Thanks [garland] for the camp stove listing at Sportsman's Guide. Seems like a nice little stove that might provide a central gathering point for a small camp, or group of survivors. Much safer and more practical than a campfire IMHO.

Less chance of the fire running away or people getting burned by rolling or falling into it. More efficient in fuel use I suspect. The smoke emerging up high, reads like the cap is roughly 5'6" when set up, is better for people who may have breathing issues. More convenient and practical, no need for a heavy grate or tripod irons, when heating a pot of coffee, boiling water, or doing light cooking.

Gathering wood, and tending the fire gives kids some light work you can assign them to so they feel more in useful and in control. Put some kids on gathering wood, someone tending the fire, and a third to keep the hot drinks coming and do light cooking and you have an active and productive core. Set up a wind block near the stove, ideally something that will reflect the heat back, and you have a small warming station.

It is a small unit with limited heat output so you can't effectively cluster too many people around it but it looks like it might work for four, maybe six, adults and two or three kids.

$70 doesn't sound unreasonable. The steel is likely thin so if you get a week or ten days of constant use it will likely be mulched but I like it for a survival situation.