Packable wood stove for heat

T

TFin04

Joined
Aug 21, 2005
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Anybody used one? Something like the Kifaru (kifaru.net) stoves or the ones from titaniumgoat.com?

I love to get out in the winter but I grow tired of the cold after extended stays. I'm considering a Kifaru tipi and stove combo but they are really expensive. Just want to read a bit more and see what else is out there before I commit to something.
 
If you are going to go with a shelter that has an internal source of heat, look at the Cabela's outfitters tents too. They are less expensive and have a built in cut out for a stove chimney. Kifaru would be the way to go for lightweight backcountry use but the Cabelas are hard to beat for roominess and affordability at the expense of weight and packed size.

With either choice, I just want to emphasize the caution and safety that must go into using a burning stove in an enclosed area.

Good luck with the hunt.
 
if you search this forum for the "how fast can a gimp build a backpacking wood stove" you'll see one I built. It's not as nice as the Kifaru one or the TG one, but IIRC I spent about ten bucks making it!

Also there is a link to another forum with a huge thread on building wood stoves...that might interest you as well.
 
k_estela said:
If you are going to go with a shelter that has an internal source of heat, look at the Cabela's outfitters tents too. They are less expensive and have a built in cut out for a stove chimney. Kifaru would be the way to go for lightweight backcountry use but the Cabelas are hard to beat for roominess and affordability at the expense of weight and packed size.
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Thanks, I'll look into them. My plan is to still pack these items in so weight is a concern. The kifaru looks about ideal and I know everything they make is quality, but you sure pay for it.

With either choice, I just want to emphasize the caution and safety that must go into using a burning stove in an enclosed area.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Thanks for the help.
 
misanthropist said:
if you search this forum for the "how fast can a gimp build a backpacking wood stove" you'll see one I built. It's not as nice as the Kifaru one or the TG one, but IIRC I spent about ten bucks making it!

Also there is a link to another forum with a huge thread on building wood stoves...that might interest you as well.
Click to expand...

I can't search, do you happen to have links?
 
Here is what I use - the total set up is far less than a pair of socks from Kifaru :-).

Seriously the following set up is very affordable and functional... I just got back from 10 days of traditional muzzleloader elk/deer/bear/mtn lion hunting giving this tent and stove system a workout. The weather was beautiful (which means it stunk for hunting). Clear cold nights down below freezing at 3000' elevation. With my stove I averaged 68 degrees regularly while it was freezing or below after the sun went down.

I literally slept on top of my cot every night because my shelter system was Costa Rica comfy. I have a custom made 10'x10' tent that takes one man 15 minutes to set up or tear down. It is water proof, snow proof and good in 50 MPH winds. It is built with multiple redundancy -two loops on each corner in the event a stake doesn't hold or it tears (highly unlikely)...two ways to suspend the roof - traditional which I preferred or you can suspend it with a rope an have no center pole.

Having a wood stove is nice! The tent is now in it's fifth generation and is made from the finest and most expensive rot proof, water proof marine canvas. The designer only uses #10 YKK zippers. This tent design has been used successfully in some rugged situations and comes through with a smile. The roof is 40-45 degrees which is ideal for snow and rain. If you want one let me know and I'll turn you to the designer who designs gear for some really high-speed low drag types.

Finally on the second to the the last day we got rain - hard rain of Biblical proportions...nary a drop inside. Just built a fire inside to take the chill off...crank up the heat - open the window and door to draw the condensation out for 12 minutes then close it up for a warm and dry evening reading of Jedediah Smith and his wanderings here in Orygun.

tent.jpg


I burned Cedar - left of stove (for starter and when I wanted to cook with my Griswold and Wagner Cast Iron)
and Madron wood - right of stove (one of my favorite hard woods only seconded by hickory which we don't have here in the Pac North Wet!)

stove.jpg


I chose to go with the traditional "elk hunting - lodge" look with some poles I harvested the same day I set up camp. I could have used the supplied "galvanized" poles but am reserving them for an emergency situation. Also you can fully suspend this tent without ANY poles if you choose too.

