Anyone tried this wood burning back packing stove?
http://www.solostove.com/

_________________
Why let the truth stand in the way of a good fish story.

I have not but seriously considered buying it since I was in the market for one. Looks real nice to me and videos I have seen show it getting a great hot clean burn with no needs of fans or anything.

Hopefully someone here has 1st hand knowledge of this stove.

tj

_________________
Tenkara USA, Director of Customer Service

Tenkara Junkie - Tenkarajankī
Now sporting all of the Tenkara USA Rods!

I plan to pick one up very soon. I'll post a complete review on my blog at www.tenkaratracks.blogspot.com. Stay tuned.

_________________
http://www.tenkaratracks.blogspot.com

I have the Bushbuddy version of the same stove. It works great and is fun to use (if you like maintaining aka playing with fire). I keep mine in my Snowpeak Trek 900 pot.

The Emberlit mini is about the same size, breaks down and packs flat, and is $50. They've gotten great reviews. 4.1 oz. of titanium

_________________
Yong
Amago, 11' Iwana I, 12' Iwana II

over athttp://www.bushcraftusa.com a member named antig makes them out of aluminum and tin paint cans and sells them for about 30 bucks on the auction board. I love mine and have used it many times on backpacking trips, plus it gets me past the no ground fires rules that plague my neck of the woods for most of the summer.

_________________
RODS: Ito&
Iwana I/II 12ft & 9ft
Amago

I have the BushBuddy stove (only 4.5 oz compared to the 9.0 oz of the Solo Stove, but looks identical to it) and I have to say, it is probably my favorite piece of backpacking equipment. I *love* that stove! It takes a bit of time to get experienced with how the stove works, and you definitely don't "turn it on" and have hot coffee first thing in the morning. But, if you like the smell of fire in the mountains and tinkering with a fire makes you feel like a woodsman, this stove is for you.

We have an open fire ban in Colorado this summer and the Sheriff advises that this stove falls under that ban (no on/off switch), so I am back to using a gas stove until we get some rain. It's a real hardship to give up that stove, even for a summer. Not having a fuel budget on longer hikes is its real advantage. On overnights you may prefer fast coffee in the morning.

Stan,
I have the Bushbuddy, which is the same as the one you link but it is the original version. This was designed for Ryan Jordan for his expedition to the arctic, I believe.

To be very honest, besides my tenkara rod this wood stove is "the most satisfying piece of gear in my kit" to use the words of Ryan Jordan himself. I absolutely love that stove! So much that I look forward to trips to use it.
BUT, and this is a big BUT, I'm not sure why I love it so much because (a) I have to deal with all the soot that gets on your hands and can be a bit messy, (b) I need to manage your fire carefully just to make a cup of coffee in the morning.
The greatest things about it from an efficiency point of view are: (a) never buy fuel again, (b) the double wall of that design makes it a super efficient wood burning stove, and it is pretty cool to see the twigs turning completely to ash at the end of it.

However, I believe my satisfaction with it comes from the two points above, but also the great state of meditation I find with it. I normally wake up early to enjoy some morning solitude, and camp alone relatively frequently. In my mind there is little to compare with starting a small fire and tending to it in the morning or at night, with a purpose, trying to get the most efficiency out of it. In my last several trips I went car camping, I brought a small gas stove and the bushbuddy. The gas stove is there in case I'm lazy or something like that. In the end I used the bushbuddy just because I love using it. I love the satisfaction of building that fire and working on it.

There is a great piece written by Ryan Jordan on The Practical and Natural Simplicity of Backcountry Gear. Tenkara lies in the world of practical simplicity as Ryan argues. The bushbuddy stove system is on the Natural Simplicity - not the most practical piece of gear, but in my mind it is one of the most satisfying.

Not sure why I ellaborated so much on it. But, if you're interested in not buying fuel, and having fun (though sometimes working quite hard) to boil your water, or if you go on long multi-day trips (over 4 days or more) totally go for it. If you just want something quick and practical and for shorter trips, there are probably other better options IMO.

_________________
__________________________________________
Tenkara USA, founder
打仁得流, テンカラ大使
About me and Tenkara USA

The Emberlit is a nice piece of utilitarian art! Although I don't own a Bush Buddy, I would have to say that my Emberlit is much more compact and packable. No big deal if you can get your Bush Buddy inside a pot for storage.