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HOW IT WORKS

Core Stove

The CORE is a double walled, multi-function wood burning, wood gas stove. It's designed to inject superheated air into its own exhaust to re-burn it. This translates into more efficient use of fuel energy, less smoke, and less heavy black tar soot on your pot. It can be tweaked and tuned using integrated features, configuration modes and accessory parts to meet just about any use condition. It's tough, ultra light and stores flat in its included stuff sack.

The Core's dual wall design is comprised of two parts; the outer wall and inner plates called afterburners. The afterburners channel fresh air up from its lower intake ports and superheat it before directing it into its exhaust. This creates a wall of superheated air that will ignite and re-burn any unburned wood gas or smoke particulates that try to escape. The afterburners also act as insulators, recirculating heat that might normally escape out the side of the unit as radiation and directs it back up towards the cooking surface. No batteries or fans required and no moving parts or sensitive electronics that can break or wear out.

Its a complex little reactor that makes cooking in the outdoors easy and fun.

Since there is no single perfect setup for every fuel type or climate condition, the Core design allows you to tune it using integrated airflow management features and accessory parts to meet almost any fuel or weather condition.  It can be run wide open to get a fire started and then closed down to make its core blazing hot, just like a full size wood stove.

The Core was designed for realistic cooking chores and it can be configured with either 3 or 4 sides to accommodate the solo hiker to cooking for the entire family. Depending how you configure it, it will support everything from small cups up to large dutch ovens without extra small parts.

Its also great at home as an extra burner for outdoor barbecues, grilling or for emergency cooking during power outages. Its even got an optional integrated heat shield that can be installed in the bottom so that it can be used on a picnic table without scorching it or used on the top as a griddle to keep soot off your pan! It can completely shield a fire from wind and pouring rain and every piece has a hole in it so that they can be clipped to a carabiner.

Optional parts are also available such as an integrated grill, solid fuel tab support or solid burn plates that helps build heat in the core and contain coals without the heat shield.

The CORE is practically indestructible so it has a lifetime guarantee. If a part ever breaks under normal use conditions, we will replace the broken part for free. If you ever lose or damage a part, you don't have go out and buy a whole new unit because each part is available online at a reasonable price.

The Core has many modes and can be configured to meet just about any use condition:

This is where the CORE separates itself from any other ultralight stove.

The addition of a Top Lit Up Draft (TLUD) plate, installed above the afterburners, increases the units efficiency by initially trapping heat inside the reaction chamber by slowing down the exhaust, more thoroughly mixing it with super-heated air and then focusing the heat and flame right into the center of the cooking surface. It basically turns it into a little blast furnace.

The TLUD plate allows the unit to burn hotter and cleaner and perform smokeless, extended length, high temperature, burns that can exceed one hour per fill. It will incinerate thick and even slightly damp fuel. In this mode the Core will burn its fuel to dust and you will be amazed at how how much heat can be generated by such a small stove.

The TLUD feature turns the CORE into a no smoke, no stoke, nature powered gas burner.

The ideal spot for the cooking surface is in the hottest part of the flame which is near the upper 1/3rd of the flame where the fuel has fully completed the combustion process and where the most heat is available. If you've ever used a non after-burning stove, you may have discovered that they usually position the cooking surface too low in the combustion process which allows unburned resins in the smoke to condense into a thick black tar on your pot. One of the best features of the TLUD plate is that it forces the completion of the combustion process earlier than other, non after-burning stoves allowing the cooking surface to be closer to the flame. The Cores' pot supports also protect the flame and keep the heat under the cooking surface unlike other afterburning stoves that allow the heat to waft away in the slightest breeze and are nearly impossible to cook with in windy weather.

TLUD mode is perfect for extended cooking times when cooking for friends and family or when you need a consistently hot fire but don't want to have to keep messing with it. At home the Core is a practical, and realistically sized back up burner for power outages or emergencies. Just fill it with wood pellets (or whatever fuel you can find) for a smokeless burn that can last over an hour. Much more efficient and clean than trying to cook on an open fire or barbecue.

The TLUD plate is also designed to support a Trangia or Esbit alcohol stove at the optimum distance from your cooking surface. So if you can't get your hands on any dry wood, you can always use your alcohol stove as a backup and still be able to easily and completely shield the flame from the elements.

The Trangia, Esbit and Evernew alcohol stoves work with three sides fitting into the afterburner slots or exhaust ports, held firmly in position by spring tension.

An optional ultralight fuel tab support places the fuel tab at just the right height below the cooking surface by using a couple small strips from a soda can to cradle the tab and completely block it from the weather.

The Rocket Port is an optional module designed to increase the performance of the unit by increasing its draft length. The rocket port sucks heat and flames from fuel burning near or outside the fuel port opening that would normally escape, into the burn chamber and directs it towards the cooking surface. The port can also help keep your pot handles cool, keep rain or snow off your fuel and even dry damp fuel as its slowly fed into the unit.

The sides of the rocket port also have holes in them to accept heavy wire or stakes to create a fuel platform allowing air to draft under the fuel.

