Hot tent stove

[teamtoppin]

I am in the research mode and am going to buy a floorless shelter with a stove jack.

Last season I got rained on for three days then snowed on and it was not so enjoyable in camp.

My question is what is the best wood burning stove to get for the tent.

I see there are several major "brands."

The two variations are either round like the smith cylinder or square. Do the round radiate more heat? Square better to cook on? Are the square easier to pack in your ruck/backpack?

I am looking at the following stoves:

seek outside SXL
Tigoat Large WiFi
Tigoat Cylinder
Lite Outdoors

Right now I am leaning toward the lite outdoors or Seek outside sxl based on size, weight and cost as three most important factors.
Additionally, the Lite outdoors says they offer an optional baffle in the stove to make it more efficient with pyrolysis of gasses.

Any insights, recommendations on types, brands, size, pros/cons, etc.. to help make my decision would be much appreciated.

I am looking to purchase before memorial day so I can get everything situated/burned in and dry run before the season.

J.

PS: Can you place these stoves on a rock (next to the Ti layer/foil) for stability and to retain heat at night, or will that fatigue/burn through the metal quicker with the reflected heat?

 

[torrey.harris.5]

Tagged
Great questions


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[Ramshead]

I would like to complicate things by adding another stove to your list.

Ruta Locura Contact

 

[archer wapiti]

My experience with the Lite Outdoors stove has been great.

It's probably been covered before, but... Don't think this is going to keep you from having to carry as heavy of a sleeping bag, unless you get up every hour to stoke the stove (which I guess you would if you fell asleep in a thin bag... you'd wake up and stoke the stove). It does make it a lot more pleasant in the evenings and mornings, and dries your stuff out (which I gather you're after from reading your post). You'll love it.
I don't think the baffle is going to do much. I tend to burn mine wide open, hard to control like a normal woodstove in your house or cabin. It'll get starved for air and go out, then belch smoke when you open the vent and door wide open. It just doesn't have enough volume to take enough large pieces at a time to really carry a fire for more than an hour. Wrist-sized pieces are max.

Having said all that, my next stove would be a TiGoat Wifi stove. I don't think there's a simpler and more robust design out there (from the setup videos I've seen published by the manufacturers). The fewer cables, wing nuts, and little dohickeys you have to deal with when you're setting it up in the snow, the better off you are. A flat top on that stove would be great for heat transfer to a pot or kettle.
Hope this helps you make a decision.

 

[Zoo Keeper]

I would like to complicate things by adding another stove to your list.

Ruta Locura Contact

I don't know if I would care for the small door on that one.


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[oldgoat]

You pretty much nailed everything in your post, only additions I have is the cylinder stoves get better burn times and are lighter. You can buy some foil and make a baffle for ones that don't offer it. Lite Outdoors currently don't offer a spark arrestor which I think is mandatory unless you are hunting rain forest, but he is working on that. Also the bigger the pieces of wood you can put in the better the burn time, so longer cylinder stove equals longer/bigger pieces of wood. Even if the stove doesn't burn all night, it sure is better crawling into an already warm bag with an already warm body!

 

[Muley Buck]

I would like to complicate things by adding another stove to your list.

Ruta Locura Contact

That stove looks pretty sweet! I like the added features to help control burn rate. Only cons on that one for me is its a little heavy and the door looks a little small for my liking.

 

[Akicita]

I've used a lot of wood stoves in my day and I am really liking my Seek Outside SXL. I pile rocks under and on top of it when I can for more efficient warming times.

 

[LBFowler]

Short version:

cylinder stoves burn better and are lighter

box stoves are easier to assemble and cook on.


Round stoves don't magically put out more heat, what they do is consolidate the coals better. Cubic inches is still king overall, a box stove just might involve more stoking. The factor that is harder to deduce is how air tight a stove is, which does have an impact on performance as well. I always say that thinking of a stove as part of your sleep system is probably going to lead to disappointment, it is a powerful tool but no replacement for a warm bag.

 

[robby denning]

Short version:

cylinder stoves burn better and are lighter

box stoves are easier to assemble and cook on.


Round stoves don't magically put out more heat, what they do is consolidate the coals better. Cubic inches is still king overall, a box stove just might involve more stoking. The factor that is harder to deduce is how air tight a stove is, which does have an impact on performance as well. I always say that thinking of a stove as part of your sleep system is probably going to lead to disappointment, it is a powerful tool but no replacement for a warm bag.

I can't agree more. I read threads about stove burning all night long, that's not the goal. The goal is to be able to dry clothes and have warmth during your waking hours. Even with stoves that are big enough for horse packing, they won't burn all night. As you said, that's the job of your sleeping bag.


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[Tsnider]

i was in between the Seek Outside medium and SXL and ended up with the medium for the times i go solo, just a little less weight. I liked the look of the SO stoves because you can cook on them and the size of the door. i can fit a ton of wood in that little thing. we camped last weekend and i had a little saw for sawing bigger pieces half way and breaking them, and i got an hour burn time at the most. as people have covered in other threads, the SO stoves seem to have a tighter fit than some of the other brands. i really like the stove and if i end up doing more winter camping in the coming years i may get the SXL just for that, but for archery here in Colorado the medium will work perfectly fine to dry our clothes and warm a sawtooth up in no time.

 

[swisski]

For what its worth, I've really enjoyed my Seek Outside XL stove. I've used it countless times, and it has always performed well. Like others have said, you can't expect long burn times with these packable stoves. However I can fit some real decent size chunks of firewood in the stove, and not just twigs. With hot coals, this has allowed me to get just shy of 2.5 hours of burn time dampened down. Granted thats on a plum full stoke with good fuel. It all depends. I will add that it works well to cook on too.

I would recommend SO to anybody. I have been intrigued with the Lite Outdoors stoves, but have never used one.

 

[Dakota Kid]

So has anyone used the Ruta Locura? I am curious if it gets a better burn time than some of the other box stoves. I am looking for a backpackable stove for my Sawtooth and I obviously want the lightest stove with the longest burn times. Will be using for cooking too so I am pretty set on a box stove.

 

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

The Ruta Locura is virtually (if not exactly) identical to the TiGoat WIFI in large. My research shows that RL was part of TG and they split. Someone else may know more.

 

[Kevin Dill]

I have no idea of the possible (more like probable) relationship between RL and TG but the stoves look nearly identical except for the door on the RL stove. RL does reference the Wifi stove as one they build, so that's enough proof I guess.

I own a Wifi and the only issue I have is the inability to totally dampen the stove's air flow. It's purposely built to prevent shutting off all air intake up front, so extended burn times (over an hour) aren't happening in any way I can see.

Looking at the Ruta version, the door and intake system allows much tighter air control and would provide extended burn times. The smaller opening would make it a bit tighter for feeding substantial chunks of wood, and for stacking/banking wood inside the box. Also...with no lower front air intake (which the Wifi does have) starting a fire will likely be a touch harder. That's because incoming air will be above the new fire at the bottom of the stove. It's not a real big issue, and I almost always use an Esbit tab to make fire-starting easier anyway.

Comparing both units and for my ways, I'd probably buy the (wifi verson) Ruta Locura with the hinged door today.

 

[4ester]

Ruta Locura is the son of the owner of Tigoat I believe. Both are located in Ogden, UT.


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[mtnrunner260]

I thought they were brothers but related in some fashion.
They split because 1 wanted to focus more on the carbon products but ti goat said they still work together on a lot of stuff.
They could probably do a lot more business if they wanted but both have other endeavors (jobs) as well

 

[Grambo]

Both are great to deal with and have excellent gear .