I need a new stove for deer camp. I have an older Ashley CBAC circulator unit in there now. I don't need anything expensive but do need something that can pump out BTUs for minimally insulated 1,150 sq ft. dwelling. I've been looking at U.S. Stove models that can be bought at box stores and the reviews are hit and miss. What do you recommend and where do you recommend purchasing?

I know about the expensive ones, mine cost $2500. I am not up to speed on the cheapos but I imagine there are some good cheapos out there. I once made a stove from a 55 gallon drum and it worked pretty well.

With your experience with upper end stoves what one’s do you recommend versus which brands to stay clear of?

Expensive: Blaze King. Extremely long burn times and their claim that you'll use 30% less wood is absolutely true. I've had mine for 10 years and it is simply outstanding.

Inexpensive: Drolet

Stick one of these in there

I have one I used to keep in a 12x30 tractor stall for mechanic work.

They sure have went up.

Got mine for $35 at a yard sale 🤠

Side note, used to toss .357 mag ammo in it for fun. No harm came of it.


Has two cooktop ‘burners’ on it too

imageupload

Drolet for the OP.

Blaze King and Jotul for the guys with a big wallet.

I've had a Lopi 1250 (now discontinued) in my cabin for about 5 years and it's worked well. My cabin is 14x20 with a loft, no insulation.

If a wood stove was my primary source of heat I would spend the money for a good stove and I’d recover the initial cost over time. For a cabin I think that US stove looks decent. I’ll be in the market for a couple down the road so I’ll file this away in the memory bank. 😁. Thanks

We have a Lopi Endeavor. Made in the USA. It's steel. Highly recommend it. Has two levels of cooktops. The lower level is good for warming up or simmering soups and stews. The upper is good for keeping things warm.

https://www.lopistoves.com/products/wood/premium-steel-wood-stoves/

The advantage of steel is it heats up quickly. The disadvantage of steel is it cools down quickly.

Englander 30-NC (may now be the 32NC) is US made. About $1100, these days. Certainly not a “Lopi”, but a solid step up from the US Stove.

The forums on Hearth.com are a good source of info.

I’ve had (and have a new one in storage that I bought back when they were $150), one of those that Slum posted. They will throw out the heat, but they are so “leaky” and inefficient, that you’ll be up constantly, stoking the thing. Getting up twice in the middle of the night to refill, gets old fast.

I have a Woodstock Keystone stove. Iron frame and soapstone sides/top. Never used it as a sole source of heat, but it seems more than capable.

https://www.woodstove.com/the-keystone-soapstone-wood-stove

If you could find an old Fisher Papa Bear in good condition or something equal to it would be ideal IMO. I had a Sierra made locally that did a great job in my 100 year old 1600 sq foot house. I upgraded to a Quadrafire when I put an addition on and cut my wood consumption, but it's pickier about dry wood.

I've heard good things about the Englanders.

I've got an old wonderwood circulator. Inside the door it says US stove company, but the whole thing is China made

1,150 sq. ft., one story or two?

As you also probably know, with poor insulation, don’t be tempted to get some little thing rated for 1000-1500 sq ft. Get you something for 2000 plus.

The firebox will be a better size (you won’t have to “miniaturize” your already cut wood, that’ll be too long to easily get in there). Plus, since it’s a “cabin”, you’ll be showing up with everything in there 40-50 degrees. You’ll spend the better part of a day just heating up everything (walls/floors) if you’ve got some “little” thing, not to mention getting up more to stoke it, due to less wood capacity/btu output.

I’ve got an older Englander 30NC in a 1100 sq ft cabin (that is well insulated) and it works well. I had thought about getting one of the smaller 17NC’s, and didn’t. Smart move on my part...

I love my Lopi Stove...



https://www.lopistoves.com/products/wood/

That's a great looking room!

+1 for Drolet, made in Canada. Excellent stove at moderate cost. Drolet's parent company, SBI, has a slightly lower cost line of stoves named Century.

Drolet has a USA based online sales website "myfireplaceproducts.com " that sells stoves already brought into US, priced in US$, and they can arrange shipping. Also many Drolet/ Century dealers around, including some big farm and ranch stores.

US Stove Co. stoves are made in China, as are Vogelzang. England Stoves are USA made.

I know nothing of eastern "deer camps"...probably pretty luxurious...but when it comes to pure btu's and fast, efficient heat...nothing beats a barrel stove kit...they really put out the heat. The more care you put into their assembly making them airtight, the longer they will hold fire unattended. If you are any kind of a welder at all you can customize the barrel for a cooking surface, water heater, warming oven, an extra heat exchanger...whatever you want. Your heavy residential stoves are pretty...but it takes a lot of time and wood to get them hot, you can have a barrel stove glowing red in 15 minutes. The huge firebox of the barrel stove is a big plus. The cast iron kits will outlast several barrels over the years.

