Fire boxes and solid fuel
 

Just starting to think about the winter riding season (that's what the weather in Leeds does for you), I'm half thinking about making a firebox. The plan is a sort of aluminium tray on short legs that would hold either my MSR or Optimus stoves for a quick meal or allow a BBQ type fire for a bit of slower cooking and added heat. I'm already using a kelly kettle for hot water/back up cooking, so thinking a bit of cunning design might allow a box to draw draught in a similar way.

Anyone out there using anything similar? I've seen expensive Scandanavian versions, but wondering if they really work?

Thanks

Andy

Look up 'Bush Buddy' - a very efficient (uses principles of wood gasification) , extremely light, wood burning stove - recommended-:thumbup1:
These are made in Canada but there are Dutch clones out there too.

Nice one. Cheers mate.

Why do I now have the urge to drink real coffee for a week or two then head to the garage with the tin :innocent:

Andy

Bush Buddy and the like
 

IMHO I think wood burning stoves are just too difficult. Yes, they are low tech but you need a supply of dry wood and it is too easy to let firemaking get out of hand. I'd always go for either a petrol (long trip, petrol from the bike) or gas stove (week end) for ease of use, safety and thermal efficiency. I always remember the large fire in the US in 1988 that was started by someone burning their used toilet paper. It burnt 33,000 acres. Here in Australia it would be very unwise to use wood as a fuel in summer. In wetter climes it might be better, but why would you bother?

The climate is the key.

I've never been to Australia so can't really comment. I imagine it's like North Africa only without the added disadvantage of knowing you are stealing the locals fuel supply? In that case I totally agree.

My use in Alpine/Scandanavian climates is safe (snow doesn't burn!) and (dead) wood is plentiful and has no local demand that comes close to the supply. I will always carry a petrol/kerosene stove for the serious work. What you do need however is a back up in case of weather that'll stop you moving. It's also useful to have some means to heat the tent and any means of saving fuel is good, water boils a lot faster than snow.

The modern approach is to fire up your MSR, melt the snow, drop in your bag of lumpy goo, eat then retire for the night with an LED lamp and small book. All very efficient but a bit too much like the sort of trip HM government organise.

It seems generally more sociable to follow something closer to what people might have done years ago. An open fire is possible in some places but not all and certainly not in the sort of tent you can carry even on an outfit. Some means of containing a fire allows something between the two. My kelly kettle is a brilliant back up device (but is still limited to boil in the bag). A firebox would allow some sort of evening fire that would be both comfortable and a group focal point. In addition it should be possible to get real food going if fuel is almost unlimited (pressure cooker/dutch oven/BBQ type setup). I'm not sure about inside the tent, but in a real blizzard would be possible with the right design and care.

Wet wood BTW is not usually a problem. For a small fire you can split enough wood from the middle of a pile to get at the dry bit inside. Once it's going it's just technique to feed it so the dry bit burns and dries the bark. Vasoline (petroleum jelly) and cotton wool are an easy way to get it going.

Andy

lightweight stuff!
 

Wood Burning Stoves

backpackinglight (the uk site, there are others) has several cool things, including two wood burning stoves. i bought the honey stove, cos you can use it as a brazier burning wood while sturdily supporting a pan, but also superbly holds the trangia meths burner in two different ways depending on how many of the stove parts you want to carry. i've not used timber yet, but as an alternative to a whole trangia pan set its ace :)

i also have their white box stove, which burns meths/alcohol etc for around 13ish minutes, no heat control, but boils two mugs of water in about 7 mins. you judge how much meths you put in depending how much you have to heat. its the same as a trangia burner without the simmer control, but throws out more heat, is lighter, and supports the pan/kettle. not having a lid means you do need a seperate fuel container, unlike the trangia burner if you only need a little bit of fuel.

i would think it would be ideal, with one of the titainium non insulating mugs and a trangia fuel bottle as a morning brew up kit on a bike, very minimal and widely available fuel!

Their Shangri La tents are also cool, one pole and very light!

(I like this site!) :oops2:

Looks good.

So far, the knock-off approach has produced a couple of bent paint tins, a lot of soot, some lukewarm water and a cut on my thumb :oops2:.

Andy

Do you think someone might be trying to tell you something :rofl:

The guy who ran my metalwork class about twenty years started to mention the odd thing here and there, but then a bit later I got an engineering degree.........:blushing:

Andy