Wood Stove for a Sawtooth, help me decide.

[Walker6]

Man, I wish HPG could get their design back in production.

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I always thought that looked like a good design. In my opinion, HPG missed the boat by rolling out the large one first. Just a little too heavy.

 

[Davebuech]

Thanks Kevin for your comments. I was looking mostly at the TiGoat cylinder stoves and looked a little more at the WiFi this morning. They do seem very easy to set up and the flat top surface is one reason why I initially thought about the SO stoves. For backpacking the SO is a small weight penalty, which led me to consider the Cylinder type stoves. I don't really want something to cook meals on as the main purpose is warmth and ability to dry things out when needed, but I always like things to serve dual purposes when possible. You never know when you need a backup stove for cooking and having that as an option can also save on fuel.

Question on the TiGoat. The air intake holes on the front, are they adjustable or just open holes? If open, do you have any issues with sparks popping out? How does the door mount/open?

Speaking to the Sawtooth (size) and correct stove...

I have a TiGoat Wifi in sized medium and it is 100% too much stove for BTU and comfort in my Sawtooth. I'm serious. I am going down to the small Wifi stove this year. I used it in Alaska last year and found myself constantly damping the fire and working to control the output. The tent gets too warm to endure and that's excessive useless heat. I personally wouldn't care if it took 12" or shorter wood, because I don't burn mine a lot anyway. It's not like I need a big pile of wood. I need enough of the right wood for a given stove. Anyway...my advice is don't buy more stove than you need as it will be a headache.

I did a head-to-head on the LO and TiGoat stoves. I went TG because of the simple and fast assembly, extremely sturdy design, and usefulness as a backup cookstove. Having a pan or cup make full contact with the stove top does improve heating temps and time without having to overheat the Sawtooth. I admit to really liking the LO design and it would be my second choice. I'll also add that I think good stove legs are a very important thing on my stoves. I don't like having to get right next to the ground to see inside or load my stove.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Thanks Kevin for your comments. I was looking mostly at the TiGoat cylinder stoves and looked a little more at the WiFi this morning. They do seem very easy to set up and the flat top surface is one reason why I initially thought about the SO stoves. For backpacking the SO is a small weight penalty, which led me to consider the Cylinder type stoves. I don't really want something to cook meals on as the main purpose is warmth and ability to dry things out when needed, but I always like things to serve dual purposes when possible. You never know when you need a backup stove for cooking and having that as an option can also save on fuel.

Question on the TiGoat. The air intake holes on the front, are they adjustable or just open holes? If open, do you have any issues with sparks popping out? How does the door mount/open?

I agree with the thought of a woodstove being primarily about warming and drying out. Cooking is secondary and maybe a total no-go for some guys. In that case the cylinders are great. I'd still take my TG Wifi for ease of assembly, good legs and that flat surface...as long as the weight difference was minimal. I was all set to buy the LO stove about a year ago until I really compared weights. I believe it came down to under 3 ounces difference and I knew right away the Wifi was my stove. I'll save even more weight with a small Wifi vs the medium.

The air intake is simply open holes. The door is a pre-curved lift-off piece which I prefer to swinging hinges. I wasn't sure I'd like the open draft holes but they work great in conjunction with the flue damper. Instead of choking off intake air, combustion is controlled via the damper. This allows the coals to stay hotter while keeping flames down some. When instant fire is wanted, a fast flip of the damper will have flames leaping in very short time...usually seconds. I'm one of the guys who believes these stoves shouldn't be burned by smoldering loads of wood under minimal air intake. They weren't built to do that. To me it's more like a 'campfire in a stove' mentality. Feed it as needed and regulate the burn within reason. A few sparks will pop out, but no big deal. None of them did more than appear and then rapidly arc to the dirt near the stove.

 

[Davebuech]

The air intake is simply open holes. The door is a pre-curved lift-off piece which I prefer to swinging hinges. I wasn't sure I'd like the open draft holes but they work great in conjunction with the flue damper. Instead of choking off intake air, combustion is controlled via the damper. This allows the coals to stay hotter while keeping flames down some. When instant fire is wanted, a fast flip of the damper will have flames leaping in very short time...usually seconds. I'm one of the guys who believes these stoves shouldn't be burned by smoldering loads of wood under minimal air intake. They weren't built to do that. To me it's more like a 'campfire in a stove' mentality. Feed it as needed and regulate the burn within reason. A few sparks will pop out, but no big deal. None of them did more than appear and then rapidly arc to the dirt near the stove.

Thanks again the info Kevin, very helpful. In fact all the posts have been very helpful. Thanks everyone!

