@nolnocluap's Prepping & Homesteading Update #2: Video Unboxing Of EcoZoom Rocket Stove!

Hi guys! Last week I announced here in my inaugural prepping and homesteading update that I'd purchased one of the the EcoZoom Portable Wood Fired Rocket Stoves from an Australian distributer. The great news is that today it arrived and I have already found the time to do an unboxing video which I'm posting up now.

My Unboxing Video

I'm very happy with my experience so far in terms of delivery time, condition on arrival, effectiveness of the packaging and quality of the product. I've been experimenting with some video editing software recently so hopefully this video isn't as bland as one that you'd pull straight from the camera, but let me know what you think and whether you get value from this kind of material.

Why Did I Buy This?

In case you missed my motivations for buying this stove or just want a recap from the original post linked above, I've had my eye on these for some time. Having seen them introduced on YouTube some time ago and I was prompted to order one after I saw an excellent video posted recently by City Prepping that I'll link to here.

My thoughts on the usefulness of this product go as follows:

• The propane or gas cookers typically used for camping are designed for light weight convenience and don't provide the ruggedization that I am looking for in a heavy use piece of survival kit (although I do own a Coleman LPG/Propane cooker as part of my setup and use it now and then to keep it functional)

• I'm very attracted to the idea that these stoves can be run from fuel laying around on the ground. No matter how prepared you are with cylinders, camping cookers will eventually run out of fuel. Being on acreage here, it'll be a long time before I'd run out of wood to burn so that's a real plus.

• These stoves also burn coal and dual fuel is a great advantage when selecting kit.

• The portability is a great feature.

• Having been alarmed yet again yesterday at the receipt of our most recent electricity bill, I'm wanting to actually use this stove daily. It can be easily set up on outside on a table or bricks or other suitable platform and used to cook meals regularly as it's maneuverable and portable. that should save using the oven and electric stove top significantly, especially as we are into the warmer months now and spending time outside will be desirable anyway.

• I've experimented with a solar fire starter that I own (and have posted about on Steemit) and they're very difficult to get a flame from. This stove provides wind sheltering so that a flame can be more easily started with or without a flint or lighter - although I've yet to put that to the test!

They're now available in Australia at http://ecozoom.com.au/

So What Exactly Did I Buy?

I decided to go with EcoZoom's larger model. It has the additional air flow control door and I've typically found that going with a larger and more rugged option is a good move for anything that you want to reliably operate for you for some time. EcoZoom offer this model in a kit along with a reasonably priced carry bag (another thing I'd really recommend, you want convenience) and what they call a "power ring" which is simply a cylindrical attachment that encases the pot or pan and vents hot air around the sides of the container effectively increasing the area of heat exposure rather than allowing hot air to vent freely up the top. EcoZoom claim a 25% increase in efficiency. At first I wasn't concerned about that but changed my mind later and decided to give it a go.

There's a fairly comprehensive video produced by EcoZoom on how to load the stove, light it, use it and clean it below.

The link describing this combo is here

Herein lays the benefit above and beyond end-of-days considerations. Have a little fun with your prepping purchases and efforts. Try to target improvements to your daily life as it is now in a way that just so happens to make you more resilient for shocks and surprises in the future.

Happy prepping everyone, thanks for your interest and keep following for more updates on my journey as I share it with Steemit!

@nolnocluap.