The first time we saw the BioLite camping stove, it was a fantastic idea that seemed sadly like vapourware. Now it’s real, redesigned, available for sale at $US130, and will be awesome for wilderness geeks everywhere.
The idea is brilliantly simple: burn whatever you find in the woods — sticks, leaves, pinecones, whatever — and let the stove transform the heat into electricity you can use to charge via USB — and it should provide about the same output as your laptop. No bulky solar panels, no extra battery packs — though it will add an extra 8 pounds to your kit. And since it’s a real fire and not some extra charging gadget, you can actually use it to boil water and cook with — and that’s really why you’re sitting out in the wood anyway, right? [BioLite via BoingBoing]