Over the weekend, while assisting with teaching the Green Earth Survival School class, I had the chance to show off both my selection of non-grocery store meats,as well as my Emberlit stove. The Emberlit is a backpacker’s stove that I stumbled upon while researching alternative cooking methods, should I have no power, such as post-hurricane.

From the website:

The Emberlit Camp Stove (pat pend) is a lightweight, compact, wood burning stove that doesn’t require you carry any fuel. It packs completely flat at about 1/8th in thick, weighs only 11.3 oz, and is 100% Made here in the USA from stainless steel.

I purchased ($35) one of these based simply on the 23 minute demo video see here:

Its worth watching, if you are possibly interested in buying one, or if for nothing else than to see someone make a fire with a hand drill (spinning a stick on another sick with his hands to make fire). To me, that skill is like magic!

So I bought one,  as a backup method of cooking in the event we loose power (we have an electric stove) and run out of propane. Or, if I get a notion, I can cook dinner outside over a fire.

You DO know that nothing makes food taste the way a cooking over an open wood fire does, right? If not, you need to expand your horizons and learn this simple fact.

On to my take on the stove.

It is very compact. about the size of a thin paperback, only a wee bit wider. It comes in a heavy duty ziplock back that seems custom fit to the small profile. At 11.3 ozs, it’s weight is minor to me, though Ridgerunner, and other ultralight backpackers like him, would swear its a brick. If that is the case, they offer one in titanium that weighs in at 5.45 ozs.

The assembly is simple, once you watch the video above. Describing would take far longer, and the “show-and-tell” works very well, so again refer to the above video. The design uses slots and tabs to attach the sides, and a slotted bottom plate fits well. After I understood the trick of twisting the sides away from each other in order to line up the final set of slots and tabs, I can assemble the stove in under 30 seconds.

Fuels used for this stove is readily available just about everywhere, as it will burn pencil-sized sticks and twigs wonderfully. Ive used dead palm frond stems and split bamboo as well as regular twigs, all with great success. I think bamboo is my favorite fuels, as the flat-ish profile allows for an easily controlled fire. No more need to buy firewood in bulk in order to have cook over a fire. This is one of the reasons I appreciate it so much.

With the Emberlit, I’ve used various methods of starting the fire, feeding fuel from the top, bottom, sides, etc, and believe pre-stacking some fuel, starting a tinder bundle, then dropping the lit bundle on top of the pre-stacked fuel is the best method for me. This assumes you do not have a lighter. If so, then simple stack your tinder in the stove with some meatier stick on top, and light the tinder.

Once you have a fire going well, simply place your pot on the top of the stove, and as it heats up, start cooking like any other stove, the difference being you need to maintain fuel in the fire. I find that long sticks propped up on the outside work well, and as they burn down, push each stick into the stove. The pots I’ve used range from a copper-bottomed camping pan, all the way up to a dutch oven. My preferred pan is a small cast-iron skillet. With it, I am able to do any cooking I wish. If the portion size needs to be increased, I place a full size cast iron pan on instead.

I’ve personally tested hard-boiling quail eggs, frying rabbit and wild boar sausage, and boiling water for coffee. Each worked flawlessly, and I can easily see my self using this on every camping trip, and day trips we do, or even at the ball park, if needed.  The simplicity and functionality is refreshing. And to top it all off, the warranty reads like something out of Andy Griffith’s “Mayberry”:

Warranty:
I want you to be happy with your purchase. The Emberlit stove and accessories come with a lifetime guarantee. Should your stove fail under normal conditions I will replace it. Of course “Normal Conditions” is up to my discretion, however if you ever have trouble with your stove contact us, and again, I’ll make it right.

Hard to argue with that!

Time for my G,B,&E:

The Good:

Stability
Air flow for burning
Fuel flexibility
Size

The price is a little steep, when you consider an alcohol stove is basically free. However, the stability and warranty justify the cost, to me.
Soot collection, however, its a stove, it should be covered in soot!

Due to the manufacturing process, the stove arrives with the edges rather sharp. Running some sandpaper over each edge on each piece seemed to help.