I and my campmates have simple cylinder stoves in our tents and we both use grates in ours. I've always thought they burned better with a place for air to flow around the wood and it also helps with damping the fire IMO.... I only mention it because I asked this question of our tent suppliers, a few stove manufacturers' reps, and many guys I run into who also run stoves in their elk tents and the answers are all over the map. Some of them make no sense at all, while others seem to have the experience to explain their reasoning. I've been using this cylinder stove with a grate for a very long time and don't plan to change my habits any time soon....
Bob
