Solid Fuel Stoves

Featured review by StoicFabian

Compact, reliable, lightweight, indestructible. What’s not to like about a titanium micro stove that simply works? Sure, it’s not fast nor lava-hot. But it gets the job done in almost every situation and condition during most outdoors activities. It’s perfect for lightweight types who also want to avoid bulk and complexity. Sometimes simple and basic is the best option.

I can’t think of an easier piece of camping gear to use than this stove. Certainly not other kind of stove, as this just requires the fuel tablet and a windscreen. Almost anything will lit it in a second in any weather. Some have said it’s not good for cooking, and I concede it’s most efficient for boiling water. But I‘ve used it even at home to make scrambled eggs and other stuff when we ran out of natural gas. Anyway most of the time I’m boiling water or just heating up some piece of food, a steak, old pizza or something and it works pretty nice for those things.  When camping I frequently cook my breakfast (bread, eggs, muffins, etc.) on it.

Read more: Esbit Titanium Stove reviews (5)

Featured review by Richard King

Lightweight and cheap, the Esbit Pocket Stove fulfills its purpose — to boil water. It is not, however, well suited for all terrain, and the fuel tablets are relatively expensive, meaning the long-term cost of the product will be high. Still, I would recommend it to anyone who just needs to boil water.

BACKGROUND I moved to Colorado to start college one year ago. In high school I was able to backpack with a group of buddies, and all of us had different pieces of gear — stoves, tents, water filters — that we would share among us. All by myself now, I was forced to get some new gear. Being a typical broke college student, I went to REI only to be alarmed by the costs of all the gear I had been using for years. Desperate to start ultralight backpacking again, I decided to buy many new items, one of them being the Esbit Pocket Stove w/ 6x14g Solid Fuel Tablets ($12.95 from REI).

Read more: Esbit Pocket Stove reviews (28)

Featured review by B. Frost

A real backpack-able solution to your food cooking problems. A simple folding design that folds flat for easy carrying. Stove will hold a heavy pot. Front door and sides protect flames from wind. Burns Sterno, other canned heat or chaffing fuel. Low cost camping stove for the beginner.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE GOOD OLE' FASHIONED STERNO STOVE???It's crude and not perfect, but it's definitely "good enough" for a budget conscious camper or weekend hiker. I don't think the size or style is any different than the Coghlans folding stove. Also, made in USA. America's #1 Brand. I have always had a folding stove for emergencies. You never know if a thunderstorm zapps the electricity or a quake drives you to turn the gas off. Use it on the tail gate of your truck for hot lunch or at a jobsite or in the mountains.

Read more: Sterno Portable Folding Stove reviews (3)

Featured review by PhilNC

The 2017 Vargo Triad is a very sturdy and functional alcohol/solid fuel stove that I will continue to use due to its bomb proof design and consistent alcohol burn times. It has some inconveniences with the need to use at least 1.5 ounces of fuel and difficulty in recovering leftover alcohol, so may not be the best option for boil in bag solo hikers, but works well for two people and other cooking styles who want the flexibility of using multiple fuel types depending on conditions.

Note that this is a review of the 2017 Vargo Triad model, which is a multi-fuel (alcohol and solid tab/gel) stove - please refer to the 2003 model for the previous alcohol only version of this stove. I think any review needs context of the use and testing the gear was put through, and this is especially true of stoves due to the variety of approaches one can take to preparing meals on the trail. For the last few years, I have enjoyed the flexibility of my Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti Tri with Inferno for wood, alcohol, and solid tab fuel options.

Read more: Vargo Triad Multi-Fuel Stove reviews (3)

Featured review by PhilNC

After more than three years of constant use, I can confidently say this is still my favorite stove and piece of gear that I own! The light weight, versatility of fuel types, and heating efficiency of the Sidewinder Ti Tri have exceeded all my expectations. Minor negatives include the multiple-part setup, price, and being sized for one pot per stove.

