The BioLite CampStove 2+ is one of those products that sounds too good to be true: burn sticks, boil water, charge your phone. All in a 2-pound package. I bought one as a backup to my Camp Chef for camping trips where I wanted to go lighter, and as an emergency option if propane ever […]
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The BioLite CampStove 2+ is one of those products that sounds too good to be true: burn sticks, boil water, charge your phone. All in a 2-pound package. I bought one as a backup to my Camp Chef for camping trips where I wanted to go lighter, and as an emergency option if propane ever wasn’t available.
Editor’s PickBioLite CampStove 2+
After using it across probably 15-20 fires over the last year, here’s what I’ve learned: the concept is brilliant. The execution is mostly good. But the marketing oversells it.
Check out MegaWoodswalker‘s field review of the BioLite CampStove 2+:
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.06 lbs (935g) |
| Packed Size | 5 x 5 x 8.25 inches |
| Fuel Type | Biomass (sticks, twigs, pine cones, pellets) |
| Boil Time | 4.5 min (claimed) / 8-10 min (real-world) |
| USB Output | 5V / 1A (3W max) |
| Internal Battery | 2,600 mAh |
| Fan Speeds | 4 adjustable settings |
| Burn Chamber | Stainless steel, honeycomb airflow |
| Charge Method | Thermoelectric (fire) + USB-C input |
| Price | ~$150 |
The CampStove 2+ uses thermoelectric conversion. You build a small wood fire inside the burn chamber. A fan at the base pushes air into the fire, creating an efficient burn. The heat difference between the fire and the cooler side of a thermoelectric generator produces electricity, which charges an internal battery and can output to USB.
That internal battery also powers the fan, which is what makes the fire burn so cleanly. It’s a smart feedback loop: fire makes power, power runs fan, fan makes fire burn better.
Key Takeaway: The thermoelectric loop is the genius of this stove — the fire powers the fan that makes the fire burn better. No batteries to buy, no fuel canisters to pack. As long as you have sticks, you have a stove and a charger.
Here’s where it gets honest. BioLite says it boils a liter of water in 4.5 minutes. Under perfect conditions — dry hardwood twigs, no wind, fully charged fan — I’ve gotten close to that. More realistically, with the random sticks and twigs I’m picking up around a PA campsite, it takes 8-10 minutes.
That’s still fine for making coffee, heating soup, or boiling water for freeze-dried meals. It’s not fine for cooking a full dinner for four people. This is a one-pot stove for 1-2 person meals.
Fuel: Sticks, twigs, pine cones, small pieces of dry wood. You need to feed it constantly — every 2-3 minutes. There’s no “set it and leave it” mode. You’re a fire tender the entire time you’re cooking.
I used it at the cabin when we lost power during a fall storm. Made coffee and heated canned soup. It worked great for that. But I was glad I also had the Camp Chef Explorer 2X and a propane tank for real cooking.
Yes, but manage your expectations.
The internal 2,600 mAh battery charges from the fire and outputs via USB at 5V/1A. That’s slow charging — about the speed of an old iPhone wall charger. In a 30-minute cooking session, I got maybe 10-15% charge on my phone.
The internal battery stores enough to charge a phone about 40-50% when the fire isn’t running. So you build a fire, let it charge the battery, and then charge your phone later from the stored power.
Is this a replacement for a real power bank? No. A $25 Anker battery pack holds 3-4x more charge. But in a true off-grid or emergency scenario where you’ve burned through your power banks and there’s no electricity, being able to charge a phone from burning sticks is a legitimate capability.
That mutual aid mindset matters here. I’ve been on storm calls where power was out for weeks. Having a device that generates electricity from biomass — stuff literally lying on the ground — is not nothing.
Key Takeaway: Don’t buy this as a charger. Buy it as a stove that happens to charge devices. The 3W USB output is a genuine emergency capability, not a replacement for your power bank.
Weight: 2 pounds (935g). That’s light enough for backpacking, though the ultralight crowd will still think it’s too heavy versus a pocket alcohol stove.
Size: About the size of a 32oz Nalgene bottle. Fits inside most cook pots. I pack mine inside my MSR pot with fire-starting supplies.
