Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Wall tent stoves which and why?

I bought a stove from Four Dog a few years ago. I got the 3-Dog model and used it in a 12x12 Outback Lodge from Cabelas. It would roast us out of the tent even with snow flying! But, it would not burn all night without the right wood. I think that having the right wood is more important than the stove model.

The things that I liked about the Four Dog stove were that it was airtight, had a baffle, and no sparks out the front. If you shut the stove down, the flame went out. This was handy for me and what I wanted in a stove. I never left it running unattended but that's just me. Plus, you can control the air supply when you do want the stove running. Some stoves leak a lot and even if you shut them down they keep burning.

The baffle was awful handy too since sparks can't make the path up the flue. At first I didn't believe it, but I ended up spending the first few days watching it to see if this claim was valid. The only thing I found that could snake past the baffle was burning newspaper ashes. They are light enough to allow the hot air to carry them around the baffle. Once the paper is burned, no other solids made it through. But, I still used a spark arrestor to avoid a fine. Other designs allow sparks to shoot straight up the flue. Some will make it past an arrestor.

The baffle also creates a nice hot spot for boiling water. My stove had one shelf and I would leave a tea kettle on the shelf full of water all the time. It would stay really warm and when I wanted boiling water I just moved it over onto the stove. It would be boiling in just a few moments. Handier than a water jacket and what Four Dog recommended to me in the first place. He talked me out of a water jacket, and I wouldn't go any other way. A big kettle is the way to go since you can carry the hot water where you want and its cheaper than the jacket.

Now that I can weld, I'd just make my own stove but would make something similar to the Four Dog. If you're undecided, give Four Dog a call. He's an interesting woodsman and willing to share a good deal of information and knowledge.

Now woodstove vs. propane...

Wood stoves are nice, but so are propane stoves. If you can carry enough propane, this might be best option for many people. A woodstove requires a good supply of local wood, or you must haul wood. Hauling wood from different regions might not be a good idea though. Everytime I visit Colorado I'm glad that we don't have the same problem here (beetles). Plus, the local wood might not last the night. And, if you're using local wood, who is going to gather, cut, and stack the wood? This can become a chore. I like to hunt #1, not babysit a camp. If you have less serious hunters, older guys that like to stay at camp, or a really good cook that is willing to prepare meals while others perform other chores then its no big deal. Same if you have someone that's willing to truck in a bunch of good long burning wood.

The benefits of a woodstove are DRY heat. Its nicer than propane. Plus, that kettle on the stove shelf might not be boiling but its hot. You can clean-up, wash yourself, etc. without having to fire up a campstove. I tell you what, waking up in the morning and sliding the kettle over from the shelf to the stove and you can have coffee ready quick. Or have your percolator loaded the night before and slide it on the stove and go back to bed.

One pain in the butt with the woodstove is that the spark arrestor will clog badly with certain wood. I've collected wood local to the campsite and it seemed like if I wasn't adding fuel to the stove, I was cleaning that dang arrestor. It can be a chore. Its best to run the stove hot I think. This helps keep the flue and arrestor clean, but not what you want at night.

Propane is really handy though. Its wet heat (unless its a vented heater), but there's no ashes to empty, no wood to haul/cut/stack, no bark all over your tent (not a problem in floorless tents), etc. But, on a long trip you need a lot of propane.

I downsized my tents and sold the Four Dog... and just use propane right now. But if I was thinking about a big wall tent, or had family that stayed at camp while I was away I'd either make a stove like the Four Dog, or invest in a diesel stove.