Folding Firebox Review

The woodburning market seems to be flooded at the moment. There’s bushbuddys, bushstoves, pocket cookers and Honey stoves to name just a few. A new one on the market has to be a bit special to even make a dent. The Folding Firebox is certainly that; so I’ll show you around it a give you my opinion.

The first thing that strikes you is that when it’s folded up, it's incredibly thin, which makes it great for packing away. I also noticed that it is quite heavy, which is a bit of negative for the bushcraft and hiking market, unless you’re willing to haul around 2lbs of stainless steel. If you take into account the weight of your fuel, then this might be a little more attractive because obviously, the stove primarily relies on natural fuel found in the woods. It’s also ideal for a base-camp situation, where weight doesn’t matter too much.

The Folding Firebox is basically a wood-burning stove. Everything is hinged together and, unlike some fiddly setups, you don’t have to spend ages putting it together. The only thing that is separate is the ash pan and two metal “firesticks.” The firesticks help hold the stove together when folded up.

These metal “firesticks” also have a number of other uses. Firstly, they can be used to lift the hot firebox if you need to move it around. Secondly, you can put the sticks through any one of the drilled holes to place items (either other burners or small cups and pans) at different levels. The holes are half an inch lower on adjacent sides so there are many options. Finally, the sticks can be placed right on top of the firebox so you can cook or boil with smaller cups or pans.

The stove can also be used with other fuel sources. If you remove the ash pan from the bottom and place it on the top, you can use esbit or hexy blocks with the stove. There’s enough headroom between the fuel and the top of the firebox to allow this to happen. Meths burners like a Trangia or Evernew are a bit trickier. You can use the firesticks to put the burner on any level, but you can only use larger pans on the top of the firebox. Smaller mugs and even our ubiquitous Crusader cups won’t fit on the top easily. But, with the assistance of two handy tent pegs, you can use these to place on your cup or smaller pot with no problem.

The thing I like about the Folding Firebox is it’s ease of use. The all-round solid construction allows stable, safe and wind-proof use. It folds up remarkably thin for such a resulting sold construction. The downside is that it’s quite heavy – but I’d be willing to carry it in if I couldn’t use a ground fire for whatever reason.

One other big plus… the price. At the moment it’s advertised at $39. Even with delivery and import tax, that’s a give-away.

All in all, a big thumbs up for this interesting and innovative stove.

There’s more details and full video on http://foldingfirebox.com. In the meantime, I’ve done a short video of the Firebox in wood-burning mode below.

 

Thanks to Ben Probst who sent me the Firebox.