One of my favorite things after a long hike is boiling hot water and making a bowl of soup for myself with my wood burning camp stove. If it is a little bit chill then it is the best feeling to sit in front of the fire you created yourself and get warm in front of it.
We, backpackers need to have the smallest, lightest yet the most convenient items for our trails. Sometimes it is a little overwhelming to choose the most optimum item, therefore, we have researched over fifty stoves and find the 5 best wood burning camp stoves for you.
If you are also looking for a convenient cook kit for camping make sure to look at our article about Best Camping Pots and Pans.
What is a wood burning camp stove
A wood burning camp stove is basically a portable stove (some of them are even foldable) you can carry in your backpack. Its fuel is dried twigs, leaves, pinecones, and wood. It is generally the size of a pineapple when it is being used and it is the size of a small book when it is packed.
- #A sidenote here: I'd highly recommend you to check out REI's informative meal planning chart before you read further.
Why do you need a wood burning camp stove
If you are camping, hiking or backpacking at some point you will need a heat source, sometimes for a cup of tea, sometimes for getting warm, but mainly you will need a heat source to cook. A wood burning camp stove is a great tool for a heat source, it is small, light, portable and versatile. If you have a convenient one it generally takes 5 minutes to build a fire.
5 BEST WOOD BURNING CAMP STOVES COMPARISON TABLE
| Picture | Name | Weight | Packed Size | Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Kampmate Ultralight | 17.6 oz | 0.25" x 4.25" x 6" (Foldable) | Stainless Steel |
 | Biolite Campstove 2 | 32.96 oz | 5.0" x 5.0" x 7.91" | Composite |
 | Ohuhu Camping Stove | 14.2 oz | 5.3" x 5.3" x 3" | Stainless Steel |
 | Solo Stove Lite | 9 oz | 3,8" x 4,25" x 4,25" | Stainless Steel |
 | Stadelhorn Titanium | 7.3 oz | 0.4" x 5.0" x 7.0" (Foldable) | Titanium |
BIOLITE CAMPSTOVE
WEIGHT: 32.96 oz
PACKED SIZE: 5.0″ x 5.0″ x 7.91″
MATERIAL: Composite
I generally have two big problems when I am backpacking, these are: “Not being able to build a fire easily” and “Not having enough battery on my phone”. I love taking photos of nature with my phone and it uses a lot of battery. This wood burning camp stove solves both of my big problems. It generates power to charge devices by turning heat into usable electricity and the good thing is it has a removable 2600 mAh battery which can store electricity, so you can use it later when you need it. I should also mention that it is extremely easy to light a fire with this camp stove due to its technology.
It has a smart LED dashboard. On the dashboard, you can see the fire strength, you can get feedback on the battery level and you can control the fan speed. Its fan has four levels of speed which increase efficiency and improve combustion. One of the great things about Biolite Campstove that it can create a smokeless fire with its internal fan.
It is one of the best wood burning camp stoves but I should mention that it is a little bit bigger and heavier compared to other wood burning stoves. But if you have enough place for it in your backpack I strongly recommend this gear.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Has Fans and Control Panels to Adjust Fire |  Heavy and Bulky |
 Has a Powerbank that Charges with Fire |  Expensive |
 Easy to Light a Fire | |
 Versatile |
KAMPMATE ULTRALIGHT
WEIGHT: 17.6 oz
PACKED SIZE: 0.25″ x 4.25″ x 6″ (Foldable)
MATERIAL: Stainless Steel
If you like packing small, portable gears and if you have a tiny budget, then KampMate Ultralight is a great choice for you. It only weighs 17.6 oz and the great thing about kampmate ultralight is, it is almost the size of a small book when packed due to its foldable design. Some of the foldable camping stoves are a little bit risky it might cut your hand but kampMATE is 0,8 mm thick and has been processed to smooth out the edges so you will not cut yourself while assembling or folding it back up.
It has an open side to refill the fuel (woods) so you won’t have to take off your pot every time you refill the stove and it also has a cross-shaped pot holder to hold the pot still. It doesn’t have patented construction to decrease smoke and improve the combustion like Solo Stove Lite but it is the optimum wood burning camping stove for its price.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Foldable Design |  Not Durable |
 Inexpensive | |
 Has a Feeding Spot |
OHUHU CAMPING STOVE
WEIGHT: 14.2 oz
PACKED SIZE: 5.3″ x 5.3″ x 3″
MATERIAL: Stainless Steel
Ohuhu Camping Stove is really compact and light. It comes with a grill grid and pots spotter. If you are okay with carrying solid alcohol for fuel it also has a solidified alcohol plate. It can be assembled very quickly due to its design. It is the most versatile camping stove for its inexpensive price.
Although it is great, it doesn’t have a feeding spot if you want to add more wood while the pot sitting on it. Another con is if you have a small pod, it a little hard to put it on due to its pots spotter design.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Inexpensive |  No Feeding Spot |
 Lightweight |
SOLO STOVE LITE
WEIGHT: 9 oz
PACKED SIZE: 3,8″ x 4,25″ x 4,25″
MATERIAL: Stainless Steel
Solo Stove Lite is an award-winning wood burning stove, it has a patented design which increases efficiency. Its construction helps to have lesser smoke and more fire duration. It only weighs 9 oz and made up of premium grade 304 stainless steel. Its pot spotter design has a small opening feeding spot so you can add more wood while the pot is sitting on.
Although it is a little bit expensive than other wood burning camp stoves if the quality is what you are looking for it’s totally worth it.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Patented Design to Increase Efficiency |  Slightly Expensive |
 Great Packed Size to Capacity Ratio | |
 Lightweight |
STADELHORN TITANIUM
WEIGHT: 7.3 oz
PACKED SIZE: 0.4″ x 5.0″ x 7.0″ (Foldable)
MATERIAL: Titanium
Stadelhorn Titanium folds down to the thickness of a phone due to its rectangular construction. With the crossbar on top of the stove its easier to use small pods and it can carry heavier pods than circle stoves. It has an open side so you can feed the fire while the pod is sitting on the stove.
Stadelhorn titanium wood burning stove is almost the same with kampMATE Ultralight but due to its quality material, it is extra strong and weighs half of kampMATE Ultralight, therefore, it is a little more expensive. But if you have a bigger budget we would recommend Stadelhorn Titanium wood burning camp stove.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Ultralight |  Slightly Expensive |
 Foldable Design | |
 Has a Feeding Spot |