Occasionally I do product reviews of items I think you would enjoying learning about. I recently received a Solo Stove to check and and review and I am going to talk about that here.
Now I will be the first to admit that cooking on this stove is NOT AS convenient as using compact stoves that burn liquid or gas fuel. I own a MSR Whisperlight stove that burns white gas and it has been a great unit. It’s lightweight and boils water really fast. However, when you factor in the weight of the liquid fuel as well as the chance for stinky spills and flare ups the benefits are somewhat overridden.
MSR and other compact stoves do perform quite nicely however the Solo Stove is virtually bullet proof. The little stove only weighs 9 0z but somehow it feels much lighter then that. It is VERY, VERY well made and looks to have only a few spot welds and is made using one piece. It’s somehow pressed into one piece and it’s hardened 304 stainless stands proud as if to say “look how well I’m built”. It comes in two pieces, the part that holds the wood, and the pot base. the base is very sturdy and can hold a rather large camping pot.
I will freely admit I am a sucker for things that are made really well made. I love high-quality items and have reached a point in life where I’d rather go without then have a low quality, disposable item.
The Solo Stove is something you will be proud to own as it’s a testament to good design and thoughtful construction.
The prepper or wannabe survivalist will LOVE THE SOLO STOVE. It can cook your meals quickly using bio flues such as twigs, leaves, small sticks, pine cones etc. Anything flammable will burn in the Solo Stove. It does take some babysitting but I find anything that has to do with fire making or fire tending to be quite fun.
The stove will smoke a bit for the first few minutes but overall if your fuel sources are dry the stove will not produce much if any smoke. If you’re wanting to be inconspicuous in the woods, the Solo Stove is for you. It’s rocket stove action gives a very complete burn, this includes the smoke which is burned too.
I had some good, dry tinder and lots of little branches and I made a pile then lit the stove. I was at a rolling boil in about 18 minutes, which is MUCH slower then what the maker suggests as usual, but I was busy doing other things and let it burn out twice.
So, if you buy the stove please realize boil times will vary greatly depending on the wood you have, attention to the stove, quantity of water etc.
At the end of the day I say the Solo Stove deserves to be part of your preps or camping gear. It’s so versatile and pretty to look at that you will find the investment of roughly $69 well worth it, at least I do.
18 minutes? Tend the fire and cut that time well in half!