Photo credit: Jason Schwartz/Rocky Mountain Bushcraft ©2014
Constructed of titanium and weighing in at a featherweight 3.5 ounces, Emberlit's FireAnt Woodburning Stove aptly gets its name from the tiny but ferocious Red Ant, which imparts a nasty, burning sting to any would-be predator.
The FireAnt is basically a miniaturized version of Emberlit's popular Original UL Titanium Woodburning Stove, which weighs 6.5 ounces and is roughly twice the size of the FireAnt.
The FireAnt shown in between Emberlit's Original UL Titanium Camp Stoves:
SPECS:
Material: Titanium
Weight: 2.8 oz
Panels: 3.5 x 5 inches
Stove Height: 4 inches
Top of Stove: 3 X 3 inches
Packs Flat: 1/8th of an inch
Fuel Type: Natural fuel (sticks and debris), alcohol, gel or solid
Warranty: Lifetime
Manufacture: Merkwares
Country of Origin: Made in the USA
Street Price: $59.00-$69.95, depending on the retailer
FEATURES
The FireAnt is a miniature side-feeding, backpacking woodburning stove that easily assembles and disassembles and packs completely flat. It comes with a basic nylon pouch and instructions:
(Photo courtesy of Emberlit/Amazon.com)
Emberlit's Approach to Making Outdoor Products
Emberlit's philosophy is simple-- create quality products that actually work in the bush. I can personally vouch for these guys because I've bushcrafted with them several times over the years, and I can tell you from personal experience that they take their craft VERY seriously.
The Emberlit Crew from left to right- Owner/Founder/Designer Mikhail Merkurieff, Product Technician Lex Rule, and Sales & Marketing Director Troy Roper:
FIELD TESTING
I've used the FireAnt several times over the last couple of years, including during a week long camping trip in the Mt. Timpanogos Wilderness area of the Utah Rockies last summer.
I used the FireAnt for everything from frying potatoes and canned meat for breakfast, boiling water for making Wild Mint tea, cooking rice for meals, and heating up water to clean camp dishes.
Like its larger sibling, the FireAnt's convenient side-feeding design makes burning twigs and small branches for cooking a snap.
Lighting it is also easy. I usually just stuff some dried grass and twigs inside it and one match will get it going. On dry warm days, I didn't even need the dried grass. I just filled it with small twigs and a single match would ignite it easily.
Lighting it is also easy. I usually just stuff some dried grass and twigs inside it and one match will get it going. On dry warm days, I didn't even need the dried grass. I just filled it with small twigs and a single match would ignite it easily.
The little FireAnt burns hot for such a small woodburning stove:
Being able to use small, abundant fuel such as dead twigs and branches is very convenient. It also means a lot less time and energy spent to cook something, instead of having to gather up a bunch of larger pieces of wood to build a campfire each time.
Carrying the FireAnt also means freedom from having to deal with the expense and inconvenience of having to carry extra fuel canisters or liquid fuel to keep your stove running in the middle of the backcountry.
Another great feature of the FireAnt is the amount of weight it can take. Even when using a stainless steel Zebra Billy Pot filled to the brim with water, the FireAnt didn't flinch.
A batch of rice cooked up with the FireAnt. The spoon shown in the photo is Emberlit's new "Sprongs" convertible backpacking utensil (check out RMB's initial review here). The Sprong's were quite handy and made eating more enjoyable.
A batch of rice cooked up with the FireAnt. The spoon shown in the photo is Emberlit's new "Sprongs" convertible backpacking utensil (check out RMB's initial review here). The Sprong's were quite handy and made eating more enjoyable.
Using an Esbit Alcohol Stove in the FireAnt
I used the FireAnt with an Esbit Alcohol Burner several times, mainly for boiling water for coffee or to cook up a pot of delicious Stinging Nettle leaves for a quick meal during day hikes. The FireAnt performed excellent in this mode and made short work of bringing water to a boil.
The only issue I had when using the Esbit, was that due to the FireAnt's small opening at the top, it could sometimes be a little tight to get my fingers into the opening to screw the lid back on the burner after I was finished using it. It wasn't particularly difficult, but I thought I would mention it.
The only issue I had when using the Esbit, was that due to the FireAnt's small opening at the top, it could sometimes be a little tight to get my fingers into the opening to screw the lid back on the burner after I was finished using it. It wasn't particularly difficult, but I thought I would mention it.
Conclusion
Emberlit's Original UL Titanium Woodburning Backpacking Stove is already a marvel of lightweight efficiency for a portable woodburning cooking stove, weighing in at only 6.5 ounces. Amazingly, the little FireAnt Stove manages to cut that weight in half, yet is still efficient enough to boil water or cook your favorite camp meal.
The FireAnt can also safely hold larger pots that would make many liquid fuel and canister fuel stoves buckle or tip over under the same pressure.
During testing, the FireAnt also performed brilliantly as an alcohol stove using an Esbit Alcohol Burner, boiling water or cooking up meals with ease.
The only issue I found when using the Esbit was trying to screw the cap back on it while it was still nested inside the FireAnt. Due to the FireAnt's smallish opening at the top, it could be a little awkward to turn the cap due to the lack of finger space between the cap and the stove walls. It wasn't particularly difficult, but I thought I would mention it. Everything is a compromise when you have something that's built this small and light, so I consider this just a minor inconvenience.
The only issue I found when using the Esbit was trying to screw the cap back on it while it was still nested inside the FireAnt. Due to the FireAnt's smallish opening at the top, it could be a little awkward to turn the cap due to the lack of finger space between the cap and the stove walls. It wasn't particularly difficult, but I thought I would mention it. Everything is a compromise when you have something that's built this small and light, so I consider this just a minor inconvenience.
Overall, I've been very impressed with the FireAnt. I've come to like it so much that I've added it my small "grab and go" survival kit as an essential gear item.
The fact that it packs completely flat, weighs practically nothing, burns widely available twigs and branches, yet also integrates Trangia or Esbit alcohol burners, as well as solid fuels such as Esbit, Trioxane or LiveFire, makes it an incredibly flexible tool for survival, bushcrafting, backpacking, or day hiking. Highly recommended.
4.5 out of 5 Stars
For more information, visit:
For more information, visit:
https://emberlit.com/stoves/fireAnt%20titanium%20multifuel%20ultralight%20backpacking%20stove
Jason Schwartz is the founder of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft and the author of Edible & Medicinal Survival Plants of the Rocky Mountains Pocket Survival Guides. Jason has also written for magazines such as the The New Pioneer and Backpacker, including writing the "Tinder Finder" portion of Backpacker's "Complete Guide to Fire," which won a 2015 National Magazine/ELLE Award (NMA). Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without the spaces)
About the author
Jason Schwartz is the founder of Rocky Mountain Bushcraft and the author of Edible & Medicinal Survival Plants of the Rocky Mountains Pocket Survival Guides. Jason has also written for magazines such as the The New Pioneer and Backpacker, including writing the "Tinder Finder" portion of Backpacker's "Complete Guide to Fire," which won a 2015 National Magazine/ELLE Award (NMA). Email him at rockymountainbushcraft @ hotmail.com (without the spaces)
