(cover photo courtesy Elsa Rhae)
A warm, welcoming glow, the unmistakable aroma of toasted wood, a percussion of snaps and pops as the embers dance. Can you even get cozier than that?
An RV wood stove is more than a feature, it’s an experience. One that can make almost any space feel like home.
But are there RV wood-burning stoves that are feasible and compatible?
Now, before you talk about space efficiencies and “luxuries vs. necessities”, hear me out. Yes, RV wood-burning stoves are somewhat romantic and elegant, but they’re also surprisingly cheap and impressively effective.
Here’s a chart for you to take a quick glance at our favorite RV wood stoves. If you want to learn more about how these stoves work and more details about each stove, keep scrolling.
Image | Product | Features | Price |
---|---|---|---|
Dwarf 4K |
| Check Price | |
Cubic Mini Wood Stove |
| Check Price | |
Kimberly Wood Stove |
| Check Price | |
England's Stove Works |
| Check Price | |
Dickinson Newport Propane Direct Vent Heater |
| Check Price |
The Best RV Wood Burning Stoves We Could Find
Here are our in-depth descriptions of each RV wood stove recommended in the chart. We hope this helps you pick the best wood-burning stove for your motorhome.
- Dimensions: 13 x 15 x 12 inches
- Weight: 39 lbs
- Heat output: 8,000 – 18,000 BTU
- Fuel: Wood, Charcoal, Pressed Fire Logs
This Cubic CUB mini wood stove boasts the coveted classic design of a cast-iron stove, but with lightweight, steel-plated construction. Less than a cubic foot in TOTAL unit size, this unique little stove is full of charm.
Its small size limits its heat output and it’s ideal for spaces between 100 – 200 sq. ft. This little stove is designed to heat boats and RVs up to 40-feet long.
With dramatic gold-plated accents and a whimsical, dollhouse feel, this stove will add warmth and character to any small space.
The Cubic Mini Cub is an eco-friendly stove that produces very little smoke thanks to a secondary combustion system. It also removes humidity from an RV, which is important during the winter months.
- Efficient burn
- Can heat most tiny spaces
- Trusted brand
- Little smoke produced
- Compact size
- Not a certified stove
- No ashtray; ash must be scooped out regularly
- Expensive accessories
- Not truly suitable for cooking due to limited top surface area
- Dimensions: H19.5" x W12" x D9"
- Weight: 100 lbs
- Heat output: 13,648 BTU's (4 kW)
- Fuel: wood, coal, or compressed logs
This sturdy little wood stove is made out of steel and cast iron with a large viewing window so you can enjoy the look of a dancing fire in your RV.
The Small Dwarf 4k emits about 12,500 BTUs when lit, but you can also choose a more powerful stove (the 5k) or a less powerful one (the 3k).
Tiny Wood Stoves builds its wood-burning stoves with three separate, air-tight air supplies for better control of burn rates. You’ll also get a cooking surface on top.
The Dwarf can burn wood, coal or compressed logs with a fire box made out of cast iron and fire brick, which reflects heat back into your space.
This company has been designing wood stoves for small spaces for many years and offers plenty of information on installing stoves and choosing the right one for your RV.
- Trusted brand
- Excellent customer service
- Straightforward installation
- Versatile configurations
- Durable construction
- Removable ash pan
- Multiple air controls
- Not certified
- Heavy
- Legs are easily removable and fit inside the stove body
- 1 cubic foot fire box heats 12x14' space
- Large, flat cooking surface offers 168 sq. in. of cooking area
The England Stove Works Survivor has an amazing 168 sq. in. cooking area, which makes it top almost all models of its size in cookability. So if you’re planning to do much cooking with your RV wood stove, this might be the option for you.
The heavy-duty American steel, which brings its weight down to a very manageable 45 lbs. Perhaps a more superficial factor, this RV wood stove does not have a viewing window.
This exclusion likely allows the fire to heat slightly more efficiently, but many RV wood-burning stove lovers wouldn’t consider an option without the dancing flames and warm firelight that a window provides.
- Low-cost
- Durable 12-gauge steel
- Large flat surface for cooking
- Multiple temperature controls
Long burn time
- Not certified
- Extra safety precautions needed for indoor install
- Stovepipe not included
The Dickson Marine Propane Fireplace isn’t exactly a wood-burning stove, but it’s a popular heater for RVers and van lifers, so we figured we might as well include it.
