Ganesha Cookstove Project

Ultralight Woodstove

The new Ganesha Ultralight Stove - now LIVE on Kickstarter

The first ultralight smokeless fold-flat stove for outdoor adventurers.

The Ganesha Ultralight stove is the ultimate woodstove for backpacking, hunting, and emergency preparedness. It burns hot, folds flat, and weighs just 7.8 ounces (220g), about the same as a smartphone. The stove folds to 1/2” thick, just 20% of its unfolded size.

Are you an impatient camper? Us too. So we designed a stove that boils 700ml of water (enough for several cups of your favorite hot beverage) in less than 5 minutes, using readily available sticks and twigs.

The stove comes with a fire-resistant groundcloth that improves safety and makes cleanup a snap, making it easier to Leave No Trace.

Third Party Reviews - over 3 million views so far

“Like a pop-up book, when you press the jointed corners of the flattened stove, it automatically takes shape” - Gear Junkie

"This stove really excels. You will be impressed by its performance" - Mark Young Bushcraft

“Extremely efficient” - Joe Robinet, Alone Season 1

Folding and unfolding the stove takes less than 10 seconds

When can I get one?
Our Kickstarter campaign is complete, but we are still taking late pledges. Please join us on Kickstarter to learn more and place your advance order.

We have designed the stove, applied for both utility and design patents (see the patent application publication here), and had a first batch made by artisans in India. That batch has been used by reviewers, and we are now ready to start production as soon as our Kickstarter campaign finishes.

Assembly and Use of the Stove:

Tech Specs


Material: Titanium or Stainless Steel
Packed Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches (25 x 17.5 x 1.3 cm)
Assembled Dimensions: 5.25 x 5.25 x 6.8 inches (13.3 x 13.3 x 17.3 cm)
Weight: 7.8 ounces (220 g) in titanium, 13.0 ounces (367 g) in stainless steel
Fuel: Biomass (twigs, sticks, dung)
Recommended Pot Size: 4.2 to 4.6 inches in diameter (10.7 - 11.7 cm), to fit properly on the pot supports inside the stove. Pots larger than 5.5 inches in diameter (14 cm) can be placed on top of the stove. Small frying pans also work well.
Boil Time (700 ml): 4 to 6 minutes
Time to Fold/Unfold: < 10 seconds
Country of Origin: Designed in the USA, handmade in India
Groundcloth: Fire-resistant fiberglass, coated on both sides with silicone
Please note that there are many single-walled (non-gasifier) woodstoves on the market, in sizes from tiny to quite large. Single-walled stoves are very different to use from a gasifier stove. We have tried many, and were unhappy with the amount of smoke they created and how much fuel they required. The Ganesha Ultralight Stove is designed to be something better - hotter, cleaner, and still incredibly light.

“Every once in a very long while, a new camping product appears which is intelligently designed and honestly useful. The Ganesha wood burning trail stove is one of them.”
- Cliff Jacobson, cliffcanoe.com

Why a gasifier stove?
Ganesha stoves have double walls that let superheated secondary air flow to the top of the fire, where it helps burn the smoke. This is more difficult from a design point of view, but has some really big advantages that make it worth it:

-Fires are easier to start
-Burning is much cleaner and hotter
-It’s easier to keep the fire going
-Uses less fuel, and is more tolerant of damp or unusual fuels (like bundled grasses or dried dung)
-The cooking fire doubles as a “personal fire” that is very pleasant, even after cooking is done

Can this stove handle hot fires and repeated folding & unfolding?
Yes! We have used it extensively ourselves, with several hundred burn cycles per stove. Like many ultralight items, it should be used carefully, but it is designed for years of use.

What kind of fuel is best?
-Tinder like dry grass, combined with small twigs, is best for starting the fire
-Wooden sticks the diameter of a finger or thumb are best for keeping the fire going
-Small pieces can be fed in the top, while longer pieces can be fed into the lower opening
-Adjust the amount of fuel to control heat
-Dry dung also burns well, though it will need some firewood to keep it burning hot

Which pots will work best?
These pots are the correct dimensions to fit down inside the stove on the pot supports:

-MSR Titan Kettle 850ml
-Snow Peak Titanium Trek 900ml
-TOAKS 750ml Pot, Light Titanium 700ml Pot, Titanium 900ml Pot, Titanium 1100ml Pot
-Evernew Titanium 900ml Pot, Titanium Pasta Pot 1000ml
-Vargo Ti-Lite 900 Mug
-Optimus Terra Xpress HE Cooking Pot 600ml

Pots larger than 5.5 inches in diameter (14 cm) can be placed on top of the stove. Small frying pans also work well.


What kind of adventurer is this stove best for?
-Those who enjoy simplicity and paying attention to the natural world
-Fast & Light, but with hot meals and beverages
-Leave No Trace - it’s easy to use the stove and still leave your cooking area pristine
-Don’t want to use fossil fuels and disposable canisters
-Those who enjoy a campfire

When should this stove not be used?
This stove should never be used in an area with an active fire ban.

Can I use an alcohol burner in the stove?
Yes, just invert your alcohol burner stand, place the burner on it, and put it inside the Ganesha stove. Turn the stove so it protects the alcohol flame from the wind, and you are good to go.

What’s the groundcloth made of?
The included groundcloth is fiberglass with a silicone coating on both sides. It is impressively fire resistant (we’ve built big fires right on the groundcloth, and while it discolors, it doesn’t melt or burn). Please note that while the groundcloth won’t burn, it can still transmit heat to the ground below. Make sure to clear all organic matter from the area before placing the groundcloth and stove.

Video courtesy of Shinya Nagaoka

What’s next?
We have designed more Ganesha wood-burning stoves in different sizes, for car campers, humanitarians and back-yard firepit lovers. All are made for decades of use, and fold flat in seconds.

From left, above: Prototypes of the Ganesha 9x9x9”H car-camping stove with 12-cup (2.8-liter) coffeepot; Ganesha 12x12x12”H humanitarian stove with Nepali 5-liter pot; Ganesha 18x18x18”H firepit


To learn more, contact brice@ganeshastove.com

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