Esbit Ultralight Folding Pocket Stove with Six 14g Solid Fuel Tablets steel, Small - Original

The Esbit Ultralight Folding Pocket Stove with Six 14-gram Solid Fuel Tabs provides me with a very lightweight, compact, easy-to-use, stable, and effective portable cooking system when I need to fix a freeze-dried meal or a cup of hot chocolate, tea or coffee when camping. It's design allows for good air flow around and under the bottom of the stove, allowing the fuel tabs to produce heat quite efficiently. This Esbit stove will hold four of the packaged 14-gram solid fuel tabs inside it when closed. I keep the folded-up stove and solid fuel tabs in a heavy-duty zip-lock sandwich bag when not in use because of the fuel tab's distinct, and previously well-reported "fishy" smell. This simple precaution prevents those awkward side glances and/or very pointed comments regarding personal hygiene from my hiking mates.I pack both my cooking gear and my water canteen together inside my MOLLE II canteen cover, giving me a compact, lightweight, and efficient system for carrying and getting to those items. My Esbit Ultralight Folding Pocket Stove with four 14-gram Esbit Solid Fuel Tabs (both inside the heavy-duty zip-lock bag) fit easily into the bottom of my Official U.S. Military MOLLE II Canteen Cover, followed by my Rothco Stainless Steel Canteen Cup Lid #11512 below my Rothco G.I. Type Stainless Steel Canteen Cup #512, which holds my Nalgene BPA-free Tritan Oasis 32 oz. Canteen with my Rothco Canteen Cup Stove/Stand #918 slipped down over my canteen. While this pack arrangement may look a little goofy, compared to the appearance of a "typical" canteen in a canteen cover, and is definitely not mil-spec, the top flap of the canteen cover keeps everything in place and the strap buckles easily into its latch, just like it is supposed to do. I can also pack my bottles of Potable Water Purification Tablets with PA+, Crystal Lite Natural Lemonade Packets, Drip Drop Oral Rehydration Powder packets (to prevent dehydration if I become ill on the trail -- a not unheard of problem), my UST BlastMatch, and my Laser Jet Butane Lighter, all fit neatly into the two Velcro-secured side pockets on my U.S. Military Molle II Canteen Cover. The space my Esbit stove would have taken up if packed in my backpack can now be used for another freeze-dried meal or beverage package, or an extra 70% cocoa chocolate bar, or another piece of gear to make the hike easier or more enjoyable.In case you are wondering why I have both the Esbit Stove and the Rothco Canteen Cup Stove/Stand in my pack, here is the reason. I have found the Esbit Stove to be more stable and more efficient at allowing the solid fuel tabs to produce their maximum amount of heat and more effectively reflecting that heat up to the bottom of my canteen cup than the Rothco stove/stand. I use the Rothco stove/stand as a compact, easily packed windscreen for the Esbit stove. I sawed through the Rothco stove/stand in the center of the large rectangular opening on one side so I could spread it open to easily fit around the base of the Esbit stove. This helps keep the wind from blowing too much of the fuel tabs' heat out of the stove, before it can get to the bottom of my canteen cup and get the water in it boiling as quickly as possible, which gets the hot food or beverage inside me as soon as possible.The Esbit Ultralight Folding Pocket Stove and the Esbit 14-gram Solid Fuel Tablets help me enjoy hot meals and hot beverages quickly, simply, efficiently, compactly, and economically when there's no mess hall nearby. It works great for me, and might make meal-time easier or more enjoyable for you on your next hike.

