BioLite CampStove Review

http://gizmodo.com/adventure-tested-biolite-campstove-review-1601840438

When was the last time anyone got excited about a camping stove? Yet, people are
talking about the BioLite CampStove. It can cleanly cook with wood while charging your
gadgets. How's it perform in the outdoors?

What's It Supposed To Do? BioLite's elevator pitch says it, "makes cooking on
wood as clean, safe and easy as modern fuels while generating electricity to charge
phones, lights and other electronics off-grid."

Basically, a thermoelectric generator captures energy from the flames, powering a fan
that feeds the fire more air in order to improve combustion. The CampStove is designed
to burn small, easily gathered biomass like twigs, pinecones and the like without
creating much smoke and with a powerful enough flame that it can quickly boil water,
grill burgers, roast marshmallows or handle any other stove tasks as well as traditional,
propane, white gas or alcohol-fueled camping stoves.

It's supposed to do that in a package small, light and convenient enough that you can
easily take it with you. And, oh yeah, it can charge your gadgets too.

People have seized on that last merit as the CampStove's main point of appeal, but it was
actually just a welcome side effect of the clean, efficient combustion created by the
thermoelectric generator-powered fan.

"It's interesting that the re-charging benefit has become the main topic of conversation,"
Jonathan Cedar, BioLite's Co-Founder and CEO tells us. "We still think the coolest
accomplishment is that we can burn wood as clean as gas. The first two prototypes of the
CampStove didn't even have a USB port. Once we realized we could create enough
surplus electricity to share with other devices, that's when the recharging feature came
into play."

Keep that in mind as you read this review. The charging ability was a welcome add-on to
the stove's main purpose clean, efficient wood combustion.

How's It Supposed To Do It? The stove is a stainless steel canister about the size of a
large Nalgene water bottle. You build a little fire in it and air channels aid combustion
by providing oxygen to the fire's base while the cylindrical shape channels flames and
heat upwards, where you need them to cook. A plastic box clips onto the side with a little
metal "spout" that protrudes into the top of the fire cylinder, capturing heat to power
that thermoelectric generator. That then charges a small battery that powers a fan,
which forces air into the fire's base, giving the stove that efficient combustion. When
there's a power surplus, any gadget plugged into the stove will get a little charge.

That power is provided through a standard 5V USB port producing 2W of charging

power continuously or peaking at 4W.

We asked Cedar what the Stove's advantages are over proven, ubiquitous gas-powered
camp stoves:

Never carry fuel. Don't need to pack bulky, leaky gas canisters.

Don't need to ration fuel. If you're using the sticks and twigs around you, you
don't need to agonize over whether or not that second pot of tea is worth it.

Enjoyment of a campfire, without the smoke. Gas stoves are cold, tiny, and super
perfunctory. The CampStove gives you a beautiful big flame and its unique
combustion technology makes it burn smokeless. You can roast a marshmallow
as good as any camp fire, but without leaving a huge footprint behind.

You can fly with this. Traveling far for your outdoor experience? Gas canisters are
not welcome aboard. And it sucks to land have your first question be "where can I
buy gas?" You can fly with the CampStove, carry-on or checked. We recommend
checking it, but you can technically carry it on, just be ready to explain how it
works to that TSA agent (we've done it a lot and are usually met with "Oh, wow.
COOL.")

You can feed a lot of people with this, especially with the Portable Grill
attachment.

Can your gas stove charge your phone? Nope.

How Does It Perform? We tested the BioLite CampStove Bundle, which adds a
modular kettle and grill to the stove and power unit. That takes the price up from $130
to $225. Both additional pieces fit perfectly onto the stove, giving you a stability and
ease of both transportation and use you wouldn't get with other equipment; the whole
stove fits into the kettle and the grill is housed in a plastic cover to keep its grease and
soot contained.

When the CampStove arrived, initial signs were promising. Setting it up on my front
porch, a large handful of twigs was able to boil two cups of water in just five minutes.
That's pretty decent, taking only two minutes longer than the white gas-powered, $140
MSR Whisperlite stove. A big reason for that extra time was because I had to pull the
kettle off the stove to reload it with wood halfway through. Both those times are at sea
level.

