Wood Stoves

C

comptonboy

Guest
I need some advice. I am getting a new wall tent and I need a good stove, what stoves do you think are the best.

Thanks, Don Woods
 
Have used a few different stoves but cylinderstoves has been by far the best, mostly because it regulates so much better than the others.




Brahma >>>------>
Take thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison. And make me savoury meat, such as I love. Genesis 27
 
I have a Riley Stove that I got in "89" and used for an average of 18 days a year. Good up to a 14X16. 26lbs, will hold coals for 8-9 hours if managed properly and run you out of the tent in 15-20 minutes in below freezing weather. I have friends with cylinder stoves that work fine but if we return to a cold camp, everyone stokes their stove and comes into my tent to get warm. They have improved the stove since i bought it but 18 years and mine's not done yet.

If I fill it up will very little air space and rounds, not split wood, it'll have coals enough that all I do in the morning is throw a few pieces of kindling on it and open the damper, turn the coffee on and jump back into bed. 10 minutes later the coffee is perking and the tent is underwear warm.

I've replaced my original tent but not the stove.
 
I have to respectfully disagree with CAELK as I have had the opposite experience. I have owned and used both stoves for years and in my humble opinion the Cylinder Stove is vastly superior to the Riley Stove. In fact they don't even compare (except for possibly packing in on horseback). Riley Stoves are not as air tight as a Cylinder Stove and do not draw air as well in cold weather. When I used my Riley stove all my clothes,food,sleeping bags, etc. reeked of smoke from all the smoke leaking from the gaps in the sheetmetal. One of my hunting buds almost died from getting smoked out by his ##### stove at night and my tent filled with smoke several times from my Riley stove. I finally had to throw the hot stove out of my smoke filled tent at 3:00AM one night in Montana and I would never trust one again. Now, after over 15 years and countless cold nights of absolute reliabilty, warmth and no smoke-outs I wouldn't trade my Cylinder Stove for any other stove, especially one made from sheet metal. This opinion is shared not by just me but also several others, so I don't feel it was just one poorly built Riley stove. Perhaps Riley stoves have improved but in my opinion Cylinder Stoves are the only way to go.

HH
 
One more devotee of cylinder stoves here except they suck for packing in panniers on a llama. I pad the inside with a pillow or some thing to hurt their ribs less. Maybe all those guys flock to his tent cause he's running around in his underwear??? just a thought
 
If your not horse packing go with a propane stove, there is a version that is just like a giant MR. Heater, I think it has 6 burning cells, oygen and Carbon Menoxide (sp) sensors, and will flat run you out of a wall tent. No wood smoke smell, no restoking in the middle of the night, no cutting wood. A hundred pound bottle will last 3 days if on 24/7 and alot longer than that if you turn it off while hunting depending on the temps, We have gotten all of ours through Northern Tool.
hunterrunningfrombearlgclr5ju.gif
 
I'd stay away from propane for a number of reasons; CO being at the top of the list. I've found that when it gets cold you will use twice as much propane as you think you will. Not good if you run out.

I started with the sheet metal type and got tired of waking up cold. I went to the cylinder type and I am much happier. The heavier stove holds heat much better, IMO. My stove weight 50+ lb.s and goes from the back of the truck to the tent, no further.

If I had it to do again I would use 5" stove pipe and place the stove at the rear of the tent where we sleep rather than the front corner. Also, make sure you install a damper in the pipe.
 
One more vote for cylinderstoves they work great.In my opinion stay away from propane heaters even if they have co sensors most of them dont work above 7500ft.There has been too many people not waking up camping and hunting caused by propane heaters!
 
On the riley stoves are you guys refering to the Pellet stoves or wood burning? I have a cylinder stove but have thought the pellet stove would be less work.
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-10-07 AT 09:55PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Apr-10-07 AT 09:54?PM (MST)

Look int the Kwik kamp octogon stove. Not only good looking but will heat you right out of the tent if you let it. Holds a fire real well. Very high on quality. Every one in elk camp raves about mine every year. www.kwikkamp.com
 
I have a couple wall tents with three different stoves. The coolest one i own is actually a pellet stove. It doesn't weigh anything, it feeds off a top hopper, and runs all evening-night-and into the morning without refilling the hopper. This past fall 1 bag of pellets lasted us 5 days. Cheap fuel and burns for a very long time. Traeger made the stove but have sold out to a bigger company. If your interested i will get the info.

