I am looking into getting (or making) a wood stove. I have read quite a few posts here on the subject. I am leaning towards the firefly or making the IKEA cutlery caddy stove. I am not much into DIY and usually opt to buy items as money is not huge factor if it something that I really want. Am I on the right track with the firefly or is there a better option for me? I usually boil water, maybe 2 cups and that is about it. I would also like the option of burning esbit. Thanks!

For surprisingly efficient word burning, the www.bushbuddy.ca or the US counterpart www.nomadicstovecompany.com are fantastic, I imagine you can use the pot holder separately for Esbit without much issue (haven't actually tried this myself, yet).

On paper an alcohol stove or even canister makes a lot more sense for most my trips, but the entertainment and joy I get having a little wood burning fire is worth the drawbacks. Although, when I get some soot on my hands and then shortly after, my face & clothes... I do question if the fire was actually enjoyable enough to justify looking like a hobo my first night out.

Lately I've been thinking about the Caldera Cone option, as it has several uses, and would probably end up being the most practical for my needs.

I made an IKEA stove and it works alright, but takes a little more wood and produces a lot more smoke than a Bushbuddy, and it is probably a bit more of a fire hazard than some other word burning stoves.

If you want to go super cheap, then build a hobo stove out of a recycled steel can.

If you want to do some serious wood cooking, then buy a Ti-Tri Caldera Cone.

--B.G.--

I like the look of that stove as well. The one thing I am concerned about with the firefly is that you need to fool with it to get it apart so soot would seem to be a bigger problem, although I suppose all the wood stoves would have that problem. I want it mostly to play with and see how it works, the Alcohol stove would most likely reamin my go to...but you never know. Thanks-Lance

I've tried most of the UL wood stoves. I think the Bushbuddy (the real one, not the imitation) may be the most efficient, but I really like the Firefly with the side port. I can either stuff it full from the top (side closed) for a straight boil, or open the side up for a long, easy stew or frying up some fish or pancakes.

The pot you'll use can vary too: the Bushbuddy fits well into a taller pot, while with the Firefly (being flat when disassembled) the style pot or pan doesn't matter so much.

Another thing I really like, is that QiWiz always keeps fiddling with and upgrading the Firefly! Plus he's got a number of other cool items he makes, like the Big Dig!

A nice feature to the Bushbuddy type stove (at a weight sacrifice), is it has a bottom and can be used on a wood picnic table or shelter floor without burning it or even leaving a mark. Also, you don't leave the scorched earth and ash pile that some LNT enthusiast might frown upon. Instead you just scatter your palm full of stove ash to the wind and say "goodbye grandpa, I love you".

[Just in case: nomadicstovecompany.com makes a Bushbuddy clone with the blessing of Fritz Handel and links off his site to theirs.]

Hey - for an inexpensive way to try a wood stove, consider the Antig Outdoors Woodlore Stove for just $24.99 plus shipping.

It works well and will, IME, boil a quart of water in 7-10 minutes. It fits (in its stuff sack) inside my Evernew 1L Ti Pasta Pot with room inside for an alcohol stove and fuel as a backup.

Looks like pretty good value for the same thing, a bit of a weight sacrifice, but it has it's positives too. I do like that side port option of the firefly, but coming up with new options for someone that has a gear buying addiction may not be a good thing :)

The bushbuddy really is awesome. I've had mine for a bit over a year, and it is my favorite piece of gear.

is the bushbuddy really $100 better? I am thinking I may get the woodlore and the firefly, still cheaper than the bushbuddy and I can see which I like best.

I really wanted a Bushbuddy when I started looking at a wood-burning option two years ago but at the time they were really hard to find and nobody was parting with them on Gear Swap. I figured the Woodlore would allow me to give wood burning a try with a minimal investment.

My Woodlore, with the base in its stuffsack, weighs 191 grams (6.75 ounces). I've taken it on a couple of trips where I've needed to boil a quart of water for a two-person meal, but on trips where I won't need more than a pint I've found my Caldera Cone alcohol setup to be just so much lighter.

The Woodlore works great, the pot stand is open on one side so you can keep feeding the beast, and is a really fun way to try a wood burner.

>is the bushbuddy really $100 better? I am thinking I may get the woodlore and the firefly, still cheaper than the bushbuddy and I can see which I like best.

