So you are all set to go on the adventure of your life? Got your hiking backpack, camping tent, trekking shoes all set. The only thing missing is, a stove for backpacking, hiking or camping!
In this article, we will list the top 10 best wood burning backpacking/camping stove for 2018.
Quick Comparison: Top Wood Burning Camping Stove
**Below, you'll find our expert's reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.
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Why choose a Wood Burning Backpacking Stove?
Backpacking wood stoves fall under the category of alternative fuel stoves. There are a variety of portable wood stoves available online on sites like Amazon and REI. Let’s see the pros and cons of using a backpacking wood stove.
Pros
- Lightweight wood burning stoves and ultralight backpacking wood stoves are available in the market.
- Wood burning backpacking/ hiking stoves are an excellent option for those who cannot carry fuel during camping.
- Some wood burning backpacking stoves can generate electricity.
- You save the all the extra weight you would have to carry while using a gas fuelled stove. Think about all those canisters you might have to carry!
Cons
- It can be hard to find wood and twigs during certain times
- Twig or wood-burning stoves cannot be used in places where burning is prohibited.
- Can only be used for basic cooking.
- Wood cooking is guaranteed to leave your pans pitch black.
- Getting the wood to catch fire and preventing it from getting doused might be a difficult task for novice campers and hikers.
Review of Some of The Best Wood Burning Camping Stove
Our #1 Rated
Our #1 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- Solo backpacking lite stove comes with air intake holes on the bottom. This moves the air towards the fire.
- There are also holes at the top which promotes better combustion.
- Ash pan collects the excess ash thus prevents blocking of air flow
- The cooking ring compactly fits into the stove
- Nichrome wire grate feeds oxygen directly to the flames.
Other Specification
- Type: Backpacking.
- Average boil time (1 L) : 8-10 minutes
- Size: 3.8x4.25 inches
- Weight: 9 ounces.
Pros
- High Quality
- Compact and small camping wood stove
- Ultra lightweight backpacking stove
- Gets ready for cooking within 1-2 minutes
- Saves space
- Does not produce much ash
- Made of stainless steel
- Excellent heat distribution system
- Solo backpacking lite stove burns all natural fuels
Cons
- Wood burning backpacking stoves are not suitable for through hiking.
- Small camping wood stoves only cater to basic camping or backpacking cooking needs
- Boil time is relatively slow.
Final Verdict: This is a great portable wood burning stove for solo campers. It takes a while to heat up but is compact and ideal for short trips.
Our #2 Rated
Our #2 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- Solo Titan backpacking stove has features similar to solo lite backpacking stove
- It is slightly larger than solo lite backpacking stove
- This portable backpacking stove has a faster boiling time than the Solo Lite Stove
- Ash pan catches the excess ash
- Comes with nichrome wire grate
Other Specifications:
- Type: Backpacking
- Average Boiling: Time:4-6 minutes
- Size: 5.6x5.1 inches
- Weight:1 lb.0.5 oz
Pros
- This compact wood burning stove requires little fuel
- Heats up quickly
- Short boiling time
- Solo Titan Stove uses the re-burning technique to reduce wastage
- This backpacking stove comes with a windscreen
- A portable wood burning stove that does not produce any noise
- This wood burning camping stove is ideal for large group backpacking
Cons
- Solo Titan Stove can prove to be a bit bulky for 1-2 member camping trips.
Final Verdict: Solo Titan Stove is an upgrade of the Solo Lite Stove. If you are going for a big camping trip with several individuals, you may choose the Solo Titan Backpacking Stove.
Our #3 Rated
No products found.
Our #4 Rated
Our #4 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- This backpacking stove can be turned flat for storage
- Boiling time of 10 minutes
- Made in the USA
- Lifetime warranty
Other Specifications:
- Size:4 x 5.5 x 6 inches
- Weight:11.4 ounces
Pros
- Eco-friendly and minimalist camping portable wood burning stove.
- EmberLit stove can be turned completely flat and stored without taking up any space
- Most suitable for ultralight backpacking
- Very sturdy
Cons
- Does not come with a case thus it needs to be purchased separately.
- No insulation at the bottom, hence the metal gets extremely heated.
- Needs to be cleaned after cooking
- Not extremely durable
Final Verdict: Lixada Camping Stove is a better option, but if you are going ultralight, choose this.
Our #5 Rated
Our #5 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- Made with stainless steel
- Stable and safe with 3 arm base support system
- It is a collapsible wood burning backpacking stove
- It is an environment-friendly backpacking stove as it does not use fuel canisters or alcohol
Other Specifications:
- Type: Backpacking
- Folded size: 5.3" x 5.3" x 3"
- Weight: 14.2 oz
Pros
- Ideal for short camping trips with few members.
- Small utilities like lighter can be stored inside the stove while camping
- This portable camping stove is designed to direct heat upwards, so the bottom stays cool.
- Generates a lot of heat.
- This survival wood stove has a stable cooking surface.
- The stove can be wiped clean after cooking.
- Comes with a rubber gasket.