Kicker
 
Guess i got lucky. I agree that the Riley isn't airtight but the stove damper needs to allow less air in than the stovepipe damper allows up the pipe and no smoke problems. The only time I have a smoke problem is if you open the door on a smoldering fire. Open the damper for 5-10 seconds and when the stove starts drawing, open the door. Also I set the front of the stove a lil lower then the back by pushing the legs into the ground. After others imput, I'd probably get a cylindeer stove if I was comptonboy but when i buy another, it'll be a Riley. Maybe I can get one real cheap here.

As for running around in my underwear, I have noticed that the first day I don't usually have company, the second day when I turn them around, I have some company. On the third day when I turn them inside out, I have a tentful.
 
I bought a Montana Canvas tent back in 1990 and a Riley Stove back then also, and had the Riley for 10 years before it warped out and couldn't keep the heat, etc.
I went ahead and got a Cylinder Stove and have had it since and works fine, especially with big pieces of wood.

I saw an ad somewhere, where the stove uses oil for fuel and drips into the stove, or something like that. It said that people way up north use stoves like this - Alaska, etc.
Where there is no wood not readily available.

I still have the tent - rips and ember holes on top and it lost it's white color, but it still is standing.
 
We have run our propanes in 20 below zero here in Montana on Fort Peck Lake in Wall tents Ice fishing and two 100lb bottles will last at least a week, we always go home with some left in the tanks, and thats sitting up at night drinking whiskey and playing cards to boot. You can have your stinken, get up in the middle of the night stokin, wood eaters. The only time I ever use my cylinder stove these days is in the backcountry on the ponies.
hunterrunningfrombearlgclr5ju.gif
 
I asked this question in another forum but since you guys are discussing stoves here I will try agian. Do you know of anyone that makes a top load stove?

Thanks
 
Never heard of one for either a house or a tent. If you opened the top, the smoke and flames would escape. Did I miss something. Your stovepipe can either come out of the top or rear but the door shouldn't open from the top.
 
Hey Califelkslayer,
There was a top load made by a company I can't recall. The stoves were govt. contract for the large military tents. Never used one, but agree that it would be a poor design at best. I like my homemade hundred pound stove! Holds a fire all night if you top it off before lanterns out.

P.S.

By the third day elkslayer is so rotten no one wants to be around him!

NORKALNIMROD
 
I have a cylinder stove that I have added their pellet adapter to. At 6-10 degrees at night it keep us warm, but used a full bag of pellets too. If you can get a stove that burns a bag of pellets over five days, BUY IT!!!!. I would like some info on that stove. Having a pellet stove myself that burns five times the pellets as that one, it sounds too good to be true. My adapter has a few issues that the manufacturer has promised to have solved and will be sending me a new updated version. Been very happy with cylinder stoves overall.
Gene
 
I have the cylinder stove it well seems just fine.

Question, If a guy were to plan on spending the whole winter in his tent and wanted to conserve wood, and be warm what would you do as far a insulating or dead air space for the tent. I am planning on this some day but so far only have a huge tarp to cover foof, would that help enough of would you want something on the sides to create a dead air space? If so what would you use the foil reflective or emergency blanket type material???

^BIGBONE^
 
I've used the Riley, Cylinder, propane and a home made job over the years. I was lucky enough to wake up to the sound of hissing and a mjor headache with the propane stove. Somehow the flame went out and was pumping propane into the tent all night. Whether it was a defective unit, or operator error, I wasn't willing to try a second round with a near death heater. The riley was fair, but was always a mid night re-stoke to keep the fire going. Especially after it started to deteriorate and warp. It always drew too much air and burned too fast, plus alot of smoke as was mentioned earlier. I am envious of the guy who had great luck with his. THat is what I was expecting when I bought it. The home made one did great, but was built from an old waterheater or propane tank as I recall. It was a friends fathers brainstorm. The only drawback was it weighed more than a small deer and had to be assembled everytime. The cylinder has been trouble free and great since day one over the past 7 years. If you control the air flow, it keeps me warm all night and there are coals ready to just add a log and open the damper in the morning to get it roaring.

Sorry, I haven't heard or seen anything about a top loading stove.
 
No experience with other stoves, but have been using the cylinder stove for 10+ years now and have no issues with the stove at all. I live near the guy that builds them and he has a device that hooks into the unit and burns diesel fuel. the adapter replaces the grate and runs the full length of the stove. He puts a 15 gallon drum of diesel fuel on the outside of the tent on a stand and runs a fuel line to the stove. The fuel burns hot and slow. It looked like a damm fuse to a bomb, if you ask me, but he swears it's safe. He's still building cylinder stoves 10 years later so i guess it is.

