Single Wall versus Double Wall Woodburner

Hi Brad,
I tend to agree with you, Dan knows we agree to disagree on this point. My stove has a separate Aluminium outer jacket that weighs less than 20 grams. It must increase the temperature of the secondary air, this will matter most when you can only find damp fuel.
The idea that wood gas came down through the grate up the annular double wall space and back into the fire box to make "that flame pattern" was always beyond belief. Dan's photo shows the pattern can be made by air coming in unheated. My stove has no connection between the annular space and the grate, it makes the pattern too.
It is very difficult to prove that preheated secondary air makes a difference, as there are so many other variables. I applaud Dan for trying.
It is not enough that the smoke gets burnt, with a hot enough fire the flames become long and find air outside the firebox and burn there, but they don't heat the pot much. Getting secondary air into the firebox must be an improvement, introducing it hot must be more of an improvement

Herman,
How do you feed more fuel in your stove?

I open the door and throw in some wood. In this case, the "door" is the pot. I lift the pot up, drop in a handful of wood and lower the pot back down. :)

Hmmm, it just so happens I have been testing a 'convertible' single/double skin wood stove to see if the extra layer makes a difference, but my criteria of success was a lot different. I just measured time to boil 2 cups water, as for me in the real world fuel is not limiting. I started the fire as I would do in the real world (cotton bud and striker plus kindling) and gradually fed it until a boil was reached. By this criteria, there was little advantage to having a double-skinned stove. The biggest difference I noticed was that the single skin version left behind more ash.

Oh, and average boil times were 6 minutes (plus or minus a minute).

Good to have another confirmation of single wall performance. As for fuel efficiency, I kind of agree. Even at sites that have been picked clean by a season's worth of thru-hikers, I've always been able to find enough twigs to cook a meal.

There is one incontrovertible advantage of a double wall. Anyone who's inadvertently touched a single wall stove (or let a paper towel or other item do same)can tell you what it is.

>There is one incontrovertible advantage of a double wall. Anyone who's inadvertently touched a single wall stove (or let a paper towel or other item do same)can tell you what it is.

Yup. I can think of two times where I have needed to move my BushBuddy while it was cooking. It's a spooky feeling the first time you pick it up while it's going full throttle, but re-assuring to know you can if necessary. There is (at least) one up-side to a single wall design though. They are much easier to warm your hands on!

you can resolve the problem of picking up a single walled stove with a bail handle. (see photo's of my stove, above).

I think most of you are better off using double walled stoves based on your experiences with them. Indications are they are more "green" and more safety oriented. There are alot of nice designs out there. If I were to purchase a woodburning stove it would be a BushBuddy. Nice stove!!!!!

… but there is that extra weight.