What is a wood-burning camp stove?
Modern camp stoves you find on the market these days use fuel such as propane, isobutane and others that are popular for their ease of use and convenience when out camping or hiking.
A wood-burning stove however uses…well, wood for its fuel which can be fun as well as offering low fuel cost because you can use mother nature to fuel your stove. You can use wood chips, bark, twigs and other wood you can find near you.
A wood-burning camp stove is a fun, minimalist option but can also provide a backup for the serious hikers or hiking beginners that may need to have a plan B if your fuel runs out.
Quick Look
- VINIDA Camping Stove Backpacking Stove Survival Stove
- lixada Camping Stove Wood Burning Stoves Portable Folding Stainless Steel
- BioLite CampStove Campstove Burning Electricity Generating & USB Charging
- Ohuhu Camping Stove Stainless Steel Backpacking Stove Potable Wood Burning Stoves
- Überleben Stoker Flatpack Stove | Twig, Stick, or Wood Burning | Compact & Collapsible | 304 Stainless Steel
- STADELHORN Titanium Minimalist Wood Stove Ultralight 100% Titanium Camping, Backpacking, Hiking
- Solo Stove Lite – Portable Camping Hiking and Survival Stove | Powerful Efficient Wood
- EcoZoom Versa Camping Stove – Camp Stove for Backpacking, Hiking, RV, and Survival
- Bushcraft Essentials Outdoor Stove Bushbox LF
- Solo Stove Titan – 2-4 Person Lightweight Wood Burning Stove. Compact Camp Stove Kit
In A Hurry?
Our Top Pick – Solo Stove Lite
Things To Consider For A Portable Wood Stove
- Size- Wood stoves come in different sizes. Some are small and compact that can be packed easily when space is a concern. They also can come in a larger form factor for campers that may need a camping stove that they are able to cook on for a group of people.
- Weight- This can come into play if your going on long hikes and need to account for every ounce of weight. They can be made from lightweight material offering the best in portability. The titanium options I see on the market would be a good material if you really need to keep the weight to a minimum.
- Portability- When you combine weight and size you can see how one will be best for your situation in terms of portability. Some can be broken down to a flat, easy to store form factor while others can be round and a bit larger and bulky for long travel with it in your backpack.
- Safety- Safety is important and should be taken seriously. You want to find a stove that is stable and won’t tip over causing any dangerous situations.
- Durability- These stoves can come in different materials such as titanium, stainless steel or cast iron, each material will have its benefits such as cost, quality, and durability over time.
- Accessories- You can find the accessories that will go along with these stoves. You will find items like pots and pans that are designed to be used with these stoves.
- Design-Some stoves are square with easily removable sides for easy breakdown and storage. While others are a cylinder and don’t break down as small. Also, even within these designs, they can come in different sizes and features, so I can’t say one design is better than the other, it simply comes down to what your situation is and what criteria need to be met.
- Price– Like most things, you usually get what you pay for. The price for a camp stove will vary based on materials, features, and quality. Now I’m not saying you need to spend the most money to find one that will meet your needs, but I wouldn’t go with the cheapest either… I would recommend something in the middle.
Let’s take a look at how one of the techiest stoves on the market works. The BioLite Camp Stove.
Unique Features Of A Wood-Burning Camp Stove
Cheap To Run
Since they use natural resources, you can run them indefinitely without worrying too much about the fuel you will be using and the cost associated with that.
Minimalist Feel
Holnelsy, they are simply fun you use. Gathering sticks and pinecones to feed it while trying to figure out what burns best with the resources you can scrounge up yourself is half the fun!
Environmentally Friendly
If you’re looking for a friendly fuel for the environment, then this is a no brainer. You’re simply using nature in its pure form to provide fuel for these wood stoves
Light Weight And Portable
Probably the best feature of these stoves is that they are extremely light and portable for your travels. Not needing to bring along canisters of fuel and only having the stove to worry about lugging around is a huge plus over alternatives.
Accessories
They are making so many accessories to go along with the camping wood stove. I have listed popular ones you can find on the market today.
- Windshield
- Pocket Bellows
- Firestarter
- USB charger
- Fuel Tablets
Safety Talk
- Don’t run in a small tent– Camping stoves give off carbon monoxide and can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning and should only be used in a well-ventilated space. Because of this, it is not recommended to be used in an ordinary tent without proper ventilation.
- Clear area around it from debris – Don’t use the stove on anything that will burn or melt. Dome designs may seem like the bottoms won’t get hot but make sure it’s on stone, dirt, or anything that can’t possibly cause any issues.
- Needs to be on something stable- Placing on a nice spot clear of debris? Great…but make sure its stable and won’t tip over on you. Take the extra precaution to get it stable, especially if it breezy out.
- What material can I use? You should find things like dried sticks, bark, pinecones, wood pellets and even charcoal in some models. But you shouldn’t don’t burn plastics, rubber, chemical items or even damp green vegetation.
1. VINIDA Camping Stove Backpacking Stove Survival Stove – Portable Lightweight Wood Burning Stove with Nylon Carry Bag
The Vivida is made from stainless steel and is designed in a cylinder style making it very stable and safe to operate even in wind. It weighs in at 9.17 oz and 7.45” tall making it fairly light and compact.
This style burns more effectively with its air intake and 3 combustion system allowing it to burn efficiently and with less smoke.
