A few weekends ago I had a bit of difficulty lighting my bushbuddy stove in some damp conditions, and so I decided I ought to get some practice in for cold weather firestarting. I've had this problem before with the bushbuddy, and have decided that my stove is definitely female: temperamental, unpredictable, and definitely high maintenance, but she's gorgeous and if I treat her right she cooks my meals and keeps me warm, so I like her a lot 
Anyway, I took her out into the garden for some practice, and tried a new starting set-up: a length of coir yarn coiled into the base of the stove, with more cotton wool than I usually use as my tinder, with vaseline for flame extending, and a few shavings of fatwood on top. I realised that I've been unneccesarily hoarding my tinder and kindling, and using too little of it. My Bushbuddy has been feeling the neglect, and letting me know by going cold on me.
Anyway, with the aid of an exotac nanostriker there was soon a spark between us, and she was rapidly aflame (I'll stop now). I threw in a couple of scots pine cones, and that established the fire nicely. Worked a charm.
I then tried to see if wooden cat-litter pellets were any good as fuel. Conclusion: utterly useless. So much for that idea.
Re-establishing the fire with a few bits of birch wood was easy, and then I chucked on a single large pine cone, only half open, just to see what would happen. The cone was from a Marine Pine, I think, and only just fits in the Bushbuddy. the result was amazing. A steady burn, for at least 20 minutes, which is waaay more than I've ever had for a single piece of fuel in this stove. And this in windy conditions, without a windshield. I am so impressed. For that sort of performance I will certainly be find room for a pine cone or two in my pack from now on, and gathering a few more for drying in the airing cupboard.
I know people on here are aware that pine cones are a decent fuel, but just thought I'd share that for a small single-person woodburner, a large pine cone is the best fuel that I have encountered so far.
P.s. Can't wait to try out a stone pine cone now, as they are even bigger! The only slight snag is that they are bigger than the stove...
Anyway, I took her out into the garden for some practice, and tried a new starting set-up: a length of coir yarn coiled into the base of the stove, with more cotton wool than I usually use as my tinder, with vaseline for flame extending, and a few shavings of fatwood on top. I realised that I've been unneccesarily hoarding my tinder and kindling, and using too little of it. My Bushbuddy has been feeling the neglect, and letting me know by going cold on me.
Anyway, with the aid of an exotac nanostriker there was soon a spark between us, and she was rapidly aflame (I'll stop now
). I threw in a couple of scots pine cones, and that established the fire nicely. Worked a charm.I then tried to see if wooden cat-litter pellets were any good as fuel. Conclusion: utterly useless. So much for that idea.
Re-establishing the fire with a few bits of birch wood was easy, and then I chucked on a single large pine cone, only half open, just to see what would happen. The cone was from a Marine Pine, I think, and only just fits in the Bushbuddy. the result was amazing. A steady burn, for at least 20 minutes, which is waaay more than I've ever had for a single piece of fuel in this stove. And this in windy conditions, without a windshield. I am so impressed. For that sort of performance I will certainly be find room for a pine cone or two in my pack from now on, and gathering a few more for drying in the airing cupboard.
I know people on here are aware that pine cones are a decent fuel, but just thought I'd share that for a small single-person woodburner, a large pine cone is the best fuel that I have encountered so far.
P.s. Can't wait to try out a stone pine cone now, as they are even bigger! The only slight snag is that they are bigger than the stove...
