one little nuance; always make sure the handles of the kettle are positioned towards the power unit! The cuts for the flame vents are positioned as such so that the power unit won't get burned if positioned this way...many people allow the top of their battery pack to get roasted and overheated by not doing this!!
@@techgadgetsreviewed About a year now! I got one of the cool grey colored "carbon neutral" editions! I wish I waited a bit longer to get the better battery & light, but mine works great regardless! Nice review and video!
Cheers and thanks. I was looking at this about a year ago myself and had to wait. I hear you, I am definitely glad I did. I will be doing more on this when I can finally get into the backcountry with it. Can't wait for that. :)
With the weight argument your conclusion is the same I came to it packs down right for the just the main battery/cook unit my immediate impression was that it was very light and wouldn't really occupy that much space in a good frame pack this unit fulfills multiple tasks that's where I'm leaning towards it and if your an individual who wants to be nearly unreliant on man made fuel sources this is one of the few products I've seen take a a crack at it. For my first use a handful of twigs and another handful of broken down hardwood were enough to cook a full breakfast for two people almost as effective as my electric griddle.
Yes, I have found it to be extremely useful and to allow me to throw a lot of stuff out of my pack. As far as I have been able to see, or find, it is the best stove if you do not want to rely on additional items such as fuel.
I mostly agree with you analysis, but the pot is more a kettle, and only that, for me. You boil water and make coffee or tea with it, or some ramen noodle or a dried soup, but it ends here (it's not bad!). But to cook correctly, I prefer a lower pan. The light is a gadget (IMHO). The whole thing seems quite bulky and heavy, but is actually... a lot less than all the stuff we have to take in order to obtain the same utility :-) You prove it, thank you. ATB
I freeze dry most of my food so the kettle pot works fine for me but I do agree, if you wish to use it as a cook pot, you may find it a wee bit deep. 😀 The light may seem like a gadget but I used it last week and it was quite handy when I had no choice to cook after it got dark. Made the world of difference in seeing and cooking my food. Could I have used another light? Yes, definitely but I didn't have to find another light because it was already there.
@@techgadgetsreviewed That's my idea, too, the pot is too deep for a good cooking use. For the light, OK, its plus is to be in the pack :-), but I'm used to a headlamp, which I find more practical :-) and it lights really whatever I'm doing.
But can you carry a small wood burning stove only when you backpack? If not then you have to carry basically 2 stoves and still at least one gas cartridge.
@@Dave_Outside If you are backpacking someplace like the Himalayas, no, because there are parts of the trek where there is no wood, but most other places, yes, there is no issue.
Hey Michael, I have not found there is any taste from the coffee left over as long as you wash everything after making coffee. It is stainless steel, so it does not maintain flavors of anything. I have balanced other pots with no issues.
When it's windy it is like any other stove. Need shelter to light it but once it's going it is fine. In the rain, same as the others, keep it sheltered as much as possible. For winter and rain, having a good supply of dry wood or wood pellets is necessary but it works perfect in both situations. :)
Hey Lane, thanks for the comment and the tip. I will keep that in mind for the next video. I am planning another video of the biolite where I am using it in the backcountry. Will make sure I am zoomed out more for that one. 👍
Hi, thank you for your review. I love to go out with a motorcycle. Doing this for almost 35 years. At least once a year i am going on a 4 or 5 week trip. My medicine for not going insane. And at least on the other year i'll go to Sweden. It is my most favourite country where i am able to get to in 4 weeks time. Through the day riding and in the evening setting up my camp. The only negative is that it is a bloody expensive country. Not normal. The most expensive country to get drunk. So as you can imagine i have to be carefull about the weight of my luggage. Also to much weight is giving problems when riding in the dirt. For years i am using a gasoline burner to cook. Also for my coffee of course. I was just thinking as you. For my burner i need to carry a 500 ml gasoline bottle. And a little irritating kettle. So i could also leave other stuff at home and this would then compesate weight and volume. And also the kettle on the Biolite can hold more water. For a few years i wanted to buy a new kettle that could hold more but never could find a right one that was also light. In the past i also had several coffee presses but they never did a good job. And they were not really cheap ones. How well is the coffeepress from Biolite functioning ? Is it a real clean process and does it not leak so you have to drink coffeewaste all the time ? One day i sweared not to buy another one in my whole life because they were always a big dissapointment to me. I could always use this kettle for pouring coffee. Can you pour water controllable with this kettle ?
Hi Kees, Thanks for the comment. I really loving doing these reviews. 😀 Sounds like you have a great reason for a Biolite. I have found the coffee press to work great and I am planning on doing a video to show how well it works. The trick is to make sure your coffee is ground for a coffee press. I ground some of my coffee too fine and of course I wound up with some sediment in my coffee. As for cleaning it out, it was simple. Just rinse and the left over coffee came right out. That is one of the bonuses with the stainless steel pot. I also found pouring water from the pot to work perfectly fine. It pours better with the lid on it, but it is definitely adequate without the lid as well because they have tapered the pot nicely. Cheers, Tom
I will have to disagree just a little. I have the biolite the first model. And used it many time. I was on a few day trip and if your on a mission it plain and simple takes too long. I can set up. Boil and take down in just the time it takes to fire it up. Everyone in my group was waiting on me. Also mine is definitely not smoke free. Maybe the fixed that from the first to the second model. Mine is also very slow going on creating power. If the world is ending this is a great tool to have and also gets hot enough to melt lead 😉
It can indeed take some time to fire up sometimes but I have never found it takes all that long. That is just inherent to any wood burning stove as you have to start the wood burning unlike propane that lights immediately. Could be that they changed something on smoke. I have not had any issues with that unless it is very windy out. I do agree that it takes a while to generate power however, as long as you do not have a need to constantly use power, I have found it more than suffices. Guess it depends on your power consumption needs.
I’ve found that in most circumstances I have sufficient time to enjoy my BioLite (and it is, of course, quicker and more smoke-free when you select drier, better quality wood) - but for the occasion when I’m in too much of a hurry, I also have an Esbit in my pocket for immediate cooking (much more compact and light weight than carrying gas or alcohol).
Yeah, it's pricey but given the fact that it acts as a stove, a light, and USB power source that recharges itself whenever you cook, I think it is well worth the money.
I wasn't sold on the cost so I didn't buy one. A few years ago my girlfriend bought me the campstove 2 for my birthday. 2 or three years later and I can tell you that when it dies I will spend the £150 to replace it without even thinking about. They're awesome!!! I use wooden cat litter pellets and it works amazingly, I live in the UK where sticks are often wet so I use pellets but if we go through a good dry period sticks work great. That and the fact that it charges devices, it's smokeless etc etc. It's just brilliant
@@jaysee2213 - Cat litter pellets? I’m all for saving money, but I’m not too sure about that idea. I guess I’ll have to check the contents on the label
You need to get a grip on your camera angles. It’s also tiresome to hear you talk about what you will do instead of just doing it. Make a script, trim your script and trim the text, before you start shooting. Thanks for your valid opinion. It’s not heavier or bulkier than alternative solutions.
Hi All, let me know what other features of the Biolite that you would like to see me demonstrate.
How do you go about putting this out if you have finished cooking but there's still fuel left to burn?
one little nuance; always make sure the handles of the kettle are positioned towards the power unit! The cuts for the flame vents are positioned as such so that the power unit won't get burned if positioned this way...many people allow the top of their battery pack to get roasted and overheated by not doing this!!
Good point and very true. Thanks for pointing that out. How long have you had your Biolite?
@@techgadgetsreviewed About a year now! I got one of the cool grey colored "carbon neutral" editions! I wish I waited a bit longer to get the better battery & light, but mine works great regardless! Nice review and video!
