Running out of phone battery deep in the backcountry isn't just annoying — it can be a safety problem. A gadget called the BioLite CampStove 2+ tackles that issue with a clever twist: it's a wood-burning stove that also generates electricity from the fire you're already cooking on.
The idea is simple. You feed it twigs, kindling, scraps or pellets — no gas canisters to carry or run out of. The heat from the flames is converted into power, producing around three watts of output with a 3,200 mAh battery built in. So you can top up your phone while dinner simmers, or store the charge and use it later. A small flexlight, also powered by the fire, clips on so you can actually see the pan after dark.
It's genuinely portable, too. The whole unit weighs just over two pounds (936 grams) and packs down roughly to the size of a large water bottle, which puts it firmly in backpacking territory rather than car-camping-only gear. Despite the size, it performs: BioLite says it boils a litre of water in about four and a half minutes.
There's some smart engineering under the hood. The stove burns off fumes before they escape the fire, so cooking is essentially smoke-free — a plus for both your clothes and low-impact camping. An LED dashboard lets you adjust fan speed and heat, and shows the battery level, so you know how much phone charge your evening campfire has banked.
Why should a traveller care? Because it solves the classic tension of modern trips: wanting to disconnect without going fully dark. Navigation apps, offline maps, emergency contact and a few photos all depend on battery, and on multi-day hikes or remote campsites there's rarely a plug in sight. A stove that doubles as a power source means one less device to pack and one less thing to ration. It's also a neat fit for festivals, overlanding trips, van life, or anyone who'd rather not stock up on fuel canisters for every excursion.
It won't suit everyone. If you're camping on a campsite with electric hookups, or hiking somewhere too wet and barren for dry twigs, a gas stove and a power bank may still make more sense. And three watts is a trickle, not a fast charger — fine for keeping a phone alive over a few days, less useful for tablets or laptops.
But for wild campers, thru-hikers and anyone heading somewhere genuinely off-grid, the CampStove 2+ is one of the more inventive bits of kit on the market: dinner, light and a lifeline to the outside world, all from a handful of sticks. Story via Explore.com.
