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I don’t know about you, but Biolite is brand that’s been on my radar for some time. When it comes to camping, while I tend to just shut my phone off (because I’m nowhere near cell towers) it can helpful to check the weather and whatnot. And that means charging. Or for that matter, charging battery packs to top off a headlamp. That’s where something like this new Biolite CampStove 2 Bundle can come in handy.
First off, what is the Biolite CampStove? At it’s very basic, it’s a camp stove that relies on the dried sticks and wood you can find around your campsite, rather than relying on propane or any sort of liquid fuel. So, that’s a sense of convenience right there, and it’s not like you’ll run out of fuel. Where the fun really comes in is the power-generating unit that attaches to the stove.
By utilizing the heat that your cook stove is generated, it can actually power up the battery pack that is inside the unit, giving you those tasty electrons your devices need. Along with that, the unit packs in a fan (so you can get the airflow coming in for clean burns and more energy), and LED displays so you can tell just how hot the fire is, and how much energy is stored in the battery pack.
Right there, that’s some additional functionality on top of the small single burner that I used to carry backpacking. With the recently released Biolite CampStove 2 Bundle, you also get what looks to be two very useful accessories. First, you’ve got a grilltop that can fit four burgers, or, you know, just give you a larger grilling surface (I may even try for a small pot or pan on there), which is helpful when you’re cooking for more than yourself.
The Biolite CampStove 2 Bundle also comes along with their KettlePot, which of course can be used for boiling water (and if you want, with another accessory not in the bundle, make French Press coffee). More intriguingly, once you’re done boiling water, and things are cooled down, the KettlePot also works as a carrying case for the whole stove (the battery pack goes inside the burn chamber; see above).
All in all, the whole Biolite CampStove 2 Bundle looks to be an interesting approach to tackling both cooking, making some marshmallows (conceivably you could use it instead of a large fire ring if you don’t need the heat), or even cooking in the dark (there’s an LED light attachment) all while being able to power up your phone.
There will be a question familiar to any outdoor gear (or gadget) person – how well does the $229.95 Biolite CampStove 2 Bundle actually perform? We’ve all been burned by things that don’t live up to the hype. Well, we’ve got a sample coming in so we can give it a good try out in the backyard, and let you know just how helpful it is for your camping and hiking adventures. Oh, and also worth noting (since it IS Earth Day, after all) this new Biolite CampStove 2 Bundle has 10% of the profits going towards the Climate Neutral organization. bioliteenergy.com