Baker's Choice.

https://www.lehmans.com/product/bakers-choice-wood-cookstoves

The Drolet’s look nice. When I got my Englander, years ago, they included a leg kit, to get rid of the ugly “pedestal” (I don’t know if legs are still an option, much less an included option). With the legs, it looks very similar to those.

Stay away from the US wood stove pictured. Had one in a small cabin. Not a good choice. They are air leaking, cast and ill fitting at that. My 2 cents!

If you go with with a boxwood stove like this one consider a draft setup like this. It will optimize the heating capacity of the stove and diminish drafts on the floor.

Been heating our home with a Lopi Republic {pronounced low pie} for 14 winters now with no complaints.

Anything by Vermont Castings. I use both the Vigilant and the Defiant models, but they make others as well.

Find yourself a used Fisher.

I stayed in a 2 room shack with a one eyed heat stove for 30 years. Replace the tin sides every 8 to 10 years and kept going.
It was a "Watters Fame"!
Have NO idea when it was made. It was my grandpa's and he "donated it to the "camp".
Camp closed in 1991. I stored the stove for umpteen years until I built our retirement home in 2002.
Installed the stove in the finished house in 2011. It heated our 1100 sq/ft home for 6 years. I pulled it apart to replace the sides. The bottom was cracked all to pieces.
For about $500, we got a "Made in China" model from Orscheln's. It's 1/4" welded steel w/sealed door. It heats the entire house and uses very little wood. A big flat top and we occassionally cook on it. Stuff like beans w/sausage. Saves a little propane.

If it's "air tight", you can set it up, damp it down and sleep all night.

Appreciate all the input. The stove will be installed in a mobile home that has an addition on it. There's no insulation in the single-wide. I'm leaning towards the Englander NC-32 as I need more BTUs due to lack of insulation. The Ashley circulator isn't producing the heat or I'm running it too cool. I'm burning seasoned hickory and oak.

We have a Vigilant in our home. It is a beast. Best I can tell it’s over 300#, cast iron. Run it up, close it up, and will heat for hours. Cook on it too if that’s your thing or needs arise. 8” stove pipe and flue to chimney. It breathes well and all around easy to regulate.

A bit of Rockwool insulation might be in order. It's fireproof. Rodents seem to leave it alone. I bought some at Lowes. Good stuff. Highly recommend it. Dude on youtube was trying to ignite it using a blowtorch...no luck.


Could go a long way to make you more comfortable regardless of the stove you choose. Good luck.

^^^^^^^^
This,I heat 3,000 sq feet with it..

I cannot remember the last time I slept for more than 3 hours straight without being awakened by raccoon attacks vs dogs, distant random gunfire, Apache gunships, my own bladder, bubble guts, painful massive erections, one of 4 Dodge 2500s with straight pipes.

I mean, what’s the big fuss about chucking on another chunk of wood at 1:59 Am?? You gonna be up at 4:OO Am? This is DEER CAMP right?

Who defuk can canoozzell 8-9 fugking hours anyway

He asked about a stove for his deer camp, not living the rest of life at King Edward’s lodge

It’s not just the TIME. The cheapo will also require twice as much wood. Then, he’ll have to buy an $800 Stihl MS362 to feed the danged thing. At least, that’s what the Campfire will tell him.

Look at the Drolet’s and the Englander’s ($1000-$1200). The guy’s recommending $3500 Lopi’s need to put down the crack pipe.

Hahaha!

I sleep 30 mins at a time.

Is the wood “dealer says it’s seasoned”, or is it “I know it was cut over two years ago” seasoned??

I only ask because my stove is HORRIBLE if I run anything that hasn’t been dried out over a year. The newer EPA stoves just don’t draw enough air (without doing some modifications) to burn wood with any serious moisture. OTOH, when I run stuff that is truly “well seasoned”, it’s fantastic.

Our insert we bought was like 3500!

I have a Jotul Oslo for $2500. Great stove!

Here's my old barrel stove. There was a company named Sotz that made a kit to convert a barrel into a stove. Great stove! What a huge firebox.
Sotz company went away 25 years ago.

Yup.

We have an Osburn 2400 and it's the main source of heat for the house - about 90% overall.. We have 2K+ sq. ft. and I use 4.5-5.0 full cords of wood/year..

Already have the Stihl 362 and a Echo 501P and a MS 250; I'm covered in that area. I cut and split my own wood two years prior to burning. Englander and Drolet is the price range I'm looking for. We bought this place few years back...Slum, I'm in TN as well (camp is near Fall Creek Falls). The trailer/add-on is a place to get us by until we can build something better. The Ashley that came with the place was run hot and hard.

A cousin put one of those kits on a used 275 oil barrel.

Lined the bottom in heavy firebirck, the sides with the flat ones
standing up. He would build a small fire in the front, pile in long logs
He could barely lift and cut the air way back.
It would burn a long time, enough thermal mass that it would radiate
heat for hours after the fire went out.




PS. He didn't fill it.

Put me in the used Fischer crowd. Didn't even know what I got when I picked up my Grandma Bear for $150. Works great for out 24x32 cabin.