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That gave me the confidence to carry the Bundle on a backpacking trip last weekend. At
33oz for the stove/power unit, 30oz for the grill and 16oz for the kettle pot, that added
up to a not inconsiderable 4.9lbs of additional weight. Heavy, but because we were
headed to an area where campfires are banned, I figured the combination of large grill,
easily boiled water and the comfort of a campfire might make it worth it.

In the woods, the stove is incredibly easy to start and its power source twigs are
very easy to gather. Unfortunately, the additional cooking times required by the 10,500ft
elevation made keeping the stove going a real hassle. It needed a new load of twigs every
five to 10 minutes and every 20 minutes or so, it'd accumulate enough ash that we'd
have to stop cooking, empty the stove's contents into a hole, then bury the ash and coals
before rebuilding the fire. You can't leave the CampStove unattended while it's burning
wood, it simply consumes its fuel source so fast that it needs near constant feeding. With
burgers taking 20 minutes or more to cook on the grille, I'm sure you can understand
the level of hassle involved.

Adding insult to injury, the stove produced huge billows of smoke. Fire and I are best
friends and I know how to manipulate it, but this was even while using very dry, very
old, bark-free twigs. On a regular campfire, that material would have burned smoke-
free. This smoke made keeping the fire going a real pain. Anytime we lost the flame,
we'd have to blow down into the bottom of the canister to re-ignite it, getting face fulls of
smoke in the process. Also, camping in a fire-free area, the huge billows of smoke would
have made us stick out like a sore thumb had there been any other campers or rangers
around. Seriously, I can't emphasize how smoky this stove was.

Not lying about the smoke! This was wood smoke, not caused by burger grease.

The level of effort required to keep it going, along with the face fulls of smoke you'd get
blowing on it every few minutes meant that we didn't bother keeping it going when we
were finished cooking. No smores or romantic "campfire" lit nights for us, just the stars
and the reflection of the moon in the crystal clear lake.

Oh, and phone charging? I was able to gain 4 percent charge on a Samsung Galaxy S5
Active (on which all these photos were shot) after 30 minutes of continuous charging.
Disappointing, but at least I was able to play music via a Bluetooth speaker without
running down the battery. Don't expect quick and easy top ups either, once started, the
fire needs about 10 minutes to build up enough heat to produce surplus power for
charging, then that continuous re-fueling and tending while your battery indicator
slowly ticks up.
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How Does It Compare To Rivals? I'd like to say first that I enjoyed using the
CampStove. It's a slickly-packaged device that, because it takes so much continuous care
to use, you end up developing a real man/machine connection with. Its ability to put a
little charge in your phone is a neat if limited feature, too.

Having said that, it has a hard time comparing to rivals.

My standard backpacking stove is an old cat food can burning denatured alcohol. When
I made it, I fed Wiley its contents for a snack, so the thing was basically free and its fuel
costs about $6 for one quart. It can boil two cups of water at sea level in five minutes
and 30 seconds. The stove weighs 1oz and for a two-night trip, I'd typically take a
generous 8oz of fuel. So, its total weight with fuel comes in at 9oz to the CampsStove's
(alone) 33oz. Add to that a 16oz Mophie Juice Pack and you have gain the ability to fully
charge your phone in around an hour, several times. Together, the total price for that
setup (with fuel) is less than $80 and total weight is 25oz considerably lighter,
cheaper and more convenient than the BioLite.

Not a bad place to spend July 4th, right?

A nice backpacking stove like that above mentioned MSR Whisperlite costs around the
same as the CampStove and is far more convenient to cook on, requiring no face fulls of
smoke or continuous fire tending. It's much lighter too, even with fuel and a Mophie.

The CampStove also exists in a bit of a legal grey area. Is it acceptable in a fire-free
zone? While it does burn wood, that wood is just twigs. While you don't need a fire pit
and don't damage the ground under the stove, you do need to dig a hole to dispose of the
ashes and hot coals the stove produces every 20 minutes or so. If you are somewhere
that permits fires, a regular old campfire is going to be a much better option, actually
requiring less work and cooking far easier. Its price and weight? Free and none.