Some people like a larger stove because they're generally easier to keep a fire going in and generate more heat for group cooking chores. Others prefer to have smaller lighter weight stoves for ultralight camping or single person use. The Core was designed to meet both needs so you only need one stove. Just pack the parts you need and leave the rest at home.

Core 4 Stainless Steel:

Core 3 Stainless Steel

Titanium Core 3 Stove Ultralight - 4.1oz
- One front panel, two side panels, perforated burn plate
- w/Door 4.4oz

Titanium Core 4 Stove Ultralight - 6.3 oz
- One front panel, three side panels, perforated burn plate.

Titanium Core 4 Bio-Reactor - 8.7 oz
- One front panel, three side panels, perforated burn plate, three afterburners, TLUD plate
- w/Door - 8.9 oz

Titanium Core 4 Bio-Reactor Unlimited - 11.6 oz
- One front panel, three side panels, perforated square burn plate, three afterburners, TLUD plate, rocket port, bottom square heat shield/griddle.
- w/Standard Core grill - 12.4 oz

Sometimes you want to go ultralight yet not sacrifice the efficiency and reduced cooking times that a stove provides. The Core was designed so that it can be used with only its side panels and nothing else. Just assemble 3 or 4 side panels and place it over the top of a ground fire to create draft, control airflow, focus heat and provide a cooking platform. The flat bottom beams were designed to create a seal against the ground to resist ground fire creep yet allow air in at the lowest possible level.

Images and weights above are Stainless Steel. Titanium weights are even lighter as titanium is 45% lighter than steel!

Biochar is composed largely of carbon made from wood and recycled agricultural products. When mixed into garden soil, biochar works much like compost, promoting fertility by retaining minerals that help plants flourish. The carbon in compost lasts for only a few years, but biochar’s carbon remains in the soil for centuries, continuing to provide those beneficial nutrients to plants. By using biochar, regular composting and adding fertilizers is no longer a necessity. (and tomatoes love this stuff)

To configure the Core as a Biochar Reactor, set it up in the same configuration as TLUD mode except the idea is to only give the fire just enough oxygen to keep it going so it just bakes the fuel but does not completely burn it. To control amount of oxygen the fire gets, close off most of the air from entering the lower air intake ports by sliding a strip of tin or other metal into the port supports.

Then fill the fuel chamber with wood pellets or sticks and start a fire on the top of the stove. It will burn down a bit and then start cooking the wood instead of burning it. Eventually the flame will go out and all the wood in the fuel chamber will be cooked completely through into a black charcoal. Just extinguish any hot spots with a little water so it doesn't smolder and the bio-char is ready to use.

To use the biochar, just integrate it into the soil around your flowers and vegetables and watch them take off.

Most twig stoves aren't easily tuned and many have limited or even only a single configuration that you slap together and hope works for you in whatever conditions you may be in at the time. The Core is different in that respect.

The Core is designed to be extremely strong but as lightweight as possible. To accomplish this the sides of the unit have an arc.

Just as a flat piece of paper is flimsy when stood on its edge but becomes amazingly rigid and strong when a crease is added, the arc in the side panels perform in the same fashion.  Therefore the panels can be thinner and lighter while still maintaining amazing strength. Using spring hard stainless steel or titanium makes for a very weight efficient package while retaining the ability to spring flat for storage.

Its not a jack-stand but it isn't as heavy as one either. The CORE can easily support over 100 lbs so it has no problem holding up a full cast iron skillet or dutch oven.

The base of the Core is flat which provides lots of surface area at ground level to reduce the risk of the unit sinking into the dirt sideways on you at the worst possible moment. The base has a scalloped edge to both grip rough surfaces better and to rip through grass and debris to allow a good seal against the ground to stop fire from creeping out from under it.

An optional secondary heat shield plate can be installed into the lower air intake ports to protect surfaces from high temperatures which also helps the unit to sit on top of the snow.

The Core fits inside its storage bag which is 6x6 inches square and stows flat. Holes in each part allow them to be clipped on a carabiner.

Its storage bag, made from tough, waterproof pack cloth, comes with every unit to help keep residual soot and ash dust out of your pack. The seams on the bag can be sealed to create a wash station or to carry water.

One of the things that bugged me the most with earlier designs was to watch all of my heat and fire blow out the side of my stove from just a small breeze with no easy method to block it. I also wanted the ability to properly control airflow exiting the top of the unit like dampers do in full size wood stoves while still allowing plenty of oxygen in the bottom to prevent oxygen starvation and smoking.

The design incorporates unique port features that allow them to be blocked with a damper plate or just a couple small strips of thin metal from a tin can. The unique damper plate design also makes a safe spot to keep your pot handles cool.


Each upper exhaust port allows a strip of lightweight metal to be securely snapped in to block the port. This allows the combustion chamber as much fresh air as it needs without stalling combustion while at the same time compounding the heat generated within the burn chamber. Ridges on the top beams facilitate continuous airflow by allowing a small amount of exhaust out even when all upper ports are blocked and a pot is on the unit.

