BioLite CampStove 2 Review: Is It a Good Portable Stove?

Whether you’re looking for a small stove for camping, backcountry trips, or emergency preparedness, the BioLite CampStove 2 is worth looking at. And who knew that a twig stove that makes fire, boils water, cooks food can make electricity? Whether this backpacking stove is right for you remains to be determined. It’s also a bit complicated… Let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly of this portable powerhouse, and then consider some camping stove alternatives, including alcohol stoves and canister stoves.

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Basic Stove Choices

There are a few popular options for portable or camping stoves. By options, we are mainly referring to the type of fuel they use. Without writing a novel, let’s quickly look at the differences in fuel so we can understand the true versatility of the BioLite CampStove and put it in perspective for this review.

Liquid Fuel Campstoves

The first option that often comes to mind is liquid fuel stoves. Ie. Your typical, old-school Coleman stoves that used to be in every household. These stoves run on liquid petroleum known as “white gas.” In other words, additive-free gasoline, but nowadays, it’s a more modified kind of blend. Some of these stoves require occasional pumping to pressurize the tank. Unfortunately, these stoves can stink, leak and breakdown.

Our camp stove iteration is Coleman’s military version, which should be bulletproof. Except it died this year after only a couple of years of service.

Gas Canister Stoves

Another popular format are gas canister stoves. We have a Jetboil Half-Gen (larger stove for overlanding) that runs on those little green propane bottles. Separately, one can purchase an adapter to have it run on regular propane tanks.

We also own an MSR Pocket Rocket camp stove, a tiny backpack stove that runs on isobutane or a mix of isobutane and propane. Both are excellent stoves. One point to remember is that isobutane stoves stop working as the temperature drops below freezing. Also, they both require gas replenishment. Gas that costs money and has to be hauled with you – as you can’t replenish it in the woods.

Solid Fuel Stoves

The last choice in fuel and the most straightforward is wood stoves, or as BioLite refers to it as “renewable biomass,” whatever that means. The title reads solid fuel, meaning anything that burns is technically fuel. Fuel sources include, but are not limited to, dried grasses, pine cones, pine needles, bark, paper, wood scraps, etc. 

The BioLite CampStove: A Mini Wood Stove

Being a wood burning stove is where the BioLite Camp Stove shines, I mean really shines. Wood is everywhere, limitless and free. There’s no hauling of fuel or running out – which makes it impeccable as an emergency backup stove or cooking in the wilderness. When we say wood, it’s more like small dry sticks, twigs and branches, but you get the point.

As with any wood fire, here’s the bad. Starting a fire can take time, and wet wood does not burn! While an experienced woodsman can always find dry wood, even in the wettest forest, it’s a lot of extra work. 

When finished cooking with the BioLite stove, you’ve got some hot ashes to dispose of safely and a hot stove to deal with. This is cumbersome, especially if you are on the move and in a hurry. Feeding the BioLite camp stove can be a bit challenging, but we’ll cover later in this review.

Basic Operation of the BioLite Camp Stove 2

Step 1
Gather fuel. Collect twigs, branches, and small chunks of wood. You’ll want to collect a decent-sized pile, as it takes quite a bit to keep the stove running. 

Step 2
Unfold the stove’s legs and set it on a level surface. Keep your newly collected pile of fuel close to the stove and ready to go – as you’ll be stuck there feeding it. From your collected pile, separate the smallest pieces for the initial burn.

Step 3
Next, prep your cooking setup. A common task out in the bush is boiling water. Whether it’s for a hot beverage or boiling water for a tasty mac & cheese MRE, you must sterilize your drinking water first. For general cooking, for example, soup, have your ingredients ready beforehand so you don’t need to leave the stove.

Light it Up

Now it’s time to light the fire in the BioLite stove! Included with the stove is a small piece of firestarter. These fuel tablets are easily purchased in outdoor stores and are a fantastic way to get fires going. I always carry vaseline-soaked cotton balls and even little tinder bundles in my survival pack, which are phenomenal fire starters. If you’ve exhausted your tinder: birch bark ripped off a tree is an excellent natural fire starter.

I prefer to light my tinder and drop it in the burn chamber as it’s fairly deep and narrow. Once the tinder has caught, it’s time to add that pile of the smallest pieces of wood we gathered earlier. Your bundle will catch fire more easily and provide a nice bed of coals to keep the stove going. 

