Bio-Lite Camp Stove

BIOLITE CAMP STOVE REVIEW

I was able to jump in on the pre-order of this stove... I was a bit hesitant because they were asking for Payment Info before the item was even available. I had completely forgotten about it until a box showed up on my porch.

It seems like all my favorite places to camp are implementing fire restrictions. I have at least 10 different brands of fuel stoves that have their pros and cons. This BioLite is very promising!

Retail Price: $129.00 (Plus Shipping)

Nesting Size: 8" x 5" (Approximately)

Weight: 2 lbs. (33 oz.)

Fuel: "BioMass" Twigs, Pinecones, etc...

Boil Time: +/- 5 Minutes (1 Liter)

you can order yours here: BIOLITE

First Impressions:

The stove arrived tightly packed in a box, the "Power Module" nests inside the "Fuel Chamber" to reduce size. the module was wrapped with cardboard for shipping and was very difficult to separate from the chamber. I actually thought it was attached via a phillips screw for shipping. 

This caused me to read through the small instruction manual twice looking for info on how to dislodge the two... All that is needed it to pull hard in a twisting motion.

The "Copper Probe" juts out a bit awkwardly beyond the sides of the nested package, but seems to be very sturdy and not a concern for snagging or damage during travel. I would prefer the stove to be a bit smaller and lighter... I am guessing that over time that will happen. (See ** below)

First Use:

I was pretty excited to try out the "Thermoelectric Generator" that runs the Fan and USB Charging port. The stove requires a 2 Hr. initial charge via the provided USB cable, I plugged it into my Mac (PC worked too) and waited the 2+ Hrs for the blinking orange light to go solid. According to the manual this only needs to be done if the stove sits for 6 months unused.

Included in the package were some "Firestarter Sticks" I will not be using these. I will be using what is available in the wilds. I rounded up some dead twigs & dry grass (Not hard to find this year in Utah). Using my Ryan W. Knives - High Uinta Knife I created some small fuzz sticks. 

I loosely filled the wood chamber with the twigs and grass. I lit a thin long stick to use as a match lighting the bottom of the tinder bundle. Then pushing the power button the fan came on in the "low" setting, it lit fast and heated up quickly.  After slowly adding fuel (Sticks) red hot embers started developing inside the chamber. Switching the power to "High" increased the heat dramatically. After a few minutes of high heat the green "bar light" came on indicating that the unit is ready to charge electronic devices via any USB cable. (Great Feature)

**I realized that the size is just right, to enable enough fuel to be placed in the chamber. Where I feel improvements could be made (with my lack of technical knowledge showing) are in the Power Module weight and size. Weight is the bigger priority IMO... 

In the Field:

Will Update this ASAP with photos!