Solo Stove Lite, Portable Camping Survival Stove, Gassification Wood Burning Rocket Stove

Burns hot, burns fast. Can't wait to take it camping.

First thing I did after opening the box, see if it works. I gathered small bits of wood and crumpled up newspaper. I filled a stainless steel cup with water and...I was was making coffee. The stove is light weight an fits inside my cooking kit. One winter I made stoves out of steel and aluminum cans. I never came close to this quality and design. I may take a can of Sterno and place it inside and use the stove as a base. I think of many ways I can use the stove and it will always be there when I need it. I'll gather dry sticks along the route then when I stop for a cup of tea, I'll have my fuel dry and ready. Maykbe I'll take a lump of charcoal and place it inside....maybe I'll...as you can see, I'm always thinking..

I recently bought this product for my solo thru hike of the Colorado Trail this coming spring of 2013 and I must say that I am quite impressed with the quality and performance of this stove thus far. In the past I have tested many different types of biomass stoves from homemade to titanium with limited success. The problems I encountered while trying to find a proper biomass stove were either price, efficiency, weight or a blend of all three. This stove takes into account these three factors and surpassed my expectations. The cost is approximately 42% less than the competitive model. While it is not the lightest stove on the market it is light enough for all but the Jardine following ultralight crowd. The best quality I like about this stove is its ability to use all of the given free biomass fuel and leave mostly grey ashes after combustion. Did I mention that the fuel is free?

My son and I were waiting with anticipation everyday for the delivery truck to bring our Solo Stove. It was a homeschooling assignment for September Preparedness month. He presented us with many products and how they operated. He felt hands down it was the best. Well, yesterday we were able to test it out. The whole family declared it a winner. Who would have thought that boiling water with twigs and cotton balls could be so much fun and empowering at the same time. Rest assured if the lights go out we know will have a home cooked meal compliments of Solo Stove.

Bravo Jeff for producing this beautiful stove at a reasonable price. The idea of cooking with a small wood stove has intrigued me for awhile. Like many here, I have designed and constructed some nice ones at home and even got a small write-up on the Penny Wood Gas Backpacking Stove web site for my Foster's Premium Stove. I have had some real classic stoves for backpacking over the years: Optimus 111 Hiker, MSR WhisperLite and the Pocket Rocket (I passed on the JetBoil). The Solo Stove will probably be the last stove I buy. I have now evolved to bike camping which combines my love for backpacking with my passion for cycling and having this small basic stove fits my needs perfectly. I think I'll be ordering the Esbit Alcohol Stove to pair with the Solo and leave the Pocket Rocket at home. The quality of the Solo Stove is impressive. I know the design is a close copy of the B.....Buddy, but I believe the one piece body construction with heavier steel is superior for my needs. The price point also puts it in the range of us 99%'ers!

Recently used this stove for 4 days straight while hiking on the AT. I carried a few match light charcoal briquets for back up in case of damp conditions. I used them on a couple of mornings for quick coffee and they work great. One briquet will boil a pot of water. Highly Recommended!

I first saw this stove when I was camping with a friend. I was so impressed at its simplicity and sturdiness that I bought four of them including accessories, one for me and the others as gifts for friends. They were blown away when they opened their gifts and were even happier when they found out how well they worked.

Ok, its a great system to cook on, uses natural fuel, built solid etc etc but I haven't seen any else comment on it so I will, it is also a great, safe way to teach kids (or anyone for that matter) about fire. Fuel management, air management, heat etc within a small space. Easy to extinguish, small enough that it can't get out of hand. I started with my son when he was almost 4 on a camp trip to get him involved and now after a couple seasons of trips I don't worry about him near the fire. He respects it and it has been demystified because I let him investigate and interact with it. I still supervise mind you, but I don't have to worry too much.