Cheers and thanks. I was looking at this about a year ago myself and had to wait. I hear you, I am definitely glad I did. I will be doing more on this when I can finally get into the backcountry with it. Can't wait for that. :)
I cover the top of my original bio lite with heavy duty aluminum tape to protect it from stray flame and embers
With the weight argument your conclusion is the same I came to it packs down right for the just the main battery/cook unit my immediate impression was that it was very light and wouldn't really occupy that much space in a good frame pack this unit fulfills multiple tasks that's where I'm leaning towards it and if your an individual who wants to be nearly unreliant on man made fuel sources this is one of the few products I've seen take a a crack at it. For my first use a handful of twigs and another handful of broken down hardwood were enough to cook a full breakfast for two people almost as effective as my electric griddle.
Yes, I have found it to be extremely useful and to allow me to throw a lot of stuff out of my pack. As far as I have been able to see, or find, it is the best stove if you do not want to rely on additional items such as fuel.
I agree with you! Love my BioLite! I even take the grill with - slides neatly in the front of my pack.
Yeah, really love the thing. It is my main stove now. 😀👍
I mostly agree with you analysis, but the pot is more a kettle, and only that, for me. You boil water and make coffee or tea with it, or some ramen noodle or a dried soup, but it ends here (it's not bad!). But to cook correctly, I prefer a lower pan. The light is a gadget (IMHO).
The whole thing seems quite bulky and heavy, but is actually... a lot less than all the stuff we have to take in order to obtain the same utility :-) You prove it, thank you.
ATB
I freeze dry most of my food so the kettle pot works fine for me but I do agree, if you wish to use it as a cook pot, you may find it a wee bit deep. 😀
The light may seem like a gadget but I used it last week and it was quite handy when I had no choice to cook after it got dark. Made the world of difference in seeing and cooking my food. Could I have used another light? Yes, definitely but I didn't have to find another light because it was already there.
@@techgadgetsreviewed That's my idea, too, the pot is too deep for a good cooking use.
For the light, OK, its plus is to be in the pack :-), but I'm used to a headlamp, which I find more practical :-) and it lights really whatever I'm doing.
But can you carry a small wood burning stove only when you backpack? If not then you have to carry basically 2 stoves and still at least one gas cartridge.
@@Dave_Outside If you are backpacking someplace like the Himalayas, no, because there are parts of the trek where there is no wood, but most other places, yes, there is no issue.
I just ordered the bio lite 2 after this video!I had the firs one and I sold it but I did regret it because it’s a cool stove to have for camping
Does the ramen or soup or whatever you cook after you make coffee taste like coffee? I wonder if a small moka pot would balance on the biolite?
Hey Michael, I have not found there is any taste from the coffee left over as long as you wash everything after making coffee. It is stainless steel, so it does not maintain flavors of anything. I have balanced other pots with no issues.
@@techgadgetsreviewed thank you.
Anyone have a comment of when it’s windy or rainy !? How about winter camping. In the cold ?? Windy etc.
When it's windy it is like any other stove. Need shelter to light it but once it's going it is fine. In the rain, same as the others, keep it sheltered as much as possible. For winter and rain, having a good supply of dry wood or wood pellets is necessary but it works perfect in both situations. :)
great review, maybe zoom out so we can see everything you are doing.
Hey Lane, thanks for the comment and the tip. I will keep that in mind for the next video. I am planning another video of the biolite where I am using it in the backcountry. Will make sure I am zoomed out more for that one. 👍
Hi, thank you for your review.
I love to go out with a motorcycle. Doing this for almost 35 years. At least once a year i am going on a 4 or 5 week trip.
My medicine for not going insane. And at least on the other year i'll go to Sweden. It is my most favourite country where i am able to get to in 4 weeks time. Through the day riding and in the evening setting up my camp. The only negative is that it is a bloody expensive country. Not normal. The most expensive country to get drunk. So as you can imagine i have to be carefull about the weight of my luggage. Also to much weight is giving problems when riding in the dirt. For years i am using a gasoline burner to cook.
