Review Of the Vargo Titanium Hexagon Woodstove

Assembled Vargo Titanium Hexagon Woodstove.

                     By Jeffy Geer

 I must admit that when I was handed this stove for testing, the novelty of it kind of excited me. I've been privileged to play with a few different solid fuel stoves over the last few years, many have impressed me, while others have left me wanting. Then there have been those that are functional, but seem to be more hassle than convenience. I personally feel that a good pack stove needs to run the gambit of being lightweight, sturdy, efficient, affordable, and above all SAFE. I was certainly excited to see where on the spectrum the Vargo stove fell.

     The Vargo Titanium Hexagon Stove weighs around 4.7 ounces, making it a very lightweight choice for packers. It retails around $60 and can be found at most outdoor and sporting goods outfitters. The whole unit comes in a very convenient nylon case that is most necessary, as the stove gets very sooty after use. Although a good scrubbing with a soft Scotch Brite cleans the stove up well after the trip is over.

     Assembly is extremely easy and impossible to get wrong, as every panel of the hexagon has a fixed hinge. The panels are attached to the aerated hexagon base plate via a fixed hinge, with a couple of panels having slots that fit tabs on the plate. One of the tabs actually locks the final panel in place while leaving the door accessible and free to open and close. There are actually relief cuts on the bottom of some of the panels, which gives some clearance for the base plate to not rest on the surface of whatever you have placed the stove on, and to allow air to flow up from the bottom. I will address this more later.

The locking tab.

     I'm a believer in practical gear testing, especially when a piece of gear is something you may need to depend on. With that in mind, I waited to play with the Vargo until I had a good rain fall. If it's going to work well, it will do it in poor weather.

     I first tested the Vargo using a standard sized gelled alcohol can, much like Sterno. I found the can to fit well. The Trangia stove will fit here, but you may want to place something under the Trangia vessel to get the heat closer to your cooking vessel. The gelled alcohol actually performed well in this application, boiling two cups of water in about 9 minutes.

     Now we come to the part that gets hinky...   I placed the stove on my splitting stump and using some Birch bark for tinder and fine Spruce twigs, began the wood burning process. After I was sure I had a solid burn, I began adding slightly bigger fuel, being sure to add some wet stuff in order to see how quickly it would dry and ignite. No issue there. After placing my cooking vessel with two cups of cold water on top, I hit the timer and began my vigil.

     The first thing I noticed is that while there are allowances for air flow from the bottom, it is not very adequate. There was a mellow but constant wind coming from the North East, and the stove was unobstructed, so I opened the door to allow air flow. That allowed the flame to pick up, but completely ruined any heat channeling or gasification. Those qualities are a must have when using a contained stove with any efficiency. The wood burned fine, but fast. Let me put it plain... THIS STOVE IS HUNGRY. I had to pay constant attention to the Vargo and continually feed it because it did not allow for gasification, which is the burning of the wood and the gases generated from it. The stove is not large enough for a sizable amount of fuel to heat the water efficiently, and thus, I did not obtain a mellow boil until 25 minutes later. I never did reach a rolling boil. As I only used 2 cups of water, I was extremely disappointed.

     Now, I must be sure to note that whenever using any stove, the packer should be mindful of the surface in which he places his device. A nice, flat rock or sandy surface is desirable. A log or wooden picnic table, not so much when using a wood stove, and many liquid fuel stoves. However, I am always interested in how much heat transference happens with any stove, so I have several splitting stumps I try them on. The Vargo certainly does have a lot of heat transference coming off of the bottom. Especially considering it takes so long and so much fuel to be effective. I would seriously consider this a bit of a safety issue, and should you use the Vargo as a wood stove, I would be sure to double check the area for burning or smoldering after use. Nobody wants a forest fire!

Burn from heat transfer on the bottom of the stove.

     The Vargo Hexagon Stove also comes in a steel model that weighs a bit more, but costs a bit less. Around $40. I have seen reviews where the reviewer has drilled hole for aeration along the bottom of some of the panels. While this will increase airflow, and allow you to keep the door closed so heat can channel upward toward you cooking vessel, I believe you would still have to feed this small stove more than you would like. And that still does not eliminated the other issues with the Vargo. It is the opinion of this writer that any piece of gear that costs $60 and needs modifying to work properly should be reconsidered.

     All in all, I give the Vargo Titanium Hexagon Woodstove a C rating. It is sturdy, easy to assemble and clean, lightweight, and works sufficiently with an alcohol generator. However, the wood burning application of the Vargo needs to be redesigned. In a market filled with very efficient wood burners that, while they may weigh and cost more, will provide a more satisfactory result for the outdoorsman.

     Safe Journeys
         ~Jeffy