Solo Stove Mesa Benefits
The Mesa is lightweight, portable, features a durable design and burns with extreme efficiency. Theres barely any smoke once the fire gets started, and it provides a surprising amount of heat for such a tiny unit. We love that you now have color choices when purchasing, plus the convenience of burning wood or pellets. It cleans without effort and makes a fun addition to any backyard, patio or porch space.
Solo Stove Bonfire Review What We Didnt Like
We really wish there was an easy way to dump the ash after were done, such as a removable ash pan that could slide out. We wanted to dump the ash into a hole before we left, but it was a little difficult to get the ash out of the stove since you have to dump the whole thing.
Another concern we had with the Solo Stove is putting out the fire it burns super fast , so usually its not an issue waiting till its all burned out. But I felt terrible having to dump water into it while it was still super hot. I was nervous it would affect the Solo Stoves stainless steel body, so we did small amounts of water at a time. To their credit, I looked at the stove after and I didnt notice that the crazy temp change left any damage to the stove.
Can You Cook On The Solo Stove
Cooking accessories can be purchased to turn the Solo Stove into a grill, griddle and even a wok. We tested the grill plate on the Solo Stove Ranger, which took a little finessing the first time we used it since we weren’t used to monitoring open flame as we cooked. The Solo Stove Ranger is also the smallest Solo Stove size, which makes it a little trickier to find the right logs for it â pre-cut logs you find in a supermarket are a bit too large. They are, however, a good size for the Bonfire and Yukon. To best use the cooking accessories, allow them to heat fully and make sure the flames are manageable and contained within the unit before beginning to cook.
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Camp Stove Nesting Pots
I have a titanium pot that I love, and that has accompanied my backcountry adventures for decades. But I couldnt resist the stainless steel nesting pots for the Lite and for the Campfire , and they are so nice to have! The Pot 900 holds, you guessed it, 900 mL of water, and weighs 7.8 oz. The Pot 4000 holds 4,000 mL of water and weighs 1 lb 13 oz.
The stove and pot each come with their own carry sack, and that helps keep everything tidy and clean.
Both camp stoves in their stuff sacks and nesting pots:
Best Fire Pits For 2022
Solo Stove Ranger: Squat, cylindrical, compact and made from stainless steel, the Solo Stove Ranger appears simple at first glance. Tucked away inside this pit, though, is the same sophisticated airflow system that its larger sibling, the Solo Stove Yukon, has. The system is designed to enable fire in the pit to burn hotter and consume more of its wood fuel.
We can confirm that the Ranger delivers on these promises. It starts fast, with its logs aflame in just 5 minutes, and it burns for hours. The fires we started in the Ranger also burned with incredible ferocity. The flames inside the pit focused into an impressive rolling vortex. Despite the conflagration, the Ranger emitted very little smoke.
The Ranger does have a few drawbacks. Its compact size means it can’t accept standard 15-inch firewood logs. It’s also not the best for large groups or families. More than two people roasting marshmallows at once quickly becomes a crowd.
The Kingso 22-inch fire pit is small and has poor airflow.
Kingso Outdoor Fire Pit : Though it’s a bestseller on Amazon, we don’t recommend purchasing the Kingso Outdoor Fire Pit. Its small size feels cramped. And since airflow throughout the small fire pit unit is poor, we consistently had difficulty both starting fires and keeping them lit inside this pit. It doesn’t come with a protective cover, either.
A good fire pit will ignite in minutes and stay lit for hours.
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Solo Stove Fire Pit Review
Kathy Koch
This post may contain affiliate links. You can view our affiliate disclosure here.
Dont you love the idea of sitting around a fire pit on a chilly evening, making new memories, or sharing stories with your friends and family?
We bet you do! You can be in your backyard, lawn, patio, or far from home at a campsite enjoying the comfort of a fire the only drawback can be the smoke.
If you are tired of moving your chairs or suffocating yourself with smoke whenever you sit around a fire pit, this article is for you!
Today we will introduce you to the top-reviewed Solo Stove models and provide a full review of the smoke-free fire products, including their top features, advantages, and drawbacks, to help you pick the right one.
Moreover, there will be additional information regarding Solo Stove fire pits to help you gather all the information you are looking for. So make sure to stick to the end!
Years Using The Solo Stove Bonfire Still Worth The $$$
If youre someone who loves a campfire but doesnt want to be bound by a firepit, then youll love this Solo Stove Bonfire deluxe portable fire pit!
I know our family LOVES camping away from the campgrounds to really find those unique spots but a drawback has always been the lack of a fire ring.
