I saw this little guy on Aliexpress for under A$30 and just had to try one out. It came as a most intriguing 3D jigsaw without instructions – a modest intelligence test – which took a little while to figure out.
The leftover piece (centre) turned out to be the supporting leg at the rear which confers much of its amazing stability. My Jack Russells will have a hard time knocking it over (though they have been trained not to).
I found it very easy to light with just a few gum leaves and some twigs – but I am quite expert at doing so, something which you should also practice. See eg The Secret of Fire and Mastery of Fire. I found dropping some burning leaves in worked well.
A very few minutes later the billy was boiling and a hot cuppa could be had. About as fast as a canister stove but not so fast as the Suluk which maybe burns too hot.
Using a fire blowing tube to reignite it from embers after it had died down. If you prefer electrical gadgets you might like this DIY Fire Blower.
It telescopes like an antenna as you can see.
Packed away it only takes up the space of a small envelope in your pack.
The Suluk for comparison.
Much hotter but uses much more fuel too and will definitely not simmer.
The whole thing weighed a little over 600 grams including the (flat) carry sack. It might not be ultralight in comparison eg with the 85 gram Suluk Stove ( a lightweight version of the Bushbuddy) or my DIY $4 & 20 Gram Roll Up Titanium Stove which will be undergoing further refinements now (because of it) but it is very solid and should last several years.
In any case it needs no fuel save what you find along the trail, can be pretty safely lit just in front of your tent, will provide some welcome warmth and does not scorch the ground at all – and should not provoke a wildfire.
I believe it will also simmer (and probably fry and bake) well – a treasure in a backcountry stove one intends to use in conjunction with a spot of hunting and fishing and in any case some cooking, not just heating and boiling. Great for Johnny Cakes and chapatis for example.
It burns slowly with very little smoke or fuel for a very long while between refuels. As you can see in the pictures I found the telescopic fire blowing tube a useful accessory to it when you want to get it burning quickly or reignite it if you let it die down too much. It was still quite hot an hour after I had last fueled it.
Here is my DIY $4 & 20 Gram Roll Up Titanium Stove for comparison. It boils two cups of water in about a minute. It is not a simmer stove however.
I will be making a couple of small modifications to it too in the near future such as the closure. I think for most trips this DIY stove and an Alcohol Stove such as the Brasslite (with enhanced simmering and lighting ability – read the post) will still be my best option.
I would mostly use the roll-up stove as a windscreen or to conserve fuel when I just want to quickly boil the billy. To simmer a meal or fry a fish etc I would use the Brasslite.
I may leave one of these mini rocket stoves at my permanent camps though, as they can be used when sitting in one of my tents, will give out some warmth and will simmer a meal.
See Also:
DIY $4 & 20 Gram Roll Up Titanium Stove
Ghost Shrimp and Other Small Fry
PS: In case you should buy one of these, here are some photos (in order) of how it goes together:
