Survival Stove: Why you need one!
Nothing is more frustrating than not having all of the right tools to complete a task. This is even more apparent during an emergency. Whether you are camping or trying to survive a catastrophic event food is essential! To be prepared you need a method to heat food or sanitize water that is quick and easy to deploy. Not every situation will allow the time required to build a fire. You will often not have a grill or even a gas camping stove available. Weight needs to be considered, especially if you’re interested in a stove for the bugout bag. The two options I recommend in this blog are easy to deploy, use, and are very compact.
The Modern Compact Camp Stove: The first is the Esbit Solid Fuel Camp Stove Cook-set! This little stove is very easy to use, its compact enough for even every day carry in a back pack, and it requires no gas or fire to be built! It includes a 585ml/19oz pot. This stove does require the use of a fire tablet, but these are handy to have anyway as they are a quick and easy way to start a fire or heat an item on the stove. Most fire tablets are water proof too! It takes only a few minutes to boil water in the supplied pot!
You can find the Esbit solid Fuel Camp Stove here:
The Hobo Stove: The second option is a homemade cook stove made from readily available materials and little to no tools, often found in the street or any home. This is a perfect option for urban settings or in the home if all else has failed and you have little to no supplies. This can also double as a small heater! You will be very surprised at how easy this stove is to make and how efficient it is as boiling water. Below is the guide to construct the two parts of the stove:
- The materials needed are two small beer/soda can(empty), one large can of soup/vegetables(empty), a small amount of cardboard, a medium sized candle and a few small rocks or stones of similar size.
- The tools required is anything you can find to punch holes in the cans and cut/rip the cans.
Part one:
1. Cut one end of the larger soup can open, dump out contents and throw away the lid. This allows the larger can to slip over the smaller can in later steps.
2. Poke/cut 4 to 5 holes along the side of the can and at each end, about 3/8” in diameter. These holes allow oxygen and air flow into the stove.
3. Cut/poke about 9 holes in the closed end of the larger can, again about 3/8” in diameter. This creates the “grate” of the stove.
Part two:
4. Empty the contents of the two small cans. Cut/rip the beer/soda can in half.
5. Coil the small piece of cardboard longways and insert it into the can.
6. Using a lighter, fire tablet, or other means melt the wax into and over the cardboard (this step takes the most time. It allows the stove to be used repeatedly and keeps the cardboard from burning too quickly.)
Construct the stove and use:
7. Light the cardboard on fire, being careful not to burn yourself!
8. Place the larger soup can over the smaller beer/soda can.
9. Place at least 3-5 small rocks or stones in an array on the top of the can.
10. Position your pot, can or other cooking device on top of the rocks, being carful to keep the cooking pot level! This may require some trial and error prior to lighting the stove.
11. Add water or whatever you would like to heat.
Once you are done with your stove, clean it, pack it up and stow it away for the next meal. These two options are awesome options for on the go cooking!