kazan182
Active Member
- Aug 3, 2011
- 510
Ive read mixed reviews on how well that feature even works.. I would rather have one without that to be honest I have absolutely no interest in charging my Iphone in the woods. I just think it looks like a fun little stove. I wish I could take one for a test drive before spending the money on it.
It does work but it's not that fast at charging which is why I bought the powerpot which is much faster.
I always carry my phone and always keep it topped off whenever possible. It may not be the first device I charge when I set up camp but it gets a bit every day. You never know when you may need it or when you may be surprised to get a signal...Mountain top, etc. which may save you some aggravation. It also provides a flashlight which is ok, and can map even without a cell signal. It a good idea to keep phone numbers, etc. handy in case you need them (someone else may have a comm device for you to use), I use the voice note feature to take notes on my trips about gear, places, etc. as I keep a journal of all of my trips I move the audio to written when I get home. A cell should, in my opin, be carried always as it's considered your first comm option anywhere. It would be a bit embarrassing to call for assistance via a emer beacon (PLB, etc.) or SPOT, etc. in an area covered by cell coverage. I do carry the cell turned off to save battery and sometimes it's nice to listen to a bit of music every now and again. So, I carry it, use it so I need to charge it. I guess if you carry one and don't use it you could get away with not charging it for days. I usually charge my Tikka headlamp first then over stuff. I carry a 5400Mah LiON battery that can do two quick charges of my cell and powers a USB lightstick for site/tent lighting so I charge that. Even if I don't need the water I am heating it to top off devices. With an open fire or the Biolite Stove its a no brainer but I would not do that if using another heating device using fuel.
I like the new Kettle Charge pot from Biolite so I may look into one of those eventually. The low water alarm is nice The powerpot V I have weights about one pound where both the Kettle Charge and the Biolite stove are two pounds if weight is an issue. But the Kettle charge does have a battery built in for quick charging. I guess you always need to cook/boil water so you may as well get something that will do double duty.
I am in PG County so if you want to try it one day let me know. We can meet somewhere if you like.