Riley stoves vs Four dog stoves

[DertyBert]

Hi all,

I usually hunt 3rd and 4th season in CO 9-10k feet and -5° to +15° lows are pretty much the norm. I pack in with burros so I’m able to typically carry more than a llama but not as much as a horse/mule string. I do not think I have the capacity to pack enough propane on my animals in those temps for 7-8 days so I don’t think a Nuway stove is an option.

This past year I rented the Riley little amigo stove and loved it. It was a significant improvement over the seek outside stoves I have used in the past. I alternated with my hunting partner, one of us getting up every 3 hours to keep it very comfortable in the tent. I planned on buying the little amigo until I came across four dogs titanium stoves. I think all said and done, with a few changes, I can get the Riley set up a little lighter and come in pretty close to the weight of the bigger four dog stove, so weight is essentially a non factor in my comparison.

However after talking with Don at four dog, he touts his stove as being much more efficient. This means I will spend a lot less time cutting firewood on those short days and more time hunting. Has anyone used both stoves and can speak towards the efficiency of one vs the other? I’m fine with a buy once cry once type purchase but is the four dog really that much better to warrant $800 more?

Any help is appreciated

 

[DertyBert]

For what it is worth, I am heating a 11x11 snowtrekker

 

[Jason Snyder]

Never used or heard of a Four Dog, but I’ve had a Riley for 25 years. That thing has been abused and put through the wringer and is still going. Get an inline pipe damper for it. I use mine in a 12x14 wall tent. I think I have the Colt.

 

[ADKHTR]

Four Dog stoves are the gold standard of tent stoves, Don makes the best, it’s up to you whether an extra $800 is worth it for one of his stoves, did you ask him what the eta is on a new titanium stove currently… I have his little steel model stove and would like to order a titanium one as well soon. I’ve never used a Riley stove so I have no opinion on them, all I can tell you is the Four Dog stoves are air tight,
which is huge for getting longer burn times a long with other variables, but if your stove isn’t air tight, and you can’t regulate it, your screwed, I had never slept more than a couple hours with any normal tent stove until I switched to a Four Dog, now I get real sleep.

 

[DertyBert]

Four Dog stoves are the gold standard of tent stoves, Don makes the best, it’s up to you whether an extra $800 is worth it for one of his stoves, did you ask him what the eta is on a new titanium stove currently… I have his little steel model stove and would like to order a titanium one as well soon. I’ve never used a Riley stove so I have no opinion on them, all I can tell you is the Four Dog stoves are air tight,
which is huge for getting longer burn times a long with other variables, but if your stove isn’t air tight, and you can’t regulate it, your screwed, I had never slept more than a couple hours with any normal tent stove until I switched to a Four Dog, now I get real sleep.

Do you have any experience above 10,000’ with the four dog? I recently read that the four dog can have some issues with draw because of the baffle. I’d say 20% of my stove’s use would be at that elevation so it’s a consideration for me.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

Four Dog makes a good stove - I've used the steel one. In terms of drafting, it seems like the four dog takes a bit more time for the stove pipe to heat up and draw than one without a baffle. But, once heated, they should draw well. It seems to me that the baffle also makes them like to have the door closed to best draw. Usually I start the fire with the door open with other stoves, but the four dog does best with the door closed. I doubt elevation would change that, but I could be wrong there. I'm not sure about the titanium vs steel stove either - seems like design would dictate that more than material.

All that said, I think if a donk was carrying it either way, I'd probably just get the Riley. People seem to really like them. If it's single digits in a tent, you're either stoking a stove every couple hours or gonna get cold (although a Riley/Four Dog is a serious improvement over a SO stove). I don't think there's two ways around that. The 200 pound monstrosity of a fireplace stove in my house wouldn't hold heat overnight in that setting.

 

[bmart2622]

Ive only used the Riley so I cant make any crazy claims that its the best, BUT it is awesome, heats my 12x15 tent easily and is very packable. The owner is awesome, I picked my stove up at the shop and he invited me and my family in to have breakfast with him, then took us through the shop and showed me how they make everything and all the options for my stove. Id definitely buy from him again.

 

[ADKHTR]

Do you have any experience above 10,000’ with the four dog? I recently read that the four dog can have some issues with draw because of the baffle. I’d say 20% of my stove’s use would be at that elevation so it’s a consideration for me.

No I don’t.

 

[Pelagic]

I'm comparing these 2 options pretty hard right now as well. Have used a Riley, as well as the Four Dog steel version. The conditions when we used the Riley were not great, high winds and zero deg. temps in a sil-nylon tipi tent, so we were ripping through wood at a good clip. But the stove always fired right up, and had no problem drafting, and could control the air flow very well.

The Four Dog steel is a beast and I love it. However, it has developed a rusting problem over time. I believe from snow/moisture getting down the chimney gap and onto the cooking surface of the stove. So now I need to re-coat it. Could definitely be user error in not getting that moisture off right away, though. And it's obviously a truck camping stove due to weight.

This, and the portability, are what have me looking at the Riley and Four Dog Titanium. This guy posted a video on the efficiency of the Four Dog Ti and he was able to get 13 hours of burn time, in ideal conditions, off of it which is nuts. Now, the last 5-6 hours of that, it was not burning that hot at all, but still giving off heat.

If anybody else has experience on either of these, good or bad, please chime in. Would also be interested on input with the zinc burn off in the galvanized Riley. Zinc oxide fumes are toxic, but does all of that burn off after initial burn-ins, or could there still be some ancillary fumes from the metal over time?

 

[wilbur007]

I used the Four Dog titanium stove for years and ended up selling it to a friend. It's a "real wood stove" that's been made to be portable rather than a portable stove that stands in for a real wood stove. Probably had 30 nights spent in a 10' x 10' silnylon tent and it was still like new.

 

[bmart2622]

The galvanized is a non issue after the initial burn in

 

[SW hunter]

Do you have any experience above 10,000’ with the four dog? I recently read that the four dog can have some issues with draw because of the baffle. I’d say 20% of my stove’s use would be at that elevation so it’s a consideration for me.

Only used the steel four dog. It has performed the exact same at 4k as it has at 11k. The fuel wood quality is different. But stove itself does not operate any better or any worse. It always draws better with door closed.