This Camp Stove Charges Gadgets
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There are no outlets in the wilderness, so your GPS might die just when you need it. Carrying extra batteries is more weight, and every ounce counts when you are lugging all your gear on your back. The Biolite Camp Stove solves that problem by using waste heat to power any USB-compatible device. It folds to 8 inches long by 5 inches wide and weighs only two pounds.
The electricity also runs a small fan that supplies more oxygen to the fire, so it burns hotter and emits no smoke. The extra oxygen allows the stove to burn anything: twigs, pinecones or leaves, it doesn't matter. Despite the extra-hot fire, the Biolite is insulated so that you can touch the outside without getting burned.
The power output is five volts, which is what most USB devices take. How long a charge takes depends on how hot the fire is and what fuel is burning. The only limit is what you can set on fire, though obviously plastic would be a bad idea, and anything wet doesn't burn.
Beyond camping, the stove would be handy during power blackouts when batteries run dry and there's no current to recharge them.
Coming out in the next two to three months (in time for camping season), the Biolite will sell for $130 on the company's web site.
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