The stove does create soft blue flames that mimic the look and feel of a fire, but without the wood smoke and crackling.
This fireplace is less than 6 inches deep and weighs just 26 lbs. For such a small unit, its heat output of 5,500 – 7,500 BTUs is pretty incredible.
This small propane stove is built for marine living and claims to be unaffected by motion, winds, or weather conditions.
The body is made of non-rust stainless steel, which isn’t quite as durable as cast iron, but at 26lbs, this unit is ideal for boat or van dwellers, and it comes with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty.
- Creates soft blue flames like a fireplace
- Durable, stainless steel construction
- Lightweight
- High BTU output for its size
- Expensive
- You must keep propane tanks nearby
- Some say not enough heat
- Dimensions: 10” diameter x 25.5” height
- Weight: 56 lbs
- Heat output: up to 40,000 BTU's
- Fuel: Wood and non-wax extruded sawdust logs
Look out, the future of RV wood-burning stoves is coming in hot. This unit is pretty amazing.
The Kimberly wood stove is built off the history of an inspiring father who moved his small family into an even smaller boat out of desperation during the Great Recession.
He needed a small wood stove that didn’t burn through much wood and minimal smoke output with a longer burn time. So, he created an innovative two-stage combustion chamber to successfully accomplish everything he needed, boasting an incredibly efficient, nearly smokeless stove.
If you can stomach the price of this unit, it’s an incredible investment. They also include expert installation and all required materials (flu pipe) with your purchase, giving you even more peace of mind.
- Ultra-efficient
- Nearly smokeless
- Exceptionally minimal required clearance space
- Burns up to 8 hours
- UL-approved for traditional and mobile homes
- EPA-certified and CSA-certified
- 5-year warranty
- Expensive
- Small ash reservoir; requires frequent emptying
What is an RV wood stove?
RV wood stoves are not just for RVs, and are also used by people living in tiny homes, vans, buses, boats, travel trailers, and more. It’s just a small, usually somewhat self-contained wood stove.
They come in many different styles, but all will need some sort of chimney pipe for the combustion gas.
Different styles of RV wood-burning stoves
Cookstoves.
Some RV wood stoves double as heaters and cookers. You might have to sacrifice a bit of heat efficiency during cook time, but other than that, this can be a great option for some buyers.
Window doors.
While this category is totally superficial, it often makes a big difference for buyers. Having a window door turns your wood stove for an RV into a fireplace. If you’re all about the wood-burning aesthetic, this might be a must.
Size of your RV wood stove.
This will largely be dependent on how much space you have inside your RV. The bigger the area you need to be heated, the bigger stove you’ll need. Though size is usually a good indicator of capability, the next category is even more so.
Heat output.
This can get a bit tricky with RV wood-burning stoves, as there are so many variables at play that affect how much heat your small wood stove will throw. Even things like the type of wood or the wetness or sappiness of the wood can drastically affect your heat throw.
If you’re going to be traveling in particularly cold climates, definitely overestimate how much heat output you’ll be needing from your camper wood stove.
Pros and cons of installing a mini wood stove in your RV
Pros
Cons
Things to consider before picking out the best RV wood stove
Mini wood stoves come in all shapes and sizes. No matter how small or strange the space you’re looking to fill may be, there is an RV wood stove out there for you.
If you’re shopping online, make sure to measure carefully and check the measurements of the unit you’re buying.
Sometimes it’s hard to gauge the size of a mini wood stove from the photos, and familiar proportions might lead you to think a small wood stove is much larger than it actually is.
Find something roughly the size of the stove you’re going to buy and use it as a reference.
You should also really consider the upkeep and maintenance of an RV wood-burning stove before you purchase.
Are you ready to chop all your wood, haul it away, dry it, store it, light it on fire, keep it on fire, and clean all the soot and ash that it produces?
The challenge can be fun and incredibly rewarding, but make sure you’re ready to take it on.
Using a wood-burning stove in a campervan
Vandwellers are perhaps the most space-starved of all tiny livers.
For that reason alone, many may scoff at the suggestion of using a small wood-burning stove in their van, but if you haven’t already written off the idea, it might be worth your consideration.
The biggest downside to a wood stove in a campervan is the loss of stealth camping.
