Pocket oven
A pocket stove is a small combustion- based heating device that you can put in your jacket pocket. The main purpose of pocket ovens is to warm the hands, but they can also be used to warm and dry shoes and socks. Nowadays the pocket oven is largely being replaced by hand warming pillows that release heat of crystallization.
A gasoline-powered pocket stove
Dark red glowing burner of a petrol pocket stove
Coal-powered pocket furnace
Unused coal pocket stove, next to it two coal sticks
Field post parcel with pocket oven from the First World War
Most pocket stoves are operated with round-edged rods made of coal or charcoal pressed with additives , but there are also models that are heated with lighter fuel. The approximately 10 cm long carbon rod is lit and slowly glows in the glass fiber padded pocket stove with reduced oxygen supply . The glow time is several hours. To increase the output, the carbon rod can also be lit on both sides at the same time. The architecture of the pocket stove ensures that it never gets so hot on the outside that the heat can burn the skin or damage clothing. In addition, it can be put in a fabric bag for thermal protection. It is important to ensure that the casing of the pocket oven is securely closed (which can be done, for example, with an additional elastic band or with the cloth bag that is usually supplied) so that it does not unintentionally open up in the pocket during activity-intensive activities.
Since the incineration u. a. Carbon monoxide is produced, should not be used in the sleeping bag due to the risk of suffocation.
Pocket stoves operated with gasoline work flameless through catalytic combustion over a catalytic converter . The heating time can be more than 12 hours. These devices can also be operated in a cloth bag.
In a broader sense, hand warmers operated with batteries or rechargeable batteries are also referred to as pocket stoves.