At this point, turn on the BioLite stove’s built-in fan, which aids combustion. I keep the fan setting around low to medium until you have an efficient burn and the fire is going strong. After that, it’s just a matter of feeding the stove until you finish cooking. Higher fan speeds increase heat output. However, it does burn through your “fuel” faster.

The Good: It’s also a Battery Charger!

The stove part of the BioLite is no different than a $5 metal emergency folding stove. Well, I shouldn’t say that the quality and durability are infinitely better. But the basic function is the same: fire = heat for cooking. That is until we get into its built-in battery and controls!

Here is the advantage of the Bio Light Camp Stove. The camp stove has a 2600 mAh rechargeable battery. This battery pack is what powers the stove’s fan. As your fire grows in intensity, the stove’s built-in charger will charge the very battery that runs the fan, which is done by converting heat into electricity.

This simple and ingenious system creates a self-sustaining cycle: the fan draws less power than the charger outputs, resulting in a net increase in energy. Think of it as your own personal generator that stores power in the stove’s battery. If you do not have a full battery, it will eventually recharge if you run the camp stove long enough. That’s the good. The ugly is how long it takes – keep reading as we’ll get there after this tip.

By the way, as you cook on the BioLite 2, you are well aware of the charger output, battery level, and fan speed in great detail. All three functions are perfectly on display thanks to chromareal LED technology that provides level indicators for these functions.

Charge Your Phone with the BioLite 2

Charge phones, a tablet, headlamp, flashlight, GPS navigator or ANYTHING else that charges off a USB port on the BioLite CampStove! Device charging is as simple as plugging into the USB port on the BioLite CampStoves power pack. The internal battery stores power and has the ability to charge your small electronics and then recharge itself by burning wood is the stove’s main selling feature, which is what makes it an excellent addition to your emergency preparedness kit or bail out bag.

The BioLite CampStove also happens to come with a bonus Flex Light. While that may sound hokey, this little device is excellent for cooking at night during backcountry trips.

Here’s The Bad. No, It’s Actually The Ugly

BioLite ran an ad on Facebook that reads: “Brew a morning coffee and charge your phone with just a handful of twigs.” Hopefully, you know that short form LMAO. It means laughing my ass off. 

First, a handful of twigs will start your fire, but you’re NOT brewing anything just yet. Second, recharging the battery takes a VERY long time, which I learned the hard way when I needed it.

This Island Experience

Last summer, I went on an overnight island camp with my son. We arrived mid-day, and by nightfall, my cell phone battery was almost dead. At this point, I turned to our usual 6000 mAh battery power bank to charge a 3969 mAh iPhone, which failed. 

After a few choice curse words, it became obvious that the power bank had some false advertising or age simply reduced its power. By lunch of the next day, the phone was pretty low again.

Being hungry and having a poorly charged phone, we confidently whipped out the BioLite CampStove 2 as if the fire/techno gods had come to the rescue. It did help charge the phone alright, but it ended up draining itself in the process. That’s with a fire going! We kept going for a very long time out of will to see if it would indeed recharge, that and perhaps an ounce of island boredom.

We ended up staring at a low battery level indicator. Put it this way – a turtle could get to Mexico faster than we could charge this stove. We did get one or two bars after an hour or so of burning and then gave up. For those of you thinking we did something wrong, the charging indicator was up the whole time, which means the fire was more than sufficient.

Lessons Learned

BioLite’s CampStove 2 eventually recharges if you keep a fire going long enough. Is it worth the effort? Not unless you are in a bad situation and desperately need to charge something. And if that is ever the case, I know what you’ll be doing for the next few hours:)

Until now, we haven’t mentioned that you can charge the BioLite CampStove’s battery via USB. The next day after our island camping fiasco, we charged the stove back up by plugging it in at home. And then we ordered a real power bank from Amazon that packs a 20,000 mAh punch. This unit can charge the phone five times over. Even if there’s any overinflated marketing on that one, there’s a nice safety net there, and we should get at least a minimum of a couple of charges out of it.

So What’s the Point of the BioLite CampStove? 

Remember the Facebook Ad we talked about? Countless people wrote in comments that it’s a great stove. I agree, as it’s easy to like this stove for some strange reason. It’s a solid, heat-efficient stove with a fan that can help maintain a stubborn fire. It also has a battery bank – while not the biggest, it’s still something.

If you are desperate enough, such as in disaster preparedness (SHTF situation) or an extended power outage, it will eventually recharge itself by burning wood. The little camping iterations of a solar panel wouldn’t be any faster. They just require no effort.

