Solo Stove

[CavCop]

Anyone have a Solo Stove? Which one? How do you like it?

They are a Texas based company that make stainless steel gasser stoves (and fire pits) which can burn bio fuel/wood and even pellets.

Got a Solo Stove Lite and did a video unboxing. It’s the smallest one they make. It seems to work well as way boil water or cook a small meal. The stainless stays hot. A rather neat design that works well as a small stove and is portable, that uses readily available wood/twigs.

 

[no2gates]

I've got one I bought close to a year ago. Haven't unboxed it yet. Just have it in case SHTF situation arises.

 

[JayeMechanico]

I'm currently deciding between the Mesa and the Campfire!

 

[CavCop]

I've got one I bought close to a year ago. Haven't unboxed it yet. Just have it in case SHTF situation arises.

I am impressed with my Lite. There was no real smoke, just flames. It burned efficiently, but you do have to keep feeding it to keep the flame high and hot. The quality of the stove is good.

 

[jimbo]

I am impressed with my Lite. There was no real smoke, just flames. It burned efficiently, but you do have to keep feeding it to keep the flame high and hot. The quality of the stove is good.

Thanks for the info. I am thinking about getting one and wondered if they actually work like shown on advertisements.

 

[CavCop]

Thanks for the info. I am thinking about getting one and wondered if they actually work like shown on advertisements.

I was skeptical. But after using it and messing with it, it works great. The Lite does need to be fed small pieces of wood to keep the flames up, and it takes a bit to cool down. But it works great with no smoke.

I am hoping someone on here might have the bigger ones and know how they work. They seem like they might give off good heat and burn larger wood longer. I have spent $200 plus on portable fire pits for my back yard that rust. I have seen the $500 Solo ones selling for $250 or less and in a few years might look to upgrade to a Solo.

 

[CharlieWH2O]

I have a bonfire with a stand and it works as advertised. Lots of heat and no smoke. Thinking of getting their campfire. Very efficient and worth the bucks.

 

[OutlawStar]

I've seen these things advertised during OPLive and they seem neat but I simply don't have a good supply of small pieces of wood, but I do have wood pellets with my smoker. I do like my MSR Pocket Rocket but that requires buying cans of fuel which I don't like; but dont' camp often enough to justify buying another cooking stove.

Would it be possible to get you to try it out with pellet smoker pellets and compare it with the cheap rocket stoves? Rocket stoves are probably not a backpack item, but if you have a couple trees in your yard, twigs in it should suffice to boil water if the power goes out, right?

 

[CavCop]

I have a bonfire with a stand and it works as advertised. Lots of heat and no smoke. Thinking of getting their campfire. Very efficient and worth the bucks.

Glad to hear that. Does a few logs of split wood last a while? Like half and hour to an hour or more with flame/heat?

 

[CavCop]

I've seen these things advertised during OPLive and they seem neat but I simply don't have a good supply of small pieces of wood, but I do have wood pellets with my smoker. I do like my MSR Pocket Rocket but that requires buying cans of fuel which I don't like; but dont' camp often enough to justify buying another cooking stove.

Would it be possible to get you to try it out with pellet smoker pellets and compare it with the cheap rocket stoves? Rocket stoves are probably not a backpack item, but if you have a couple trees in your yard, twigs in it should suffice to boil water if the power goes out, right?

I know their other stoves mention using pellets with an adapter. I might give it a try and see how it works. I assume a tin foil bowl might work for an insert. Not sure how the pellets would burn. Something I might mess with as I am curious now.

Gives me an excuse to maybe play with doing upright short video clips…

I used some tree bark, fat wood sticks, along with twigs. I did have to feed a few twinges/sticks to keep the flames up. Not sure how it would cook with pellets or a chunk of wood burning, i would think smaller flames and more a hot coal slow burn, but the vents might bring up some flames.

 

[CharlieWH2O]

Glad to hear that. Does a few logs of split wood last a while? Like half and hour to an hour or more with flame/heat?

Subjective. I fill it up with split oak, light it and it runs a good while (who times a fire?) It puts out a LOT of heat so no rush to add fuel. After a the first light you can add a whole log or two and it will burn and burn and burn...

 

[CavCop]

Subjective. I fill it up with split oak, light it and it runs a good while (who times a fire?) It puts out a LOT of heat so no rush to add fuel. After a the first light you can add a whole log or two and it will burn and burn and burn...

Thanks, I was hoping it did not burn as fast as the Lite stove.

 

[deemus]

I have one similar to that. But I bought a JetBoil. That thing is head and shoulders above the other two I have.

JetBoil fir the win! And it has an insulated built in cup / pot.

 

[CharlieWH2O]

I have one similar to that. But I bought a JetBoil. That thing is head and shoulders above the other two I have.

JetBoil fir the win! And it has an insulated built in cup / pot.

Amazon product ASIN B019GPHR64
Kinda lazy. What powers it.

 

[deemus]

That’s a huge one. Mine fits in a backpack. $100.

https://jetboil.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/stoves-systems/flash-cooking-system

Fuel:

https://jetboil.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/parts-accessories/fuel-related

 

[OutlawStar]

Just a follow up; did you happen to grab a bag of wood pellets and test it out?

 

[CavCop]

Just a follow up; did you happen to grab a bag of wood pellets and test it out?

No, a guy at work said he tried it and it did not get that hot, and then it created a bit of smoke. He joked about using his to smoke on his gas grill. I might mess with it one day, but from what he said it did not burn hot.

I know Solo has kits for pellets, and most pellets seem to stay around 400-450 max in pellet stoves.

 

[larcat]

We've had on for a good while, the medium size one. Very well made, survived midwestern winters outside. Sold our other one for 70% od what we paid as well.

One nice trick to get them going if you don't have kindling around is to light 15 or so coals in your grill chimney. Toss those in the solo and then you can just put full size wood in and it will light.

 

[CavCop]

Just a follow up; did you happen to grab a bag of wood pellets and test it out?

Got the pellet adapter and some pellets to burn, but it needs a good accelerant to get the pellets to lite, not just burn, or they smoke.

Here is the video. About half a cup of pellets with an accelerant worked good to bring water to a boil.