Cylinder vs Flat-Top Stove

[Rokwiia]

Looking to hot tent and have never owned nor used a stove. The cylinder stoves tend to be longer making it easier for wood selection. The flat-top stoves look like they assemble easier and you can put a pot on top.

I've watched quite a few videos and was a bit concerned with the occasional dimpling some people get with the cylinder stove near the flue.

What factor(s) did you use when choosing a stove and deciding which of the two was most appropriate for you?

 

[mountainman406]

This has been my first year with a hot tent as well and the stove for me has been a game changer. My search was mainly based on burn time, wood length and weight. Settled on the 18” LO cylinder stove and have been happy thus far. Although you can’t put much weight on it(or at least I haven’t tried to), you can still put a pot/pan on top of the metal rods that hold the cylinder stove together. Good luck with your search and happy hunting!


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[Runningwater]

I went box as we use ours use ours a lot for cooking and heating water. You can put a pot on most of the cylinders, but it's much less efficient at heating water/food since there is little metal to metal contact between stove and pot.

 

[oldgoat]

GENERALLY, box stove is about twice as heavy, cylinder stove burns longer and at least with my Kifaru, the cylinder isn't any harder to assemble! I need to sell my box stove, it hasn't seen daylight since I bought the Cylinder!

 

[Runningwater]

Twice the weight has not been my experience. Kifaru 18" Smith cylinder with 7ft of pipe is 46 oz. and 800 ci of stove volume. Seek outside large box stove with 7ft of pipe is 44 oz. and 940 ci of stove volume. This is both per their websites. That said the cylinders are pretty cool as long as your plan isn't to rely on them for cooking/boiling duties.

 

[Runningwater]

I need to correct my post above. I didn't read the kifaru website correctly- the Smith is only 30 oz with 7 ft of pipe. So the box is about 50% heavier, but 17% larger in this particular comparison. Thanks.

 

[Ross]

I had the small box kifaru stove it simply as too small for my need and needed constant stoking. I then reviewed cylinder stoves and wanted something larger and that had a larger door opening to accommodate larger wood. I chose the 18 inch lite outdoors. I have found it to be easy to setup burn time can be up to two hours the door size allows good sized wood and the design is well thought out. Yes the stove itself can dimple but does not affect use only cosmetic. As noted the rods let you put something small on top to heat up.

 

[Rokwiia]

As I watch YT videos, I can't help but notice how "flimsy" the body of cylinder stoves appear. Never having used them or seen them in person, perhaps looks have nothing to do with quality nor longevity.

Do they last as long a box stoves whose parts seem more solid?

 

[Ross]

They loook flimsy but don’t believe many of us would burn one out unless using all year long
“Two of the greatest benefits of titanium are its high strength-to-weight ratio and its corrosion resistance. ... Titanium is also incredibly durable and long-lasting. When titanium cages, rods, plates and pins are inserted into the body, they can last for upwards of 20 years.”