Mike
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-12-07 AT 09:40PM (MST)[p]Here is a picture of a top load stove that I have. My dad bought it about 12 years and were looking to replace it. He bought it at a hardware store and we haven't been able to find another one. It actually works great because all the wood burns towards the bottom so its easier to load and you can get more wood in it. If you open the flue in the chimney before you open it then there is not problen with smoke coming out.

461efb80174738ee.jpg
 
Has anyone used the sheepherder stove by Cabelas, I have one and it seems ok but it is my only experaince so who knows.

Also, a good idea someone gave me is to use charcoal, it burns hot and long. We can get it to last all night, without refueling and it is a small stove. It is not hot in the AM but warm, way better then adding some hard earned cut wood 3 times a night.
 
If nobody mentioned it make sure you pre burn your stove.Fill it up good and let it burn for a few hours.I burned mine but not long enough and was smoked out by the paint for a couple hours burns your eyes.
jim
 
>Drink enough beer and your up
>three times a night anyway.
>
LMAO!! That's hilarious.

One more for the cylinder stoves. I have had mine for ten years and I haven't had any problems at all. I burn coal at night on really cold hunts and it keeps us warm for most of the night.
 
Sounds like the cylinder stove has made a few guys happy around here. We have a Four-Dog and it works great. I just made a second one based on their design and it works pretty well too. I finally got to try it out last Saturday. Make sure to heed the warning about burning off the paint before you go set it up in your tent. I'm glad I was so ancy to burn a fire in it just to check it out before we left on our trip. It smoked alot and for awhile.
 
To clarify, I love the Riley primarily cause I can load, unload and set up by myself. Not nearly as heavy as the cylinder stove. Don't want to have to rely on anybody for anything.

I heated my house with wood only with a woodstove in my basement that was forced air for over 15 years. i learned how to stoke a fire to make it last. I use different wood at night then during the day and evening. Cram as much unsplit (rounds) wood in as you can fit cause it burns slower. If its a lil damp, thats ok too. Fill in all of the empty spots with small stuff and close the damper. The house or wall tent may get cold at night but you still have coals 8-9 hours later. The most I expect to get is to keep the chill off. Thats why i have a quality sleeping bag (walltent) or down comforters (house). Open the damper and add dry wood in the morning and you have heat quickly. I've heated a 2,000 sf, 16' ceiling house in 20 degree below weather this way and within 1/2 hour, the house is above 60. An hour later, its over 70.

I also know the Riley heats up alot quicker when you get back to camp an hour or 2 after dark.

Is it better for everybody, probably not but i'll replace my Riley with another.

Califnimrod: I stink by day 3? You're the one that runs everyone except me out in the cold after you eat everynight. Get it right.
 
Califelkslayer's riley does a good job and has seen alot of hard use. I prefer my homemade stove, but it does weigh about three times as much.

Has anyone used any of Kifaru's light weight products? I would like to hear about them from someone other than their website.

Hey, Elkslayer, if you'd quit feeding all of us chili the tents would'nt reek so bad!
 
I have a question for those of you that have used charcoal in your cylinder stove. Is there anything special that needs to be done or can you just throw it in and light it up? How does it compare to wood? Thanks.
 
You need to have the grate that goes in the bottom that you can get from cylinder.I havent used coal yet but we are going to try it this year.We got alot of info off this forum about coal.Search for the topic burning coal.I was told to get lump coal that are about the size of baseballs.It is suppose to burn longer than wood.Also contact cylinder stoves they did some test to compare it so they could inform any customers.
jim
 
Hunters, I live in COAL country. Coal is a great fuel as it puts off many BTUs. Coal will 'stay alive' better than almost any other fuel source as you can 'bank it' when you go to bed and stir it up early the next morning as the ole camping tent/building will be warm fast. A few negative points here. Coal is heavy and somewhat bulky. Dirty handling too. In combination with dry hardwood firewood, I know that you cannot beat it for keeping the camp warm in wintertime conditions. Can use it outside as a campfire too but coal does not have the campfire odor of wood nor is it a 'pretty fire' outside in a rock ring on the ground. Cannot beat COAL for putting out the warmth though. CowTag from southern Illinois (Coal Country)
 

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