The difference between the LO 18" and the small Wi Fi is over a pound. Honestly for backpacking that is nothing to sneeze at! If a small one will make more heat than I need for the size of my shelter then no reason really to go bigger. None of em will burn/give off heat all night like my wood stove at home and that's not the plan anyway. I actually thought my little Primus lantern would probably give me enough heat to take the chill off, but would no doubt take a long time, if ever, to get it warm enough to dry things out when soaked! That's when I really need a stove.

What size chimney pipe do you run on your Sawtooth with the WiFi? Would the same size pipe also work with a shorter cylinder stove....IE is there enough pipe sticking out with the WiFi that you could use the same pipe with a shorter stove?

 

[robby denning]

Plenty of cooking space on the XL SO just FYI. Haven't used the smaller ones.


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[Davebuech]

Thanks Robby. Yeah, that's a pretty large stove. Cooking on it is just going be a bonus and not a high priority for me. What shelter are you running it in? How's the packability?

 

[Kevin Dill]

I just went to the LO website. The medium LO stove + 8' pipe = 2 lb 8 oz. The TG Wifi (medium) is 1 lb 6 oz for the stove and 16 oz for the 8' pipe to = 2 lb 6 oz. The small Wifi totals at 1 lb 9 oz with 8' pipe. So yes...the weight savings is good and I know for sure the small Wifi will heat the Sawtooth. Every experience I've had with multiple stoves is that the recommended (by mfr) stove size is usually too hot when burned briskly for more than 30 minutes. I don't like fighting a fire to keep it damped or minimized. It produces more smoke and tends to produce uneven heat. Much better for me to use a smaller unit and give it a livelier burn with more frequent feeding.

I don't remember my pipe length. I think it's 8', mainly to get sparks and embers up and away. 7' would work. I'm sure the 8' pipe would work with shorter stoves. Do keep in mind there is no parity in pipe diameters between different mfrs stove sizes. One guy uses 2.5", another 2.75 and another 3". So I recommend getting the setup right for ONE stove and stay with it.

 

[Davebuech]

I'm not really an ounce counter but will save weight (and bulk) when and where I can. Although I have been warned, if the smaller size stove will do the job AND save a little weight then I'm more apt to go this direction. Maybe more trouble, pretty sure though I can get enough wood to the proper length for fuel. I do like the design of the WiFi, aside from the Kifaru Smith stove it seems to be the simplest to assemble, yet unlike the smith stove, will support weight for cooking and with a flat surface.

If my math is right, I figured the small wifi would come in at 25 oz. w an 8 ft pipe. 1.6 lbs. @ 440 CI. The TiGoat pipe is a little smaller in diameter, (as you pointed out, they are all different), than the LO and is 1.5oz per foot vs 2 oz per foot. The weight of TiGoat probably doesn't include the storage bag either and not sure if I would use it anyway. Regardless yeah, definitely under 2 lbs for sure and closer in weight to the bare bones 12"smith @ 550 CI

 

[robby denning]

Thanks Robby. Yeah, that's a pretty large stove. Cooking on it is just going be a bonus and not a high priority for me. What shelter are you running it in? How's the packability?

I ran it it in the 8man SO. Gobs of heat even in that space. With half liner, tent packs down about the size of a normal pillow. Stove about same dimensions BUT obviously thinner. I'd only recommend my set up for stockmen or three guys splitting up camp for backpacking.


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[Davebuech]

Pretty lucky to have a hunting partner stay up and feed the stove for you. I will suggest it to mine but not sure he'll go for it!

Thanks the info Tsnider. Yeah I am really thinking of going with a small wifi, it should produce plenty of heat for what I need. I have always slept good with my bag and pad set up down into single digits so I don't need/expect to use it for all night comfort just for dying out and making it easier to get outta the sack at o dark hundred.

i got the SO medium for my sawtooth. wanted the SXL for its size, but the little more weight i stayed away from. there will be certain times i carry both the sawtooth and the stove solo so i wanted the lighter weight one. its plenty for the sawtooth. it would be nice to have a bigger size for bigger wood, but in 20 minutes me and my buddy broke more than enough wood to stay warm in January at around 9000 feet in snow(buddy stayed up basically all night feeding the stove while i slept great). for sure going to be more durable than a cylinder. ill end up getting a tarp and cylinder stove next year for solo hunts.

it takes a bit to boil water on the stove, unless its raging. so my plan is basically put my water and a lid on top of the stove when i go to sleep. in the morning when i wake up and start the fire up before i get up and around it should have heated enough for coffee and food, and made it hot enough inside that i want to get up and open the door. so its motivation to get moving. at night though ill end up using my MSR stove, because im usually wanting to eat right away when i get back to camp.

sounds like your like i am with wanting multipurpose. id buy the medium, and find out if you actually use it to cook on or not. if not, sell it next year and get something else.

its my first UL stove but it really impresses me.