This is a very small and basic stove that is perfect for minimalist camping, dayhikes, emergency kits, and for putting in your truck for those early mornings on the jobsite (or north 40, or wherever) when you want a hot meal or cup of joe. They are relatively inexpensive and small, and I've always got one nearby. I have had one in my truck kit for years and there have been many times I've been grateful for a warm drink when I'm out in the sticks. The following are main points based on my use and experience over the years:Positive Attributes:* Compact - About the size of a small wallet for both stove and four fuel tablets, the Esbit folding pocket stove is hard to beat for dimension and weight. (not considering the competitive field of ultra-minimalist penny stoves, of course) Stove and four fuel tablets amount to the size and bulk of a small men's wallet.* Reliable - Consisting of a base and two folding metal pot supports that expand from a closed position, there really isn't much to go wrong with this stove, ever, unless it's been run over. Ever had a sticky valve on your fancy multi-fuel stove keep you from eating a hot meal when you are tired and cold in the back country? Cracked O-ring on your fuel bottle? Blown valve on your isobutane canister? I have, and it's no fun. With the Esbit stove: Open, insert fuel tab, light, cook. If this stove lets you down, it may well be the end of the world.* Durable - Made of electro-galvanized steel, this stove ought to last several lifetimes if treated gently. The fuel tablets themselves have an almost infinite shelf life if kept dry; they have been known to light and work perfectly after sitting for decades. No fuel to spill, evaporate, or turn into varnish. I find it comforting knowing that the stove in my kit will be there for me. No matter what.* Clean Burning - The hexamine tablets leave very little soot behind on my cookware, which is easily cleaned off. While burning, smoke is negligible-to-nonexistent. (good for hiding from zombies, I find)* Fun - OK, this may not appeal to the hard-facts types, but this stove appeals to me on a level beyond pure function. I like that it's been around in the same form since WWII. I like that it's been part of NATO survival kits and humanitarian packages to cook food and boil water. I like that it's still made in Germany (as of the last time I bought one). I like that it is simple, rugged, basic. There is a coolness factor here - for this reviewer - that enhances my experience and thus warrants inclusion in this review.Limitations:* Range of Use - While the fuel tablets have a high energy content for their size, there is no adjustment once they are going: Once you light them, they just sit there and burn. Ideal for boiling water for purifying or hot drinks or reconstituting dehydrated meals. Less than ideal for genuine cooking where you can really use to modulate the heat. Not impossible, mind you, but more challenging. Also, one tablet only gets you so far, though more can be added as the first burns down.* Smell - It may come as no surprise that a product of formaldehyde and ammonia would leave an odor. The Esbit fuel tablets are made of hexamine, and the burned residue leaves a telltale fishy scent. Personally, I've learned to love it, but buyer beware.* Sensitive to Wind - This is a trait of most, if not all, small campstoves really, but the Esbit folding pocket stove is especially sensitive. I've solved this problem with a hand-made windscreen fashioned from aluminum foil.* Size - This is no Coleman double-burner. But it doesn't weigh 15 pounds, either. This is never an issue if used accordingly.* Cost - I think the cost of the pocket stove represents solid value, considering how long it's likely to last; The fuel tablets, however, cost more per use than alternative fuels for other stoves, such as alcohol or white gas, or even isobutane cannisters. Given the likely frequency of use, though, I don't think the cost should amount to much in the long run especially considering their excellent shelf life.Sample use:The way I use my dayhike/truck-based Esbit pocket stove: I always keep a complement of 4 fuel tabs inside; the stove is wrapped with two paper towels; that package along with storm proof matches UCO Stormproof Matches, Waterproof and Windproof with 15 Second Burn Time - 25 Matches in water-tight canister, pack towel Packtowl Nano Light Towel, two sandwich baggies, four tea bags, 2 oz. campsuds Campsuds Campsuds Soap, homemade windscreen, and titanium spork Snow Peak Colored Titanium Spork Utensil - In Your Choice of Colors in a Snow Peak trek 700 cup/pot Snowpeak Trek 700 Titanium. I find that the Esbit stove and this kit make for a very compact and versatile cook kit for my truck and day hikes.After years of use in all conditions, I can highly recommend the Esbit pocket stove. Five stars for an excellent, dependable, and durable micro stove.

I like that this stove folds up so small, but still has room for fuel pellets, and a lighter inside. I have several of these stoves. I keep them in emergency kits in each car, and my grab and go kit in the house. I also keep two of these stoves in my camping gear. When I need an emergency stove, I don't want to go looking for it. I want it to be in a handy kit. These stoves burn a wide variety of fuels, that are convenient, and easy to find. My favorite way to cook with an Esbit stove is to fill a 1 inch copper pipe cap with Heet alcohol (yellow bottle), and place it in the stove where the fuel pellet would normally go. This easily heats a can of soup, or two cups of water for rehydrating a Mountain House type meal. I haven't used biofuels, like twigs or pine cones, but I'm sure they would work well in this stove. If I'm using an Esbit fuel pellet, I wrap a small piece of foil around the bottom, and sides of the pellet, which makes it burn longer, and more completely. It also makes the stove easier to keep clean. When using a stove of this type, you really need to use a wind screen. This makes the stove more efficient, cooks the food faster, and saves fuel. You can use a folding aluminum wind screen, or make your own out of foil. The stove is very sturdy, and will hold heavy pots, or skillets, if they are very well balanced on the stove. After use, the stove cools quickly, and is easy to clean. I would recommend this stove, as a no nonsense answer to emergency situations, camping, power failures. or quick heating food at a pic nic, or a food stop at a roadside rest area.