# Gear hack - Swiss kit stove



## oif_ghost_tod (Sep 25, 2012)

I know there are a bajillion stoves out there, which run on every fuel imaginable, but alcohol and other fuels are finite, especially after SHTF. I personally use a simple 'volcano style' swiss kit stove to get around this. I feel strongly that the simpler something is, the easier to use under duress.









This stove suits me best because it is super lightweight, simple, and runs on twigs, sticks, pinecones, even garbage or discarded cardboard scraps. I carry it with my day pack on every adventure year round.









In an effort to practice what I preach (gear mastery in inclement weather), I spent some time today making my tea the hard way, during a cold, snowy, blustery day, in order to keep my firemaking skills sharp.
So I made up a little fire and put on a liter of water and timed it.









Just over 10 minutes to boil and I had to keep blowing into the fire chamber in order to keep it going strong.
Hmm....not enough air? I can fix that!
I added five additional 3/8" vent holes to the side opposite the feed window.









Then I re-loaded the stove with tinder and sticks and re-tested it.

















8 minutes to boil a fresh batch of water, which is roughly a 20% improvement as far as time goes, but the real payoff is that it burns much, much better and with less effort. I suggest this modification if you have this stove.









What I like about this setup is that it comes with a bottle to boil water in, with a cork top (a screw top bottle can explode when boiling water), as well as a cup for chow. It also will support my larger cook pot and coffee percolator, if needs be.
I also can put my 'penny alcohol stove' in it and burn alcohol or heet for more flexibility if natural fuel is sparse.

Downsides? Not many. It is slower to boil and more deliberate to operate than propane stoves (needs to be fed every 5-10mins), but more than makes up for it in reliability and simplicity. I made a paracord handle that slips on the bottle for ease of use and protection from burns.
There's also something to be said about never running out of fuel, as natural fuel is abundant in all but the most extreme climates.

I definitely recommend this for bug out bags or car kits. I also would recommend adding a pill bottle of vaseline soaked cotton balls and a firesteel to complete the kit.

I give this 4 of 5 stars.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Nice unit and great review. Thank you. Where does one get one of these?


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## oif_ghost_tod (Sep 25, 2012)

Sentry18 said:


> Nice unit and great review. Thank you. Where does one get one of these?


Your welcome! I've seen them at surplus stores but Amazon has them too.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003H7SUVE


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

Good info and very good review, pics included always a bonus!


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Nice read dude! kudos for pics and explanations!


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

CTD had these at the lowest prices (I think they were $16) but I just checked and they were out of stock.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

wouldn't get it there if they were a dollar a peice


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

jsriley5 said:


> wouldn't get it there if they were a dollar a peice


Doesn't make it any more or less true


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

tis true not saying it aint


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## recoilless_57mm (Oct 15, 2012)

I think the Sportmans Guide had them as well. Their web address: www.sportsmansguide.com .

I purchased a couple of these some years ago. The review was right on. I might add that you don't have to carry fuel bottles, or any of the related repair parts to keep these simple but very effective units going. It is simple, easy to use and very reliable. I will give a second thumbs up:thumbraise: to this little unit.

Great post!
Charlie


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## oif_ghost_tod (Sep 25, 2012)

recoilless_57mm said:


> I think the Sportmans Guide had them as well. Their web address: www.sportsmansguide.com .
> 
> I purchased a couple of these some years ago. The review was right on. I might add that you don't have to carry fuel bottles, or any of the related repair parts to keep these simple but very effective units going. It is simple, easy to use and very reliable. I will give a second thumbs up:thumbraise: to this little unit.
> 
> ...


The only stove I have seen that would make me even think of getting rid of this is the new Biolite thermo-electric stove, and ill probably just end up carrying both for redundancy.

I still do not believe there is a simpler stove out there. 3 pieces of shaped aluminum, a wire handle, and a cork.

No sparkers to break, no fuel bottles leaking in the pack, no need to create an additional wind guard, no parts to lose in the snow.

Simple.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

> CTD had these at the lowest prices (I think they were $16) but I just checked and they were out of stock.


When they are back in stock they will be $129 each.


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## WatchUr6 (May 18, 2012)

I was impressed with this stove, so I just ordered one. I think I got it at a reasonable price. Can't wait to for it to get here so I can try. Thanks for posting about this great little stove.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

I bought I thin 3 a them at Mill's Fleet Farm, they was 9 bucks each. Good piece kit. I like the fact ya don't have no liquid fuel ta carry an the thin will burn bout anythin to. 

I also added the extra holes an it do make quite a difference in how that little bugger works.


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## jeremiyah (Feb 13, 2009)

If you can do that with SS it would be mucho better. I was looking at those Swiss ones, and read of one guy who melted a hole in it 1st time. Maybe defective, etc. For sure though, use a good SS bottle for heating water in to avoid aluminum poisoning ie Alzheimers. 


jeremiyah


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## -JohnD- (Sep 16, 2012)

Another suggestion would be to build a "fire rack" for the bottom. You can use a small piece of hardware cloth cut to fit in the stove with the edges bent down to form legs, this will increase air flow through the fire causing it to burn better. When not in use just flip it over and you can still store everything in the stove. I did this in a hobo stove I made and it made a huge difference in boil time, lowered amount of fuel needed and cut down on smoke.


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## cheburgie (Dec 8, 2013)

Just received my biolite stove, gave it a test run, awesome little stove boiled a liter of water in 8 minutes. Charged my phone from 10 % to 20% in 15 minutes I will be purchasing there kettle pot soon. Now im looking for a device that charged aa batteries via USB. Any info would be appreciated.


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