BioLite CampStove 2 with Flexlight

2021-01-07T19:00:00

Out of warranty. Could have been a pretty easy battery pack replacement except Biolite's answer was a 20% off discount for a new one. Not very eco-friendly.

Gunner

2020-12-26T19:00:00

I received the stove for Christmas. Having seen it in a store I knew what to expect but was still pleasantly surprised by the build quality and robustness if the beastie. I immediately took it outside to break it in. The battery was 1/2 charged when I started and during my testing it charged up to 100% in about an hour. The stove works exactly as advertised. Is well designed and well built. Once you figure out how much fuel to put in and the best sizes for a hot flame it keeps the flame strength at maximum with fan setting on one or two. The led's on the battery showing flame strength and battery level are extremely handy. Would definitely recommend this stove.

Paul

2020-12-22T19:00:00

I got some pellets from the hardware store and they work great! I'm a car camper (so weight isn't an issue and wanted something small and quick to heat water for tea/coffee and dehydrated meals. The light is useful and the power port is nice to have. I also have the kettle pot and coffee press though i haven't used the press (instant coffee is easier :) I'm really happy I got this stove!

Cindy

2020-11-21T19:00:00

I purchased the Biolite Campstove 2 both as a functional cook stove and secondarily as an emergency power source while leading guided trips both by canoe and by snowmobile in the Maine North Woods. Because I primarily use these modes of transportation—rather than backpacking, for instance—weight is not a factor for me, and I can afford to carry something that may be slightly heavier. As a professional guide, this mode of cooking also has a visual “coolness” factor that a more traditional propane (or white gas stove does not have: cooking over an open flame with wood fuel is kind of like having a tiny bonfire inside of a metal can—another method of cooking that I’ve used in the past—with the added benefit of maintaining a power bank. Coolness IS a part of the job. The Campstove 2 works as promised. It burns fuel at a hot enough temperature to adequately cook food. It also uses that heat to produce electricity that is stored in its own power bank. It does have some limitations—it has only one burner, and the generating power is weaker than I would prefer, but who carries a 50-mile extension cord wherever they go? These were known issues before purchase, and it would be unfair of me to complain about limitations that I understood beforehand. All in all, this is a good product that works as described.

Nerdy_Moose_Guide

2020-11-14T19:00:00

I got this stove after the first batch came out. So mine is the second run. Been using this for light use. Original Campstove gets charged by usb twice now; has worked flawlessly. I may have smelled some dielectric material when I used it for two hours as a heat source but still ticking and charging my devices. It's not a fast charger but the new stove is suppose to be better with the current pushing.

Disco A.

2020-10-27T20:00:00

So this is gonna be my first impression review of the BioLite Campstove II. Being it's a first impression review, is not gonna be all inclusive, and my test was under best conditions, not average. I'll do more tests later on, in the field. So, upon opening, it was stored with the orange piece inside the burn canister. It comes with a stuff bag, an Android style usb cable, and a light. The light I consider to be useless. When I first put it together, the battery was sitting at 50%. The manual tells you to fully charge before use so that you can immediately be able to charge whatever device. For my testing, I was curious to see how long it took to charge, so I didn't. Getting it started was easy, and within a few moments of getting fire, the fan automatically turned on. You have 4 can speeds to adjust as necessary. Initially, it does smoke, and bad. But once the fire is going, no more smoke! You do have to babysit it and keep feeding it. I found having pieces a little longer sticking out the top resting on the probe that sticks inside the burn canister helps the probe be hot enough to create the most power. It immediately began charging the onboard battery. So while the battery was charging, I did test number 2, the water boil. It is advertised as being able to boil a liter in 4 ½ minutes. It took 8 minutes to boil almost 750ml. It could have taken less, but I had to keep pulling the water off to add wood. For the battery to get fully charged from right at 50% took right at an hour, which is impressive. Allot of the complaints I read was it took forever to charge the onboard battery. However, at taking an hour to go from 50% to 100% I consider to be pretty good, considering if you plug your phone up at 50% it takes about the same amount of time to charge. How many times can I charge my phone off this battery, that is yet to be determined. My thoughts on this, I bought it so I could indefinitely keep my VHF radio charged in the field with no access to power. Well this do it? I do believe so. More testing is necessary. Can you boil water or cook on it? Yes, but with it's challenges. At a little over 2 pounds, is it worth it to carry in your bag? That's entirely up to you. I think so as at first impression it seems much more efficient than solar as solar takes much more time to charge and is dependent on good weather.

