# Stove for BOB



## john10001 (Mar 20, 2013)

I have been thinking about getting a small wood burning camp stove for my BOB for a while. At the moment I just have a small MSR Pocket Rocket gas stove. Have been considering the Solo Stove and think that fits the bill nicely but now have seen this BioLite Camp Stove and wow! How useful is that? A stove that also generates enough electricity to charge basic gadgets. Has anyone got one of these if they are available yet?


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

If you are carrying the BOB on your back... Go stoveless.

The biolite is awesome and I hope to get one soon, but I would not carry it in my BOB. You can get them now, $130 BioLite CampStove - BioLite Stove

a cheaper and more compact option, but i still wouldn't carry it in a BOB: Solhuma Vital Survival Stove : Amazon.com : Sports & Outdoors


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

I have seen it advertised, the thing with me though is when we head out into the woods the electronics stay behind. I still have my phone with me but it stays turned off. The only thing I bring that runs on batteries is a flashlight.


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## vandelescrow (Nov 17, 2012)

I have not searched yet but if I can find a head lamp or flashlight that can be charged via usb or a battery charger that will, this would be great.

P.S. is there a way to subscribe to a thread to be notified when it is updated via e-mail?


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

Why not just get a headlamp with a battery that wil last for months.


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

to expand on what I said, there are small foldable/rollable solar chargers that will give as much or more juice than a biolite and weigh much less. And wouldn't require a fire.

quick search showed this example, still about half the price of a biolite, 1/3rd the weight and ~2x the wattage.

Goal Zero 12301 Nomad 7M Solar Panel : Amazon.com : Automotive


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## Verteidiger (Nov 16, 2012)

I saw that mini-wood-burning-stove on TV. It burns "bio-mass" which is marketing hype for twigs and sticks.

My first impression was it was kinda cool you could charge a cell or smart phone off the heat it makes.

Then I saw how hard it would've been to actually cook over that thing. It is like lighting a fire in a coffee cup. Marshmallows anyone?

I think I will stick with a Dakota fire hole - more work but you can actually cook a meal on one. And ditch the smart phone. No reception in the boonies or mountains anyway....


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

WTF

Sorry if you are bugging out or have a Get Home Bag, why would you waste weight and space on a stove!!??

Plus fuel is expendable and once you run out (after lugging it over several miles) What is your plan???

Your food should not require heat, so you solve about 90% of your need for any kind of fire.

The reason to NOT BUILD A FIRE is someone will see it, smell it, find you

If you do need to build a fire to cook some locally harvested food you should use this:

Wilderness Living - Sometimes you gotta rough it to smooth it: DAKOTA FIRE PIT

Minimal smoke, minimal light, optimum heat, and with a large rock you can put it out.

In a survival situation you should be thinking... what should I carry that I can use forever.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Like Mr. Montana said, I would ditch it from my bug out bag. I myself am a pyro, so i have built and experimented with alot of stoves and fires, from "copper coils" to a wood gas stove, even have a few "dollar tree" sterno imitations, but i wouldn't lug any of them in my b.o.b., which, at the moment, is taking up my kitchen table.


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## Montana Rancher (Mar 4, 2013)

Deebo said:


> Like Mr. Montana said, I would ditch it from my bug out bag. I myself am a pyro, so i have built and experimented with alot of stoves and fires, from "copper coils" to a wood gas stove, even have a few "dollar tree" sterno imitations, but i wouldn't lug any of them in my b.o.b., which, at the moment, is taking up my kitchen table.


Haha I was working on mine today, I decided to make my GET HOME BAG into a dual purpose BOB which includes a full season sleeping bag and a lot more foraging tools. I will be posting a thread when I get it completed, besides adding a sleeping bag I will be replacing my shotgun with an AR15. This is gonna be fun!


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I carry the Esbit folding stove and one spare pack of 12 fuel cubes. The stove is a little bigger than pack of playing cards and extra fuel is about 2 1/2 time bigger. Best pint, non-toxic so you don't need good ventilation. I also carry a couple of packs of Trioxane for starting a camp fire.
View attachment 2089


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## whoppo (Nov 9, 2012)

We've got a Bio-Lite stove and it's as cool as it looks. When packed it's about the size and weight of a full nalgene bottle. The Bio-Lite gets stowed in my wife's full pack, while I keep an MSR PocketRocket and a small fuel canister in mine.


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## Verteidiger (Nov 16, 2012)

Hey, Montana Rancher, quit copycatting my fire-making recommendations.

Besides, you Montana boys can't use Dakota techniques until you can beat them in football. Man code.


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

If you are gonna do more than brew the occassional cup of coffee you need a real stove. I carry a MSR Simmerlite with 11 oz fuel bottle, good for 5 days or so. Rest of the cooking kit is 1.3l Titanium pot and plastic cup that nests inside with windscreen.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

If you are worried about a warm cup of coffee when you are bugging out then you left real early or you are already too late.
That BOB is to get from where you are to where you need to be - not for a vacation camp-out.
Save the weight for chocolate nut bars or granola or something that has calories you can actually use when you need it.


