Hobo vs. fuel stove

[Motorcycle-Vagabonds]

This topic is not really about motorcycles but it´s related to motorcycle touring.

Do you cook yourself if you camp on motorcycle tours?

Usually we travel with fuel stoves, but this year we used a Hobo stove on several tours.

http://krad-vagabunden.de/s/cc_images/cache_2414790548.jpeg

This is my resume:

pro:

- packing size smaller then a fuel stove with bottle: 11,5 x 15 x 1 cm

- because of the chimney effect it burns even real wet wood

- you safe money – less than 1.5 GBP / 2 USD per week

- cooking is no longer a annoying duty for me. I love to collect branches and start and maintain the fire. High romantic factor!

con:

- soot

- you can´t find branches everywhere – e.g. not in desert like areas and on smart regular campgrounds

- if you burn wet wood it smokes a lot, which is a pain for you as the operator as well as for neighbours on the campground – but in moscito infested areas this turned out to be big pro for us: it kept these bast*rds away

- depending on the kind of wood: heating efficiency is sometimes as good as a fuel stove, but sometimes it´s far below

Quality and prices for Hobo stoves differ very much:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=hobo+stove&rh=i:aps,k:hobo+stove&linkCode=ll2&tag=mv-fb-21&linkId=55c3dac6f1c6dc9f1d5948cfaa042e91

It might even be fun to build your own. Ain´t difficult.

">

Cheers

Frank

[Guest]

I built a very similar thing - a wood gas stove - using a couple of different sized tins (one fits in the other). Fun to use but mine was a little slow, I bet a properly manufactured one would be better, the proper woodgas stoves are a little more efficient and cleaner than the hobo ones. I believe that they work by re-igniting the gasses given off by the burning wood. Worth having in your kit IMO.

[Chrissb6]

I love cook whilst camping, having tried numerous gas cookers - stoves over the years I'm now hooked to the Colman multi fuel stove, nothing boils water quicker, no need to carry bottles of gas anymore just a small length of tube to syphon some fuel out of the bikes tank. Colman do there own fuel but that costs a small fortune never had any problems with unleaded. When we go to the IOM l'll nip up to the local B&Q and buy a cheap BBQ there great for grills and sticking a large pan on