For day hikes and overnight trips, it’s a genuinely good option. No fuel canisters to carry — you’re burning what’s on the ground. For a weekend trip, that saves carrying 1-2 isobutane canisters.
Here’s where the BioLite earns its spot in my gear rotation beyond just camping. In a grid-down situation, propane eventually runs out. Isobutane canisters run out. Gasoline goes bad. But sticks? Sticks are everywhere.
The BioLite gives you two critical capabilities from a single 2-pound device: cooking and electricity generation. When I’m thinking about long-term preparedness, redundancy in cooking methods is a priority. The Camp Chef is primary (propane), the BioLite is the backup (biomass), and a basic fire pit with a grate is the tertiary option.
For your bug-out bag, the BioLite is worth considering if weight allows. At 2 lbs, it’s heavier than a pocket stove, but the charging capability and the fact that you’ll never run out of fuel make it a strong choice for scenarios lasting more than 72 hours.
Key Takeaway: The BioLite’s real value is as a preparedness tool. When propane and canisters run out, biomass is everywhere. A stove that burns free fuel and generates electricity is worth its weight in any extended emergency.
I bought the BioLite CampStove 2+ as a lightweight backup to my Camp Chef, specifically for trips where I wanted to go lighter and for emergency scenarios where propane might not be available. I have used it across 15-20 fires over the past year on camping trips in PA state forests, at the cabin during a fall storm power outage, and on day hikes where I wanted hot coffee without carrying fuel canisters.
My evaluation covers cooking speed, USB charging output, fuel flexibility, and what it is actually like to tend a wood-burning stove while trying to set up camp or manage kids. I have also worked storm duty over the years, where extended power outages were the norm. That experience shapes how I evaluate any gear that generates electricity from alternative sources.
Backpackers who want to eliminate fuel canister weight. Emergency preppers who want a grid-independent cooking and charging device. Campers who enjoy tending a fire and don’t mind the hands-on cooking process.
Skip it if you want fast, convenient camp cooking (get a Jetboil), need to cook for groups (get a Camp Chef), or camp primarily in wet environments.
The BioLite CampStove 2+ is a clever piece of engineering that mostly delivers on its promises. It burns wood efficiently, charges devices slowly, and weighs next to nothing. It’s not a primary cooking solution for serious camp meals, but as a lightweight backup stove with emergency charging capability, it’s one of the more interesting pieces of outdoor gear I own.
The internal 2,600 mAh battery holds enough juice to charge a modern smartphone about 40-50%. From a full charge (either via fire or USB-C input), it’ll power the fan for roughly 30+ hours on the lowest setting. The battery charges from zero to full in about one hour of a strong fire.
Yes. Standard hardwood BBQ pellets work great and actually burn more consistently than random sticks. They’re easier to feed into the chamber too. I keep a gallon ziplock of pellets as backup fuel — weighs about a pound and gives you reliable burns even when local fuel sources are wet.
The stove itself handles rain fine — it’s stainless steel. The problem is finding dry fuel. Wet sticks smoke a lot and produce weak heat. If you carry dry fatwood sticks or wood pellets as starter fuel, you can usually get a fire going that’s hot enough to dry out slightly damp local fuel. In a steady downpour, you’ll want a tarp overhead.
It depends on the specific regulation. Some jurisdictions classify contained stoves differently from open campfires. The BioLite is a contained burn chamber with a defined combustion zone, which puts it in a gray area. Always check local fire restrictions before using any wood-burning device. In strict fire-ban conditions, a canister stove is the safe call.
Different tools for different priorities. The Jetboil Flash boils water in 2 minutes flat — twice as fast as the BioLite in ideal conditions. The Jetboil is more convenient, more consistent, and requires zero fire-tending. But the Jetboil needs fuel canisters (weight, cost, waste), and it can’t charge your phone. For weekend trips, Jetboil wins on convenience. For extended trips or emergency scenarios, the BioLite wins on sustainability.
Yes, that’s exactly how it’s designed to work. The thermoelectric generator produces electricity from the heat differential while you cook. Just plug your device into the USB port and it’ll charge while you boil water. That said, the output is only 3W, so don’t expect fast charging. A 30-minute cooking session adds maybe 10-15% to a phone battery.