Went with a suggestion of a fellow sc/out/ yesterday on how I should spend my REI dividend and purchased a BioLite stove. Picked it up and tested it out today in preparation for next weekends camping trip. I usually just have an open fire when camping and cook/keep warm using only it but the BioLite looked neat (the whole recharging/fan/containment setup).

This picture shows the entire BioLite unit, my nesting cup, the mini-grill expanded metal ring that Dave Canterbury sells, and various piles of wood (one set dry, the other wet - explained in a bit).

My initial concerns were: does it just cook or can it provide reasonable heat? how quickly would it fill up with ash? just how long will it burn before I need to start worrying about harming the plastic? how long can it be left unattended for? how often will I need to provide additional fuel?

Answers to follow.