Originally Posted By Pat-trick
Originally Posted By phat


And you can leave the cut up can at home, use three rocks you find locally to put your pot on, and not carry any stove either wink



There IS a danger of starting a below ground fire when using an open fire pit on top of the ground. There are layers of dead material that can catch on fire, or simply smolder.


Sure, if you build your fire on a layer of organic materiel - but this really depends upon where you are. If I'm building my fire on sand, or rock, or clay, or gravel, it's just not the case.

Is it *appropritate* to have an open fire everywhere? heck no.
many places it would definately leave a trace, and many places the act of scavenging for fuel everywhere would adversely affect the place. Similarly flying embers could light fires in very dry places. Places like that are also no place to use a wood stove either.

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We hear stories about smoldering underground fires in the news all the time. I like the idea of the contained wood fire, and especially in something like the Bushbuddy that has double-wall construction. I don't think anyone who uses this forum has ever used one for backpacking, because I've asked for reviews and haven't gotten a single one. In fact, there's been lots of resistance to the idea of using the Bushbuddy or other home-made wood stoves.


And you've hit the nail on the head - this is a lightweight backpacking forum.I *DO* use a wood fire in *some* places i go where it is appropriate to do so, when I do though, and I'm carrying an alky stove or canister stove for the other times.

Much of the time I am out, I am in sensitive areas in the alpine. in those places I will not use wood, even in a stove.

Coastal hikes with driftwood everywhere? heck, fire on the beach time. no need for a stove there.. high tide and winter storms make it pretty much no trace.

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But, I've heard in other places on the internet that the thing does work. It can be used for boiling water, or some prolonged cooking, or simply for the pleasure of a "campfire". Keeping the fire from contacting the ground makes it safe for the planet.


It can keep it safe if you want to have a fire on top of a duff layer. Anywhere else, well, the planet has been burning for long before humans - I doubt it will care.

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The double-wall construction provides a pre-heated secondary air source for more complete combustion of the wood, and results in pretty much a smoke-free fire. I've gotten that with my own incomplete version of the double-wall Bushbuddy. If anyone decides to use it, they ought to bring a back-up stove, either alcohol, or propane, or one of the many others. Like for when it's solid pouring rain for 3 days. BTW, it's not a wood gassifier technically. It just gives good combustion of wood.


I agree completely. The engineer in me loves the things - I love to tinker with them. My only issue with them is the practiality of using them for backpacking in most situations. For me, it's simply a case of:

1) in many situations where I should not have a wood fire, I shouldn't use this either.

2) In situations where I can have a wood fire, I can have one without carrying this.

3) For all other situations, I need a stove.

4) There are concievably some situations where I could use this where I could not have a wood fire. I concede it's possible, and always have. I just haven't encountered such situations, in a lot of backpacking.

5) given the rarity of 4) above, and the fact that for the weight of your a 5 ounce stove I have stove, stand, and 2 to 3
days of fuel for two hot meals a day for one person, I just can't manage myself to make the weight tradeoff - even for the coolness factor.

The most common thing for me to do is have a few places where wood fires are possible, and then adjust my stove fuel load accordingly.




Edited by phat (09/17/10 06:02 PM)
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