I also like the idea of a close topped hobo stove. I've seen some old hobo designs like that. Not as sofisticated as yours, just hole near bottom and hole near top, but with the can upside down as opposed to what is usually done. Upside is you get a hotter combustion temperature. Downside is you can have some trouble getting the heat to your pot. Also, you still need some sort of insulation from the ground, especially wet ground or snow, and some sort of a grate helps also, but I question the need for a grate really, if gasification or partial gasification is what you are after anyhow.

The other thing I wonder about is the best design if you want to use the stove both for cooking and for throwing some heat. The open top type isn't bad if you are sitting over it, but I think the closed top and open side is probably better.

With a simple coffee can type stove you could always use it right side up or upside down I suppose. The best base in both cases might be another can. Perhaps a tuna can. Or perhaps it could be your can for holding tinder and burning char. Normally you would make char with the can over the fire, but if it was under, that might work and provide insulation and volatile gases at the same time, through a pinhole. Still some more insulation under that setup would still be helpful. It starts to get overcomplicated again.

This is beginning to appeal to me again...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEHSJftQ9Vg&feature=related

OK, so carrying a chainsaw is sketchy. Even with a handsaw, getting 6" logs isn't practical. But what about driving one green stick into the ground like a stake, and then bundling 6 sticks around it with some snare wire or some sort of band clamp. Or perhaps a thin sheet around them to serve also as a wind screen. Maybe 3 stakes would be better, or the wind screen metal would serve as the legs or reinforce the legs. Anyhow, the ide would be to tightly bundle roughly 7 2" diameter sticks together, with the center stick being only 2" tall, and the others at least 6" taller, except one maybe where the chimney hole goes out. Some sort of tuna can for a stove top.