G2 5″ Folding Firebox Stove Reviewed

Marketing from Firebox Outdoors

The Gen2 5″ Folding Firebox Campfire Stove (patent pending) is a multi-purpose super tool for fire. It’s a multi-fuel cook stove able to utilize wood and other fuels found in nature, solid fuel tablets, alcohol burners, iso-butane gas burners, gel fuels (Sterno), wood pellets or charcoal briquettes. The Folding Firebox’s larger size and sturdy construction makes it stable enough for a large Dutch oven yet it can be used with cookware as small as a camping cup. The Folding Firebox Stove is also easy to set up. It effortlessly opens into position, and when it’s time to go it folds flat – ready to slide into your pack.

 

Manufacturer: Firebox Outdoors, fireboxstove.com
Model: G2 5″ Folding Firebox Stove

Material: Stainless Steel
Width: 5.0″ (12.7 cm)
Height: 7.5″ (19 cm)
Folded: .375″ (.95 cm)
Weight: 2 lbs (907 g)

Accessories: 1 Ashpan and 2 Fire Sticks

Origin: Made in USA
MSRP: $59.99
 

The Review

The 5″ Folding Firebox Stove has been a popular go to packable camp stove for many outdoor enthusiasts for some time. With the hugely successful Kickstarter program and recent release of Firebox Outdoors’ second generation stove, the G2 5″ Folding Firebox Stove, we’ve been given the opportunity to have a closer look at one of the prototypes and give it a spin…

In this review, we’ll be looking at the original 5″ Folding Firebox Stove and the new patent-pending second generation stove to see how much it has changed, and what has been improved. A lot of attention to detail has been given based on customer feedback with this new release, but is the new stove that much better? Let’s find out… But first, let’s go over what has not changed between the two models.

Like the original 5″ Folding Firebox Stove, the new G2 stove is also engineered and produced in the USA. They both weigh just over 2 pounds and have the exact same overall dimensions. The stoves are made from the same heavy-duty 18-gauge stainless steel with laser-cut edges so they are not overly sharp to the touch. Open, both models are 7.5″ tall, 5″ wide and 5″ deep. Each of the stoves have 4 sturdy feet, one at each corner to provide ample stability to support heavy cookware like Dutch ovens.

Approximately 1/2″ from the bottom of the stove, there are the two ash pan support tabs which keep the ash pan off the ground, and about 1″ below the fire grate allowing plenty of airflow to the bottom of the stove. Many of the panels have air holes strategically located around the firebox to allow proper airflow.

One feature that sets the Firebox apart from many other stoves in the market are the square perforated patterns located on some panels found in areas that tend to receive the most heat. These allow them to expand and contract without risk of warping the panels altogether.

The firebox area is also the same size as the original Folding Firebox Stove providing nearly 80 cu inches of space. Plenty of room for the various biofuel and canister fuel sources. Two of the stove side panels rise 1.5″ taller that the firebox providing a wind screen and a sturdy support platform for use with the two provided Fire Stick pot supports, but we’ll cover them in more detail later on in this review. On the third side panel, there is a hinged door to block the wind when closed, or open to allow more air circulation below the cookware. The fourth side panel is completely open providing ample airflow, and plenty room to add biofuel as needed.

Each of the stoves are not entirely square by design. One side is slightly offset due to the unique placement of the rugged hinges that allow the stoves to collapse completely flat. Completely collapsed, the stoves fit neatly inside a simple white canvas pouches that are provided with each purchase to keep any ash, soot or other residue fully contained. A tough black canvas pouch with a Velcro closure or a nice leather pouch are wonderful upgrade options available on the Firebox Outdoors website.

For me, the most attractive feature of these stoves has got to be the ease in which they are to deploy. With the exception of resting the ash pan underneath, there is no assembly required so they can be completely setup and ready to light in less than one minute, and fully collapsed, ready for storage even faster than that.

