I have this stove that I got used, I've barely gotten it hot enough to cook food yet on our one trip out and first burn today, and it was a little warped when I got it too. I have no idea how old it is, but the top and bottom are a bit wavy. No corrosion at all, and I rubbed it down with cooking oil before storing, but I'm wondering if the warped top surface is concerning? I'm relatively new to winter camping still so I'm not sure what is considered acceptable. Should I plan on replacing this soon or let it rip? How banged up are y'alls stoves? Seems like the uneven surface effects heat transfer into pots and pans, and that's kind of annoying.

Let it rip. It'll keep on waving like that and change in dips as you use it. I agree the uneven surface is annoying for cooking on top of, but so it goes and that's normal.

Make sure you get a false bottom for it, keep it dry in storage, and watch for any rust. If you see rust, deal with it. With a false bottom you should be able to hold onto it for a long time. In fact, you'll probably have to get new stovepipe long before the stove rusts out.

Also, if you want to extend the life of the stove, spray paint it in High Heat Stove Paint. Don't need to paint the pipe though. Before spraying, make sure the surface of the stove is clean and dry. After you spray paint it, make sure you have another fire in it in a well vented area to burn off any crap.

It’s a little hard to tell from the photos, but I’d say my stove is about as warped as yours, and maybe a bit more. I do think it slows the water-heating and cooking a bit, but not by that much. Like Minnesotan said, just move the pots around to find the spots that work. I really haven’t thought of replacing mine. And even if I did, I’d probably go and spill water on it on the first trip which is how mine got warped in the first place. I’d say just give it a try for a while.

Minnesotian: "
Let it rip. It'll keep on waving like that and change in dips as you use it. I agree the uneven surface is annoying for cooking on top of, but so it goes and that's normal.


Make sure you get a false bottom for it, keep it dry in storage, and watch for any rust. If you see rust, deal with it. With a false bottom you should be able to hold onto it for a long time. In fact, you'll probably have to get new stovepipe long before the stove rusts out.


Also, if you want to extend the life of the stove, spray paint it in High Heat Stove Paint. Don't need to paint the pipe though. Before spraying, make sure the surface of the stove is clean and dry. After you spray paint it, make sure you have another fire in it in a well vented area to burn off any crap. "

This is reassuring, thank you. I am making a false bottom this week out of some sheet metal and machine screws. I'll probably have to wait until Spring to paint it since I just oiled it and I dont think that will all burn off completely until a few good trips this Winter (assuming we have a real winter this year).