The best use-case for the CampStove that I can come up with is using one for car
camping in place of an old Coleman two-burner propane stove. There, it's a neat, wood-
burning solution, but again, requires much more effort to use.

Adventure Ready? In its current form, the CampStove is a really, really neat idea that
hasn't yet fully realized its promise. It asks too much of its users in terms of both labor
and weight and may fall afoul of fire regulations in many protected areas. Most of its
advantages unlimited fuel, the enjoyment of a campfire, gadget charging actually
end up feeling like limitations. But, we do look forward to seeing where this idea goes.

The KettleCharge promises to fix many of the CampStove's shortcomings with faster
charging and the ability to charge devices from its battery.

According to Cedar, BioLite is already working on a more efficient solution. This fall,
they'll release a new device called the BioLite KettleCharge. It will be compatible with
the CampStove, standard backpacking stoves or even your gas stove at home. Producing
10W of electricity, its charge times should be equivalent to plugging into a standard 110v
 outlet and it has the ability to hold 1.5 smartphone charges in its internal battery.
Weighing 32oz and retailing for $130, the KettleCharge will go on-sale this fall.

"I've been using the KettleCharge at home on my gas range and it's actually replaced my
regular kettle," says Cedar. "It's the perfect amount of water, and anytime I use it, it's a
great reminder to plug in my phone for a quick 10 minutes so my battery never runs
out."

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Discussion
Reply
Staff (17)
Community (22)
Pending

jaydWes Siler
7/08/14 9:08pm

I used to be an aircraft mechanic before I became a gas turbine engineer before I became a
firefighter. And in my off duty time, I backpack with a biolite and car camp with the same
but add in 2 tin can stoves I made. So I know a lil bit about fire and the biolite is what I'm
saying.

I have never had the problem of extensive smoking after my first use. I overpacked the stove
my first time and not done it since. I also have never had to empty the stove during use, the
gasification is usually 98% efficient. I've not camped above 4,000' and suspect that may be
part of your problem. I also have never had a problem with wet wood, though I do carry a
small quiver of "perfect" sticks with me in case of rain and the fire always burned hot
enough to immediately dry any damp fuel after that.
Bonus tip: Don't let flames shoot out of the top, that means you're running rich and
complete combustion isn't occurring (therefore; inefficient) so dial back your fuel load a bit,
you want clean, hot gas coming out the top. (bonus, less dirty pots and kettles)

So, troubleshootin' time... Not knowing you but having found your writing recently I doubt
you'd repeat any of the mistakes I first made and I'm pretty sure you're doing all of the
above correctly so I'll guess: is your fan clogged?
8
Reply2 replies

o Wes Silerjayd
7/08/14 9:17pm

It's a brand new unit and the fan appears to work just fine. I played with fuel loads a bit
and think I found the happy amount. Always a bit of an ongoing game though, as you
try to get some fuel in there to at least last long enough to take a pee break between
reloads.

I think these are just the limitations of burning wood. To get it really hot, you're going
to use some wood. Not sure why it kept getting so smokey with the grill on, but I
suspect it just wasn't breathing right.
Reply

o jaydWes Siler
7/08/14 9:27pm
Besides the probable altitude issue, is the stove intake blocked or were you using moldy
wood? (I felt like a cad asking that btw, like asking someone if they put diesel in their
gas engine)
Reply

o Wes Silerjayd
 7/09/14 2:06am
No, the wood was the good stuff and the intake was breathing just fine. If it matters,
the wood was pine and juniper.
Reply

o jaydWes Siler
7/09/14 4:09am

Wow, I'm stumped. Pinewoods usually burn great even if they get consumed a lil too
fast. I like to use them to start my fires then switch to harder wood to not pitchburn my
pots n shit.

