Grill Trade Camping Rocket Stove for Outdoor Cooking - Portable Wood Burning Stoves with Large Fuel Chamber for Picnic, Hunting, Fishing and Hiking - Camping Survival Gear for Cooking Outdoors

The media could not be loaded. After much research, I chose this stove. However, there is room for improvement. Here is a detailed evaluation …THE GOOD:- Packs away very Compactly.- It is constructed of heavy 1/8” square tubing.- The legs are stout and stable.- Horizontal feed tube allows precise regulation of flame. I can push the wood in as needed, as opposed to the angled auto-feeders. (I don’t know what prevents flames from creeping up the feeder tubes on angled style stoves.)- Bottom slots prevent ash build-up allowing continuous, lengthy burns. This was a big-plus; a deal-maker for me.OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT:- The bottom slots that allow ash to pass through, actually reduce the necessary intake air velocity. In other words, air flows too slow. Slow air flow reduces efficiency …and heat. It also increases smoke. Think of when you blow an ember to increase heat and promote flame.- The shelf in the horizontal feed tube on which fuel wood rests can easily fall out of its support slots. Simply pulling back on the fuel wood will cause the shelf to fall. Once out, you are NOT getting it back in until everything has cooled and been emptied.MODIFICATIONS:For the fuel wood shelf, a small hole drilled into the rear tab allows insertion of a pin. It’s a simple task; the steel is mild. I left enough slack in mine to allow shaking of the shelf to clear ash. Now the shelf will not accidentally fall, and thus choke air feed.Plugging the slots on the bottom require a bit more work. I fabricated an adjustable “flue” from 4” x 1/8” x 12” Hot Rolled Mild Steel Flat Bar that I purchased here on Amazon. When placed on top of the ash slots, it blocks air through the slots and immensely improves air intake velocity through the space below the fuel wood shelf. One can hear the difference in the burn. I fashioned it in a way that it can be slid - by its handle – out toward the front exposing the bottom vents, and allowing ash to fall out. Then, simply push it back in. The flue packs away neatly inside the stove for travel. (Some of the photos show the sheet metal prototype.)With these minor modifications, this small stove becomes an amazing rocket. (You’re welcome, Grill Trade.)IN SUMMARY:I was able to boil three quarts of water in five minutes …a rolling boil! (Without the flue, it would only produce a slight simmer.) So, not one to waste boiling water, I added two potatoes (whole) and soon enjoyed them mashed. From combined adjustment of the flue, and manual feed of wood, I can reduce heat for a gentler cooking process when required.I mainly purchased the stove as a fallback should the “grid” stumble. Also, to “wow” friends at car-camping sessions. In addition, my wife has her eye on it for intense-heat, grease-splattering, kitchen-stove-coating, wok-frying, food prep.Again, I am happy with it.

I'm not much of an outdoorsman, but I do appreciate a good camping weekend or an outdoor family gathering, so I opted to get the Grill Trade Camping Rocket Stove. This is made from high-grade carbon steel which is painted with black high-temperature paint. It comes disassembled, but it includes all the hardware and instructions needed to put it together. The pieces are heavy, so it is a durable and well-made design that makes outdoor cooking that much easier. Just fill the chute with wood and some kindling, light it up, place your pot on top and you're good to go. My only recommendation is that I wish they would've included a small fire poker or steel rod to push any uneven wood into the chute. Still, a nice portable stove that will last us a long time. Highly Recommended! A+

Great product

And we aren't even middle aged yet, lol!I think that this is very heavy, too heavy for me to take camping. But I don't think that this is for traditional primitive camping, either. It could be, but I think that it would work better as the stove at the fishing camp or hunting cabin that you might go to a few times a year. My parents have a tiny home on a lake that they use occasionally, so this is what I'd take down there, instead of having to rely on the communal kitchen within the community for cooking, or a campfire.My husband says that he could easily carry this for a few days of camping in the woods, but he's also 6'1" and over 200 and does heavy lifting, so a stronger person than me could manage this better than I can.It goes together easily, and it is sturdy. SUPER STURDY. There were some flakes that came off during initial assembly, but husband said that this appears to be powder coated, another sign of its durability. The only part of it that wobbles is the 'chimney', but that's only before you flip back the handle on the base. Once flipped back, which you would to use this, the chimney doesn't budge at all.I cannot emphasize enough how sturdy this is. My husband is a big guy and he balanced on it and bounced his weight around. No stress, no creaking, no budging. This thing is as solid as a stack of concrete blocks cemented together. Or as solid as a rocket stove of welded solid steel would be. It's so solid.It stands on legs, so it isn't directly on the ground. It is a nice size for cooking or even using to heat a tub or water for showering, though you'd have to work out how to make that work with your situation. It'll hold plenty of wood.The attachment on top can be turned from a flat sided area to hold whatever you want to put on it, but then the other side has dips so that a wok-style pan/pot can be fitted into place. Or whatever else that's that size and shape that you'd want to use on this.This is a really great stove. It's super solid, built to last, and we're pretty sure it'll be in a barn somewhere in a hundred years and old people will be telling kids about how to use it and they'll think it's just the bee's knees. I'm excited for us to set up camp this summer and really test it out, but the boys will be playing with this over the weekend.I'll update if I find any flaws, or with any tips and tricks. Right now, zero regrets. Super happy with this.

I want to start off by commenting on the great build quality. The steel used for this is nice and thick and even with repeated use and drops on the ground it will stay in good shape for a long time. I do like that the entire thing can be packed inside itself and picked up by the convenient carry handle. The setup for the unit is fast because the bolts used to lock in the pieces are pre welded. At its weight I only use it for traveling around a mile or so. My only complaint about this unit is that it doesn’t feed the fire. If you look at most models of rocket stove the feed tube is at a 30-45 degree angle. That way when the material is consumed it slides the rest down in the chamber to continue burning. With this unit you will need to keep pushing in your sticks to keep them directly under the chimney in order to get the best burn. Overall this unit is worth the money if you don’t mind the flat load system. I would recommend this product. Hope this review helps!