The Loki2 Camping and Tent Stove from Petromax is not only for heating larger tents but also doubles as an outdoor cooking appliance, writes Mike Gormley.
~
I have had this stove tucked away for a while, waiting for the right moment to give it a go. Well, Easter weekend provided that opportunity.
[© Petromax]
We don’t have an appropriate large tent or tepee needing a heater, but as an outdoor cooking and ‘sitting around’ stove for still quite cold April days and evenings the Petromax Loki2 Stove proved to be just great. I had really been looking forward to trying this one out at the first opportunity and most certainly I was not disappointed. As many do, we had a family gathering on Easter Sunday and while the kids were off on the mandatory egg hunt I got to light up the Loki2 to get it warmed up to cook the sausages and bacon on. I was confident it would work, as it comes from a renowned supplier, but I was pleasantly surprised just how quick and easy it was to get going and to warm up to a working temperature. Once up and running it controls well with the vent and opening door. Clearly with stoves like this the wood fuel is important and should of course be as dry as possible. I was using well-seasoned oak logs cut quite small.
This stove stands secure on its three foldable legs, which is no bad thing considering it is a very hot item with equally hot things sitting on top. The Loki2 can be packed away to quite a small unit to store and move with legs folded and, as delivered, the chimney sections can fit inside; the supplied chimney is worthy of mention here. Because this stove is primarily intended for use as an in-tent stove it comes with a very long multi-sectioned 60mm diameter chimney / flue / stovepipe. This has the added benefit of keeping that smoke away when using it as a standalone outdoor stove. You have I all been there, I am sure, sitting around the camp fire or fire pit with eyes watering while being chased by the smoke. Not so with the Loki.
The first chimney section has a damper flap for added control of the fire. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly the stove was up to operating heat and I used our, previously reviewed, Petromax Dutch Oven as a cooking pot. This combination works very well indeed, as is makes a good and universal pot and as it is cast it retains the heat. I did not try this feature at Easter but if you want to do a few slices of toast, the top of the stove has a removable circular hatch so the fire can be accessed direct and this also allows you to see the flames, which is always nice if just sitting around the fire.
A good item of kit this and I look forward to making use of it was as summer evenings invite us to venture out for some outdoor cooking. And as the Loki2 packs down to just 520mm x 330mm diameter and only weighs 10.5kg, it will easily fit in the back of the Land Rover for trips further afield. The UK distributors of the Petromax range are Whitby and Co of Kendal, who also sell direct through their web store.
[images © Mike Gormley]
~