Each lower port has a center tab to support metal strips for simmering or blocking wind.

The slot above the fuel port accepts a simple door which you can get online or just make from sheet metal or a tin can.

The Core grill locks into the ridges in the top of the stove so that it doesn't move around while you mess with your food.

Why have a grill that's just a grill? The optional SHTF grill is 6x6 inches, made from spring hardened stainless steel or titanium and has parts that you can break out in an emergency. It stays locked in place when in use and will cook your food just as good as any single purpose grill. Clean up is simple, just burn it clean or leave baked on food as bait! It also fits inside the Core stuff sack.






Videos and Reviews Posted by Core Stove Owners

We'd love to know what you think of your stove, the good, the bad, and the ugly and if you tell us that you're going to post a video review when you make your purchase we'll send you a bribe (free gift) with your order :)

*Thank You* to everyone thats posted a video or review!

Know of a video posted by a Core owner thats not posted here, please let us know!


Igniting a Core Ti 4 wood stove using Flint and Steel.

by MegaWoodswalker


MSP Core 4 stove field test.


MSP Core 4 wood burning gasifier stove, first look,

by Oliver from Wild Stove



MSP Core 5 Ultimate Bio-Reactor Titanium Stove Review and Give Away

by Ferral Woodcraft


MSP Core M4 Bio-Reactor: The Perfect Survival Stove?


2016 Core 4 Bio-Reactor Ultimate in action

by Tae ho Kim


2016 Core 4 Bio-Reactor Ultimate in action using Wood Pellets

by Silver Birch Outdoors



Solo Hike, with Core stove and Sargent M1

by Flinders Adventures


Roasting Chestnuts on a Core 4

by KnOeFz



MSP Stove with alcohol burner

by Pedenzo


MSP CORE 3 TLUD


CORE 3 Stove


MSP CORE-4 BioReactor Wood Stove



MSP Core 4 in Wood Gas Mode Assembly "My way"

by Angry Daddy Bird


Assembly of the MSP Core 4 Bioreactor in 3 Mode , Wood Gas Mode & rocket mode!


MSP Core 4 Titanium Stove First Burn in Woodgas mode using the Rocket port.


Titanium MSP Core 4 Stove in 3 Mode & Trangia Burner!


Daughter assembles the Core 4 Titanium wood stove to Grill Some Steaks!


Core 4 Stove in 3 Woodgas Mode


MSP Core 4 Stove as a Campfire!


Mini Crucible Prototype, Crucible Stove, Emberlit, Core 4 Stove all burning side by side!


MSP Core 4 Stove and Water Road Outfitters Mini Crucible Stove Prototype Side by side.


MSP Core Recon Stove First Burn!


Core Stove Multi-Function Woodgas Backpacking Stove



MSP Core 4 Stove (a *well used* Gen 1 stove - Awesome)

by Flinders Adventures



Wood burning stoves part 1: hands on with the MSP Core stove

by Charlie Hudson


Wood burning stoves part 2: comparisons


Wood burning stoves part 3: Bonus! uncut test footage with commentary



Core titanium stove best demo of burn and cooking out.

by daddated1


Core 3 cook out vegies



Core 4 woodgas stove

by Jeff Hoffman



Core 4 stove - bacon test

by Joe Sullivan



Core 6 stove P1

by Kenneth Højgaard




MSP CORE Thermite - Bio-Reactor Ultimate - Titanium First burn

by Schmitt's Creek



Your video goes here

by You

Video



Third Party MSP Stove Reviews

Unsolicited (they didn't give us the chance to bribe them) third party written reviews from people that know a thing or two about cooking in the outdoors.

*Thank You* to everyone thats posted a video or review!

Know of a review posted by a MSP stove owner thats not posted here, please let us know!



Core 4 stove initial impressions review.

by Woods Walker

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/131452-Core-4-stove-initial-impressions-review

Core 4 stove. Initial impressions.

https://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=113897



Review of the MSP Core 4 Bioreactor Stove

by AngryDaddyBird

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/132263-Review-of-the-MSP-Core-4-Bioreactor-Stove



Using my new MSP Core-4 Bio-reactor stove in the hills of Idaho

by Ooben

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/131126-Using-my-new-MSP-Core-4-Bio-reactor-stove-in-the-hills-of-Idaho



Thread: Woodstove MSP Core 4 Bioreactor Ti

by KnOeFz

http://jungletraining.com/forums/showthread.php?46148-Woodstove-MSP-Core-4-Bioreactor-Ti



Review: MSP Core M4 Stove

by The Gear Whores

http://www.thegearwhores.com/reviews/msp-core-m4-stove/



Review: MSP Core Recon Stove

by AngryDaddyBird

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php/151124-MSP-Core-Recon-Wood-Stove-Review



An Afternoon Hike 'n Shoot

by TXBK

http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?169231-An-Afternoon-Hike-n-Shoot



Some reasons for prepping :)


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