Will attempt to replicate fault while I'm out this weekend with some thick fatty
burgers.
1
Reply

o AhabsWrathWes Siler
8/04/14 1:42pm
You just stated your problem with the stove being overly smokey... Never cook with
pine. Pine burns quickly, and smokes a lot. The only thing pine should be used for is a
warmth campfire, tinder via pine needles, or kindling via heart of pine.
Reply

o Wes SilerAhabsWrath
8/04/14 1:49pm
So, in any mountains above about 8,000 feet, what else is available? That's pine-only
territory.

A skeptics review of the BioLite CampStove: its neat but

mostly impractical
BY ANDREW SKURKA ON AUGUST 8, 2012 IN GEAR REVIEWS, STOVES & KITCHEN 271

My experience with wood stoves is that they are much less user-friendly than this picture suggests they are.
(And Im pretty skilled at fire-building.) Photo courtesy of BioLite.

A major attention-grabber at last weeks Outdoor Retailer Summer Market (ORSM) was
the BioLite CampStove, a unique biomass-burning stove that will boil water and charge
your electronics via USB. The CampStove was featured by many of the most popular
online media outlets, including Outside, GearJunkie, and TrailSpace; Brian Green has also
written about it a few times.
I have not seen or used this stove myself, so perhaps Im missing something, but Ive
been surprised by the excitement over this product. Frankly, Im a skeptic. Based on my
extensive experience with common backpacking stoves (e.g. liquid fuel, gas canister,
alcohol, and esbit), with other wood stoves (namely the revered Bushbuddy), and with
cook fires, Im doubtful that the CookStoves popularity as a backcountry stove will be
long-lasting. Two simple reasons:

1. Its really heavy.

The stove weighs 33 oz, not including a pot or fire-starting supplies; assume that a
complete CampStove system will weigh about 40 oz, or 2.5 pounds. Its weight is very
 difficult to justify for a backpacking trip that entails even a moderate amount of hiking, as
pack weight then needs to be an important consideration.

But I can heat up an infinite amount of water. Yes, you can. But in all but the most extreme
applications (e.g. you are living off the land for months) there are lighter and more user-
friendly options. For example, my preferred Fancy Feast alcohol stove system weighs about
6 oz, making it 34 oz lighter. If I carried 34 oz of fuel on a trip, Id have enough fuel for
about 45 meals. Even if I was hiking with a large group, which by nature will consume a
lot of fuel, I would still choose a more efficient system than the CampStove: I would
break the group into small cook groups and give each cook group a stove (probably
alcohol or canister).
But I can recharge my electronics infinitely. Yes, again, you can. But personally Id rather
take extra batteries, which wont require me to stop hiking and to build a fire so that they
can be recharged I go backpacking to hike, not to recharge electrical batteries. Even
if I carried a heavy stove like the JetBoil PCS (15 oz sans fuel canister), I could carry a
dedicated GPS and a dedicated camera (instead of using an iPhone for these
purposes), and a backup headlamp, and maybe extra batteries, without exceeding the
CampStoves 40-oz system weight.
Moreover, if you plan to use the BioLite to recharge your devices, I hope you have are
planning ample down-time it took Philip Werner of SectionHiker two hours of burning
wood to bring an empty Android smartphone to 50% power.
2. Cook fires and wood stoves are inherently not user-
friendly.
Humans have relied on biomass fires much longer than they have relied on modern
backpacking stoves the skills needed to build a fire are well known. Yet most
backpackers prefer non-biomass stoves. Why? Because they are:

More reliable Wet wood or no wood? No problem!

Cleaner No soot-covered pots and hands, and no ashes in your food
More time efficient No need to gather wood, build a tepee, and then tend to the fire
Foolproof Suppose youre a first-time backpacker. Would you rather carry a stove that requires you to build
a fire, or a stove that operates like your backyard propane grill?
Moreover, most land mangers prefer or even mandate backcountry stoves too,
since the frequent burning of biomass in high-use backcountry areas depletes this
important resource. There are already enough campsites where people have burned
every nearby combustible material, making the area look as if its been vacuumed.
 Open fires and wood stoves are also prohibited in many areas during peak the wildfire
months.