2. lixada Camping Stove Wood Burning Stoves Portable Folding Stainless Steel Backpacking Stove for Picnic BBQ Camp Hiking
This little guy is made from stainless steel and super light and compact. Weighing in at 6.7 oz and 4.3” tall, it’s a great compact camp stove.
It’s a very basic and easy to set up with a no-fuss no-muss design that can be taken apart and packed up with its four flat sides into any backpack for easy transport.
Moreover, it comes with a reusable pouch for storage keeping all the pieces together when not in use.
3. BioLite CampStove Campstove 2 Wood Burning Electricity Generating & USB Charging Camp Stove
The Biolite camp stove is one of the coolest stoves on our list with some great features.
It uses heat to provide power to its battery which can generate 3 watts for charging any of your devices using a USB connection.
Weighing in at 2 lbs and height of 8.3”, it’s not the smallest or lightest out of the group but with a battery attached to the side, this is to be expected.
It is compatible with the kettle pot and portable grill.
It burns hot with very little if any smoke making it a great choice for a wood-burning stove with the ability to charge your devices.
The battery has indicator lights making it great for controlling and monitoring fan speed, fire strength, and battery level
4. Ohuhu Camping Stove Stainless Steel Backpacking Stove Potable Wood Burning Stoves for Picnic BBQ Camp Hiking with Grill Grid
This stove comes with a 3-arm base designed to support a pot, pan, or other items that can be set on top with confidence with this stability feature.
It also boasts a grill grid along with with a nice mess carry bag which are great added accessories.
For space-saving purposes, this particular stove has a foldable design which is nice.
The size, when broken down, is 14.2 oz and a 3″ high making it great for travel when space is a concern.
5. Überleben Stoker Flatpack Stove | Twig, Stick, or Wood Burning | Compact & Collapsible | 304 Stainless Steel | Emergency Bushcraft Survival, Camping or Backpacking
Here is one similar to the lixada we looked at above, but with better build quality. Yes, they are both stainless steel but this one is a higher quality and a thicker 304 steel.
This camp stove is a minimalist 6-panel flat design that is easy to set up and breaks down nice and flat.
It comes with a great canvas sleeve for storage keeping the pieces together.
It weighs in at 14.5 oz and a height of 6”, making it great for hiking trips.
6. STADELHORN Titanium Minimalist Wood Stove Ultralight 100% Pure Titanium Portable & Foldable for Camping, Backpacking, Hiking, and Bushcraft Survival. Stronger and Lighter vs Steel weighs only 7.3 oz.
Built to last…well, forever, this great little stove is made from titanium providing superior strength and half the weight of stainless steel.
It weighs in at 7.3 oz making it really light compared to similar form factors.
It has an ultra-wide mouth making it easy to feed wood while cooking on it.
This stove as the fold-flat design like some others on this list and comes with a nice carrying bag for storage.
It has crossbars at the top which offers stability and a solid surface for placing your pot.
7. Solo Stove Lite – Portable Camping Hiking and Survival Stove | Powerful Efficient Wood Burning and Low Smoke | Gasification Rocket Stove for Quick Boil | Compact 4.2 Inches and Lightweight 9 Ounces
We cant review camp stoves without having the solo stove on the list. Solo stoves are among the most popular because of build quality and proven reliability.
It weighs in at 9oz and a hight of 9.25″ tall. This little stove can boil water in 2-4 minutes and can cook for 2 people.
It was designed to burn really hot using vent holes on the top and bottom to maximize airflow.
8. EcoZoom Versa Camping Stove – Portable Wood Burning Camp Stove for Backpacking, Hiking, RV, and Survival
The EcoZoom camp stove is a great stove for longer trips. It can use other fuel sources such as charcoal making it a dynamic choice.
You can hook whole meals on this thing making it perfect if you’re feeding a small family.
It has a stick support tray making it convenient to load and maintain fuel for the stove. Also, the EcoZoom has stainless steel handles wrapped in silicon to prevent heat transfer.
These are perfect for camping trips and even in case of emergencies.
It weighs in at 17 lbs and a height of 12.25″ making it larger than all the others on the list and won’t be the most practical for long hiking trips.
9. Bushcraft Essentials Outdoor Stove Bushbox LF
The bushbox LF may look similar to some of the others on the list but differs in some interesting ways.
The LF stands for large and foldable, was designed to be a lightweight and portable stove that relies on hinges to fold down into a nice small package.
It weighs in at 16.58 oz and a hight of 5.5 inches.
It is a solid product that is built to be a high-quality sturdy stove that is easy to set up.
10. Solo Stove Titan – 2-4 Person Lightweight Wood Burning Stove. Compact Camp Stove Kit for Backpacking, Camping, Survival.
As we mentioned earlier, solo stoves are among the most popular on the market and the Solo Stove Titan is a great option.
It can cook for 2-4 persons making it great for larger camping groups.
This great little stove is super efficient with its patented design and can heat quickly and bring water to a boil in 4-6 minutes.
It’s also compatible with the solo accessories like the Solo StovePot making it a great choice if you are looking for items to pair it with.
The Verdict
All these camp stoves have their advantages and disadvantages but we have chosen the Solo Stove Lite. With the great reviews and recommendations from hikers, campers and survivalists alike, it puts it on the top of our list.
We hope this article was helpful and gives you the information needed to make the best decision based on your needs.
Best of luck, and happy trails!
