Bushbuddy

Sam, I never would have thought to put it in the dishwasher but now that you brought it up, it sure makes sense. After all, it is a cooking utensil and it will get dirty.

My Bushbuddy is still in the box, unopened in as much as my wife won’t let me open it until my birthday. This new equipment poses a dilemma since I have heard it is somewhat flimsy, i.e. the light weight stainless steel bends quite easily. Is this true? Given the dimensions it won’t fit any of my light weight cook pots-.9L Evernew, Heinekin pot, Walmart Grease pot.

It will fit some of my heavier pots so it looks like I am going to have to arrive at some other solution for packing this mother so it won’t get all mashed up. I hear that BPL will be coming out with a new titanium pot to accommodate the Bushbuddy. I don’t want to spend the money for the Snow Peak. What are some of the packing techniques that some of the rest of you have come up with? Thanks,

John

Yes, some of the metal on the Bushbuddy Ultra is flimsy but that's the reason behind why it's so light. Like most ultralight gear it needs to be treated with respect. I would highly suggest finding a different cookpot to carry it in as without a protective shell around it you could really damage it in your pack.

Consider a Snowpeak 900mL pot as it fits perfectly in there. I took a dremel tool to all the handles, fashioned an aluminum lid and made a bail out of some aluminum wire (will be replacing with titanium) and the package weighs only 3.26 oz. Pair that with the 5.14 oz. stove, .38 oz spork and NO fuel and this is a winner.

Only 8.46 oz when I place them on the scale together.

I’ve been following this discussion as I am very interested in the Bushbuddy. I’ve done some searching outside this forum for more info about how the stove works and similar stoves. I have found a few pages that may be of interest to others who may not already know about these pages. Will the Bushbuddy ignite the creativity of inventers around here and generate many new designs like what we’ve seen with the homemade alcohol burners?

A homemade design and an explanation of how a batch-loaded, inverted down-draft gassifier works—

http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/WoodGasStove/

In ProLite Gear’s forum–

http://www.prolitegear.com/cgi-bin/prolitegear/forums/thread_display?forum_thread_id=21#43

Reed & Larson’s article on a wood-gas stove for developing countries. Got me thinking about larger energy issues too–

http://www.biomassenergyfoundation.org/LEARN/papers/woodgas_stove.pdf

Some other good leads within these links too.

Think I’ll make a Garlington stove.

–Mike

super links – thanks!

I will try to make a Garlington stove, too.

stove science + Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise…

http://www.biz.colostate.edu/ms/gsse/ProgramOverview/Projects.htm

http://newsinfo.colostate.edu/index.asp?url=news_item_display&news_item_id=258787506

Bright Light Innovations stove

The BB Ultra nests in the Walmart Aluminum Mug, wt 4 oz, just about perfect, like they were made for each other.

We have just received in our warehouse our custom titanium pots that fit the BB Ultra. They weigh 3.10 oz with lid, have a capacity of 39 oz. It will take a little time to get them inspected and then set up on the website for sale, but look for a small batch to be released on Tuesday, perhaps.

Hey Ryan, I have been patiently waiting for this pot,will it be comparable in price to say… the Snow Peak 900?

Nathan, it will be quite a bit more expensive than the 900. Titanium costs are through the roof right now, and mold costs must be amortized early in the production run, since these are small lots. It's made with very thin walled titanium which brings a higher incidence of manufacturing defects that must be rejected as well. It should be in the range of $65-$75 for members (cough, gag, wheeze, I know, I know…).

>They weigh 3.10 oz with lid

If the lid fits the SP900 I'd sure like to buy a lid only.

I think BPL could have a run on nothing but lids.

George,

And thank you for the link to the fascinating Bright Light Innovations Stove. Amazing stuff. Any chance of emailing or posting another photo? I downloaded the file and increased the size but cannot see the stove clearly. Are you involved in this initiative?

It's staggering to think that 2 billion people cook with biomass. I heat my home with wood and use solar for hot water. I plan to use some wind energy in the near future too.

–Mike

Hermit's Hut has the Snow Peak 900 on sale for $33.78

http://store.hermitshut.com/snpetr900tic.html

Yeah, I tried the fit for this pot the other day and it's amazing… like the Bushbuddy was made for it. Wow! I then tried the MSR Titan kettle because I recall someone said it fit with the lid turned upside down… but it did not fit for me. The WalMart aluminum mug is a combo I'll have to try. Thanks for posting that.

You are welcome Jim. The mug was purchased back in January in the housewares section of the Santa Ana Walmart for approximately $2.75. It was sitting on my gear shelf and just looking at the mug it appeared too small for the BB. Out of curiosity I pulled the Bushbuddy and mug out and I was amazed out how perfectly the two matched. The weight and the price just tickle me to laughter.

The new “Bushbuddy” Titanium Pot is now online. We have a limited stock now, with more coming later in the summer.

FireLite SUL 1100 Titanium Pot

More Pics:

Does any one else find irony in that?

Oh man, you're not kidding. This really made me laugh. Quite a contrast from the $1 can of pop and the $70 titanium pot, which I also find a great deal of irony in.

Here's a remarkable thing. A popcan stove, a mcdonald's spoon, and a walmart mug – a $3 trip to WM gets you hiking light and entire functional. I love that about lightweight backpacking, it encompasses the full spectrum.

I recently started work on a fourth gearlist – one that consists entirely of items I've either purchased at thrift stores or found used and really cheap.

To anyone who's used one of these–
Does one begin using the stove as soon as it's lit, or should one wait until coals form (though perhaps twigs don't yield many coals?) And does soot build up on the bottom of the cooking pot (possibly spreading later inside ones pack), or does whatever attaches wash quickly off?
Thanks for the info

Soot's only cosmetic. Keep your pot in a bag when you stow it. Flames lapping up the sides of the pot a little deliver the best heat. You'll be waiting a long time if you're cooking over coals.

"a $3 trip to WM gets you hiking light and entire functional."

Also, a $15 trip to Home Depot (plus a knowledge of a sheet bend knot) can get your shelter needs taken care of.

IME, the only lightweight items for which its difficult to find cheap, adequate substitutes are the pack and sleeping bag.

FireLite 1100 Titanium Pot + Bushbuddy Ultra Wood Stove

I like the 39 oz capacity / weighs 3.1 oz
(vs my MSR Titan Kettle's 24 oz / weighs 4.2 oz)
$64 reasonable price compared to the Kettle at $50

The Bushbuddy looks good when you consider that your fuel weight goes away. Excellent craftmanship according to those that have them in hand – not to mention the inspiration after reading about the Artic1000 trek.

Together – a good design and good value.

Before I change my mind, if both are in stock, then I'm going for it.

Where abouts in the myriad departments in Walmart did you guys find that mug? If it's that big, I may pass the tip on that on to the Scouts I work with (as well as appropriating a couple for myself).

I looked tonight at my local Walmart and didn't find one. I got tired of looking. The place is huge and swarming with people. I can't spend a lot of time in a place like that… drives me crazy. Next time perhaps.

Apparently some of you have been unsuccessful in finding the aluminum mug at Walmart. The mug/pot has an Imusa label on it and is manufactured and/or imported from Mexico. It has been discussed quite a bit on other lightweight backpacking forums and seems to be a brand that is carried by Kmarts, Walmarts, Targets and other such stores. One of the discussions can be found at:

http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/41849,-1.php

The above thread has it 3 at ozs. My old beat up postal scale (pictured above) shows it to weigh 4 ozs. It is probably somewhere in between. If you can find it, it holds water (lots of it), the BBU fits inside nicely and the price is right. I googled “imusa aluminum mug” and was able to find several hits.