Ultimately, I think that wood stoves are romantic but mostly impractical. Its telling that
when I take my Bushbuddy on a guided trip for demonstration purposes, the clients are
interested to see how it works but not sold on it enough that they want to trade their
alcohol stove with me on Night 2. While the CampStove has an added feature that the
Bushbuddy lacks the ability to recharge electrical devices presumably it shares
the same pitfalls of this stove category.

Photo courtesy of BioLite

Carbon fiber trekking poles at Costco for $27 are perfect for casual and/or cash-strapped backpackers
Is the lightweight backpacking label dead, along with its UL, SUL, and XUL derivatives? I hope so.
271 Responses to A skeptics review of the BioLite CampStove:
its neat but mostly impractical

1.
Mike Clelland August 8, 2012 at 1:02 am #
Uhhhg this is the kind of product that makes me want to act like an even more obnoxious zealot
about leaving crap behind.
I go into the wilderness to escape this kind of shallow materialism.
Is there really an iPhone plugged into that thing?
REPLY

Mike Fisher August 24, 2012 at 1:45 pm #

Yes! I felt Edward Abbey rolling over in his grave when I was sitting at Delicate Arch enjoying the
view, only to hear some teenage girl exclaim to her friends, Look! Full bars!
REPLY

jason September 18, 2013 at 11:04 am #
Understood, but sometimes a phone can save you.
REPLY

Sarah November 29, 2013 at 3:53 pm #
Agreed. Earlier this year, my boyfriend and I had the misfortune of being stranded on a
river overnight. His phone has a lifeproof case, but we left that in my car. We would have
given anything to be able to phone in help and rescue.
REPLY

Andy December 27, 2014 at 12:50 pm #
Seriously stranded overnight!! Would have done what with the phone, called for a
chopper or SAR?? Overnight is not a panic scenario. Everyone and I mean
everyone knows you are supposed be able to be able to survive overnight. A day
late for work really who cares. The definition of camping is go outside and stay there
until morning. Start thinking about what you would have done 20 years ago in the
same situation. Yea the same thing you actually did.

Darlene August 17, 2015 at 6:38 am #
I love my Biolite because it is efficient using very little fuel and provides power to a small
light. Phone is a bonus during power outages, which happen too often this past winter.
The weight is not an issue. IF you get a good fire started virtually no smoke and the sear
on the meat with the grill is wonderful. I highly recommend this sweet little stove and the
varied attachments that go with it. I have hiked with it, camped with it, and use it for a
quick grill at home. Wonderful and very handy.
REPLY

John H Sachs November 23, 2015 at 8:55 pm #

Ive been camping ever since my oldest brother took his 2 sons and wife on a
camping trip to Sequoia National Forest and I tagged along. The first time I saw a
real redwood tree, honestly, I though they were fake. I was only about 9 or 10 years
old and had absolutely NO camping experience. However, a lot of years have past
since then, and Im on Darlenes side of this issue. There are a lot of young tough
men and women who can do a lot more with less to work with, so I applaud their
positions, but they left out one extremely important factor! Its the campers age and
physical difficulties. I was a 4 year Varsity Letterman in football and the fastest
sprinter on our track & field team. Just prior to enlisting into the U.S. Army, I
received an opportunity to try out for the U.S. Olympic Track & Field team for the
upcoming 1964 Olympics in Tokyo Japan. I was a card carrying member of the
A.A.U. and the tryouts were a closed event offered to A.A.U. members. My best
time was 10.4 that was my best time ever, and pretty darn good to, but not good
enough to be on the team. Its what occurred to me while in Vietnam that changed
my once concur all attitude. I was severely wounded and almost lost my left leg.
Being shot right behind my left knee and I was also peppered with shell
fragmentation from a mortar that ended any hopes of being a well built brash and
physically able to take-on just about anything. So, my point is, there are a lot of
people like myself who want to hold onto the dreams of their youth, but their also
unable to do what once was so easy and mentally reassuring who we were. Im a 70
year old retired Senior Research Engineer, and from my point of view, these types of
tools make our outdoor experiences accessible and fun to do with friends and
family.