Yes, you can do so, if you have a different source of air for the fire. The reason is because of the way Biolite Camp Stove is designed. In this post, you will learn everything about the Biolite Camp Stove and how it works. You will also learn how to use it without the fan unit.
How BioLite Camp Stove Works
The Biolite Camp Stove is an ingenious invention that allows you to use the fire you have built to generate electricity, which you used to power a fan that blows the fire, making it burn longer. Biolite Camp Stove also allows you to use it to charge your other devices. The Biolite Camp Stove, which is the second edition, weighs only 2.6 lbs. It has been updated with a battery capacity of 3,200 mAh.
Now how does BioLite Camp Stove work? The stove follows a simple set of steps to get the fire going and your stuff charged.
- Stuff pieces of wood into the combustion sleeve, which is a container with rows of perforations on the sides.
- The heat from the fire warms an aluminum probe
- As the probe warms, it generates a voltage
- A circuit board in the device detects that the heat has reached a certain threshold, it signals the fan to roll
- The rolling fan provides oxygen for the fire to keep waxing stronger
- The air from the fan is collected in and used by the device in such a way that it doesn’t really burn the food directly but converts the fuel in the wood into gas, which burns
- The more wood is added, the faster the fan rolls to grow the flames
- Excess electricity generated from the fire is sent to the battery
- The stored energy in the battery is then used to charge your other devices, like phones and torches
How To Use BioLite?
Using BioLite Camp Stove is easy. First, start the fire, after which everything else follows naturally.
You can start the fire with tiny sticks and dried grass that you stuff into the combustion sleeve and light them up with a match.
Next, push the power button twice and the fan would start. As the battery charges, the fire will continue to get bigger. You will need more supply of sticks and twigs. Don’t let the twigs sticking out of the top of the stove or they would obstruct what you put on it.
After putting on more sticks, you need to ramp up the speed of the fan.
You can now set your pot or small kettle on the stove. Depending on how much fire you need, you can add more sticks. So before you begin, let what you need be the fire to determine the amount of twigs and sticks you gather.
You can plug your other devices like phones or rechargeable flashlights into the charging portal as the fire gets bigger. The little green bars show how much juice the battery of the BioLite Camp Stove has. When you are done with your cooking and you stop adding sticks, the fan adjusts to lower settings.
How To Use BioLite Camp Stove Without The Fan
At the beginning of this post, you learned that you can use the device without a fan. You also learn how it works. The work of the fan is to supply oxygen to the fire, which is what flames need to burn. Understanding the principle of how flames burn helps to understand how to use the device without the fan.
What you need:
To use BioLite without the fan, you need a breezy environment. It has to be a strong unyielding wind which means you’d be using it outside.
After setting the twigs and sticks in the combustion sleeve on fire, set the device in the path of the passing wind. This way, the combustion sleeve has a steady and strong supply of oxygen.
You’ll have to give the flames time to wax strong. Put your pot on the flames and cook.
The downside of using the BioLite device without the fan is you won’t be able to charge your other devices.
Who Is BioLite Camp Stove Recommended For?
You may wonder if the Biolite system is good for you. Anyone can use Biolite Camp Stove. But the people it is most helpful to are outdoorsy folks. At home, you have your kitchen, but in the wild while on the trail, it’s a different environment.
The following people need BioLite Camp Stove:
- Campers
- Backpackers
- Boaters
- Students on trips
- Mountain climbers
Pretty much anyone who enjoys life in the outdoors. Campers and backpackers especially would love the product. It is compact and doesn’t weigh too much.
The Downside of Biolite Camp Stove
Even the best products have to be vetted by users who would leave reviews about their experience. Here are a few you should note:
- Backpackers may have to struggle with the extra weight if they are walking long distance
- BioLite Camp Stove isn’t on the cheap side compared to other products like it
- The producers say it cooks a liter of water in under 4 to 5 minutes, but it can be longer. You may even experience uneven cooking.
- If the flame is not strong enough, the power output can shut down
- You can experience a little difficulty with the potholder as it doesn’t clip easily
- Even though the advertisement says it doesn’t smoke, the use of natural fuel can leave soot behind
- And it doesn’t store power backup. You always need a fire going to charge your other devices
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt that the BioLite Camp Stove invention is a cool and welcoming one. Campers are going to enjoy using it if they can just get past the downsides. Another set of people who would find this device helpful are those who car camp. They’d want to park and make breakfast or dinner. If you are at high altitudes, you could try using the device without the fan and see how much you squeeze out of it.