Cons
- This backpacking stove might be too small for large camping groups
- Quality may not be the best on the market.
Final Verdict: Ohuhu portable camping stove is much cheaper than Solo Lite Stove. So if you are on a tight budget, you may choose this. Though not the best, Ohuhu camping stove is definitely a steal.
Our #6 Rated
Our #6 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- This portable wood stove for camping is compact and lightweight
- This is a sturdy backpacking stove
- Environment-friendly with zero hazardous emissions
- Secondary combustion promotes continued burning.
- Things included: Wood burning stove, storage bag, user manual, free 2 year protection
Other Specifications:
- Comes in 4 different sizes with varied specifications
Pros
- Canway portable camping stove has good ventilation
- This compact wood burning stove is easy to fire
- This collapsible wood burning backpacking stove provides secondary combustion.
- The portable stove can keep burning for 20 minutes on dry wood.
- Good quality
- Comes in different sizes as per user needs.
Cons
- Outside of the stove heats up intensely
- Weak pot support hinges
- In a few designs, the stove chamber is open at the bottom, with no ash collector
- Few of this backpacking stove’s designs come with a base plate but with holes in it
Final Verdict: It comes in different sizes and is much cheaper than Solo Titan and Solo Lite backpacking stoves. If you are going on a big trip with a tight budget, this will suit you just fine.
Our #7 Rated
Our #7 Rated
Rated 3.7 out of 5
Features
- Excess heat is converted into electricity and stored in a lithium-ion battery
- This portable wood burning stove can be used to cook food for large groups
- This backpacking stove comes with a flexible arm light with USB pass-through
- Transforms flame from dissipated heat at the flip of a switch.
Other Specifications:
- Size: 21.1 x 13.2 x 23 inches
- Weight: 17.99 pounds
Pros
- Fantastic camping stove for cooking and boiling
- Heat is converted into electricity and sends electricity to a USB charging port
- The electricity is also used to power an internal fan
- This internal fan injects air back into the burn chamber thus improving combustion.
- Good Quality
- Comes with an arm light for ease of cooking at night
Cons
- Manufacturing errors have been an issue
- Hard to find replacement parts for the stove
- The bag for the stove is to be purchased separately
- Only up to one gallon of water weight can be cooked at a time
- Chamber gets filled with ashes quickly.
Final Verdict: BioLite is a stove system with a lot of added features. If you are someone who loves innovations, this is the stove for you.
Our #8 Rated
Our #8 Rated
Rated 4.1 out of 5
Features
- Lightweight can be easily packed.
- Eco-friendly design
- Multi-fuel capacity, Bushbox outdoor pocket stove can be powered with other conventional fuels like alcohol as per requirements
- It is versatile and easy to use
- Comes with two trivets
- Quality assurance
- Original design
- Low maintenance
Other specifications:
- Size:4.5 x 3.5 x 0.2 inches
- Weight:9.6 ounces
Pros
- This backpacking stove is affordable
- Bushbox camping stove comes with an ashtray
- It is versatile, comes with a Trangia burner
- Trivets are included, doesn’t have to be bought separately
- This wood burning stove is perfect for 1-2 person cooking
- It comes with a “click-together” mechanism which makes it stable
Cons
- Very long boiling time
Final Verdict: If you are looking for a stove with multi-fuel capacity, choose Bush box.
Our #9 Rated
Our #9 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- This wood burning stove is made of stainless steel
- Highly durable portable camping stove
- Saves space as it can be folded flat
- Comes with a warranty and return policy
- Comes with a convenient nylon bag.
Other specifications:
- Weight:7.9 x 6.1 x 7.1 inches
- Weight: 1.92 pounds
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Strong and sturdy
- Comes with a grill head
- Ideal for barbeque camp nights
Cons
- Cannot be used to cook for large crowds.
Final Verdict: This is most suited for grilling and barbeque. So if that is what you are looking for, choose this.
Our #10 Rated
Our #10 Rated
Rated out of 5
Features
- This is a portable wood and charcoal stove
- Fully insulated vertical combustion channels promote energy efficient cooking
- Constructed with quality materials
- Comes with a 5-inch diameter chimney stove
- Eco-friendly stove
Other Specifications:
- Size: 10.5 x 10.5 x 10.5 inches
- Weight:12 pounds
Pros
- Heats rapidly
- Great efficiency
- Special eco-friendly energy efficient stove design
- Produces very less heat
- Uses less fuel
- Quick heating
Cons
- Very heavy for a camping stove
Suggestions for Using a Wood Burning Stove
- Learning to burn a wood stove is a skill that not everyone can master. So if you are a struggling beginner camper or backpacker, take a look at these tips that will fire up your backpacking/camping stove in no time.
- Don’t pack in the woods extremely close. Leave enough space for upward airflow
- There are different tried and tested methods to arrange the woods to achieve maximum fuel efficiency. Watch the video below to get a good idea.
- Don’t stir the fire too often. This will break the wood into a small piece which will clog the air flow
- If you have a side feeding wood burning stove, then arrange the wood in a crisscross pattern, allowing enough space for air to flow.