The Pocket Cooker

The Pocket Cooker Folding Steel Stove

Review:

Pocket Cooker folded on the included pouch

SPECIFICATIONS:

• 6 1/2" x 3 3/4" x 1 1/8" folded
• 8" x 6" open
• Weighs 2 lbs.
• Fuel: wood, paper, pine cones, bark, or whatever is at hand.
• Cost under $20 delivered

     Compact and folding stove's come highly recommend for Bushcraft packs, Bug Out Bags, and alternate grid down cooking solutions.  These stoves do not use any bottled fuels, though diy alcohol stove's, trangia, and Sterno would work in them.  Mainly, these stoves would burn naturally occurring fuels such as wood, pine cones, bar or dried leaves.

There are several models, brands, and materials available commercially; just do a search on back packing stove's and you will see what I mean.  The D.I.Y. community has a load of ideas on making one from scratch.  Given the prices of Emberlit for example, I needed something more affordable.  Then I came across an advertisement for the Pocket Cooker.

   This stove is not made of some flimsy tin.  We are talking steel, thus the weight of 2 lbs.  It comes coated with a black paint from the factory, I think to protect from rusting during shipping. This paint disappears after the first use.  I thought maybe a coat of grill paint might be needed, but it hasn't rusted yet.  The heated metal evaporates any moisture from the surface and after cooling sufficiently is put back in the pouch.

     How does it work? Like dream!  Open it up and stuff a bunch of twigs and tinder into the top and fire it up.  Additional fuel can be added through a hinged door at one end.  It's that easy.

Stoked and fired up

     Timing a liter of water to boil was right around ten minutes, with plenty of heat and coals to warm hands and maybe even cook a hotdog over it.

Boils 1 Liter in about 10 minutes

The pocket cooker is very efficient burning twigs and small sticks.   The bottom of the stove consists of two perforated hinged plates that allow draft from under the stove.  In essence it becomes a modified rocket stove.

Floor Plates

Once you finish cooking or boiling, the fire quickly reduces itself to ashes.   This is easily knocked out the stove and scattered, leaving practically little evidence of the fire.   This is a big plus for no trace campers or OPSEC conscience folks.

Burning down to ash

The included pouch is made from machine sewn nylon with a sewn on belt loop.  A Velcro strip keeps the flap closed.  While, I haven’t bothered using the belt loop, the pouch is well made and keeps soot from getting over the rest of your gear.  Stored in the pouch, the stove would fit easily in a coat or cargo pocket, glove box or under a car seat.   Given the design, it will easily burn almost any dry combustible fuel scrounged locally from the environment.   An alcohol penny stove will fit inside, if one was so inclined. 

Front of Pouch

Belt Loop

What is the best part of this tough little stove?   The price!   I purchased this stove for less than $20 delivered to my house.  You might want to check out one for yourself, for the price you really can’t be disappointed.  Just remember  not to boil or cook when you first light up,  so the paint has a chance to burn off the metal.