Dcouch

2020-10-11T20:00:00

I really like the CS2. Most of my backpacking trips are a 8 to 10 days longs. When I took my white gas stove and pot the starting weight was about 3.8lbs and by the end the 2.8lbs. The nice thing about the CB2 is it is always about 3lbs. The CB is the primary stove so one of the other members brings their jetboil and two small cans of fuel. as we use it if it has rained or for a quick cup of tea. But there is a few things to consider. The CB2 is very needy when all you have is pine for fuel. It burns up quick compared to hard wood. This means that CB2 fills up with ash much quicker. The other issue is the weight, I wish that Biolite would provide an optional titanium version for the kettle and the burn chamber. Also wish they create an adaptor for the burn chamber so you can use a pot or create an their own pot for the CB2. And make it all out of titanium. My primary way to start the CB2 is by putting an inch squeeze of fire paste in a pine cone. I do care fire sticks but reserve then for damp wood. I also found that a cheap cigar lighter works great as it is like a small blow torch to get the wood going. I would have given 5 stars but for the weight as an all titanium version would be nice. The compact design is very nice. Important note: make sure you bring multiple different charging cables. Your friends will like you for it.

TheRavan

2020-10-09T20:00:00

Works Well. Love this product so much. Great Invention here. Highly recommend.

Shannon

2020-10-07T20:00:00

Fantastic for backpacking! You can break it out and have a fire going in minutes.

Jay b.

2020-10-06T20:00:00

Satisifed with fast delivery. Product received in good order

Jeremy C.

2020-10-06T20:00:00

We loved our Campstove so much we bought one for each of the kids for Christmas.

BeckyH

2020-10-01T20:00:00

Great product. Versatile and lightweight and easy to use

Jeremy e.

2020-09-27T20:00:00

I love this thing! I live in an apartment, so I can't have a conventional BBQ. I bought this so I could take it to the park and BBQ there, I have used it almost daily for two summers and it still runs like new. It's amazing, I have cooked everything from a large steak, to a bacon-and-eggs breakfast, to a (small) roast. Its best for one or two people, maybe three if you're doing something like hamburgers. Of course, the fuel is free if you live near hardwood trees, but a purchased bag of kindling wood will last you for a while. It also uses the pellets, but I've found they burn hot so you have to be carefull. The indicator lights include a heat meter so you can watch that; the other meters are for fan speed and battery charge and are useful. Trust the machine when it changes fan speeds automatically even if experience tells you not to. The battery/USB system is good for running lights. The unit takes about 15 minutes to cool down properly when you're done. As you can tell, I love this thing and have promoted it to my friends and anyone else who will listen. I have the complete set with the grill and pot.

Charles

2020-09-27T20:00:00

We bought a Biolite stove for our VW Campervan adventures. It's great for that application, and I've also used it on adventure motorcycle camp trips. We decided, fatefully, to buy a propane stove to replace it since we wanted to cook big breakfasts with two skillets going at once. On a recent trip, the propane stove developed a blockage in the plumbing internal to the stove. It backed up propane and spewed it out of the threaded joint where the propane canister attaches to the stove. The whole stove and canister burst into flames in the middle of Carson National Forest. I had water boiling on the stove when this happened, so I grabbed the pot of boiling water and attempted to toss it on the fire. The pot had a folding handle for storage which folded at an inopportune moment and dumped the boiling water onto my foot. Third degree burn. A month of treatment, pain and suffering, lots of medical bills. The propane stove is going back to the manufacturer for dissection. The Biolite is going back into the Campervan for the next trip!

Campervan

2020-09-26T20:00:00

This is the best little stove and essential for any camping trip! The entire family loves using it and we like to show the kids how to make energy using heat. It's great at the camp site, at the cottage or even if you just want to roast marshmallows in your backyard.

Phil L.

2020-09-23T20:00:00

A will not charge the battery thanks to the fire ones the battery it's done

Tony

2020-09-22T20:00:00

Pros and Cons. Con.....possibly the worst portable self charging device on the market, it takes forever for it develop enough spare power to charge the battery and you won't get any power out of the unit until it reaches at least two LED's because it needs power for the fan, I estimate you would have to keep adding wood for 12 hours to get enough charge on the battery to charge a phone. Pros: The best portable heater/furnace I have ever owned, the hotter it gets, the more power it generates. If you have a plentiful source of wood this could easily be a smelt for melting lead for casting, the thing literally turns into a fire tornado at high fan speeds and once it really gets going, it doesn't seem to matter what you put into it, dry wood moist wood, cigarette butts, leaves, charcoal...it quickly incinerates it all. It's like the Mr. Fusion of the portable heater world. But you do have to feed it every minute or so when you are in the tornado mode. This product is well worth the price for just the heating benefits, but over time, it will eventually charge the internal battery enough for an emergency charge of a phone.

Bleddyn

2020-09-21T20:00:00

Great stove, easy to use, and lots of fun. Light, packable, and especially like the USB light attachment.

Ruxi O.

