The FireLite Titanium Esbit Wing Stove
is a simply designed folding stove for burning solid fuel tablets such
as Esbit. The stove is made from titanium, and is configured with
three 'legs' that fold and unfold around a small square receptacle in
the center sized to hold a normal size Esbit tablet (approx. 1 x 1.5 in
or 2.5 x 4 cm). The legs are connected to the tablet holder with
a small rivet. They have a unique twisted shape at the base,
which changes the vertically oriented 'pot holder' part of the leg into
the horizontally oriented segment that fits flat under the tablet
holder. The top of the legs are sloped and have small
serrations. This configuration is designed to allow the stove to
be used with different sized cups and pots. Larger pots can
rest on the top of the legs, and smaller cups can rest on the serrated
edges. The words BackpackingLight.com and Titanium are etched
into the side of one leg.
Field Information:
I received the stove as a Christmas gift from my family in 2006 and
have used it on several weekend backpacking trips during 2007, mainly
in the Monongahela National Forest in eastern West Virginia, along with
a few overnight and weekend trips in western or central West
Virginia. Elevations have ranged from approximately 700 to 4000
ft (200 to 1200 m); temperatures from 40 to 80 F (4 to 27 C).
Weather conditions have included light rain and light wind, but it has
mainly been used in clear, calm conditions.
Use:

I have
used the FireLite stove with FireLite 14 g (0.48 oz) size solid fuel
tablets. Originally I was interested in using it with a pot I
made from a Foster's beer can, but I found the shape of the stove and
the shape of the beer can did not get along. This was
disappointing to me since the main reason I was interested in the
FireLite stove was for weight savings, and the beer can pot is the
lightest pot I have been able to find.
I tried using it with the smaller pot from my GSI Hard Anodized Boiler
Cookset, but I found the design of the bottom of this pot did not work
very well, and the pot seemed very unstable. In fact, I had it
slide off the stove a few times and spill my water as it was heating.
I then purchased
an
AntiGravityGear 3 Cup Hard Anodized Cook Pot, thinking the
handle less design would keep the pot better balanced on the
stove. It did help slightly, but I have still had trouble with
the pot tending to slide off the stove if it is not perfectly
level. Even clamping a lifter to the pot has been enough to knock
it off balance, so I have to be very careful while lifting the pot off
the stove not to jar it with the lifter.
So far, I have not really found a pot that I feel confident in using on
the stove in the types of areas I camp in. Level ground is really
hard to come by in West Virginia, and not having the stove level makes
it very difficult to keep a pot balanced on the top of the legs.
Due to the sloped design of the legs, a smaller mug style pot might be
easier to keep balanced, but so fair I haven't persuaded myself to
spend the extra dollars necessary to buy a titanium cup. My $2
beer can pot is still lighter! Unfortunately it will not work
with this stove.
The FireLite tablets fit very well inside the tablet holder. The
stove does seem optimally configured to keep the fuel tablet at the
right distance from the bottom of the pot, based on the fact that
one tablet has always worked to bring 2 cups (1/2 liter) of water to a
boil (using a lid on the pot), and that most of the flame is
concentrated under the pot with very little spilling up the
sides. Usually it takes from 4-7 minutes to boil a pot full of
water, depending on weather conditions. I have often used the
stove without a windscreen in calmer conditions, using a light foil
windscreen if it is a little windy.
When I use the stove I usually place a small scrap of foil around the
fuel tablet forming sort of a tray to fit inside the tablet holder on
the stove. This prevents a lot of residue from being left
on the stove, and I can just wad the foil up and drop it into my bag of
trash to pack out. This does make it a little harder to light the
tablet, so I try to flair the foil away from the tablet a bit at the
top. The routine I've more or less settled into is to find a spot
for the stove, test the pot balance on it, remove the pot, lift the
stove and light one edge of the fuel tablet with a lighter, replace the
stove, add the pot, and loosely wrap a piece of foil around the pot for
the windscreen if needed. Alternately, I can use a match to light
the fuel tablet while the stove is sitting on the ground with the pot
already in place, but this is sometimes a little trickier. If I'm
not careful, I can knock the pot of water off the stove easily when I
light it this way, or the match can blow out. I am just not
coordinated enough to manage to light the fuel tablet with a lighter
when it is near ground level, at least not without burning a finger in
the process.
To store the stove in my pack, I simply swing the three legs
together. They are shaped so they fit nest neatly together on one
side, and the rectangular tablet holder sits on the opposite
side. I usually wrap the stove in a piece of a Handi-Wipe (to
prevent scratching) and stow it inside my cook pot with a small cup,
lighter, matches, and pot lifter. The folded stove takes up very
little room.
The stove seems to be of good quality. Other than some slight
discoloration of the metal from heat, no changes in the stove are
evident after several months of use.
Summary:
I have to say that I am rather disappointed in this stove - not really
in the way it works, but in the trouble I have had finding a pot that
is stable on it. My cook gear philosophy is to be as light,
simple, and inexpensive as possible. The cost of the stove itself
seems reasonable given the materials and workmanship, but I am
disappointed that it cannot be used with beer can pots, which are both
very light and very cheap. I'm also disappointed that it is not
very stable with my other small, light pots.
Although the stove is very light, I would not purchase the FireLite
Titanium Esbit Wing Stove again, since there are options out there for
homemade pots and Esbit tab holders that are not only cheaper, but
lighter, when the whole system is considered together.