PurpleHeath said:
hi everyone!
i am doing some research on wood burning stoves, and i found this trialstove at
http://www.trailstove.com i wondered if any of you guys have one or have used one before and could tell how good it was had would be great!
You mean one of these
Not too expensive (cost just under £20 including shipping from the USA, only supplied via the guy direct, and arrived quickly) and from initial try out worked very well. I intended to post a review on BCUK soon but here is a mini review and random thoughts on it in use for now.
There is good info on their web site and also a nice review comparing other options here:
http://www.geographycards.com/privatepagesforstaff/campstove/
Well I guess it is possible to use a cheap tin etc but as a stove it is similar to ideas I had to make one myself and also in laser cut stainless steel. So for the price I thought I would try it out. I think I will prefer an open fire of course but it is not always possible here like in the UK so it is a nice discreet way to have a wood stove. Will let you know how it goes. BTW the photos below include some gear I got from Norway earlier in the year, a stainless steel travel wok I brought from Eagle Sharp of Norway, as is the kettle which is just right for social events and family and the wok works very well so far too.
A few photos and comments.
Photo above:
The Trailstove set up and fired up boiling up some water fro a brew. really easy to light thanks to the tinder being set off the ground and the draw of the chimney like stove, and with a reasonable breeze really produced some heat from even twigs and leaves. Mostly I used finger size pieces of dryish twigs which worked best but it also handled green wood well especially if you get it going first as the heat of the stove helped dry it quickly. More smoke of course and a slower burn but still worked nicely. That is the Eagle Sharp BÅLKJELE 1.5 litre I got in Noggin land. Nice piece of kit, especially for family etc. For scale, my puukko made by JM the editor of the Outdoor Magazine forums.
Like I said, it burns well ;-) and really on little fuel. It works with a Trangia burner too if you check out the web site. I tried this and it worked fine to boil up a billy of water (the stove draws air well so the trangia burnt rapidly). Also it gives off a lot of heat and with a pot on top it slows it down a bit and could be a great little heater in winter. Useful too that the actual fuel is held off the ground by the supplied metal screen. I have already thought about making a cover for it to regulate the air flow and turn it into a longer burn heater unit ;-)
Really goes well and you can see how well it draws the air through the combustion chamber getting the temperature right up and the more wind the hotter it goes. Not a problem at all with strong wind and with something on top rain is no problem either. The unit is pretty stable on the ground with the kettle etc. It needs a fairly flat spot butas it is thin s/s you could press it into the soil to level also use pegs to fix it down if needed.
Having fun trying out the Eagle Star wok. Only some broccoli from the fridge ;-) Actually like this it was not great as the heat is concentrated right under the top of the stove mostly and the wide wok dissipates the heat more than cooking. But over an open fire it will be great I think. A Zebra Billy works fine.
Actually I played a bit with the stove and found that by placing two metal rods on the top of the stove it allowed more air through and also the flames to really heat more of the cooking utensil bottom. I reduced the boiling time by half doing this! Just placing a 14cm Zebra Billy Can with 1 litre of water took around 11-13 minutes (alot depends on the fuel etc), simply allowing the flames to go around the base as explained above reduced that right down. Simple thing but make such a difference. Didn't try it with the wok but I reckon it could be good too.
Few potential issues. It does get very sooty inside when using greenwood as you would expect and it is not the easiest shape to pack in a rucksack!. The stove is fabricated out of laser cut s/s and is riveted well to form the cone, but the edges are pretty sharp so you have to watch that. I have thought about removing the rivets that hold it together and replacing them with small wing nuts and bolt so it could be stored flat in the rucksack. Potential problem with soot inside and sharp edges but if kept in a bag and smoothed it may well be feasible. Some rubbing would get the edges smooth. It gets VERY hot!! I toasted bread on the outside in seconds just by holding it up to the metal surface. Because of the hot temperature generated by the chimney effect, danger of real serious burn needs to be considered. Not in itself a downside as the heat helps to make it function effectively. Gloves would really be essential in handling it or utensils when in use. I also placed it on the steamer metal plate from a 14cm billy can to ensure that there was no direct contact with the ground and using this or something similar would really reduce any danger of scorching the natural ground cover or accidental fires from the falling coasl and ashes in dry conditions etc.
I was really surprised by the big difference simply elevating the utensil up on some steel pegs did. It is noticeable how the flame throttles back when you place something on it. Not a great problem again as it still gets the job done. Again I am thinking of cutting some slots around the top to let more flame around the pot on top. It is quite small which is good but you do need to feed it as you cook or boil to maintain the hot flame. I did not find this too much hassle as the process did not take too long and just by cutting suitable finger size fuel in readiness it was simply a case of feeding in the fuel into the top hole. As you see in the photo above you again need to be aware of the real heat this thing generates, and just how far the flames shoot out sides ways from the stove when it is really going. The pegs on top or holes would reduce this of course.
In areas where fires are banned like here in France and the UK etc it is a real alternative as it basically works just like a gas stove except it requires no gas and uses natural fuel. Also, as it will burn even green or even wet wood (also being smaller fule size = more surface area especially if split) when it is going ( the hotter temperature of the stove due to the chimney effect and also concentration of the heat within the actual stove) it is more versatile and would be good in wet conditions and the actual fire is protected from even rain from the pot etc.
I have used it for cooking outdoors for trying out wild food and it just works. That is really one of the greatest assets, that it is a simple piece of kit that has no moving parts to break or get lost (the supplied pipe thing used to blow air directly onto the tinder when lighting has not been used as it is a bit fiddly and it always lights anyhow for me). The downside I guess is the shape and bulk but then it is also really light weight.
Just to compare it to the Kelly Kettle, it obviously does not work in the same way as the KK in that the KK heats water in a double skin of the chimney (and can also be used as a stove) but the chimney effect of drawing air/ oxygen over the tinder/ fuel works in the same way and really does give a high heat.
Is it better than a catering size metal bean tin for nothing? Well if money is really tight then it could be seen as unnecessary, however from use and reading other user reviews it really does work well and adds some refinement to a basic idea that for the money paid does justify itself for me. For those that are not often able to enjoy the pleasures of an open fire, or when they are restricted then it is a real good alternative. The only real drawback is fitting it neatly into the rucksack. If there was some way it could be broken down into two parts then it would fit into my 14cm billy can and would be great. It's another idea I have for a mod
When I am using the car I always take it. For day trips I tend to take the Clickstand and trangia burner in the billy. But I do prefer using natural fuels and the smell of smoke is hard to beat especially for ultra rapid toast and cooking sausages over the top