After an initial review in 2014 and a minor update in 2015, I decided to completely rewrite this review as it didn't do justice to this great stove! I could rave on about this stove for hours, but will try to keep it to a couple chapters…as much as I love this stove if you are a simple "boil water and put it in a bag" person then I’ll save your time right now and suggest you go a different direction. However, if you love the camping aspect as much as the hiking part of backpacking, actually “cook” some meals, or just prefer the ultimate flexibility of multiple fuel sources then look no further or at least seriously consider the Sidewinder Ti-Tri!COOKING APPROACH After spending almost 30 years dabbling with canister, white gas, wood...

Read more: Trail Designs Sidewinder Ti-Tri reviews (2)

Reviewed by TheRambler

I recently purchased a Bushcooker LT 1 from Don Kevilus of Four Dog Stoves. I had heard a lot of really great things through the online backpacking communities about this stove and I decided to take the plunge. Pros: Multi fuel-This stove will burn nearly any solid fuel, or denatured alcohol, or a combination of. Being designed primarily as a wood-gas stove. Lightweight- at 2.5oz(includes ash plate and alcohol cup), the Bushcooker itself is 2.2 oz Small/Compact- Fits neatly and securely in a Snow Peak 700ml mug or similar size mug.

Read more: Four Dog Stove Bushcooker LT I review (1)

Reviewed by 300winmag

This little titanium ESBIT/FireLite fuel tablet holder is simple, ultra light and actually increases the burning efficiency of fuel tabs. It does this by restricting the flame to the top and ends of the fuel tab. A plus is that you can load two tablets (side-by-side) and double the burn time. Use it in any ESBIT stove, but the BEST use by far is in a Caldera Cone stove.

The Gram Cracker comes with every Caldera Cone. Mine came with my CC Sidewinder titanium multifuel stove (ESBIT, alky and wood). This fuel tab holder is the key to burning efficiency. Probably 30% of the efficiency gain with a Caldera Cone comes from this simple fuel tab holder. IMPORTANT UPATE: The one failing of the Gram Cracker is that it lets valuable liquid fuel residue run down and collect into a gooey blob on the ti tray beneath the Gram Cracker tab holder. With this situation only a 7 minute burn time can be expected from one ESBIT tablet.

Read more: Trail Designs Gram Cracker review (1)

Featured review by P_a_lloyd

Great lightweight stove that is inexpensive, efficient and compact. The solid fuel cubes burn hot and last quite a while, but will leave a bit of black residue on your pot.

Setup:  Incredibly easy: unfold it, put the cube in, and light it. Ignition: Lights right up, and it burns fairly slow, so it's not scary to light or anything. Flame control: Lacks here, because the only thing you can do with regards to this is move the pot up or down one setting. Cooking: Wouldn't be the best for doing much more than boiling water. I guess you could fry on it if you need to, just like any other flame. Boil Time: I was able to get four cups of water to a pretty solid boil within just a few minutes and still had about a third of the fuel left.

Read more: Bleuet Pocket Stove reviews (2)

Reviewed by Bentbrook

The Trail Designs Classic Ti-Tri stove system offers a pot stand, a windscreen, and three fuel choices—alcohol, Esbit, wood—in a durable, lightweight package. Best for lightweight or ultralight backpackers hiking in conditions that make these fuel options viable and practical.

The search for the perfect backpacking stove is virtually endless: for we DIYers and MYOG junkies, the endless array of stoves that can be made in one's workshop (or even on the trail) offer low cost and the satisfaction of having made something oneself, be it an alcohol stove made from a beer can or a gasifier wood-burner made from a soup can and a paint can.  The market is flooded with countless commercial options, too, a bewildering array. Each has its own pros and cons. So we play with options, fill shelves and drawers with creations and purchases, and keep on searching. Been there, done that.

Read more: Trail Designs Classic Ti-Tri review (1)