【Wood Stove Purchase Record②】Finally introducing a wood stove! Installation method and enjoying shrimp gratin

The author, who purchased a wood stove for the first time, decided to actually use it at a campsite. They set it up in a tent that they had previously purchased with a chimney hole and took on wood stove gourmet cooking. This report will cover the camping experience and how to handle the wood stove.

The day has come to fully utilize the tent with a chimney hole

I decided to actually use the tent with a chimney hole, "OneTigris COCO NEST," and placed the purchased wood stove inside. It features a very spacious front area (approximately 122×290cm) for a solo tent, allowing for separation between sleeping and relaxing spaces.

The chimney hole comes with a fireproof stove jack that protects the fabric from the heat of the chimney. For tents without a stove jack, it is necessary to prepare a separate chimney guard with similar functions, making this tent a high point for those who want to use a wood stove.

Before entering the tent, I prepared the wood stove by firing it up

I found out online that new wood stoves emit odors due to oils that are present from manufacturing, so I decided to fire it up before placing it in the tent. The wood stove I purchased, SoomLoom's "Vista V," is a compact size of about 30cm in width, so I plan to use it on a table as shown in the image. There is a damper at the bottom of the chimney for exhaust adjustment, and a spark arrester to prevent sparks and rain at the top.

In the case of a wood stove, unlike a fire pit, the wood used requires more consideration. It is essential to use well-dried wood to prevent soot, and the basic approach is to use a small amount of softwood for kindling, mainly placing hardwood that burns well.

There are various opinions regarding the amount of wood to use, and it seems common to bring over 20 kg for an overnight winter camp. Since it depends on usage, it appears that the right amount of wood can only be grasped through experience.

Perhaps because it was outside, I didn’t notice much smell, and it is burning smoothly. It can be seen that the part close to the heat source is slowly coloring. When igniting, there seems to be trouble due to deformation, as when I later tried to remove the damper, it had become tight and difficult to take off.

When the wood stove heats up, the warmed air rises and exits through the chimney. This draft effect leads to efficient combustion, resulting in less smoke, making it cleaner than a fire pit or shichirin. When I accidentally closed the damper during ignition, a large amount of smoke came out, so I wonder if there will be any timing to adjust the damper in the future. It seems that it can be helpful when the draft is strong due to external factors, but I want to check while using it if such scenes actually exist.

Struggling with the wood stove layout inside the solo tent

Now that the fire has started, it's finally time to set up. When I attempted to place it according to the chimney hole, I was surprised that it was closer to the fabric than expected. When I placed it on the table for height adjustment, it ended up getting even closer to the dome-shaped upper fabric. Since the legs of the VISTA V are designed not to retain heat at all, it seems that placing it directly on the ground is better.

I felt an additional danger with the inner tent. The fluttering mesh seemed likely to touch the chimney with opening and closing or wind, so I decided to place a table between the fabric and the stove to prevent it.

Since the position has been decided, I will install the chimney and peg it down from the spark arrester ring to secure the chimney. The exposed part from the tent is about 1 meter. However, since the stove jack in the middle also serves as a stabilizing feature, I felt that the necessity of securing it with ropes is low unless it's very windy. I'm more concerned about tripping over the rope as I tend to do that every time I camp.

Always ensure proper ventilation!

When using a wood stove, one must be careful of "carbon monoxide poisoning." Always open the tent door to ensure good ventilation while using it. It's also reassuring to have a carbon monoxide checker on hand just in case.

Enjoying "shrimp gratin" cooked on the stove inside the tent

When I ignite the wood stove inside the tent, which feels secure and separate from the surroundings, the temperature rises rapidly, and my body starts to feel warm. The flickering visible through the glass is very beautiful, and at this point, I feel glad I made the purchase. The original purpose was to utilize this side-opening for stove cooking. I will quickly start preparing the ingredients.

I had been considering cooking on the baking sheet, so I checked the surface temperature with a temperature gauge for tempura, and it was about 200℃. Considering that a gas flame is nearly 1700℃, cooking on the baking sheet feels quite low. I think boiling water is not a problem, so let's give it a try.

Cooking on the baking sheet seems possible if we take our time with it. I added mushrooms and shrimp to the white sauce in the gratin dish. The macaroni is boiling in the pot next to it, so I’ll take it out, mix it together, and once I put the cheese on top, it's ready. Once the firewood turns to embers, I will put it into the oven.

I placed a small gratin dish about 15 cm in diameter into the glowing red interior. Since the inside has reached a temperature that cannot be measured with a thermometer, heat can be applied from both top and bottom. If you pay attention to the size of the plates and pots, it seems various dishes could be made! Just watching brings forth all sorts of ideas.

I'm incredibly impressed that a high-quality gratin has come out.

Actually, I have made campfire gratin many times before, but every time I thought, “If only there was an oven-like environment...” Seeing the bubbling surface with brown crust forming rapidly feels like a long-held wish has finally been granted.

The highly insulated gratin dish remains bubbling even after being taken out, reminding me of the gratin from a Western-style restaurant that I used to eat as a child, burning my mouth in the process. The authentic flavor, cooked through to the core, is exceptional! Pairing it with rich cream and white wine is simply sublime.

Surprisingly, cleaning up the next day was quite easy

Since the firewood was almost burnt out before bed, I went to sleep just like that. The next morning, without any issues, I checked the stove, and it had burned down beautifully to ash. I dropped as much as possible into the ash receiver below, and once I put it in a garbage bag, all I had to do to disassemble the stove was take apart the chimney. The tent is also easy to fold up in a solo configuration, so wood stove camping might actually be surprisingly convenient.

A wood stove is incredibly fun during the cold months ahead

I thought wood stove camping would be labor-intensive, but both setting up and taking down were surprisingly easy, and it was a wonderful new experience. However, there’s no doubt that it comes with dangers, so it's important to handle it correctly with basic knowledge.

Next, I would like to try different dishes, so I plan to immerse myself in wood stove cooking research for a while.

Interview / Text by Kazuma Tanaka

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