a blog post on how it works here.

Thanks Don for giving me the opportunity to try it out!