If you’re in the market for an ultra lightweight stove and fuel set to take on your next trip to the outdoors, look no further than the Firedragon Folding Cooker along with the Firedragon Fuel tabs.
When I first saw the Firedragon folding cooker, it brought a smile to my face as it reminded me of the old German Esbit style stoves. The stove is very compact, being about the same size as a 3×5 notepad and about ¾” high. It is very lightweight, coming in at only 3.88 ounces, or 110 grams. It has a dual windscreen built in by way of it’s integrated retracting side walls. These walls are capable of supporting a cup, can, or small pot perfect for 1 or 2 person meals.
The cooker is now the standard issue stove to the British military. It works with any solid fuel tab or gel but is optimized for use with Firedragon’s solid fuel tabs, which are also the standard issue fuel tabs for the British military. The cooker and fuel are also both NATO approved. We picked ours up at the Modern Day Marine show and got the opportunity to talk to BCB International. The company is based in Cardiff, UK and supply much of the UK military, police and security forces.
The company literature notes, “FireDragon out-performs other cooking fuels. Fire Dragon can boil 500 ml of water in 5 minutes. This is over 2 minutes faster than the second best performing fuel. Meths boiled the same amount of water in 7 minutes, Hexamine in 7.5 minutes and Liquid Ethanol Gel in 7.75 minutes.”
The fuel tabs are equally impressive. They are non-toxic and odorless when burnt. They will light and burn even when wet. They give off little soot and smoke, and each block burns about 8 minutes. It is made from a sustainable, natural biofuel. Let me tell you, these things burn hot! An entire box, consisting of 6 fuel tabs, weighs in at just 0.9 ounces (27g)! This allows you to carry the stove plus 3 fuel tabs (the max that fit in the stove) for the burden of just 4.3 ounces.
I had the chance to test out the stove and fuel during a recent hiking trip. The feather like weight of the stove and fuel made me forget I even had them in my pack. Once I got the stove set up, I opened the fuel tab package and scraped out a tiny, bean sized amount. It caught a flame instantly and despite the small amount I used, it burned very hot and it burned evenly. As the fuel melted down, it spread across the bottom of the stove and made for a nice, even flame. The windscreens on the stove did their job, although I did not have strong winds this day.
Once the fuel had burned out, the stove cooled very quickly, allowing it to be packed away without wasting much time. I was able to store the left over fuel tabs in the stove without fear that they would melt or otherwise be damaged.
The compact size of the stove coupled with its fuel storage ability, and the robustness and reliability of the fuel tabs combined with the very low price make this combination a perfect choice to add to your bug out or get home bags, solo or small group camp gear, glove boxes, or even to give as a gift. With the end of the traditional camping season coming up, now is a great time to get this combo and give it a try! The fuel blocks cost roughly $6.50 and the stove comes in around $5.50.
1 x Box of (6x27G)
- non-toxic and odourless when burnt
- easy and quick to ignite use the flint, match or lighter.
- low luminosity
- very little soot given off.
- easy to store and handle
- safe to be packed with food
- high calorific value 28,000 kj / kg
- potential for use as a hand sanitizer*.
- each block will burn for about 8 minutes.
- two blocks for about 12 minutes
- suitable for all weather conditions
- will light & burn even when wet
- can be used with a variety of cookers
- made from sustainable, natural biofuel
- air freightable
- patented
Weight: 6 X 27g (0.9oz)
NATO approved: NSN-9110-99-505-2835
* May not be suitable for use on sensitive skin