I paid $70 for mine at a thrift shop, it will run me out of my 300 sq ft workshop. I keep a thermometer on the wall and its gets it up to around 82 degrees about 2 hours in

Photo of my sons Tempwood Downdrafter---- Hard to find but a great great heater---- Top loader --- Smoke and ash free

BEAUTIFUL DEN!!!

+100

Facebook Marketplace "Lopi Wood Stove"

I ran one in my log cabin in the Adirondacks, the cabin was built in 1880 leaked like an SOB :-) that stove kept our asses warm no matter what the outside temp was. Fantastic store! Not cheap though. I run a 400 Casteen in my spare room over my garage which is attached to my bedroom. I have the F 500 in the basement and I have a 550 insert in the main house. JOTUL, make fantastic stoves.

Go to Ebay and search for a Fisher Mama Bear. I just found one for $1100. A great classic wood stove, the steel is 3/8 inch thick, not much can go wrong with a Fisher Mama Bear, truly an oldie but a goodie. Or look for a Fisher Papa Bear. Hopefully you can find one nearby.

I gotta call BS on this one. Since THAT is MY barrel stove in MY shop,and also the round door sotz tent stove I built, there is no way it could be 'yours'......

^^^ LOL Busted

Vermont Castings.

Amazing. Lol.

I vote englander based on previous ownership. Decent steel stoves that won’t break the bank and are fairly efficient. Lowes around here sell them and frequently discount them.

I would highly recommend that you look around on the various marketplace sites and look for an older Fisher or a copy thereof. Some of the best stoves ever made and will really throw some heat and can be bought reasonable. One of the best copies of that design were built by Atlanta Stove Works and called Huntsman. Excellent stoves and will hold a lot of wood.

I have a Vestal brand stove that looks a lot like those Fishers, we used it for eight years to heat our 1300 sf house. Burnt all night and would be 1/3 to 1/2 full of coals in the morning.

We use a Drolet now, heats 1100 sf no problem. But that 1100 is well insulated. Before I added foam board to the exterior, it was barely enough when temps dropped below zero and the wind was up. Now it has us opening a window or two quite often. My only gripe with the Drolet is the air supply. I want to be able to shut it down more. Damn thing will get to cooking and shutting it all the way down will not close it up enough to kill the flames and let it smolder.

Just put a Napoleon stove in the greenhouse, we will see how good it is. Got it cheap, so if needed, I will sell it and replace with a drolet or similar.

huntsman22 you got to be kidding me. I have a pic of both of your Sotz stoves. Unreal.

In fact I did have a Sotz, 55 gallon double drum stove back in 1978 and burned it for several years. I ran it for one year with the single barrel and then for 2 years ran it with 2 barrels. 250,000 BTU. For comparison my current Jotul has 55,000 BTU. I also had the smaller stove with the round door, exactly like yours, and ran it in a little house in central Georgia, 1982 through 1985. Even had the little wire rack on top.

Anyway we didn't have digital cameras then so I don't have pics of my Sotz stoves. I must have gotten your pics years ago off this forum, I don't remember. Did you ever post those pics on The Hearth Room forum, the wood stove gearhead forum?

As I said I am now burning a $2500 Jotul stove but I have fond memories of the Sotz, the fire box was huge, and you didn't need super dry wood like the Jotul needs.

Yeah, my pics even come up when you do a search on Sotz. I've put those pics up before, even on the stove threads here over the years. Cracked me up to see them again.....

Just received the Englander NC-32. Had the delivery driver put it in the bed of the pickup. Ready for the drive to deer camp. Thanks for all the input.


May need another for the home as energy prices soar this winter.

$1700 at Home Depot. Big firebox, big glass in front, that looks like a good stove. If it weren't good, Home Depot wouldn't sell it. Make sure to do a good install, otherwise you gonna have a real big fire.

Great! Hope the Englander works well for you. They may have “fixed” it on the 32, but my 30, when starting a new fire in a cold stove, is a little hard to get going unless I leave the door cracked open about 1/4”-1/2” for the first 20-30 minutes (to get more air in). After that, I can close it up, and it burns fine. Lots of guys over on Hearth.com mention the same thing. Some even do a simple mod or two, to allow increasing the airflow, just a tad. Since I only use mine a few weeks of the year, I’ve left it alone. Good luck!

If it has problems with air flow, you need to run the pipe straight up through the roof with no nineties in the pipe. That was one good thing about the Sotz, it didn't care about 90 degree bends in the pipe.

What kind of hearth will you make? You know you gotta have real dry wood for this stove. Buy an electric moisture meter.

Simon,
Thanks for the tips. I have white oak and hickory I cut and split two years ago. I hit it with a moisture meter and it's well below 20%. I'll be hooking it up to a masonry chimney (clay flu) through wall. It'll be a 90 degree bend in the 6" pipe. As for the price, my fireplace products had it for $1149 with free shipping. I couldn't find it cheaper any where else.