The Folding Firebox
I have been looking for a decent multi fuel stove for ages. Never bought one though. They all seemed to do certain things well, other things not so well...some were very well built, others not so much. I dont want much really, just a well built item, that is robust, doesnt warp under high heat, will accomodate a number of my different pots and pans, is truly multi-fuel but will also accomodate my Tatonka meths burner. I am not too worried about weight, so it doesnt have to be made from titanium, but it does need to pack down to a reasonable size for transporting in the pack or elsewhere.
It is important for me to note right here, one of THE most important features the stove HAS to have for me to buy it. It HAS to be able to be assembled one handed. This might sound like a strange request, but let me explain. If I happen to have some kind of accident where I hurt my hand or my arm, and lets face it I could fall over tree roots, cut myself with my knife, lose fingers with the axe, break fingers doing any number of things, I may not be somewhere that I can get help immediately, and if any of those things happen I will want to sit down, count to ten, calm down and have a brew. Wouldnt you?
So, that pre-requisite immediately counts out many many stoves. They may be great stoves, they may be well made, they may be multi fuel, they may take my pans, they may take my Tatonka stove, but if I can open the darn thing up and put it together when I lose a hand, what good will it be? Ok, if I lose both arms then I am in real trouble, but they have not invented a pop up "throw it in the air and it springs into shape" stove yet, not that I would be able to thwo it anyway because I have no arms but....anyway, you get my point!
I am not going to use this review to tell you whats wrong with the other stoves, they all work, other people love them, other people use them fine, and thats a key point, my choice of stove here suits my criteria, and doesnt necessarily match what other people class as a great stove.
So...The Folding Firebox! Made from 18 guage stainless steel, so its bomb proof! It has been machined with deliberately placed slots to prevent warping, it comes as a stand along unit with two 'Fire Sticks', as well as an ash pan. There are additional accessories that you can purchase as extras or in kit form, so its also a scaleable bit of kit meanig you dont have to buy eveything all together unlike some other stoves. The ash pan is great for protecting the ground, but it could also be used on top of the stove as a grill plate, nice! we like options! Looking good so far!
In operation there is a wind damper on one side that means air flow can be regulated, the firesticks can be used almost anywhere on the stove to accommodate any number of combinations of burner, pots and pans, and another really neat benefot is that the firesticks can be used to pick the stove up to move it if necessary!
The unit itself has undergone many different evolutions in its design over the years, into its current guise, which although a little unconventional to some peoples eyes, allows for a very efficient, compact but user friendly design. The main point of the design for me being the hinged panels that allow the unit to fold flat, but at the same time incorporate the ash pan and firesticks to hold it all together.
In summary, this stove pretty much tocks all the boxes for me, the only thing its doesnt do is charge your iPod, but then I dont really care for having my iPod in the woods! For a very reasonable price you are getting a stove that does so many things exceptionally well, without any of the flaws (in my mind) of the other stoves on the market...and it doesnt warp!
It is important for me to note right here, one of THE most important features the stove HAS to have for me to buy it. It HAS to be able to be assembled one handed. This might sound like a strange request, but let me explain. If I happen to have some kind of accident where I hurt my hand or my arm, and lets face it I could fall over tree roots, cut myself with my knife, lose fingers with the axe, break fingers doing any number of things, I may not be somewhere that I can get help immediately, and if any of those things happen I will want to sit down, count to ten, calm down and have a brew. Wouldnt you?
So, that pre-requisite immediately counts out many many stoves. They may be great stoves, they may be well made, they may be multi fuel, they may take my pans, they may take my Tatonka stove, but if I can open the darn thing up and put it together when I lose a hand, what good will it be? Ok, if I lose both arms then I am in real trouble, but they have not invented a pop up "throw it in the air and it springs into shape" stove yet, not that I would be able to thwo it anyway because I have no arms but....anyway, you get my point!
I am not going to use this review to tell you whats wrong with the other stoves, they all work, other people love them, other people use them fine, and thats a key point, my choice of stove here suits my criteria, and doesnt necessarily match what other people class as a great stove.
So...The Folding Firebox! Made from 18 guage stainless steel, so its bomb proof! It has been machined with deliberately placed slots to prevent warping, it comes as a stand along unit with two 'Fire Sticks', as well as an ash pan. There are additional accessories that you can purchase as extras or in kit form, so its also a scaleable bit of kit meanig you dont have to buy eveything all together unlike some other stoves. The ash pan is great for protecting the ground, but it could also be used on top of the stove as a grill plate, nice! we like options! Looking good so far!
In operation there is a wind damper on one side that means air flow can be regulated, the firesticks can be used almost anywhere on the stove to accommodate any number of combinations of burner, pots and pans, and another really neat benefot is that the firesticks can be used to pick the stove up to move it if necessary!
The unit itself has undergone many different evolutions in its design over the years, into its current guise, which although a little unconventional to some peoples eyes, allows for a very efficient, compact but user friendly design. The main point of the design for me being the hinged panels that allow the unit to fold flat, but at the same time incorporate the ash pan and firesticks to hold it all together.
In summary, this stove pretty much tocks all the boxes for me, the only thing its doesnt do is charge your iPod, but then I dont really care for having my iPod in the woods! For a very reasonable price you are getting a stove that does so many things exceptionally well, without any of the flaws (in my mind) of the other stoves on the market...and it doesnt warp!