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The promise of self-sufficient cooking during a grid down scenario made me buy it. Here's how it went for us.
It weights about 2.5 pounds, measures 7.5 inches tall and 5 inches wide packed. It has an internal battery that charges when the probe is sufficiently heated by fire.
This powers the fans that help circulate air for a more efficient and smoke free combustion.
When it reaches sufficient heat, the battery can also charge mobile phones.
The mesh surrounding it allows you to pick it up without burning yourself. Its got three foldable legs below for stability.
The whole device is clever!
II. Expectations VS Reality
I was hoping to add this to our bug out bag.
We soon found out that it was too bulky to put in a practical bug out bag or even a full on camping pack. It is possible but there are just too many better options.
The BioLite stove did score major points for its choice of fuel. It didn't need much fuel to boil water. We could make two cups of hot coffee in two minutes with two handfuls of sticks.
We also charged our phones but it took about 20 minutes on a full flame to get from zero charge to 15%. That isn't bad at all if this were Mad Max, but 2 hours of cooking to get to 50% isn't good enough.
The best way to charge devices was to plug a battery or power pack into the BioLite instead of the actual device. You could get a lot more juice into them faster this way.
III. Cooking
Its fun to use and the meat didn't taste like smoke, that makes it better than a traditional campfire. It wasn't as fast as a Jetboil but I never worried about fuel.
We cooked hot dogs, ham, bacon, marinated chicken, pork chops, various Mountain House and Wise Company entrees, coffee, boiled pasta, hot chocolate, etc. Good memories.
You just need to prep a few handfuls of wood if you plan to cook for your family. In the Philippines we have a lot of firewood as long as you're not living downtown.
Its easy to clean and pack away after a day's work. You won't leave a mess at your campsite either.
IV. Accessories
I'm really glad we got the Portable Grill. Among all the other doodads they were selling, this one was the most useful.
As of today, BioLite has a ton of other things that go with the stove like a lamp, solar panels, batteries, kettle pot, and even a full sized home stove and fire pit. I never felt the urge to get those.
The latter two just tell me that a BioLite is better suited to a more static role.
V. Longevity
Its 7 years old and still works.
There was a period of three years where the stove was just tucked away. By this time the battery had already gone dead and won't charge the fans even after putting a fire on the thermoelectric generator probe for thirty minutes.
I had plug the device to a wall socket for around an hour to revive the battery. That made me happy. Some users ditched the stove without doing this.
I've accidentally dropped the device a few times, left it out in the sun, gotten moist too from light rain. The parts are constructed from sturdy components and I never worried about having to replace anything. Except perhaps the battery.
VI. Verdict
- Its just too big. For a serious BOB, you're better off with a pocket folding stove or alcohol burner.
- If you wanted to charge devices, get a solar panel.
- My trusty axe and five minutes of chopping makes for two meals of cooking
- Longevity: works reliably and all parts are well-built
- This as a great backup means of cooking if the grid goes down. No propane or butane? no problem!
There is an updated BioLite CampStove 2 that is better at charging devices and even has power level LED indicators. Its superior to the orignal but not enough for me to ditch mine just yet even after 2550 days.
If they made something with half the dimensions with the same output I'd grab it in a heartbeat!
Final Score: 3.7 of 5
Stay vigilant!
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