Biomass cooking, where the stove is fueled with twigs, wood chips and other pieces of organic stuff, is an idea whose time has come. I really liked the original SilverFire Scout® biomass stove. But this new, improved model is even better.

by Leon Pantenburg

Disclaimer: SilverFire® is a SurvivalCommonSense.com sponsor. Before any advertising was accepted from the company, several products were extensively tested and approved.
In 1976, I hiked the entire 225-mile John Muir Trail with no re-supply.

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A major weight contributor to my already too-heavy pack was the stove, a solid-brass Swea 123, and the two bottles of fuel. Just the stove and fuel probably weighed in at about five-six pounds. Cookware was another couple of pounds.
new scout

The Ultimate Scout Combo includes everything needed for lightweight cooking. Pick up some twigs for fuel and it’s good to go.

Because of the distance, I had to ration fuel. If I would have had to boil water for drinking, I would have run out of fuel.
That same stove and fuel combination went along for a 14-day hike through Yellowstone, and other trips in Death Valley and the Okeefenokee Swamp.
 I have been on an ongoing search for better, more lightweight backpacking stoves for decades, and have the collection to prove it. Biomass stoves have been on my radar since they came out.
When it comes to backpacking, weigh reduction might be the initial attraction to biomass. If you can pick up fuel while hiking, there is no need to haul heavy, bulky fuel canisters. For longer trips, this can result in huge weight savings.
And talk about reducing your carbon footprint  – a biomass stove eliminates the cost of  manufacturing fuel, containers and transportation.
I like the whole SilverFire® stove line. I’ve tried and tested the DragonPot®, Hunter® and Survivor® stoves and the original Scout. (Check out the video reviews)  If I’m going to be cooking outdoors, fire restrictions permitting, I’ll probably use a biomass stove.

But I had some reservations about the original Scout backpacking stove. The three folding pot tab rests on top appeared sort of fragile.

Despite intensive use, I didn’t have any problems whatsoever using normal backpacking cooking utensils. But during an emergency, you might have to boil large amounts of water, and it weighs about eight pounds per gallon. And Murphy’s Law states that somebody will try to put a cast iron skillet of heavy food on the stove. If it’s ever going to fail, according to Murphy, it will break at the worst possible time.

Here are the SilverFire® Scout specs:

  • Stove height assembled:  6-3/4 inches
  • Diameter:  5 inches (The same size as a DVD!)
  • Collapsed:  2 -1/2 inches
  •  Weight:  12 Oz  (The complete Scout Combo weighs about two pounds)
  • Construction:  All stainless steel
  • Combustion design:  TLUD (Top Lit Up Draft) stoves are the product of extensive laboratory research.  Also known as Wood Gasification Stoves, a well tuned TLUD mixes hot flu gases with primary and secondary preheated air, resulting in clean combustion.
  • No moving parts, no electronics.

Something new for the Scout is the inclusion of the MSR pot as the carrying container/cooking vessel. Todd Albi, SilverFire president, says it was chosen for toughness and practicality.

“I chose the MSR pot do to size and toughness,” Albi commented.  “It is a national Boy Scout issue, designed to throw at each other and fall down a cliff and keep working, even if dented.”

I’ve carried a similar MSR pot for years, and use it as a container to carry survival gear. MSR makes a durable, reliable  cooking utensil.

 SilverFire claims that typical time to boil a liter of water is about five minutes using a lidded pot.  The combustion chamber filled with loose packed twigs has a 20 to 30 minute burn time, tightly packed hardwood 45 minutes to more.   Pellets burn for very extended time periods, up to 2 hours.

Here’s what I discovered after using the new Scout:

The combo is efficient. Take along some food, and all your backpacking cooking needs can be taken care of.

The firelighting system relies on a ferrocerium/magnesium stick. Combine this with cotton balls infused with petroleum jelly and you have my go-to survival firestarting kit.

silverfire scout

The improved pot tabs make the Scout nearly bullet-proof.

The pot tabs on top are sturdy and work quite well. While nobody would advise putting heavy cookware on this stove, now there is less chance of stove failure.

Compact design makes this easy to pack anywhere in your gear and take along. It is a prime candidate for emergency and bug out bags.

The Scout is sold in four configurations on the SilverFire website.
1.  Scout alone $59.95
2.  Scout  with MSR Pot $79.95
3.  Scout with MSR Pot, & Fire Starter $89.95
4.  Scout with MSR Pot, Fire Starter, (new for 2015) stainless steel folding fork & spoon utensils $99.95
I already liked my Scout and used it a lot. I like the new, improved model even more and it will be going along on a lot of outings.
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