Ok, I'm considering getting into a twig stove as a backup stove or day trip stove. I've seen the solo stove and bush buddy design, but I also know there's collapsible options. What are the pros and cons to each? What vessel do you folks use for boiling water in them? What are the best practices for stoves like this? It's all new to me so I'm a willing student! Thanks in advance!

vargo
i have this as a backup to my alcohol stoves. this vargo boils 2 cups of water in 6 minutes and it folds flat which is really what i like.

A very effective inexpensive alternative . Works quite well, packs fairly small (about a quart in volume) boils a pint of water in a couple of minutes with dry fuel.

I like the TOAKS line of stoves, pots, and cups. Make a nice, light, compact set and you can customize your kit to fit your preferences and needs.

TOAKS Backpacking Stove

Emberlit

I use an Emberlit twig stove. It works great. You do have to put it together (simple), and it collapses down to the size of a CD. It's the only twig burning stove I have used, so I can't compare, lots of other good options though.

Dave

bwcasolo: " vargo={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584482455151445&psc=1
i have this as a backup to my alcohol stoves. this vargo boils 2 cups of water in 6 minutes and it folds flat which is really what i like."

I've used this one, (Vargo) on every trip. I've also used it entirely on an 7 day trip for every time I cooked. I would fill it with sticks and light it and let burn out and my meal for two was completely cooked.

RetiredDave: " Emberlit


I use an Emberlit twig stove. It works great. You do have to put it together (simple), and it collapses down to the size of a CD. It's the only twig burning stove I have used, so I can't compare, lots of other good options though.


Dave"

+1 for the Emberlit. However when I am in the BWCA I use it as a holder of sorts for a Nesbit alcohol stove. It works as a great windbreak and if I run out of fuel for the Nesbit I can use the Emberlit as intentioned. I have used it as a twig stove and it is very efficient.

Why not a DIY project? Wood pack stoves are mostly cans or can in a can. Easily sourced and worked with simple tools. Customized sizes and styles are simple to make.
Basic can container twig stove is just a can with holes to provide air flow.
A gasification stove is a can inside a can.

butthead

To start, it might help to start by dividing twig stoves into two categories; wood gasification and non-wood gasification. Examples of both are mentioned above.

A wood gasification stove has an inner burn chamber and an outer air channel. Put simply, wood is piled in the burn chamber and lit from the top. As it starts to burn, it draws air from the bottom but also air is drawn in the side channel where it heats up then drawn into the top of the burn chamber for a secondary burn of the wood gases. The theory is it will provide a cleaner, more efficient burn with next to no smoke. Because of this efficiency it should heat more effectively; I suspect it does but have no data. Examples of wood-gasification stoves are Solo, Toaks, Bush Buddy, etc,. They typically are cylindrical and non-collapsable, and a bit heavier, but should burn wood better - even marginal quality wood.

Non-gasification stoves are essentially single chamber boxes with holes in them to allow air draw and wood insertion. Holding the sticks together in the box helps focus the heat and block the wind, providing a better burn than can be achieve in a similar sized open fire. Examples are the Emberlit or Firebox stoves. This type typically folds down, some to a very compact size and weigh less, but arguably don't provide the extra heat of a secondary burn.

Note: both types of stoves require a pretty active tending and feeding to keep producing heat. On the other hand, nearly every site in the BWCA has a super-abundance of 4-6 inch pencil to thumb sized wood within 10 yards of the fire grate.

Last summer when I was planning a 17 day trip, I got a Solo Lite (their smallest) in hopes of being able to bring less white gas for my MSR stove. That trip sadly got canceled, but I did get to use it on one 9 day BWCA trip and was very impressed. The construction is tops, and set up/take down is just reversing one piece. It heats water well and I did some actual cooking over it too (eggs, pancakes) where it did ok. Others on the forum have said the next size up (the poorly named Titan) does much better for cooking. I also found on some rainy evenings I'd put sticks in vertically and get a bigger campfire going just for atmosphere - even right under my tarp. I really liked it, and may consider getting a Titan too abandoning my MSR on some trips.

Below is a shot of a wood-gasification stove I made out of two big bean cans. Im putting it up to show the brighter orange "jets" of hot air being introduced for the secondary burn - you can see several of them coming in from the sides.

Jaywalker has a nice summary.

I strongly favor gasification and use the solo stove for long trips. No need to use it as a "back up".

