XL Release

The new PackaFeather XL is here!

04-17-2007

ESBIT SOLID FUEL TESTS
We have been testing Esbit brand solid fuel tablets in the FeatherFire stove. Solid fuel is not as fast as other fuels but still the results were quite favorable.

With one tab we were able to bring 2 cups of 70° F water to a true boil in under 10 minutes. (The manufacturer claims a full boil in 8 minutes but most tests show over 9 minutes in the real world.) Then we turned the stove down to simmer and were able to keep it boiling for a full 20 minutes. (Esbit says max burn time is about 13 minutes so, again that is really excellent.)

That makes the FeatherFire the ONLY stove on the market that lets you fully control the burning of solid fuel tabs. More to follow.

03-22-2007

Mike Cope of Trail Gear Trading Post has introduced a new product that most any hiker will be interested in. It's called the Trail-Stik Survival Hiking Staff. You can learn all about it here: TrailGearTradingPost.com

03-09-2007

The Windscreen, heat reflector and fueling kit are finally ready for shipping! (Our apologies for taking soooo long to get them ready to go.)

1-30-2007

It's finally cold enough here in the desert to perform some cold weather testing of the FeatherFire stove. This morning was well below freezing and we tested the stove. Here's the conditions and results:

Outside temp: 27° F
Water temp: 2 cups@ 46° F
Fuel temp: 2/3 ounce@ 46° F
Light winds (about 5 MPH)
The stove was also set outside for about 15 minutes prior to lighting to get nice and cold

We set up the stove along with the prototype windscreen and new heat reflector that we've been experimenting with. The stove ignited easily on the first attempt. The water came to a full boil (measured with a digital thermometer) in 4 minutes and 38 seconds. (The new heat reflector works like a champ!)

**Update** Further cold weather testing showed that our first test was a bit of an anomaly. After running 10 more tests in similar conditions the average boil time was just over 5 minutes. In other words sub-freezing temps have no apparent effect on stove performance.