To open, you simply pull out the two Fire Sticks from the retention slots and swing the two side panels apart. This will make it easier to remove the ash pan. Once the stove panels have been opened flat, they can be pulled out to form a cube, at which time the floor of the stove can be folded down and locked into place, becoming the firebox grate. Finally, you can place the ash pan on the support tabs provided. To collapse the stove, you simply perform the same steps, but in the reverse order.

The two Fire Sticks are rugged 17-gauge stainless steel sticks approximately 7″ long. Not only are they used to lock down a collapsed stove, they can also be used to perform a variety of other functions, including pot supports, fire poker, pot hook, skewers, and even supports for other accessories like the charcoal grate and various alcohol burners.

To use the Fire Sticks as pot or grate supports, simply insert them through the flat slots or diamond-shaped holes across the stove panels as demonstrated in the embedded video. While the Firebox stoves only come with two Fire Sticks, many stove configurations require at least four. However, additional Fire Sticks can easily be purchased separately from the Firebox Outdoors website.

Firebox Stoves can be used with biofuels such as firewood, pine cones and charcoal as well as alcohol burners, iso-butane gas burners, gel fuels and various solid fuel tablets.

Now for the changes that have found their way into the new model… One of the most significant changes to the stove design are the two new firebox access ports added to two of the side panels for burning long sticks. These make it much easier to keep a fire burning continually simply by sliding the sticks into the firebox as they burn up.

Another notable change can be found on the lower fire grate. Now the fire grate is perforated to help prevent warping and the air holes have been enlarged to provide more airflow and provide the stove with the ability to function like a Swedish fire torch. This method consists of loading the firebox vertically with a split log approximately 5″-long that is eventually lit from the center so it burns outward.

There were many additional diamond-shaped holes and slots added for the Fire Sticks, strategically located around the stove to provide dozens of new configuration possibilities. One of the new configurations even allows the ash pan to second as an air damper to provide fine control over the airflow into the bottom of the firebox.

Additionally, the slots for holding the Fire Stick when the stove is collapsed have been widened to accommodate two additional Fire Sticks for a total of four.

Functional Testing

To test out the new G2 Firebox Stove, I tried to boil 20-ounces of water. To do so, after unpacking and setting up the stove, I packed the firebox first with large kindling, and gradually reduced the kindling size until it was filled. I added some feathers on top and lit them with a ferro rod to get the fire going. After a brief minute or two, the fire was well under way and the heavy smoke began to clear. At that point, I added the pot of water.

It only took about 5 minutes to burn up most of the material that I had added to the firebox so I started adding some sticks through the side access ports to keep the fire going. With all of the burnt material, I had a nice bed of coals, but they seemed to burn off rather quickly requiring continual attention. It is very important to keep an ample supply of processed material close by to keep the stove fed as necessary or it will burn itself out.

The 20-ounces of water reached a full rolling boil within 8 minutes, start to finish. Quite impressive for a multi-fuel stove that packs down so small.

Final Thoughts

The second generation Firebox Stove is a rugged packable multi-fuel stove that is extremely versatile and won’t take up much space in your pack. It is quick and easy to deploy, and then pack it all back up when you are done. It features everything that a backpacker, prepper or survivalist would likely be looking for in a good compact stove such as this.

Made entirely in America, it is built to last, and at a little less than $60 for a high-quality stainless steel stove, the 5″ Firebox Stove provides quite a lot of value. You really get a lot of bang for your buck making this a good choice for anyone looking for a small camp stove. Two thumbs up!

About Firebox Outdoors

Here at Firebox Stoves we’re all about our customers – we want our customers to have a great experience using our products.

We believe that form should always follow function. When designing our stoves, our goal is to get the most performance and versatility in the simplest way possible with customer experience as our top priority. That’s why our stoves don’t require assembly, and are pre-loadable which requires much less fussing with the fire.

We go to our favorite wild places with family and friends to enjoy each other in a peaceful atmosphere free from the frustrations of our daily lives. For us it’s all about providing our customers with products that contribute to a traditional camping atmosphere. Nothing makes us happier than hearing about our customers having a great time with family and friends while enjoying the use of our products.