pole.jpg



Everything in this tent has redundancy...as you can see dual peg loops "just in case"
two.jpg


Everything in this tent has redundancy...dual roof suspension system - loop for horizontal pole or use rope over a limb"

loop.jpg


More redundancy - Roof cap has one layer of thick PVC sandwiched between two layers of canvas.

cap.jpg



Weather was too nice...elk and deer are on vacation! At 3600' elevation

hill.jpg
 
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Quirt that looks awesome but it seems to be much more than I can handle for a backpacking system. The Kifaru ParaTarp and ParaStove are only 3lbs total. It will work for solo nights (most often) and still be comfortable for the times I can convince the girlie to come with.
 
Ah! sorry...didn't see the "backpacking" part. I read your question...read Kevin's reply which suggested the Cabelas Outfitters Canvas which is ten times more expensive and heavy than my setup...and wah lay I was hooked.

Yea this set up is great for 4 season car/truck but won't work for backpacking so well. Honestly for backpacking I use a 10' x 10' tarp and a reflective warming fire. Last winter in a 40 mph blizzard with below zero temps I crashed on top of my bag in my woolies drinking a 'cup of Joe' in my tarp shelter with fire. No stove to mess with...just a bit of training and anyone can master this skill set. With the tarp I can set up/tear down in under 5 minutes...I have over a dozen ways to set up a shelter depending upon the condtions.

The designer of my tent is in the process of making a new tarp system (I currently use his 10 x 10) that will include a small wood stove and a reflective front enclosure that can be removed in warmer weather. I'll be testing it soon and will report on my findings.
 
I also have looked at the Kifaru set-up for the same reasons. Winter backpacking trips would be a lot easier with a small, lightweight wood stove. So far, I've just upgraded my winter gear and still only use a candle lantern for heat. I did switch to an Exped downair matress a couple of years ago and I use it with my Western Mountaineering -20 Bag. This makes a really nice, warm sleeping system. But unless you are in your bag, it is cold in the tent. I hope you buy the Kifaru system as I would like a report on how you like it. It seems very well made, functional as far as size and weight, but darn expensive.
 
misanthropist said:
if you search this forum for the "how fast can a gimp build a backpacking wood stove" you'll see one I built. It's not as nice as the Kifaru one or the TG one, but IIRC I spent about ten bucks making it!

Also there is a link to another forum with a huge thread on building wood stoves...that might interest you as well.
Click to expand...

Ha, I immediately thought of you when I saw this thread.

http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=562264&sid=307e4bcbc2dcadf9af1387cec2619a50
 
I would go for the Kifaru. Seems like the best setup.

You guys know that you can use google to search the forums right??
 
I never have any luck using google to search here...I have done it about fifty times and never find what I'm after. I guess in this specific instance "gimp" is a fairly unusual word so it wouldn't be hard to find, but generally I don't find the google site search works all that well here.

Anyway I figured somebody would find it and post it up!
 
Quirt, thats a nice setup. Id like to spend a week in that.

Do you have a theory on the fate of Jedediah Smith ? Im guessing Indians got him.
 
I've decided on a Kifaru set up. I will tough it out for the rest of this year (I probably wont get out much anyway) and will be putting away a couple bucks a week until I can splurge on the Kifaru set up for next winter.

I'm buying the ParaTarp with vestibule and ParaStove. I'll pick up the tarp when I can and use it throughout the summer, and will have the stove ready and waiting for winter 09.
 
Just thinking out of the box, and not based on direct experience, so ignore at will. How well would a bunch of the hand-warmer style hot packs last. Strategically placing two or three of these things in your bag might make a big difference. If they lasted about 4 hours then this could work as long as you kept another set handy for the inevitable switch over after you wake up cold and decide to go pee.

Don't know how many handwarmers you'd have to take but over a short period of time the weight difference might be less then a stove.
 
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