Also for my coffee of course.
I was just thinking as you. For my burner i need to carry a 500 ml gasoline bottle. And a little irritating kettle.
So i could also leave other stuff at home and this would then compesate weight and volume.
And also the kettle on the Biolite can hold more water. For a few years i wanted to buy a new kettle that could hold more but never could find a right one that was also light.
In the past i also had several coffee presses but they never did a good job. And they were not really cheap ones.
How well is the coffeepress from Biolite functioning ? Is it a real clean process and does it not leak so you have to drink coffeewaste all the time ? One day i sweared not to buy another one in my whole life because they were always a big dissapointment to me.
I could always use this kettle for pouring coffee. Can you pour water controllable with this kettle ?
Hi Kees,
Thanks for the comment. I really loving doing these reviews. 😀
Sounds like you have a great reason for a Biolite. I have found the coffee press to work great and I am planning on doing a video to show how well it works. The trick is to make sure your coffee is ground for a coffee press. I ground some of my coffee too fine and of course I wound up with some sediment in my coffee. As for cleaning it out, it was simple. Just rinse and the left over coffee came right out. That is one of the bonuses with the stainless steel pot. I also found pouring water from the pot to work perfectly fine. It pours better with the lid on it, but it is definitely adequate without the lid as well because they have tapered the pot nicely.
Cheers,
Tom
I will have to disagree just a little.
I have the biolite the first model. And used it many time. I was on a few day trip and if your on a mission it plain and simple takes too long.
I can set up. Boil and take down in just the time it takes to fire it up.
Everyone in my group was waiting on me.
Also mine is definitely not smoke free. Maybe the fixed that from the first to the second model.
Mine is also very slow going on creating power.
If the world is ending this is a great tool to have and also gets hot enough to melt lead 😉
It can indeed take some time to fire up sometimes but I have never found it takes all that long. That is just inherent to any wood burning stove as you have to start the wood burning unlike propane that lights immediately.
Could be that they changed something on smoke. I have not had any issues with that unless it is very windy out.
I do agree that it takes a while to generate power however, as long as you do not have a need to constantly use power, I have found it more than suffices. Guess it depends on your power consumption needs.
I’ve found that in most circumstances I have sufficient time to enjoy my BioLite (and it is, of course, quicker and more smoke-free when you select drier, better quality wood) - but for the occasion when I’m in too much of a hurry, I also have an Esbit in my pocket for immediate cooking (much more compact and light weight than carrying gas or alcohol).
nice
Cheers 😀
as I am understanding --- $150.00 --- hmmmmm --- idunno
Yeah, it's pricey but given the fact that it acts as a stove, a light, and USB power source that recharges itself whenever you cook, I think it is well worth the money.
I wasn't sold on the cost so I didn't buy one. A few years ago my girlfriend bought me the campstove 2 for my birthday. 2 or three years later and I can tell you that when it dies I will spend the £150 to replace it without even thinking about. They're awesome!!!
I use wooden cat litter pellets and it works amazingly, I live in the UK where sticks are often wet so I use pellets but if we go through a good dry period sticks work great. That and the fact that it charges devices, it's smokeless etc etc. It's just brilliant
Coupled with the grill you can have a quick BBQ at home too without burning a load of charcoal just to cook a few burgers
@@jaysee2213 - Cat litter pellets? I’m all for saving money, but I’m not too sure about that idea. I guess I’ll have to check the contents on the label
@@89Doogie they're just compressed wood pellets, just softwood rather than hardwood
You need to get a grip on your camera angles. It’s also tiresome to hear you talk about what you will do instead of just doing it. Make a script, trim your script and trim the text, before you start shooting. Thanks for your valid opinion. It’s not heavier or bulkier than alternative solutions.
Gram weenies need not apply. kek
lol, that is for sure.
Nope