BioLite Electronics-Charging CampStove 2 is a Gamechanger

These are unusual times. With COVID-19 smoldering its way across the globe, certain changes are in the wind. For one thing, many of us have a lot more time on our hands!

But what happens if key parts of our infrastructure start to go down? We all rely on local 911 call centers to summon assistance in need. And to call 911, we now all rely on our cellular phones. Gone are the days of landline telephones with their own backup power supply system. What would you do if your local power grid went out, say due to a storm, just as you needed to summon help? What if the power grid was out for longer than expected because of workforce issues caused by COVID-19?

After Hurricane Andrew hit North Carolina back in the 1990s, some households were without power for weeks. Sure, you could get a backup home generator, but is it worth a $3,000 expense for a product you may never need?

This nifty little device wears a whole lot of hats at once.

That’s where a creative solution like the BioLite Stove series comes in. This nifty little device wears a whole lot of hats at once. First and foremost, it is a campstove. You can boil a dehydrated meal in it, or make a pot of coffee. Weight-wise, it’s a bit on the heavy side for serious backpacking at 2 lbs. 2 oz or 973 g (per my kitchen measuring scale). But it’s absolutely perfect for packing in a driftboat or taking on a canoe trip.

What makes it a great campstove? Well for one thing you don’t need fuel. Everyone thinks of the minimal weight of their stove devices but forgets to factor in the carrying cost of liquid propane or the equivalent. The Biolite series runs on dry twigs, which you can gather basically anywhere. It lights with a small cube of lighter tinder, just like my Big Green Egg. And best of all… it has a fan.

Thats’ right; the unit comes with its own blower system, which anyone with komodo-cooker experience will know is the key to getting something truly hot. Water boils on the top as fast as with any traditional campstove, but that’s not what makes this a truly magical device.

See, the fan has power, right? And it is powered off a battery; that battery accounts for most of the weight of the unit. But the battery is, in fact, far bigger than the unit needs, and that’s because this stove is your backup power source. It has traditional and micro-USB ports so you can charge a phone or tablet off it (or even run a small LED light that it comes equipped with, as well).

The battery itself is recharged by a thermoelectric generator rod that sticks into the heart of the firebox. This rod captures thermal energy from the heat of the burning sticks, and converts it into electrical energy (DC) which is stored in the battery.

I actually had to ask myself how this device wasn’t a perpetual motion machine that breaks the 2nd law of thermodynamics, until it occurred to me that the burning sticks themselves are constantly adding energy into the system as they combust.

So, in effect, this device takes the absolutely free sticks and debris of any outdoor space and converts them into electrical power for your phone, while at the same time serving as a backup battery source that can be used when you don’t have a fire and cooking your damn supper.

Tell me that isn’t pretty nifty. At $149, this is a far, far more affordable alternative to an expensive home generator for disaster-preparedness scenarios, plus it is actually useful on an average basis for any outdoorsman. You can pre-charge the battery at home if you need it before you have time to make a fire–or even charge the battery via a solar panel as you float if you somehow find yourself in a place with no fuel. I can’t wait to bring it on my next drift boat camping trip.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars – cost/benefit result is really excellent.