The second thing that impressed me was how compact the WildWood I was, with a diameter of 5 in (12.7 cm) and a height of barely 3/8 in (10 cm) in height, this is definately the smallest stove I've ever carried.

Quality of construction was very favorable, while the signs of cutting can be seen along the edges, there are no sharp surfaces or burrs protruding - signs of a high quality manufacturing process. Where the manufacturing did fall short though was on the carry sack included, semi-attached threads were at every seam inside the sack, and the hooks used to assemble the WildWood I snag on the threads every time I have removed the stove. It took only a few seconds to cut the loose thread, but it still annoyed me at having to do so.

The final item that caught my attention was how the pieces were designed to fit together: each side piece has two hooks on each side which will interlock into the hooks on the mating piece (see photo). Quite clever.

Basically, I started off holding one of the sides with its hooks pointing up, the two adjoining pieces were held so that their hooks pointed down; assembly was carried off by sliding the hooks of one side into the notches of the mating side. This continued around the circle until everything but the door was in place.

At this point the base of the stove is slid inside the assembly so that the tabs on the base fit into the notches of the sides. One point of note, the front of the base has no tab, and the door has no notch, once the base is in place the door simply slides down to connect the two open sides forming the stove (see photos).

Once together the WildWood I can be picked up by holding any two sides (except the door), the interlocking features keep the WildWood I from falling apart. Again, a very clever way to make the stove.

I plan on performing a number of tests to determine how well and how quickly the WildWood I can make typical meals; also to be determined is the amount of fuel needed to carry out these tasks. Currently I will pick up burnable objects as I walk through the woods, targeting at a sandwich-size plastic bag filled with objects like pine cones, dry pine needles, nuts (and husks), etc. I find that this is what I typically need for 20-30 minutes of burn on my current wood stove.

For inclement weather I always bring along some wax-coated fire starters, this will be no exception. I find that this type of fire started is capable of burning long enough to get fuel the size the WildWood I uses dry enough to start burning. Hopefully they won't be needed.

I'm still wondering if the stove will cool down quick enough on a lunch break to be ready to store back in my pack when I'm ready to take off again. The thickness of the steel, and the size of the stove, make me think it might not cool down quick enough.

Makaira suggests clearing the area under the stove before starting the fire, as burnable pieces can fall through the openings. Since the areas I visit are biologically active I have a concern that use of this stove might kill the organics in the soil, I will monitor how hot it gets underneath. If sufficient heat is generated to kill the biologics within the top few inches then I might have to reconsider where I do my cooking (LNT and all that).

My next concern is how efficiently the WildWood I consumes the fuel, currently I am used to having only ashes remaining after a typical cooking session. Will I have to deal with larger pieces that need properly extinguished before leaving?

Finally, how will the rangers in my area view this stove? My current stove has a totally enclosed combustion chamber, while the WildWood I is much more open. Will the WildWood I be allowed when the risk of fire is high? During these times the rangers prohibit open fires, will I be allowed to use the WildWood I when restrictions are in place?