Justin Henney

Here are a few photos of a rig I cooked up to commute to work in Parks & Recreation a few years ago. I wanted rain proof baskets/buckets I could remove easily so I could hang up my bike in the porch. Bent some aluminum stock and mounted to the rear wheel cargo rack. Worked great and a lot cheaper than the waterproof pannier bags for sale at hundreds each.

A ratchet strap also does the job in a pinch (though you can't remove them easily--to take them into the grocery store for instance).

Hope this inspires some more frugal bike commuters!

John C Daley wrote:In Australia I am held back by lack of concrete information.
I habe been advised by members on this site about what type and size I need to build.
But detailed information about build plans are very hard to find.
I have ascertained from batchheater.eu what dimensions I need but that is all.
I would love detais for a 125mm [ 5 inch] batch rocket  unit.

This is the issue I am facing (here in Pennsylvania USA in 2026). I have purchased several books (some through permies) and watched many videos (some through permies), and I'm still having a hard time finding concrete information laid out for a newbie. I'm a handyman/carpenter by trade, so I know how to use tools and a tape measure. What I need is a detailed set of drawings of how to make one of these things out of fire bricks. It doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the product to have a bunch of people experimenting on camera saying, "You can build this!".

Half the websites dedicated to rocket stoves are defunct--even ernieanderica.info takes me to some foreign landing page with a soccer ball on it. It seemed Ernie and Erica were the go-to people.

A lot of the permies RMH videos talk about a "shippable core". I'd love to get my hands on one of those, but where? Did the kickstarter lose steam and no one bothered to update the published information on permies?

The only real plans I've seen are the batchrocket.eu plans, and even those have limitations (I have to interpret a Sketchup drawing on a free website).

Am I missing something here in 2026? Please tell me I am!, cuz I'm hoping to build a RMH (batch box style) this summer. But maybe I'm asking too much at this stage--just hoping for it to be less experimental, I guess.

Thanks all for your advice here.

Benjamin, to answer your question, the vent is in the supply duct of our heat pump/A/C. We open that grate above the wood stove when we're heating with wood. I like your idea of just building a j-tube rocket to use in the basement instead of the wood stove. Already sourced a couple barrels!

As I'm learning about BBRs etc, I'm realizing how specifically they are designed and that my stove could definitely not be reused as a firebox for a system like that. Maybe I can take it into the garage and add a barrel or brick bell for use in the shop.

Howdy. Relative newbie to permies here. Loving what I've found so far.

Apologies if there is a post addressing this already.

I plan to build a RMH (batch box style--I think) in the next 2 years or so (hopefully 2026). Currently, we are feeding a behemoth Ashley wood stove in our basement many times a day and the temp drops about 10 degrees F overnight. The insulation in the house isn't great currently--will be addressing this over time. I'd like to do something relatively quick to reduce our firewood usage if possible (or at least capture more of the heat before it exits the flue) while I make plans for a better system installation.

My questions for yousss:
1. Is it worth adding a large stratification chamber to the conventional wood stove in my basement to capture heat and distribute over longer periods of time? Or is the stratification chamber only useful with the RMHs because of the high temps they achieve in the barrel?
2. As I consider future options, does anybody have reasons for or against trying to use my current wood stove as the firebox for a batch box RMH? This might be a wild question, but I figured I'd throw it in here in case anyone has some input.

Some relevant info:
Basement SF: 618
1st Floor SF: 1065
2nd Floor SF: 404
We are currently renovating the 2nd floor which is uninsulated (2nd floor deck is insulated, but not helping as much without wall and roof insulation yet)

Pics of current stove attached.

Thanks to you all in advance!

Oh my… this is quickly becoming my favorite thread.

Bar none, best song about the land for my money is Family Farm by Chris Dorman. A little sad, but we live in a broken world after all.

Thanks everyone for these suggestions! This gives me an awesome start for deciding what is best for our situation.

I’m glad to have found Permies as I get started on the homesteading journey. Cheers to you all!

Might be obvious for the seasoned, might not be for the beginner, but I don’t think it’s been mentioned here:

Your soil returning to the hole (backfill) should be compacted periodically. Add a layer, compact, add a layer, compact. This secures the soil around the roots and prevents the tree from tipping over in the wind. It also prevents your soil around the tree from sinking to create a depression over time (loose soil settles over time) which would need to be filled in to avoid puddling as well as destabilizing the tree.

I usually do 3 layers of filling and compacting, depending on the size of the hole. The top layer starts off over-filled, but after compacting ends up being level with the surrounding soil (err on the side of slightly higher, but AVOID the “tree volcano”—image search if needed).

I’ve used a wood garden stake (1”x1”) with success but anything similar size would work. Tamping with “medium” strength (not too hard, not too soft). Avoid hitting the roots.

Another reason this helps is because, as the tree roots will have consistent soil density to move through. If the soil is loose right around the tree and compacted further out (where you didn’t dig), the roots may tend to stay in the looser, softer soil rather than extending into the undisturbed soil beyond the hole.

Last tip (which may be controversial) is to add your soil amendments (compost, etc.) AFTER you backfill the hole with the original soil only. Sprinkle your amendment in a circle that is wider than the hole you dug so it’s sitting on top of the original soil. Rain water (or irrigation) will carry the nutrients down into the soil and the tree roots will grow outward and out of the hole into the original soil. Adding lots of fluffy compost to the hole can compromise soil stability.

As you may realize, these methods are intended to encourage stability. Soil can be amended over time (from the surface), but if the tree falls over, what’s the point? I planted hundreds of trees at orchards and working for arborists using this method. As long as the trees aren’t very large when transplanted, no stakes are necessary.

Howdy,

I’m looking to install a gravel-esque driveway to connect our asphalt driveway to the back acreage of our property and a looking for suggestions on a gravel alternative. As I understand it, regular gravel has a lot of negatives associated with its production, not to mention the price.

This driveway is going to be quite long (300 feet or so), so I’ll need something I can get in large quantities. It will also be relatively permanent, so something I can source often enough for maintaining.

We’re in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Thanks in advance.