This is the latest version of a wood stove for a long hike. It is not designed to be super ultra light, it is designed for continuous daily use for something like a long Winter AT hike. It can be used to cook real food, it is large enough to melt ice or snow if necessary and provide a me with a small amount of heat if needed. I also wanted a backup and adapted my Xtreme Stove to the stove. I have adapted a version of my lighter Son of Balrog but I think I want the PowerMax canister version.

The hinge pins are three of my Titanium tent stakes so they add no extra weight. If I decide I like this design I will remake the stove parts out of Titanium. This will let me drop a little weight. The grate in the bottom of the stove is made out of Stainless Steel wire mesh from Brasslite Stoves.

I can make a wood stove that weighs 1 ounce but not for a hike like this.

1. Wood Stove Multi-Fuel - Flat Mode


2. Wood Stove Multi-Fuel - Set-up 3.51 ounce - NOTE: Stainless Steel Wire Mesh from Brasslite.com Stoves.



3. Wood Stove Multi-Fuel - Wood Burning Mode






4. Wood Stove Multi-Fuel - Xtreme / PowerMax Mode - 6.51 ounces





5. Wood Stove Multi-Fuel - Son of Balrog (parts used) - 3.52 ounces

Edited by bfornshell on 06/13/2006 17:21:17 MDT.

Ah...Bill...is there no end to your creativity?!!

Fornshell, you've out done yourself this time.

This is one i can see myself attempting to make and using often.

Great job.

Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comments. A stove like this is very easy to make. I am using it in the wood mode everyday to test how the Aluminum holds up.

However, I really expect that if I like this design well enough to take on a long hike I would re-make it out of Titanium.

The design could be adjusted in size to fit what ever pot size you wanted to use.

> it is large enough to melt ice or snow if necessary


Out of curiosity, how would you use a stove like this on snow? Put a fire blanket under it?

Bill,

Can you expound on / show a detailed view of those rolled channels? What are you using as a form? Do expect Ti to be harder to make the channels with?

Btw - Nice Job.

Very nice. It looks like you may have been a
tinner in an earlier life.

Bill,

Do you think you could use Aluminum Foil pan bottoms for the sides to make a weekend only stove that would work as well?

I've also wondered if something like this might work .. although not nearly as space efficient as this design.

I can't seem to get the image to upload .... esentially it's taking a Snowpeak bowl, replacing the bottom with hardware cloth, cutting some low air holes on one side, and some high air holes on the other. Top it off with another piece of hardware cloth for a grill/pot stand and the stove would weigh in under 2 oz I would think.

Thoughts?

Edited by flash582 on 06/09/2006 15:31:03 MDT.

Do it. You'll never know until you try.

I've considered similar ideas (but not the same) for a snowpeak ti-bowl. what you might consider is leaving the bottom of the bowl intact and making a 'mound' in the bottom out of the cloth...


hmmm... more ideas for my ti-bowl multifuel system... gotta think...

Thanks for posting this; I was (one of) the guys who asked. It will be great to hear how the titanium version works for you.

I hope one of these days a big company with deep pockets steals one of your designs -- anyone as lateral-thinking and creative as you deserves to be rich!

The Titanium will be just a little lighter but will outlast the Aluminum I am now using if the stove is used a lot. The Titanium is a lot stronger and will take the heat much better. If you don't use the Aluminum stove a lot it should last a long time. The Aluminum is also a lot cheaper. This Aluminum stove is about the same thickness as the Titanium I use but the Aluminum is a lot easier to work with.

I bought a large size piece of Stainless Steel Wire Mesh from Aaron at BrassLite.com. some time ago. He may still sell small amounts if anyone wants to check with him. There are other places to buy this stuff but I try and buy what I can from BrassLite. I like Aaron and want to see him around for a long time. I think I have three of his stoves.

The galvanized steel wire mesh (hardware cloth) doesn't last very long with the heat from a good wood stove. I have watched the wire get smaller and smaller as my wood stove burned it up.

Turn the stove into a small grill and cook a few fish or other trail kill over a small open fire.

This adds almost no extra weight from what I would be carring anyway.

This was an easy modification for my Wood / Gas Canister Stove. I already had a row of small hole punched on the stove parts for the SS Mesh I was using for the grate. I just turned two of the stove pieces upside down so I could put Ti Rod or Ti tent stakes across for the grill. What you see in the picture would use up to 8 tent stakes 1/2" apart (pictured are - wood sticks and one long piece of some 1/8" titanium rod I had on hand). You can get Ti tent stakes that are 8.5" and 12" long. The grill size in the picture is 8" long by about 3.5" wide. This might be a little small. The grill is about 3" above the red stones (fake fire) but hot coals could be put in a small hole to provide more space between the grill and the coals.



