The Portable Wood burning Stove: perfect for the backpack!

 

I like fires a lot. My activities make it fairly obvious I have a heavy weakness for pyromania,which dates back to the first time I laid my grubby little mitts on a box of matches and ignited a lifetime of happiness. I have no idea how old I was, but old enough to emulate the action my father would do every time he lit his pipe, the only thing I can remember: it was an act of opportunistic thievery...no parent willingly dishes out fire-starting materials to an infant!

Fire is without doubt the greatest discovery by man- ever, without it our ancestors would have been cold and hungry. It is such a fascinating 'element' that we are still transfixed by the flickering of a flame and camping would not be camping without the glowing centrepiece and social focal point of a campfire.

Wherever I lay my head to rest when out wild camping, a fire is essential, I don't use a tent, a homemade shelter of tarp and natural materials will suffice- so I like to have a fire for cooking, warmth and comfort. I have never been a bit fan of Gas stoves- I can see their appeal for a semi-instant cuppa at daybreak, but for anything other than boiling water, they are fairly useless. On top of that you have to carry the fuel with you which could run out in the arse end of nowhere- then what do you do? With a fire, fuel can be collected on the hoof and your backpack is a touch lighter.

 

 

Recently I built a mini Rocket stove- amazing in performance, but a bit to cumbersome to take on the road. To my relief and joy the very kind people at Vargo sent me this little puppy: A titanium hexagon backpacking wood stove. Prayers answered.

 

 

 

 

 

This slick piece of kit is perfect for taking out into the wild, It does the same job as a gas stove (in testing I managed to boil a mug's worth of water in exactly 5 minutes), yet packs down to nothing, weighs virtually nothing (121g) and the fuel costs nothing! If you are worried about the wider implications using gas can have on the environment in terms of the manufacture and distribution side of things- then this is the perfect product for you. 

 

 

 

You can pick one up in the UK from www.backpackinglight.co.uk for the sum of £45.99- but my goodness is it worth every penny- after all it is made of titanium! To see a video of the stove in action and all the other fine camping gear for the intrepid adventurer within go to the Vargo website.

 

Saw a couple of interesting signs at the South of England Show this weekend, thought I would share them with you:

 

 

 

 I should think this chap would be able to offer them some assistance:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Bas]

I have just found this stove it look good
http://www.occuk.co.uk/outdoor

[Giles]

Nick, when hiking in remote locations and coming across signs enquiring about "pimps, faggots and benders...." my friend, the safest thing to do is RUN!!!!

[Nick Weston]

It was at an agricultural show- no danger!

To: nickweston@hotmail.com

[smithdent]

That rss feature on your blog here is magnificent, you should tell more folks about it in your upcoming post. I haven’t noted it for the first couple of times, now I’m using it each morning to check on any updates. I’m on a very slow dial-up link in Jakarta and it’s quite frustrating to sit there and wait for such a long time ’til the page loads… but hey, I just found your rss page and added it to the Google Reader and there you are… I’m always up-to-date! Well pal, keep up the good work and make that rss button a little bigger so that other people can enjoy that as well :-P

[Pugsy]

Looking for portable stoves for a camping adventure. Thanks for the recommendation

[jo]

""Fire is without doubt the greatest discovery by man- ever, without it our ancestors would have been cold and hungry""

Highly debatable and opinionated but each to their own :)
The Maori used woven flax to keep warm.
Some people eat only raw foods and are happy with the smaller amount of food opportunities. Like our animal friends.
Makes them harder to kill by the forces of nature [sounds counter productive I know]

[TJ]

Jo meant to edit his post on the 7th November to:

"Very, slightly debatable and seen as a tenuous opportunity for pedantry by myself; in order to demonstrate my superior knowledge on the interweb... No doubt you are all so awed by my knowledge of the world and human culture; that you will fail to notice -that I don't mention ANYTHING to do with the product, the review or the concept discussed."

He wanted me to let you know! :)

Thanks for the review.