2020-09-16T20:00:00

I have the campstove 1 and was curious about this one. More powerful all around and it gives you feedback via the LEDs. The fan is a bit higher pitch than the original which can be annoying.

Annon

2020-09-14T20:00:00

My first bio lite camp stove was bought in 2017, we used it on one trip, packed it away, went to use it 3 years later and it wouldn’t carve the battery. After several emails I was told it’s an old model we can replace it. They gave my a coupon for 25% off a new one. 1-star for not taking it back and fixing it.

Nurse

2020-09-08T20:00:00

I have now used this CampStove set 14 times and it is still not any easier. I really want this to work, I am tired of carrying gas cans around. But it is tricky to get this thing going and maintaining it. I tried the pellets, no luck, wood from the floor seems best but still you must keep tending to the fire every 2 min. It is not a worry free for 5-10 min. You must stay. On top of it, even just to boil water. The stove top kit for cooking makes it easier as it has the hole to open up but still have to tend to it.

Mark b.

2020-08-28T20:00:00

I love this stove, I've had it for about 1 year and we use it every time we go for a walk. Only thing I am missing is a better bag to carry it in, something like the Maxpedition or Pathfinder bottle bags. Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes I would and I have!

Johan

2020-08-26T20:00:00

Super useful and easy to use. I keep in my backpack at all times and use it every time I'm out and need to charge my items and cook my food. Just as advertised and worth the money imo.

Azureleo

2020-08-23T20:00:00

Very happy with it will re review after more test use

Jazzey06

2020-08-21T20:00:00

I am very happy with my BioLite 2 Using 5 1/2" red oak. The air holes work as a catalytic combustor producing a small Firenado. So awesome ?

Larry R.

2020-08-20T20:00:00

It does exactly what it says it will do on the box. However, you need to set your expectations accordingly. This is an amazingly efficient and hot stove, that can also generate enough USB power for either emergency use or recharging an external battery bank. This will not charge your phone as fast as a wall wart, but it will definitely provide enough juice for an emergency phone call or to power a satcom and issue an SOS. As a stove, it boils water quite quickly and leaves very little soot when using scavenged wood.

Jeremy

2020-08-18T20:00:00

Love this little lamp stove it is really handy and efficient

Brent T.

2020-08-15T20:00:00

Great little device for camping. It is a beautiful design that has the functionality to match.

Joseph

2020-08-09T20:00:00

A must own for any outdoors enthusiast. Amazing quality. Very reliable. The new model fixes everything missed in the first model. Highly recommend.

AdamBay

2020-08-08T20:00:00

I’m still using my Camp Stove 1. I’m surprised at the number of mediocre or unhappy reviews, since my stove has worked fantastic over many years for backpacking and car camping. There is a plastic label on the power module that is lifting, and the whole thing is a bit dirty, but it still boils water quickly, does a mediocre job of charging a phone, and a great job of grilling. I’ll echo some other comments in the hopes that people may be able to use their stoves effectively more quickly. 1 get your fuel in order. You’ll use a lot of twigs and sticks. Break it up to size - up to about an inch in diameter, and have it ready to go. As with any fire, dry fuel burns hotter and cleaner. But once started, you can use moist fuel if you can deal with smoke. Just like with any fire. Wet fuel doesn’t burn in any fire, it just makes lots of smoke. 2) use dry twigs, pine needles and pine cone bits as a starter. Again, just like with any fire, you won’t get started with large chunks of wood. Smaller is better. And don’t overload the stove. A light load of dry small material has always lit right up for me, then progressively feed larger pieces. An overloaded stove will smoke heavily, especially on startup. 3) again, just like with any fire, overloading it will make smoke. With the forced-air, the Bio-lite is actually pretty tolerant of packing in a fair amount of fuel. But too much will make smoke. 4) feed it regularly with small amounts of fuel. The bio-lite will burn nice and hot, and the forced air keeps it hot which means a lot of fuel. The faster the fan is going, the more fuel. But again, don’t stuff it full. Small, regular additions keep a happy fire going. Having your fuel ready and next to you makes life much easier. 5) if boiling water, be prepared to lift the container to add fuel (notice a theme here?) 6) i love using the grill. It works great and is easy to add fuel through the flip-up lid. 7) fire restrictions are real. The bio-lite does great, but can still create sparks and embers depending on your fuel. Comply with local restrictions and don’t be the bozo who starts a big fire. 8) clean out the stove when finished. Turn it upside down and sideways to shake out as much ash as possible. I’ve used my stove easily more than a hundred times. I left it unused for a year when I hurt my back and when I came back it started right up. I still use an MSR jet-boil equivalent sometimes. But other times the bio-lite is the best choice, and yes, you can cook a marshmallow over it when you start letting the fire die down.

Peter