Lightweight Tent Stoves To Pack In
Individuals packing in normally take a lightweight stove. However, some individuals take a heavier stove and "cache" it if they use the same hunting camp every year. A cache is not allowed in national forests or wilderness areas.
Collapsible stoves fold down on themselves and are occasionally used by packers. Only about one half of the stove space on a pack horse is saved because the stove pipe and any other accessories must also be packed in. Stove pipe and accessories normally fit inside the firebox of a normal stove. The biggest drawback of a collapsible stove is that the firebox is not airtight and sometimes smoke will get in your tent. Special care should be taken for stove pipe for collapsible stoves as it is easily damaged since it is not stored inside a stove fire box.
Lightweight stoves primary drawback is the thin metal bottom will burn through much faster than the heavier metal stoves. I recommend you put one inch of dirt inside the firebox to reduce the heat on the bottom of the stove firebox. The two most common lightweight stoves used for packing in are the Riley Stoves and Kni-Co stoves. The larger Riley stoves, Colt and larger, have double walls and double stove bottoms and are very durable. However, the Riley stove is much more expensive than the Kni-Co single wall and bottom stoves.
A damper for your stove is strongly recommend. I hunt in Wilderness areas and all wood has to be cut by hand. A damper makes your stove 10-15% more efficient. Which means you will reduce the amount of wood you have to cut by 10-15% if you use a damper. This 10-15% increased stove efficiency is very important when you cut wood by hand.