Solo Stove Review
I personally had never used a wood burning backpacking stove before, only gas, and I was very pleasantly surprised by the Solo Stove. Upon pulling the stove out of the bag I found it covered in soot from previous uses (Guy and Razor don’t know how to clean their gear), but I was happy to find that all of the dirt and grit had been confined to the bag and didn’t get on any other gear. I decided to use it without looking at any instructions and found it to be very user friendly and self-explanatory. I walked around the yard and gathered up a few handfuls of sticks and I found this to be more than enough to boil a cup of water.
I prepped a few small fuzz sticks and started the stove with these and a cotton ball. After the stove was started, I put the pot on top with 12oz of water and continued to fuel the fire with small twigs. I wasn’t exactly sure how much wood to put in the stove, but quickly got the hang of it. While the simple act of feeding the fire was quite relaxing, it was something more… primal. Considerably better than using a gas stove. It took me around ten minutes to boil the water, but I know it would take less time if you were properly feeding the fire. By the time I had finished boiling my water I had decided that this was a piece of gear I really wanted to own.
Like anything, there are always pros and cons.
Pro:
Super lightweight.
Very well designed, the stove and pot nest together while in their bags.
Very efficient with fuel.
Fuel can be found just about anywhere.
Don’t have to carry any fuel with you.
The stove and pot are easy to clean with an SOS pad after use.
Con:
Wet wood could make using the stove more difficult.
The pot instantly was covered in soot after a minute of use.
Wood stoves take longer than gas to boil water.
Overall, I would highly recommend the Solo Stove for backpacking adventures or a bug out bag. They are very versatile, easy to use, and are tough as nails. Watcher
Other ZASC Staff Member Reviews
Razor’s thoughts:
For the price the quality is top notch, I think I could stand on it and not crush it even though it weighs in at just a little over 9 ounces. The stove nests well inside the pot and you could easily store tinder (like the UST Quick Tinder) inside the stove as well. Because of the stainless steel construction, the stove cools off relatively fast, allowing you to repack it and keep moving when necessary. Boil time isn't bad, at about 12 to 15 minutes depending on wind, stick size, amount of water, etc. It can be a bother to feed the Solo Stove the entire time, unlike a campfire or can-fuel stove where you can simply light it and move on to other camp chores, but this is offset by the fact that you do not have to carry fuel or gather large amounts of firewood. While the windscreen is effective the stoves efficiency seems to improve when further protected from the wind. I would certainly recommend Solo Stove to anyone looking for a natural fuel burning stove.
Guy Cain’s opinion:
I’m completely impressed! Clearly the Solo Stove was properly engineered and well thought out. The amount of fuel required to boil water was about half as much as expected (presumably due to the gasifier design). It’s small, lightweight, durable, and easy to use. Absolutely one of the finest pieces of gear I’ve ever tested.
To see all the available models and purchase your own, go to www.solostove.com
