Hi Franco, Thanks for your comments and for starting the discussion. I was being a little provocative by putting the fire blower in the ultralight forum for my first posting there. MYOG might have been less inappropriate.
I would not agree with your characterisation of my device as 'cooking over a wood fire'. In the detailed post on my website, I even describe the joys of using my stoves, in seated comfort, beside a campfire. It makes cooking very much easier and safer than on a campfire. The charcoal and butt end scraps from the campfire make an endless supply of fuel.
The very first time that I took my prototype fire blower out on an overnight walk, I left it outside under an upturned bowl overnight. The next morning without any encouragement a fellow walker commandeered my delicate blower and instantly re-started the campfire for a bit of warmth and drying on a very cold morning.
It makes an
alternative to cooking over a fire. Yes, it uses wood as the fuel and in tiny quantities that would not sustain a conventional fire. You would no more call a wood-fired steam engine a fire.
It is in the league of the many natural-draft ultralight wood stoves that use sticks for fuel such as the Caldera that is used by 'let's say light backpackers' as this forum definition of below 4.5kg is rather strict.
https://www.traildesigns.com/products/caldera-cone-systemI playfully describe how the stove can be used with rocks or a hole in the ground, but a 50-100g roll titanium stove body can be used to make it more convenient if you get so exhausted by your walking or skiing that becomes a chore.
I find that the end of an active trekking day is a great time to relax, socialise, rehydrate and enjoy the fun of cooking and sharing. I am not a solo trekker and mostly share my 900g tent with someone (Or is it a 450g tent if shared?). Then invariably we share tent set-up, water collection etc and alternating primary responsibility for shared evening meals. It can be very pleasant and efficient and starting the wood stove is the easiest task. It is usually done first to make hot drinks for rehydration and relaxation while everything else is done.
On this basis, I used the stove every evening on a three-week-long walk along the Hume & Hovell trail (big tiring days for the first week until we gained out trail toughness). Our tent was up, our sleeping bags were out for an airing, we had hot water to share and our dinner was always ready way before those using a Jetboil and carrying fuel. The stove can be a joy to use if you have the right attitude and enjoy a fire. It definitely is no chore. For me, it brings satisfaction from sparingly using an infinite resource of fallen little sticks for fuel as an alternative to mined or manufactured fuels. I also have the satisfaction of never needing to carry an empty, or worse a half-empty fuel container home. The weight of my device would probably be equal to the weight of fuel gas that most people carry home.
Please note these significant differences between a blower stove and a campfire:
The blower makes the combustion much hotter and cleaner,
The cooking pot/s are stable and easy to handle and string can be done while still cooking,
The heat is focused on the stove bottom only,
The fuel can be long sticks that need minimal preparation,
Will easily burn damp or wet wood,
The startup is almost instant and full cooking power will be reached within a couple of minutes,
The stove will hold fire and simmer for long periods (15min) with the blower removed,
Re-establishing full power is again almost instant,
Uses only a small fraction of the wood fuel used in a small campfire, so wood collection should not be a chore.
Regarding your comment about solo walkers using 500-700ml pots that are not suitable for use with fires. My roll-up titanium stove fits inside a 700ml mug that can be used for cooking (as shown in the post). This is a perfect match.
Thanks again for starting the discussion, Tim