A few tips.......have all your fuel collected prior to operation. Steady feeding is required and if you have to stop to collect more brush you may lose your burn. I strongly encourage you to have mechanics gloves on during operation. They shield your hands from heat while still providing excellent dexterity. They also help in the wear and tear on your hands from snapping twigs.

Lastly I really like having chemical fire starter like Wet Tinder to get things rolling without complications if conditions are less than favorable. Wet tinder is extremely light and a small cube will insure success even after 3 days of rain.

Darn it! Now I have a "winter project" to do :). I was hoping to avoid that this winter. Diy Wood gas stove instructions

This is what I use for a primary stove. I cut out the Sterno can supports. Packs flat and boils water in no time at all. And it is only $5. I bring a MSR Pocket Rocket as my back-up stove.

Do yourself a favor and get a small set of handheld pruning shears to cut your wood.

I've been using a Lixada for a couple of seasons and really like it. Folds flat, as others mentioned the key is to have all your twigs and sticks ready to go and use leather gloves that protect your hands and work as a pot holder

I have a Littlbug Jr. that I bring on every trip (unless there's a fire ban, obviously), sometimes as my only stove. It can save a lot of fuel for shoulder-season trips when I'm making a lot of water for tea, coffee, hot cocoa, etc.

Plus, it's kind of fun to play with fire.

I have a Littlbug Senior and have not used it much but really should. It works well, just takes extra time and attention than liquid fuel. I like that it breaks down for transport/packing.

You might also want to take a look at the Four Dog Bushcooker. Made from Titanium, so strong and very lightweight and comes in three sizes to suit your needs. The smallest one would probably be fine as a back up and weighs less than the Bushbuddy. Nests in your cooking pot and best of all made in MN!

I have watched videos where people were constantly feeding it skinny little twigs. I use thicker pieces and have a much easier time keeping a consistent fir going.

I don't know if anything I have to say will help, but that's up to you. I'll just say it.

I have a Solo Stove Campfire. It weighs a little over 2 lbs. Smallest and lightest it is not, but I'm not a backpacker and it's not uncommon that I don't even make a traditional campfire, instead using the Solo for all my fires because of how efficient and contained it is. When I mean to cook with it, I use large chunks of wood that I've processed with my knife/saw/hatchet and save the twigs for kindling/tinder or buying a little extra cooking time at the end or simply for when I just want a campfire for fire's sake. Using larger chunks of wood lasts longer and burns more predictably. I pack it full of wood and lay kindling/tinder on top--light it from the top, not the bottom. I carry a backup stove for when I can't or won't cook with the Solo or if I want to cook multiple things at once.

Wow! Great responses. Thanks everyone! I'm not in a hurry to buy so I get the luxury of overthinking all of this. I'm leaning toward gassification, but gotta decide if that's too bulky for a "backup" Jaywalker...thanks for the comprehensive summary of each type. MT...I always bring Mechanix gloves, they're just too handy to leave behind. Those Solo's have always looked nice though I do like the idea of buying from a local company with Four Dog...plus...titanium sheds the ounces. Whatever I get (or make...butthead), I'd like to pair it with a Titanium pot that it'll nest in...That Toaks 1100ml pot/pan combo looks pretty sweet. Thanks for all the hot tips, I really appreciate it! I'll let you know what I end up with.

I think I might have used a titanium pot with my solo stove but quickly switched to whatever the solo stove offered as a mate. A tiny bit heavier but more durable so when I put a little elbow grease on cleaning the accumulated soot etc. off my pot I don't end up deforming it. Titatinium can be a bit fragile and easily bent if your not careful. I really like the solo stove pot and of course it is ideally mated to the stove. Nifty combination. There is just something unsettling about taking an expensive titanium pot and coating it with black tar. Maybe it's just me.

Don't neglect bringing the wet fire tinder cubes (chemical fire starter). They are about as heavy as air and make twig stove operation easy and foolproof. Sure you can (maybe?) have some birch handy but when everything is soaked it's just really nice and hassle free to pop a cube in and carry on with life.

For you guys using gasification type stoves....is it a cleaner burn? Are cook pots still blackened when cooking? The few times I've cooked over a fire resulted in blackened cookware that was tough to clean.

SourisMan: "For you guys using gasification type stoves....is it a cleaner burn? Are cook pots still blackened when cooking? The few times I've cooked over a fire resulted in blackened cookware that was tough to clean. "

Yes, but I still get some soot especially when I am impatient and want to get some water heating before the gasification effect fully kicks in. You will want a good stuff sack for the stove and pot to limit soot stains on other gear. The old film of soap on the bottom of the pot trick helps too.

