A new contender has emerged in the world of backcountry power generation. The Tegstove charges while it heats and stores electricity for use later. The company is calling it the most efficient of its kind.
The Butane-powered stove stands on a tripod that folds into a compact cylinder. It uses standard butane canisters available at outdoor or hardware stores. As the stove is running, it also charges an internal battery so you can charge while you cook.
The “most efficient” claim comes from a design that wastes very little heat, the company cites. Extra heat goes toward power generation and is ostensibly stored as electricity in the internal battery.
The company says it takes about two hours of burn time to completely fill the internal battery, resulting in enough electricity to charge an iPhone 6. While that’s not a ton of juice for a very long cooking session, the recaptured energy does add up and could be useful to give your phone a bump in power late in a trip.
Tegstove uses a thermoelectric generator to produce current. There are similar products on the market, such as the Flame Stower or Power Pot, but the Tegstove is an interesting all-in-one concept.
The internal battery stores energy and begins recharging as soon as you light the stove. When you are cooking the pan reflects heat, increasing the amount of power being generated.
Charging can be done at anytime; you don’t need to have the stove opened up and lit to charge gadgets. But if you do want to charge when you’re cooking, a USB port is located away from any open flame so you don’t scorch your device.
The Tegstove also has an automatic release mechanism for the fuel cylinder in case it gets too hot and a cooling system that takes the cold air generated by the depressurizing fuel cylinder and uses it to keep the stove cool.
The designers are currently fundraising to produce the first run of Tegstove. It will cost $199 when it hits the market although getting in on the ground floor now will only cost you $129.
If you can’t leave your gadgets behind check it out as an option to stay powered-up.