No bottom on the Woodlore, so picnic tables and shelter floors are out. The increased size would forfeit it being able to stow inside most backpacking cook pots. Can't say anything about the performance of that or other types knock off Bushbuddy's, all I know is Bushbuddy will boil a cup of water with a handful of twigs and leave about as much ash as would fit in my belly button.

If you don't care about having a bottom, then I think for the compactability and weight, the Firefly makes more sense then the Woodlore.

There is also the sense of shame you might feel if you're spotted using an imitation Bushbuddy.

I got my as a gift, so it's hard for me to say if it's a hundred dollars better. They are expensive, but they really are nice. Boils water fast, and I've used it as a solo fire pit before, which was nice.

This one is now available:

http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/titan-3-titanium-cook-kit.php

Vested interest in it. Just saying.

Great comments. I could not handle the shame of having the knock off now that I think of it...LOL. I am thinking the firefly looks to be the ticket for me, but I will look into all items discussed. I am not worried about the bottom or scorching the earth, I will use fire ring type areas or a rock.

Brandon,

My Woodlore came with a bottom that fits really nicely. I didn't see anything on the website indicating that he's now shipping them without the bottom.

Even with the bottom I've only ever used it on a flat rock. I haven't checked to see how hot it gets under the stove, but I will the next time I use it. It would be nice to be able to use it on a picnic table...

It also nests nicely inside my Evernew 1L Ti Pasta Pot, although the top sticks out of the pot about 1/2 inch.

Couple other things to consider.

When I got my stove, I was actually kind of bummed at first it had a bottom to it... just seemed like pointless extra weight. I didn't look into the future clearly enough to understand how often I actually might find myself crashing at an established campsite with tables. Dumb luck often protects the short sighted, because being able to sit my stove on a picnic table has proved exceptionally convenient. Also when dead tired, stooping over a stove on the ground while there is an available table near by, would be a tad irksome.

Another bonus, is it is such a clean burning and easy to snuff stove... so you can slide a little more under the radar when you need to. Or for that matter, if weather conditions change, like the wind starts blowing out of a new direction, you can adjust your cooking setup accordingly.

I use the Emberlit UL a collapsible wood stove w/side and top options for stoking the fire. Made in the USA. One of my favorite things about the stove is that the bottom is elevated slightly so you have more options where you can fire up! I love using a stove/fire like this to cook and try and use it whenever possible but most of my hiking is in western states during summer and fall when fire restrictions are in effect. Consequently I don't use it very often but its always fun when I do.

Emberlit website, no affiliation just a satisfied customer.
http://bit.ly/xRIG8s

A picture of stove in action from a blog post of mine.
http://bit.ly/I1UZ2U

"My Woodlore came with a bottom that fits really nicely. I didn't see anything on the website indicating that he's now shipping them without the bottom.

Even with the bottom I've only ever used it on a flat rock. I haven't checked to see how hot it gets under the stove, but I will the next time I use it. It would be nice to be able to use it on a picnic table...

It also nests nicely inside my Evernew 1L Ti Pasta Pot, although the top sticks out of the pot about 1/2 inch."


Good to know. I was just going off pictures and videos I've seen of it. So, it is a optional bottom piece you can put in there? I'd be curious how it does on a picnic table, if you ever give it a shot.

The top sticking out, is what I was thought when I said it wouldn't fit. As I think some people have a preference for their stove to nest inside the pot, snugly secured with a pot lit on top. Although, I don't know if that aesthetic is worth an extra 75 bucks or so. I wonder if it would fit cleanly inside a Snow Peak Trek 1400?

Edited by Beeen on 02/28/2013 11:48:41 MST.

@ Brandon; @ Lance

The FireFly has a mesh bottom that is raised 1/2 inch off the ground. The open mesh bottom allows for bottom lighting as well as top lighting (like in a Bushbuddy) or side lighting through the FlexPort.

With the raised mesh bottom, what falls to the ground are only fine ash and sometimes a few small coals (mesh openings are 1/4"). So with as little as a sheet of aluminum foil underneath, I have often used a FireFly on a wooden picnic table with no problems.

There is also now an optional titanium foil "Hinged WindShield" that can be added by itself or as part of the MultiFuel kit for the FireFly that makes a great ground shield.