My experience with fire likely echoes that of many outdoor enthusiasts. Growing up watching Survivorman episodes inspired my outdoor adventures, focusing on bushcraft from the start. For me, camping wasn’t complete without a fire.
As I covered more miles between camps and spent less time there, my cooking methods evolved from open-fire cooking to using smaller and lighter stoves, replacing wood with Isobutane fuel.
Then, I came across an innovative invention on Kickstarter – a lightweight alternative to the BioLite stove: the LoFi stove. Unlike the BioLite, the LoFi stove doesn’t rely on an integrated heavy battery to power a fan and charge electronics. Instead, it uses an external power source to supply air to a clean-burning wood gasifier stove, weighing under 5 ounces.
While I followed the LoFi’s crowdfunding campaign for a year, it took just one night for me to switch to it as my primary stove.
In brief: The LoFi stove is a wood stove designed for long-distance trips. In an era where few venture into the wilderness without a power bank, this highly efficient stove provides significantly more cooking time – up to 1-2 dozen times more – even with the smallest battery banks. Although it comes with a techy vibe and a higher price tag, the LoFi stove offers more enjoyment, less weight, and extended burn times, making it a legitimate ultralight wood stove. This also raises intriguing questions about the advantages and disadvantages of a non-canister stove.
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Construction
Titanium body, steel fan -
Weight
4.88 oz. total (with ember guard and power cable) -
Stove dimensions
4.25” tall, 3.38” diameter -
Burn chamber
3.5 x 3.38” -
Stove type
Fan-fed wood gasifier -
Run time
21-22 hours on high, with 5,000 mAh battery -
Boil time
4-10 minutes for 500 mL
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Ultralight -
Few sparks -
Little smoke -
Safe-to-handle base and quick-cooling sides -
Can use with almost any power bank -
Environmentally and LNT-friendly
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Works best with a proprietary power cord -
Requires a power bank -
Works best with extra accessories -
Performance dependent on the wood
LoFi Wood Stove Evaluation
Design, Specifications, and Weight
Standing at 4.25 inches in height and 3.4 inches in diameter, the LoFi stove is only a bit larger than the average 450mL cup. Nonetheless, a double-walled wood stove complete with a cable and ember guard weighing under 5 ounces is remarkable. The level of impressiveness depends on the comparison and what’s perceived as part of its kit.
The LoFi includes a power cable with a fan speed control switch and an ember guard against stray sparks. It does, however, require a power source. The recommended 5,200 mAh power bank for the LoFi adds another 4.2 ounces. Opting for a usual Otterbox 5,000 mAh battery saved me a third of an ounce.
Typically, you’ll need something to cut wood. With only a 1.75-inch feed hole in the ember guard, I found LoFi’s ratcheting snips (optional) more preferable over a blade for processing wood, as they made the task effortless. With the snips, I could cut enough branches in under 5 minutes to sustain a fire for half an hour, creating easy-to-feed inch-by-inch chunks.
