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Vital Survival Stove
- Category: Gear reviews
- Published on Tuesday, 22 March 2011 09:09
- Written by Josh
In the past I have discussed a few of the more common ultra-light & compact kayak camping cooking solutions and as shown on my massive gear list, have been using a couple of liquid stoves succesfully for years. There's a lot to like about them, most of all their reliability and efficiency. Liquid fuel stoves typically consume less fuel than their gas-powered counterparts and will operate in more extreme conditions, which is precisely why I have long favoured them.
Recently I was introduced to the Vital Survival Stove and due to it's simplistic yet unconventional design, is now competing with my MSR and Primus stoves for my affections. The rather compact Vital Survival Stove doesn't rely on liquid or compressed gases for a fuel source. Instead, the Vital is fuelled by whatever flammable matter you can find to use in it, which would typically be twigs and small pieces of wood, bark or dung. The secret to it's ability to burn various raw materials so efficiently is a small battery powered fan system that channels air into the fire chamber from underneath. And it burns surprisingly hot - up to 20,000 BTU.
This Canadian designed (and assembled) device itself is made from cast alloy and stainless steel and is a fairly solid construction. While it's not the lightest stove in the world (740gms) the lack of required fuel makes up for it. The more I've looked at the Vital Survival Stove the more I've started to appreciate it and have now added one to my collection of back-country kit.
9 minutes ago