With plumes of smoke (though many new models tout massively reduced smoke outputs) and the unmistakable scent of burning wood (which is also said to be minimized in newer, more efficient models) it’s hard to go unnoticed.
Campervans are the most discreet option of nomadic living and many vandwellers make use of that stealth often. If this is an important factor to you, and your locale requires near-constant heat, a mini wood stove might not be an option for you.
If space is your biggest concern, you should look at the dimensions of some smaller models, they might surprise you.
Many travelers with smaller stoves also choose to elevate them and use a shorter chimney pipe, allowing for storage or other use of space below the stove. This can be an awesome option, but make sure your stove has the proper overhead allowances for safety.
For most small wood stoves, that likely won’t be an issue.
Q&A about wood-burning stoves for an RV
A: No. While the sound of a wood-burning fire might elicit some anxiety, these stoves are extremely safe. It is always important to follow manufacturer’s guidelines and never overload your stove, but if used and cared for properly, your stove is not a fire hazard.
A: This one’s tricky. As anyone who’s done construction on an RV or tiny home knows, regulations for these guys are shockingly lacking. You should check with your local building codes and regulations, but be prepared for them to not exist. You should also check with your insurance company before installing a wood stove in your RV.
A: Initially, yes. The cost to purchase and install an RV wood-burning stove is going to be higher than propane. The savings come in fuel costs and availability.
Many people have access to free or dirt cheap wood, which can save you a ton in the long run, particularly if you’re planning to heat your tiny home or RV consistently.
A: If you clean something often, you clean something easy. If you let it build up, you’re in for a challenge. This applies to just about everything, but especially cast iron.
It’s important to clean your stove often, including letting the fire die out, emptying the firebox, and cleaning out all ash and dirt. Some RV wood stoves have chambers that make this process a bit easier, but every stove’s maintenance will be made easier by frequent cleanings.
Conclusion on an RV wood stove for winter
Living a nomadic or minimal life is extremely rewarding, but it does come with some undeniable challenges, one of which tends to be comfort. With these tiny RV wood-burning stoves, you can turn virtually any size space into a welcoming, warm environment.
And with a huge range of styles, sizes, weights, and materials, it’s hard not to find one that can work for you.
Even if you’re living in a van or a sailboat, a small wood burning stove can offer not just coziness, but efficient and affordable heat.
Take care during installation and adhere to all safety procedures, and you’ll do nothing but enjoy this investment.
So which one of the RV wood-burning stoves we’ve listed here will be your next big purchase?
The Vogelzang stove you list is actually not approved for use in homes on wheels – it says so on the Amazon page, the product manual, etc. The only one I’ve seen from that manufacturer is more for a 3,000 ft space, which is way overkill for any RV.
Thanks for letting me know! We’ll look into that.
I’ve looked into it more and it’s apparently about getting fresh air from outside, rather than inside. It’s mainly a safety thing (not asphyxiating), but more likely it’ll help the stove burn better and keep cold air from being sucked into the RV just to feed the fire (ie awful drafts)..
Some stoves have an air inlet hookup (usually 4-6 inch dryer vent hose) that can connect to outside. This is the stove i ordered that has it: https://www.woodprostoves.com/Products/WS-TS-1500-Wood-Stove.aspx
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The englabd stove works stove is not recommended for indoor use. Only for tent use. Is that a problem?
My name is Mr Rob Wyne.
I would like to purchase a HQKS-641 Portable Camping Fire Oil Burner 10 Wicks Capacity 3L Quick Burning Kerosene Stove?
Product Name : Portable Camping Fire Oil Burner 10 Wicks Capacity 3L Quick Burning Kerosene Stove
Item No: HQKS-641
Material: Metal and Enamel
Size: 23.5 * 23.5 * 26 cm
Brand: Support Customer Brand Package
Color: Green
Weight; 2.2Kg
Packing: 1pcs/ctn
1*20GP container / abt 2070 ctns
1*40HQ container / abt 4800 ctns
What are the prices including tax?
These are going to be picked up from your store location when they’re ready for pick up.
Does that affect the pricing?
Please advise.
Regards.
Rob Wyne.
W COMPANY INDUSTRIES
4141 East Tennessee
Street Tucson,
AZ 85714
I don’t personally sell these stoves. You’ll have to contact the company you’re interested in directly.
What modifications are needed to install a survivor wood stove in a tiny home.
I am also interested in knowing the answer to this.