SourisMan: "For you guys using gasification type stoves....is it a cleaner burn? Are cook pots still blackened when cooking? The few times I've cooked over a fire resulted in blackened cookware that was tough to clean. "

Yes, it is a much cleaner burn with minimal ash. Cookware still gets blacked, though especially if you place them directly on the stove and double especially if you place it before the stove has fully heated and gotten its secondary burning rolling. Blackened cookware doesn't matter to me; it doesn't do any harm.

Have you seen the littlebug stove we have the littlebug junior and love it. We only busted out the alcohol stove once for a quick coffee on our last trip otherwise the littlebug worked great.

I can't add to the discussions on the stoves, but I can add a bit to collecting fuel.

If you don't make collecting fuel part of your day then you may end up rushing about to get what you need while your buddies are cranking along on their Pocket Rockets. I say this because I've had that happen. What I do NOW is to have a bag that is hooked to your belt or otherwise and I collect as part of my day. If I'm hiking I end up in camp with more than enough to boil my water or whatever it is I'm going to need fire for.

I switched from my Pocket Rocket to the Toaks stove to slow myself down and enjoy the outing a bit more, because that's what I want. At first, it caused a bit of frustration because I wasn't in a groove but now I enjoy the process.

I use a bushbuddy with a 14 cm zebra billy can from fireboxstove.com.

Huge weight penalty with this system but it's bomb proof. I usually use some sort of firestarter to speed up the process. I haven't gotten too adventurous with the cooking, but I've done a few meals that were a step or two beyond just boiling water.

The Littlbug Jr is the best twig stove available. Light, packable, efficient, and modifiable! Seriously, with the mods, it is better than alcohol, white gas and canister stoves.


https://littlbug.com/wood-vs-petroleum-stove/

I have this Biolite Campstove. (See link below) Found it unused on CL for $50 and figured I'd give it a try (doubt I would've paid the retail price). Mines the older model without all the indicator lights but is otherwise identical. I picked up the French press separately as well. Only tried the grill once for S's & G's but it worked well enough to cook a couple burgers on a day hike. Wouldn't pack the grill into the BWCA as its a little bulky and campsites have grates but it's a nice accessory. The stove, pot, and French press work extremely well to boil water, cook in small camp pots / pans, and make coffee. Kind of a pain in the @$$ to keep stuffing wood into when cooking but it boils water with only one or two loads of "fuel". Its a little on the heavy side with the battery pack but it's a trade off as you don't need to carry fuel. Dryer lint works beautifully to start the fire and you can load bigger sticks in to start rather than bark and little sticks. Works well to charge phones and what not but who has the time to constantly stoke the fire hahaha. Our group usually packs in Coleman 533's as well so it was purely for coffee and back up but could easily be used alone for a whole trip.

P.S. Dry, dead jackpine branches with cones on them make amazing fuel!!!

BioLite Campstove 2 Bundle

I have and use the Bushbuddy and like it very much. A bit fussy in that you need to fairly actively feed it twigs, but it boils water quickly and is light and pack-able (nests inside my pot).

I am currently using a DIY as back up to a mini bull alcohol. For a fast boil the MKettle is hard to beat.
Pros - Boils water fast, Easy to feed, Used as a canteen.
cons - hard to clean, Heavier

I am drooling over a Traildesigns caldera cone. Currently looking at traildesign

My two cents

KingofDuluth: "The Littlbug Jr is the best twig stove available. Light, packable, efficient, and modifiable! Seriously, with the mods, it is better than alcohol, white gas and canister stoves.

Going to completely agree with you. The littlbug jr in my opinion is the best twig stove available and you are supporting a Minnesotan as well. I typically purchase from their imperfection section https://littlbug.com/the-littl-imperfections-shop/ and have found zero issues with these blemished models.

Over the years I've made the transition from gas/canister stoves, to alcohol stoves, to solely using twig stoves with no backups.

I really like the littlbug in that it is super lightweight yet large enough that I can usually load it just once and bring my water to a boil.

I use an anodized aluminum (gasp) Mors Bush Pot with mine but also use a Fry-Bake pan for baking with twig fires.

KingofDuluth: "The Littlbug Jr is the best twig stove available. Light, packable, efficient, and modifiable! Seriously, with the mods, it is better than alcohol, white gas and canister stoves.



https://littlbug.com/wood-vs-petroleum-stove/


"

Agree. For the specs out of the box- crazy weight to pot radius. 5.1 Oz is crazy. They have the holes in the right spot for the right price.