SUL grill number two is on the drawing board and would be a little bigger, but with bigger will come a little more weight.

How big is big enough?

Edited by bfornshell on 07/12/2006 13:18:40 MDT.

What a great idea for a grill Bill ...

Another innovation !

Hi Bill,

Hope you don't mind re-opening this discussion. I'm new to UL and your stove fascinates me. I hate lugging canisters, full or empty. Bulk is as much an issue as weight and your fold-flat design is great.

How's the aluminum holding up? Can you give an idea of boil times? Burn time fully stoked? (I realize that the choice of wood will play into this). Now that you've had some experience with the stove do you find yourself using it on a regular basis?

Oh, and here's a question that no one with an attorney would answer ... by fitting an easily removable stainless screen over the top would you expect a SIL tarp user to a) be able to boil water during a rain, or b)light up the night in a blaze of burning woven petroleum products?

And I can almost taste a nice brookie on the "transformer" grill.

Paul

I would like to re-open this thread. Please see my post directly above. I'm pretty new to UL so I will appreciate your insights.

I hike where there's plenty of firewood, mostly bushwhacking and brookie fishing. I tarp and am interested in the concept of a light woodburner, mostly to boil water.

The ideal burner would:

a) boil water efficiently
b) weigh 6 oz or less
c) take up little space, as in the Little Bug design or Bill's design above.
d) leave minimal scar and be safe in dry conditions.
e) BE TARP COMPATIBLE (a top spark screen?

Ryan, can you tip your hand on this a little?

Bill, your take on this is appreciated. Anyone else, is it feasible or fatally flawed? I like/hate my cannister stove and mostly don't like my OH stove.

Paul

What about a tiny version of the kelly kettle? I've been doing the math this weekend and I think I can build an ultralight one. I only have the materials for a "light" one but I will build it and see if the design is functional as currently drawn/calculated. If so I will source the lighter gauge materials. I didn't intend on posting until I completed a prototype but it meets your requirements for the most part.

If it is functional would you like to test the "light" version while I source materials for the "ultralight"?

How much water does it absolutely have to hold? 8oz, 12oz, 16oz? How much weight over 6oz are you willing to accomodate if it replaces your mug as well?

An ultralight kelly kettle would be an excellent stove as defined by ultralight standards. It could weigh more than your typical stove and still be superior in that the pot is built in. It uses wood and therefore doesn't require the carrying of much fuel (except to light it with) and it burns "off the ground" so it conforms more to the leave no trace ethics.

Chris,

I would jump at an opportunity to test a kettle-lite. I have to admit I had to search on the kelly kettle and it's a paradigm shift from what I had envisioned. I does look like it would boil water very efficiently, leave no scar and could be adapted to use under a tarp. It looks like it could do well in moderate wind.

It is bulky but in my case it would replace my Litech kettle which is also bulky (it's my luxury item).

I was willing to add 6 oz for a stove + the 6 oz replacing the Litech leaves an acceptable weight of 12 oz. Does this seem achievable?

12 oz volume is sufficient for solo. I often go with one or both of my boys but the boil times are reasonable enough to boil a second batch. 16 oz may preferrable but that would have to be balanced against weight and bulk. Others may be happy with 12 but I doubt 8 oz would suffice.

I would be concerned with what happens to the embers under a tarp when you lift the kettle off the base. Any concerns here? Any problems seating the kettle back into the base immediately after pouring off (if you want to boil another pot)?

Hi Paul,

I have the size small kelly kettle. I'll have to weight it again but if I recall it weighs something like 16 or 17 oz.

1. I think 12 oz or even less for an ultralight version would not be that difficult. The size small kettle is listed as being a pint, but I think that refers to an imperial pint as the actual capacity is something like 24 oz. So just reducing the size, say down to 12-16 oz without changing anything else would reduce the weight. There are a few other things, like the bail I think is steel, and the kettle uses a wood handle, so these items can be lightened. I think it would not be too difficult to have something down in the 8-10 oz range.

2. As for using one of these under a tarp, I would not do it, as the flames (and embers) tend to shoot out the chimney, especially when you are getting the fire going or adding twigs to the fire (This is with the kettle on the base). It's pretty impressive, the flames can shoot out a foot or more above the kettle, which is already tall to begin with.

Dan

Edited by dag4643 on 10/31/2006 10:26:17 MST.