While we could make our own, we tend not to as it takes away from the wildness of the spot and its not as safe as the established campfire rings. And with kids, we especially like fire pits that are raised up more than fire rings we just make ourselves with rocks since they tend to be harder for the kids to see when theyre running around camp.
So in my Solo Stove Review, let me show you everything you need to know to figure out if the Solo Stove Bonfire are worth it for your camp set up!
I also wanted to let you know that I received the Solo Stove fire pit in exchange for my honest opinion, and some links you click are affiliate links that I get a small percentage of.
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Solo Stove Bonfire Review
Last year about this time I did a review about Solo Stoves smallest stove the Solo Stove Lite. You can see the review HERE. I later took it out and made cowboy coffee and enjoyed again how much this little stove works so well. View post HERE.
The Solo Stove Lite and Solo Stove Pot 900 are perfect for emergencies like when the power goes out, etc. It also works well to cook your Emergency Food Supply if you have one.
Solo Stove builds several stove related items and one of the most popular is their take on the fire pit.
The Solo Stove Bonfire is a portable fire pit that you can easily take on camping trips or use in your own back yard.
It is nearly smokeless once you get the fire going and has minimal ash once the fire has burned itself out.
The Bonfire is fueled from logs, large sticks or woody debris. Intake holes in the design bring air in through the bottom and push warm air out near the top causing a second burn that helps keep the fire nearly smokeless.
The Bonfire is built of 304 Stainless Steel and weighs around 20 pounds. I added the additional Bonfire stand which keeps the bottom cool and allows you to put it on your deck, etc. and not work about the heat burning the ground or deck.
Check out my short video of the Bonfire in action below.
The second burn takes a while to start. Try to keep the wood below the top to make this happen. Initially, the sidewalls are cool. Once the fire really takes off they get very hot.
Testing Solo Stoves Tabletop Fire Pit
The Solo Stove Mesa tabletop fire pit can be purchased on Solo Stoves website for $120 or for $105. While there are a handful of colors available in a heat-resistant ceramic coating at Solo Stoves website that will begin shipping Nov. 4, Amazon only had stainless steel as of this writing and thats what I tested. A Solo Stove representative told Simplemost that the colorful options will eventually be available on Amazon as well.
The Mesa uses either wood or pellets, so if youre wanting to burn wood, you obviously need the pieces to be very small. You can either order some special mini firewood from Solo Stove when you order your fire pit, or chop some yourself before it arrives. The companys mini firewood pieces measure 1 inch wide by 5 inches long, so use that as a reference for cutting your own out of hardwood.
The Mesa is a tiny clone of Solo Stoves larger fire pits. It looks almost identical and is, I must admit, attractive and perhaps even adorable to behold.
There is no set up the fire pit is basically ready to go right out of the box. Place the Mesa where you want it outside , put a fire starter inside and light it, then either put wood in or the pellet adapter followed by some pellets. The Mesa does not come with starter, so I used brown packaging paper, but struggled for about 10 minutes to get it to light. You may want to add Solo Stoves starters to your cart if you purchase the Mesa.
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You Never Need To Turn A Log
A surprising benefit that I hadnt realized at first was the fact I never had to turn any of the logs once they were placed in the fire.
Embers can continue to burn on all sides because theres air circulating through the bottom of the fire. They are never suffocated under the weight of the log.
This also keeps the fire burning hotter, which helps keep the logs burning on all sides.
See Pricing on SoloStove.com
It Is Smokeless But With A Caveat
You can rest assured knowing this bonfire pit is entirely smokeless.
I have neighbors all within 30 to 40 feet of where I have my bonfire pit. I have zero issues with smoke blowing in their direction or those around the Solo Stove.
There is a minor caveat to the smokeless feature, which Ill further detail below.
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Is A Solo Stove Worth It
A Solo Stove fire pit features a signature 360° airflow technology and has a double-wall design. In addition, smokeless fire pits like the Solo Stove ones are built with smoke-free technology, producing almost zero to minimal smoke while performing.
The high-efficient secondary combustion system allows fire at the bottom of the fire pit and uses double walls to draw extra air. In this way, it burns off smoke at the top. Therefore, it offers you a clean, healthy, and comfortable fire ambience and reduces the chances of irritated eyes and respiratory systems caused by fire pit smoke.
It utilizes structural and mechanical features that channel airflow to provide a more efficient and complete burning process. Poor and incomplete combustion causes smoke as a byproduct, no matter what fuel source you use.
Additionally, high-temp burn and better combustion make these fire pits more efficient, enabling them to release more heat from the same amount of fuel used. Thus, it will allow you to burn less fuel and conserve your resources.
