WinnerWell Fastfold Titanium Camping Stove

WinnerWell Fastfold Titanium Camping Stove

By Cory McLaughlin

Follow us on INSTAGRAM @ireivewgear

 Just the Facts:

Fastfold Titanium Camping Stove

Ultralight and Ultra-packable, the Winnerwell® Fastfold Titanium Wood Burning Camping Stove is the premier ultralight stove for backcountry skiers, hunters, and explorers. Ideal in lightweight stove-compatible shelters like pyramid and teepee tents, the Fastfold Titanium Stove folds flat and the flue pipe rolls into a compact tube—the entire kit weighs only 4.4lbs. The Fastfold design sets a new standard in reliable, hassle-free set-up. There are no hardware parts to lose or fumble with cold hands, simply fold the walls into place and secure with integrated clasps. Plus, with the top of the stove removed, this stove functions well as an ultralight fire pan for river runners and backpackers in sensitive wilderness areas.

● Ultralight Weight of 4.4lbs (Stove + Pipe)
● Highly Packable Design Folds Flat
● 9’ Pipe Rolls into a Compact 12” Cylinder
● Easy to Setup and Maintain
● Titanium Provides Exceptional Heat Transfer and Warp Resistance
● Stove Body Can Also Function as an Ultralight Firepan
● High combustion efficiency, suitable for 2-4 persons
● Include 1x stove body, 1x rolled pipe, 1x cylinder protector, 1x spark arrestor, 8x pipe rings, 1x carrying bag

Stove Body Dimension                 373(L) x 225(W) x 177(H) mm / 14.7(L) x 8.8(W) x 7(H) in
Folded Dimension                        395(L) x 231(W) x 118(H) mm / 15.6(L) x 9.1(W) x 4.6(H) in
Assembly Dimension                    414(L) x 240(W) x 3089(H) mm / 16.3(L) x 9.4(W) x 121.6(H) in
Pipe Type                                     Rolled
Pipe Length                                  2687mm / 105.8in
Net Weight                                   1.98kg / 4.4lbs (excluding the carrying bag)
Fuel                                              Dry, seasoned only (not intended for coal burning)

Materials: Made with ultralight titanium, the Winnerwell Fastfold Titanium Tent Stove is highly portable and incredibly lightweight at just 4 pounds. Titanium can withstand much higher temperatures than steel, allowing this stove to be made from very thin material that keeps weight and pack size to a minimum. The high heat transfer efficiency of Titanium allows these stoves to effectively heat small shelters in very cold conditions and hold hot coals for hours.

My Story:

I love backcountry hunting and camping. I have loved this for as long as I can remember. I remember ad hunt in 2001 way in the back of nowhere freezing my butt off under a lean-to tarp and wishing I had a wall tent. The idea of titanium stoves was unknown to me at that time. It was not until about 5 years ago that I first had the great pleasure of playing with one of these great setups and it’s all been downhill since then.

When I came across the WinnerWell Fastfold I was really excited to check it out. It is more expensive than many other titanium stoves but it is also unlike any of the others. This stove looked like it would be very fast to assemble and get into action. My assumption was certainly spot on as the initial assembly of the stove was a breeze! The sides simply fold up and the top is placed on. Everything is secured with piano type hinge latches and you are ready for fire in a snap! This is a huge difference between the cylindrical body style stoves or other styles that use all-thread and retention nuts. Bottom line is that this stove is faster and easier to setup than any other stove on the market!

I was really admiring the stove as it sat in my living room and I could not wait to get it into the woods. For my first testing area we choose to do a head to head test of a few other stoves and tipi setups. I allowed a couple buddies to try their hand at assembly and they were also very happy with how easy this stove was to set up. Sadly that excitement was short lived as I was showing them the ventilation tab on the door, well the dang thing just broke off. I was very sad to see it break and it was clear that this was not something that I could fix.

The next disaster came as the door hinge separated and nearly fell off. During my attempt to fix this, while a hot fire was rolling, the legs collapsed causing the chimney pipe to bend and choke out the tipi with smoke.

It was a battle but I got it all serviceable again save for the intake valve on the front of the door. The night went on and the stove burned well but very hot as there was no way to control the airflow.

