Recently I discovered a terrific little camp stove called the “TrailStove”. It uses the chimney effect to maximize airflow for combustion of fuel. If you have used a charcoal briquette starter that uses newspaper placed in the bottom chamber of the device to ignite the charcoal briquettes placed inside the upper chamber, you know how this stove works. The TrailStove is a refined version of the charcoal briquette starter, but with smaller dimensions and added features.
It is made of stainless steel measuring 8.75″ inches in height with an upper diameter of 4″ and a lower diameter of 5.15″. It weighs less than a pound at 14.8 oz. A unique feature is the capability of using a blow-tube that can be placed on the lower side for enhanced fire starting. If you’ve ever used a wood burning stove, or worked with a fireplace, you may have used a blow-pipe to put air in just the right place to coax a coal into a flame, or increase the flame for a faster fire. This little addition gives you better control in the fire building process.
The stove can be also used with other fuels such as alcohol burners. But what really impressed me is that this stove is very efficient, and there is virtually no need to carry fuels as there is wood and other cellulose available for fuel in most places that you would hike or camp.
Just use tinder such as dry leaves or pine needles in the lower chamber and place some additional tinder along with kindling such as small twigs in the upper chamber. Then light the lower chamber through the vent holes in the bottom. If needed, you can use the blow-tube to enhance the fire for quicker ignition of the kindling.
The TrailStove is covered by a life time guarantee, if anything ever goes wrong, it can be returned for repair or replaced for free.
The only possible negative to this type of stove is contending with soot on the bottom of the cooking vessel. I use a large cup for heating my food as shown in the picture above (not included in the kit), and when finished, I cover the bottom of the cup with a paper towel, then invert the cup to cover the top of the stove before placing in the travel sack provided. The freedom to not carry fuel is liberating, enabling the stove to be used indefinitely on the trail.
The TrailStove is a wonderful companion on the trail, but the TrailStove can also be used as a backup stove for natural disaster emergencies. Whether used for cooking food, purifying water or as a contained fire source for heat, the TrailStove is easily stored and easily transported for use outside the home.
Because of my positive experience with this stove, I have chosen to carry this in Survialtek’s Store, as I believe it is a great product to use, and durable for a lifetime. Visit my store to order your own!
In your review, you stated an upper and lower chamber. how are these seperated? I’ve tried to make one of these “hobo stoves” and was very fustrated with the results. I couldn’t keep the fire lit, and after an hour couldn’t get boiled water.
Inside the stove, a couple of inches from the bottom, is a metal plate with a pattern of holes which creates a grate. Tinder is placed below the grate while kindling is placed above. The vented bottom portion helps create a chimney effect so that when the tinder is lit, all heat goes upward to the kindling. There is a moderate sized hole in the side of the stack where you can continue to load kindling as needed while your food cooks. The stove top is open, so your pot gets direct heat vs. some hobo stove plans that keep the can’s lid intact on top which could dampen the potential heat from below.
thanks, i’ll give it a try…. there was no mention of this in the plans i’ve seen.
I know how enjoyable it is to create new devices, but if it doesn’t work out, you can always buy a stove from my store, they’re really quite affordable.