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## felixx (May 14, 2013)

I have been experimenting with alcohol stoves of the soda can variety.. they will boil a couple of cups of water... a warm drink or meal can make a huge difference to morale .
I have a wife n 2 small kids, so need some creature comforts


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

Warm food is a tremendous morale booster. My BOB only weighs 20 lbs but I have a stove.

The homebrew alcohol stoves are probably the lightest. They are fun to make and play with. They don't work that well below freezing and use more fuel than something like the Wisperlite or Simmerlite. If you are cooking for multiple people or going for more than a week you will come out lighter with the Wisperlite because of fuel savings. The alcohol is also much slower. You can boil a cup of water in about 2 minutes with the Whisperlite while the alcohol will take about 7.


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

That's what I put together for my BOB, haven't used it yet (in that form) but I'm certain it'll work. It's like your own little mini kitchen.


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## felixx (May 14, 2013)

My alcohol stoves do 2 cups in under 5min


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

That will vary greatly depending on conditions like temperature of the water and wind. Try it outside with water temperature you are likey in the wild and try it.


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## wallyLOZ (May 12, 2013)

Creature comforts? What the heck!! We're talking a real SHTF situation. Your survival depends on how quickly (and undetected) you can get to your BOL. Have a cup of coffee when you get there. As for me, I'm saving the weight and room for food, water, ammo! JMO.


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## roy (May 25, 2013)

Hot food is critical for survival in cold weather. Ammo ain't.


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## wallyLOZ (May 12, 2013)

Sorry, roy. Gotta disagree (respectfully of course). A fire or cooking food will give away your location. I'll opt for lightweight, speed, stealth, and defense. I'd rather have a few days of discomfort and get to my BOL. I'll have hot coffee and a pot of stew when I get there. JMO.


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## www.BigBugOutTrucks.com (Mar 14, 2013)

I love my FireBox folding stove it folds flat and packs easy! No need to lug fuel around for it! It my stove of choice and have owned many commercially available stoves!


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## felixx (May 14, 2013)

roy said:


> That will vary greatly depending on conditions like temperature of the water and wind. Try it outside with water temperature you are likey in the wild and try it.


it is winter here (new zealand) and I tried it in a frost (-4*C) and it was almost as quick (within 30 sec) of my LPG cannister stove.

I know they aint perfect but they work.

In a compromise between performance and weight they come out on top. I made a windbreak out of an Aluminium oven tray.. really light and rolls up into the billy perfectly. Once I complete it all I will post pictures.


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## john10001 (Mar 20, 2013)

Thank you for all the advice and input on this. Appreciate all the points.

When I looked at the price here in the UK for that stove it completely ruled it out for me anyway at £150! That's $228 US!

I think you're right that it would be far better to have a small lightweight solar panel if you needed any power than the stove plus it will smoke and give away your position. So instead of killing two birds with one stone it is probably killing you in more ways than one not least your wallet.

I was intrigued by these stoves because I wouldn't need to rely on gas or alcohol in the event that they suddenly became "unavailable".

As you mentioned this Dakota fire pit is the better option in that instance where you might benefit from cooked food a warm drink and warmth especially in winter.

Think I will make do with the MSR pocket rocket for now and small cannister of gas. I have been looking at low cost light weight semi flexible solar panels around 20w and have also seen a 10 ah lithium battery that is also light weight and cheap.

I have a small hand cranked flashlight but it is quite big.

Need to look at solutions if an EMP is taking out your led in your flashlight? How to protect against that for your bob?

Ammo is not something relevant to me here in the UK  but point sorely noted.

Wondering if there is a small stove similar in design to a dakota fire pit that doesn't smoke but uses "bio mass" i.e. fire and twigs?


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

To protect you flashlight or anything electronic in your BOB just place it in a plastic bag (zip-lock) then wrap it in heavy duty aluminum (aluminium) foil. Then place that into another plastic bag and wrap that in foil and do that at least twice more. It will likely be protected against the E-1 pulse that would destroy the diodes in any device. It does mean that if you want to use it you have to re-wrap it all or carry a small light to use until the EMP knocks it out. Wait about twelve hours (I doubt there will only be one EMP blast) then unwrap your light and you are good to go.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

I think having a small (pocket) stove in ones BOB is perfectly fine. I can see no reason not to have one. A huge part of survival is mental attitude. If the small comfort of a hot cup of coffee or tea bolsters ones attitude to press on then it also improves their chances of survival.

Most are reasonably light and besides if your plans go as mine often do then that 6 hour walk home could possibly turn into a day or two. The Folding esbit stove is a nice one. It can be used with the fuel tabs or as a stand for a Trangia style alcohol stove and in a pinch wood chips or twigs.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

I can't disagree with the comfort concept but I can build a fire that can get the same job done in less time, no extra room and zero weight. 

It's your bag and you should carry whatever you want.


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