Weevil - I understand what you're saying (and I'm well versed in campfire safety) but for my circumstances, an enclosed fire is much more suitable than an open campfire hence the wood stove request. In any case, the teaching aspect is not the primary purpose behind all this - Daddy wants a brand new stove : )
Does anyone have any experience of making a wood burner? There are so many construction plans out there that it's hard to choose!
Ok, something of a broad title there : ) I'm after a wood burning stove, for 50 notes or less, which weighs in at sub .5 kilos. My intention is to be able to use the stove on the occasional day / overnight hike / bushcraft session and also as a way of teaching my kids about fire safety prior to their learning about open fires in bushcraft. I love the idea of a wood gasifier (the Solo Stove comes to mind) - it's efficient, looks solid and the hot stuff is well contained. It also looks well suited to short stops though I'm concerned about how useful it is in less than ideal conditions (eg burning damp wood). I also like the Honey Stove - it's cheaper than the Solo, more flexible and is probably easier to keep running with variable fuel sizes, dampness, etc. The fact that it can be expanded with the Hive is a nice touch too. Obviously there are other wood burners out there (Fire Spout Mini, The Pocket Stove, et al) but I've found less info about them. There's also the Wilderness Stove which Bob over at BPL is working on (I believe) but I don't have any info about that. Lastly I could spend time instead of money and make one. I would very much appreciate any helpful suggestions / comments from you good people (especially those with experience of wood burners in general). Cheers!
Excellent news. Sorry the advice about the Active Lite wasn't quite right for you - everyone feels the cold differently of course. At least you now know that should you want the same system for warmer weather, the Active Lite could suit you. As I've mentioned, I have the equivalent of a Special 6 for the cold and an Active Lite for the warmer months (I could even combo the two if the temp really dropped as the side zips obviously match).