If you are an environment-friendly person and concerned about your comfort and health more than anything, the Solo Stove fire pits can be your best fire companion and are definitely worth your investment.
Can You Cook On The Solo Stove Bonfire
Yes and no they dont currently have any official ways. As of 7/15/21, Solo Stove is taking preorders for their new grill system! I guess they heard the people and answered! Read on if you want to know whats possible without it.
You can cook all the normal stuff on a stick, but for anything that needs a long amount of time to cook you may have to play with it. I plan on bringing a grill top for our next trip to set on it and see if we can cook some sausages or hobo meals. My thought is, if you get the embers low enough then maybe. But the Solo Stove burns so well that it might just burn out before your food is done. I will update this after trying it!
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Solo Stove Review Bonfire Yukon And Ranger
My Solo Stove is kept outside in the spring through fall in Indiana weather. It sees its fair share of rain, snow, sun, etc. although, I do keep a waterproof cover over it when not in use.
In the wintertime, I clean it up and move it into the garage until the weather warms back up.
Below are the measurements for the Solo Stove Yukon, Bonfire, and Solo Ranger, or Large, Medium, Small, respectively.
See Pricing on SoloStove.com
PRO-TIP
The Fire Starts Quickly
Solo Stove’s mid-size Bonfire is its best-selling smokeless portable fire pit.
During our tests, the Solo Stove had a flame going fast. The perforated, double-wall design of the Bonfire allows air to circulate around the fire, much like a fan in a convection oven. This gets air underneath the fire starter and kindling, helping the fire catch quickly without the assistance of bellows.
During our tests, the Bonfire was ready to add large firewood in about 10 minutes, compared to the 15 to 30 minutes it took other wood-fired fire pits we tested.
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All Around Better Fire + The Secondary Burn
The smokeless feature is great, but one of the best benefits is an all-around better performing fire.
You dont need to worry about creating a teepee or log cabin to keep your fire going. After all, those formations are all about airflow, and by allowing air to flow under the fire in a Solo Stove, configuration is irrelevant.
This is a glorious double-burn shown in the Bonfire model. Notice the jet-like flames appearing from the rim. Source:
You can stack the logs however you please, and theyll burn just as well as any other formation.
The secondary burn aids in the quality of the fire too. Your wood burns hotter, and theres significantly less ash to clean up thanks to the thoughtful design of channeling air through the sides.
Can I Cook On My Gas Fire Pit
Cooking on a gas fire pit that isn’t specifically built for cooking is not recommended, the only exception being toasting marshmallows, since they only touch the flame and not the pit itself. However, some fire pits do sell accessories that you can add for safe cooking, and others are designed with cooking in mind.
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Theres No Removable Ash Pan
Editor’s Note: A newer version, the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0, which comes with a removable ash tray, is available now. We are currently testing the 2.0 and will update our fire pit buying guide soon.
Some of the wood-burning fire pits we tested had a removable ash pan or a sliding door that made it simple to remove the ashes. Unfortunately, Solo Stove doesnt have this feature, so you have to turn the unit upside down to clean it out.
If you have an ash vacuum, you can save yourself some trouble cleaning out the fire pit this way.
It is worth noting that, during testing, the Bonfire did produce fewer ashes than other fire pits weve tested. The fire pits design pushes hot air over the wood as it burns, creating minimal ash. The ash that does remain is very fine.
Which Smokeless Fire Pit Is The Best
From a pure smokeless performance standpoint, Solo Stove fire pits are the best. They’re the easiest to start and keep lit. They also produce the least amount of smoke and generate the most intense, eye-catching flames. That said, since Solo Stove pits push much of their heat upward, they’re not ideal for keeping seated groups comfortable on cold winter nights. And they’re not designed for cooking elaborate outdoor meals either.
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How The Solo Stove Works
One of the first things that you’ll notice about the Solo Stove, besides the sleek stainless steel, is the pattern of holes along the bottom and the interior of the burn chamber. While they do give these fire pits an interesting look, they carry a significant function. It’s their signature 360° Airflow Design which features a double-wall structure that promotes excellent airflow.
Air gets pulled in through the bottom vent holes and serves two purposes. Some of the air fuels the fire right at the base while some of the air rises as it’s heated within the double walls. The vent holes around the top allow the rising hot air and preheated oxygen to fuel the flame, giving us a secondary burn that is truly mesmerizing to watch.
The fire ring helps keep the fire centered and even, creating somewhat of a vortex of flame and heat above the pit.