In the morning we awoke to yet another disappointing mishap. Not sure if it was the included spark arrestor or when the stove fell apart and collapsed but for some reason the sparks from the fire left the chimney pipe and came straight back down on the tipi causing it to burn dozens of small holes in the material. This could have been a real dangerous situation so I was pretty unhappy.

So what is a guy to do? This testing was showing that the Fastfold Titanium Camping Stove was not even worthy of a single star and honestly a complete flop. I was very dissatisfied in the product and needed to reach out to WinnerWell to talk some things out.

After speaking to WinnerWell I was told that this was VERY unusual and concerning to them. One possibility is that the stove I was sent was a previously refurbished or returned stove. They sometimes use those to send out to testers.  In any case we decided that this stove was a dud and I needed to give it another try. So a new stove was sent out for testing.

When the new stove arrived it was just as the last had been. The stove was very handsome at first and quick to action. I took the stove to a multi-day camping trip out on the Snake River in Washington. With my Tipi all setup I was ready to install the stove and something just felt different. Soon after setting it in place I had a nice fire rolling and everything seemed to be working just fine.

I was very concerned with the tab that controls the air intake so I made sure to move it all around and test it out. I opened the door dozens of times both while it was cold and hot. I made certain the legs of the stove were fully opened and set in place. I am happy to say I was not able to reproduce any of the issues that the previous stove plagued me with.

Load after load of wood went into the stove for three consecutive days. Each time the intake was tested and the door opened and closed. The damper was used in all positions and I was very happy to have such great control which allowed me to maximize burn time. This stove was growing on me for sure.

I especially like the damper on the Fastfold Titanium Camping Stove as it is attached. This is a different design from that of the other stoves I have used and I really like it. The attached damper sits in its own titanium ring with allows for a secure chimney seat and superior control of the damper. The only drawback is that this makes the profile a bit larger when packing the stove up but it’s not a major concern in my book. The chimney pipe is typical of all titanium pack stoves in that it is a piece of 9’ titanium foil that rolls into a pipe held together by retention rings. It looks really cool when you have a hot  fire rolling!

The stove comes in at just over 4 LBS which is more than acceptable for the warmth it provides. The stove cold be split up between friends or carried by one while the other carries the tent. The whole system is very manageable for 2 people and I think you will love how versatile it is.

Some states do require the use of a spark arrestor. I think that the design of the Fastfold’s spark arrestor is something that needs to be reworked. I did not use it on my second trip as I had no intention of rolling the dice on burning up another tipi. Also, in reading some other reviews I noticed that others have had an issue with burning seemingly due to the spark arrestor. So without the spark arrestor in place I am happy to report that I experienced no issues when running the stove as a straight pipe.

So, after a very disastrous initial testing I have to say that the WinnerWell Fastfold grew on me. By the end of my second trip I was very happy with the stove. I was able to control my burn times and thus able to manage the temperature. I was able to heat my shelter for myself and my dog leaving us snug as a bug ending with a great trip. As a product tester I would have been remiss not to tell of my bad experience but I would also be remiss to not say that I can change my mind. I learned to really like the Fastfold stove and I think you will as well. I am sure my first stove was just a lemon and I am confident you won’t have to deal with the same issues I did. In the very unlikely event that you do, well you can be confident that WinnerWell will take care of you and make things right.   

Find it Here:

https://www.amazon.com/Winnerwell-Fastfold-Titanium-Ultralight-Functions/dp/B07B8Z3PTK

What can be done better?

I would like to see a bit better QA as no person should have to deal with the issues that I had with the first stove. I would also like to see a redesign of the spark arrestor as I think it may lead to unwanted burn holes. If I had to base my assessment on the first stove I would have given it 0 out of 5. If my experience was based only on the second stove I would have given it 4.5 out of five. Of course nobody would be happy with my first experience but if your stove is anything at all like the second stove I tested I think you are going to be very happy.

I give the WinnerWell Fastfold Titanium Stove a 4 out of 5 for now. I have to believe that my first experience was a complete fluke and not typical of this stoves normal performance. I will update this if any of the issues i had with the first stove show up in the second one.