Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > WildWood 1 Stove > Mike Lipay > Field Report

Field Report - Makaira WildWood I Backpacking Stove

by Mike Lipay - October 28, 2006

Description
Date Arrived	August 21, 2006
Model	WildWood I
Manufacturer	Makaira Metalworks
Year of Mfgr	2006
Website	www.MakairaMetal.com
MSRP	$30.00 USD
Warranty	The WildWood I will offer many years of reliable use. We are so sure of this that if any part of the stove fails, just return it and we will repair or replace it for free.
Mfgr. Specs	Weight: 17 oz (482 g) Height: 4 3/4 in (12 cm) Diameter: 5 1/2 in (14 cm)
Personal measurements	Weight: 17 oz (480 g) Height: 4 3/4 in (12 cm) Diameter: 5 3/8 in (14 cm)

Field Test - Trip 1
Date of Test	Sept. 24-25, 2006
Length of Trip	2 days
Weather	64°F (18°C) Sunny, winds averaging 20-25 mph (32-40 kph), elevation 2450 ft (747 m)
Location	Laurel Summit State Park, Pa.
Field Test	We setup a base camp at Wolf Rocks to explore the area, so all meals were cooked from this area. I did my cooking on the rocks (see photo), this provided me the ability to test the stove without concern about hot coals falling through the grate, overheating the soil under the stove, or the fire getting away from me while learning to use the Wildwood I. Assembly was easy on the large surface, almost like assembling it at home on the kitchen table. I loaded the Wildwood I with dry wood I brought from home (I do woodworking, so dried scraps are plentiful), and used parafin-impregnated firestarters (buy at any place that sells fireplace stuff). The fire started easy and cooking was just the same as cooking on a campfire. The fire from the Wildwood I was almost as wild as the stove's name (see photo) - this made me glad I started using the stove on the rocks. I let the fire die down before cooking, then stoked it only enough to keep the fire at a reasonable level for cooking. Lesson learned: only fill the stove about half-full, too much wood at one time and the fire can get out of control. After the fire went out I checked the combustion chamber for left-overs and was pleasantly surprised at how little remained, only ashes from the wood. I let the stove cool down before disposing of the ash (cool-down time was 10-minutes before being able to handle the Wildwood I), then simply scattered the ashes on the trail. Along with the wood from home I picked up some pinecones from the trail, you can see the ashes from the cones in the second picture. Underneath the Wildwood I was relatively little ash, and the rock temperature was only slightly warm, I don't think there will be any concern with damage to the soil biologicals from use, probably due to the distance between the base of the stove and the rock. Cooking took little time once the fire was going, within 5 minutes after starting the process I was cooking up ham and veggies for a Philly Cheese-Steak lunch, and was eating in just about another 5 minutes. The whole process, from assembly to eating, took a little over 15 minutes. I boiled some hot water for tea, but forgot to keep track of the time to get the water to a boil.

Field Test - Trip 2
Date of Test	Oct. 21-22, 2006
Length of Trip	2 days
Weather	41°F (5°C) Cloudy, winds calm, elevation 2400ft (732 m).
Location	Laurel Highlands Trail, Pa.
Field Test	It's been about a month since the last test and the Wildwood I has been in a stuff sack in my gear closet since then, so I was surprised when I opened the sack before loading it and found that some rust had started to form on a few pieces. The photo on the right is the base, the red spots in the top are the rust formations. Mild rust appeared on the base and two of the uprights (sorry for the poor photo quality, my main camera is out for repair and the backup is poor on close-ups). Considering the short period of time between uses I am concerned about the rusting. Food was cooked on the trail on this trip, breakfast just being a cold selection. On the trail, with the fall leaves on the ground, I selected rocks to use as a base for the Wildwood I stove. Not having the luxury of a place to sit as in the last trip, assembly was done while kneeling. I found that assembly of the Wildwood I is more difficult when the surface is not level. I managed to assemble the five sides together with only a little difficulty, but when I set the assembled sides down to put the base into place the rear side piece slid out of position, causing the other sides to fall apart. It took several attempts, and a third hand from one of my buddies, to get the Wildwood I assembled. Once the stove was assembled, and the twigs gathered to use as fuel, I was able to get the fire going within a few minutes and had my meal cooked within 10 minutes after assembly. I cooked the meal in a 1/2 qt (1/2 L) stainless steel pot (sorry about the lack of photos, cameras didn't work out well on this trip). The bottom of the pot was covered with soot and, at the end of the trip, will require cleaning. The sack I use is black, and the pot and stove are the only things I keep in it, so I wasn't worried about cleaning during the trip. The trip occurred after a 3-day heavy rain, so dry material was not as easy to come by as on my last trip. With all of the downed trees in the area I was able to find enough dead wood that was not soaked, but had to deal with the smoke from wet wood. Normally I would just use the dry stuff I bring with me, but I wanted to see how easy it would be to get a fire going with just available material. The process wasn't difficult and, combined with the starter, the wood wasn't too wet to get things going. On this trip I managed to get twigs, acorns, pine cones, and walnut shells to burn -- I was never without sufficient material to cook with, even when dinners took a half-hour to cook. The opening in the front for stoking the fire proved easier to use than I had thought, but still provided some problems. Along with providing a place to stoke the fire, the opening also provides a place for the flames to come out. Shoving twigs into the opening worked well, but acorns and shells were a different matter, they had to be tossed into the opening to keep my hands from being singed by the flames.

Conclusions
	Burns anything I can find on the trail. Easily stows inside my cookpot. Cools down fast so I don't have to wait around after eating.
	Difficult to assemble on uneven surfaces. Hard to stoke fire with flames coming out of the opening. Rusting of the parts after only a month of storage.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank both Makaira Metalworks and BackpackGearTest for the chance to test the Wildwood I stove.
My Initial Wildwood 1 Report

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > WildWood 1 Stove > Mike Lipay > Field Report