BioLite CampStove Advertising Myth Number 2

With its fan-based fire products, BioLite advertises “smokeless” fires. Reality is when wood burns, it’s NEVER a smokeless fire. Dry wood, hot fires, and good airflow will generate less smoke. The BioLite CampStove’s fan aids in the airflow department, which means less smoke in general. But NOTHING ever beats using dry wood for a low-smoke fire!

My second comment takes a completely different approach. Smoke from a wood fire emits something called “aromatic hydrocarbons.” The human brain is programmed to love this smell! Since the existence of mankind, that smell means warmth, security and a means to cook food.

If the smoke from a small wood stove to make yourself a coffee is really that bothersome, you shouldn’t use a wood burner. And, for what’s its worth, you don’t belong in the woods either. That renders the smoke aspect a moot point. In fact, why are we even talking about it?

BioLite Wood Stove FAQs

What’s in the Box?

It wouldn’t be a review if we didn’t provide some specs. Below are the specs as advertised by BioLite:

• BioLite CampStove 2
• BioLite FlexLight
• Stuff Sack
• Micro USB Cable
• Firestarter
• Instructions

BioLite CampStove 2 vs BioLite CampStove 2+ Specs

	CampStove 2	CampStove 2+
Fuel	Fuel: Biomass (twigs, sticks, pellets)	Biomass (twigs, sticks, pellets)
Live Output	3W peak	3W peak
Battery	2600 mAh	3200 mAh
Input	Micro USB (to charge internal battery)	Micro USB (to charge internal battery)
Output	USB	USB
Boil Time	1L in 4.5 min (varies)	1L in 4.5 min (varies)
Packed Size	8.5″ x 5″	7.91″ x 5″
Weight	2.06 lbs	2.06 lbs
FlexLight	100 lumens	100 lumens

BioLite CampStove Add-Ons

Yes, the backpacking stove has available add-ons, which are super cool. The BioLite CampStove Complete Cook Kit comes with a Portable Grill, KettlePot and CoffeePress. While we don’t have the entire kit and can’t speak to the grill, we did purchase the BioLite KettlePot & CoffeePress Set. I have to say, they both work well, and the quality is there.

An advantage to the BioLite’s KettlePot is that the base camp stove nests neatly inside of it. Perfect for canoe camping backpackers or backcountry trips as it takes less space in your pack. Throw the CoffeePress into the mix, and you quickly find it’s not easy to get the entire system to nest. 

I must say, I’ve boiled a lot of water in the KettlePot and have made a lot of good coffee with the press! Honestly, anytime I took the stove with me on a trip, it was because of the pot and coffeepress accessories – without it, I believe the BioLite would sit on the shelf collecting dust.

Consider the Alternatives to a BioLite Campstove 2

Generally, we read reviews before buying something. We all want the best bang for our buck, and I’ve delivered my honest feedback on the BioLite. Here are some alternatives that will add up financially in the same range and provide the same essential functions: 

The MSR Pocket Rocket Stove Kit is great. We own it, it’s excellent! Lightweight and back-packable. You’ll a travel coffee press of some form. Perhaps the Aeropress Go. This is a canister stove that many backpackers prefer.

If you are dead set on wood or want a stove for the cold temperatures, consider the Emberlit Stainless Steel Stove. The cool factor is back in its flat packing form. We aspire to have one. This twig stove is a great alternative to BioLite for those who prefer something more simpler or rugged looking.

If you’re looking for ultralight options, an alcohol stove might just be what you’re looking for. They’re incredibly light weight and simple to use.

If you need a formidable portable charging solution for your bail out bag, check out the ABFOCE Solar Power Bank. The ABFOCE is a 20,000 mAh power bank that covers all your energy needs. We own one and can attest to its excellence!

Recap of the BioLite Stove Review

In conclusion, the BioLite CampStove 2 is a quality product offering impressive functionality as a wood stove (twig stove). It’s perfect for a camping trip, backcountry trip, and emergencies where you need a reliable source of heat and cooking power.

While its charging capabilities may not be as strong as some other camping stoves, including some liquid fuel stoves, the convenience of the pot and press add-on makes up for it. Plus, it runs on renewable biomass, meaning you’ll never have to worry about running out of fuel or hauling heavy gas canisters on your back. 

Overall, for its versatility and alternative fuel source, the BioLite CampStove 2 is a great little portable wood stove worth the investment for anyone who loves camp cooking, needs water purification or looking to lighten their gear load.

👉 As always, thank you for reading the review and for your support. What are your thoughts on BioLite, comment below.

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