Wood Burning Backpacking/Camp Stove with Complete Upgrade Kit

I have one of these from 2003 and it is still going strong: well built and ingenious. I cook a burger using maybe six small pieces of bark, wood, or pinecone, and a single battery lasts me about a year. Talk about efficiency! I also use some of the improvements like the grate and the wind blocker, which are easy and get the job done. I have now bought a second one as well, I highly recommend it.

I got my first Sierra back in '83 or so, and still have it, albeit after the company replaced the galvanized liner with stainless steel, having been corroded to pieces burning saltwater driftwood. That would be my only caveat, if your liner hasn't been replaced. I'm pleased to see they replaced the aluminum pot with a stainless one, for health reasons.

We used to use these in my boyscout days backpacking 25 years ago we had gotten our troops from philmont when they allowed open fires. They were amazing stoves then, after 25 years decided to buy my own. Theres been a few small changes but nothing major on the bottom side of this stove. They work well, easy to use and durable. A little bulky/heavy for todays backpacking options I recommend for day trips and base camping.

I have used this stove for about 25 years. Once the fire is going from dry tinder you can even add damp/wet wood and it will burn hot! I’ve even used cow dung which burns really hot.

I have been using this stove for over 20 years. It's a tough little stove that lasts for years of hard packing. They are great for backpacking as the only fuel to carry is an AA battery to run the tiny electric fan that blows air into the fire chamber. This stove boils water faster than any other stove I know of. I also used this stove for backpacking with my Scout troop when I was a Scoutmaster because it was safe for the boys to use (no explosive fuels).

In the 90s saw an ad in Backpacker magazine, thought probably won’t work. Several years later I go winter xc ski backpacking with a friend who lives in Maine. I brought my trusty Wisperlite stove. First morning i am trying to put the stove, white gas bottle, & pump together. Having difficulty handling the white gas bottle and pump with bare hands. From the other side of the tent my friend yells out breakfast is ready. I walk over to see his wood stove had already cooked his eggs. “I’m buying one of those.” I have used this wood stove numerous times when my nephews were little. I felt more comfortable letting them use the wood stove, but would never let them use a white gas or canister stove. I had my nephews gather twigs and feed the stove with those twigs. Once the stove accidentally got kicked over and some of the hot coals spilled out. The boys got excited, I went over to look, telling them it is OK, using a stick or spatchula to push coals back into chamber. Later on I bought the grill/wind screen, great way to grill hamburgers or lamb chops. On a backpacking trip why not make your first meal using frozen meat you pack that should be thawed in time to grill. My Jetboil does not work well in extreme cold, this wood stove does. I bring a tube of fire starter (wet conditions). I have heard that cotton coated with Vaseline placed in a Ziplock work too. I prefer to use lithium batteries. Not very practical using in the tent vestibule, too much smoke. Above tree line one would have to pack twigs ahead of time, I would use a white gas stove. The AT has plenty of twigs on the ground, other areas may not have any (desert, the Rockies, ocean shore). My friend did the entire AT using this wood stove, he said sometimes he got complaints about the noise. I plan to buy the titanium version of this wood stove for more ultra light backpacking, read the grill will not work with this version.On a side note I recently read Jeremiah 10:23, one of the prophets in the Tanach. It is verse 24 of the KJV.