I recently bought the Solo stove and took it to the Vendana Wilderness, CA, Yosemite Natl. Park and the Indian Peaks Wilderness, CO for a series of backpacking and back country fishing trips. The following is my take on the Solo stove in particular and twig stoves in general: Solo stove: Good construction, Nice look, compact. The stove fits neatly inside my MSR titanium cookpot. The base construction is rock-solid, though the top pot-holder has warped slightly from heat and now tends to wiggle just a hair, like a table with a slightly shorter leg. This is usually fine, though occasionally a full pot of water will tremble, making me nervous. I would hesitate to put any pot of 2L or more capacity on this stove, though my 1L pot was fine and my 1.5L never tipped, despite occasional trembles. I will say that the slot for feeding twigs seemed a little bit small for my taste, though I could always get wood in without burning my fingers, as long as I broke it short enough. Also, the stove works well in wind and boils water relatively quickly. Please note that the body of the stove becomes very hot during cooking, through the base does not scorch cooking surfaces. On a personal note, I have received many compliments on this thing. All my buddies immediately covet it as soon as I show it to them in action. Now, for those who have never used or considered a twig-burner before, here's my take (with important info:) Pros: 1. No carrying fuel (The obvious one) 2. Can be carried-on to flights: I have flown with the Solo stove in my carry-on luggage a number of times, and TSA has never asked me anything. This means that I can carry my entire cook kit on the plane with me for a distant hike (or foreign field placement), and never have to worry about fining/buying fuel at my destination. This has been a serious issue in the past, when flying to distant work sites. I once spent 6 hours in Ilam, Nepal searching for cooking fuel during a gasoline strike. By the time I found some kerosene, I had to spend another night in the city. 3. Unlimited fuel = more cooking. As a lightweight backpacker, I often find myself rationing fuel so that I can carry as small a bottle as possible. With an unlimited fuel source, I can have coffee and tea 4 times a day if I want, and can cook multiple hot meals with multiple courses without worrying about running out of fuel on day 5. This ends up affecting my food packing choices, and I do more bread baking and other gourmet preps. 4. It's quiet: No more jet-engine blasting while you cook. Makes it easy to cook while having a conversation. Also doesn't ruin the mellow mood of a sunset or scare the songbirds away. 5. The "campfire" effect: While I am a strong believer in LNT, I miss the old campfire times of my childhood. Cooking on a twig stove simulates the campfire feeling to a certain degree, while maintaining an LNT ethic. In fact, sometimes I finish cooking and keep the solo going for a while, just to "have a fire." This is remarkably calming and fun, especially if you brought some bourbon to pass around. This is especially true if you arrived in camp late and have to eat in the dark. Presto! Instant campfire. Note: Since this stove can usually be used even in parks with fire restrictions, it may be the only way to enjoy a "campfire" during fire restrictions in the back country. Cons 1. Feed & Cook: As with any twig fire, you have to feed it pretty much constantly to keep the thing burning well. This means that cooking becomes a sort of multitasking process, whereby you find yourself feeding twigs and spicing sauces all at the same time. After a little while, I got used to this, but it definitely requires more of your attention while cooking than gas stoves. Similarly, you can't really set a pot on to boil and then get up to pack your tent or hang your bear-bag, since the solo stove requires you to stay close and feed it continuously. 2. Wet wood: To its credit, The solo stove can ignite wet wood without any problem. With a couple of cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly, I was able to get twigs lit even during a rain storm. That said, the quality of the burn is severely diminished, and wet wood will require approximately twice as long to cook the same quantity, while producing 4x as much smoke. Also, wet conditions require more patience, as you may have to lift your pot off and blow into the coals to get them to flare up every once in a while. 3. Sooty cookware: Prepare to get your nice, titanium pots all sooty. This is just a fact of cooking with wood. Some people just keep their pots sooty, but this annoys me since then I have to work harder to get them clean at home, and it gets all over my hands. I deal with the soot issue in two ways: (1) Smear biodegradable camp soap all over the outside of your cook pot before using. This makes the soot removal much easier. (2) Try to pick out hardwood twigs, avoiding freshly fallen pine and other species with a lot of pitch. Then, I cook with the Solo stove at night, and use it again in the morning before washing. In the morning, I give it a once-over with a piece of steel wool and then pack it in its own lightweight stuffsack. When I get home, excess stubborn soot can be removed by boiling the pot bottom inside of another pot filled with water and baking soda. One important point to mention about soot, is that the sootiness of cooking makes you very reluctant to use more than one pot at a time to cook with (less cleanup and no "nesting" a sooty pot bottom inside of a clean pot). 4. Simmering is tough. If you cook fancy meals, it is much tougher to get a low-heat simmer on this guy compared to gas stoves. The hint is to lift your pot off the base repeatedly to let the pot cool a bit. 5. Odors: If you cannot stand the smell of campfire on your clothes, this product is not for you. Since you are burning wood, your clothes will smell like a campfire. 6. Altitude restrictions: This one is very site-specific. Most of the rangers that I spoke to claimed that, in a personal interaction, they would not give backpackers a hard time for using twig stoves at altitude. That said, the official policy of some areas is that twig stoves are not to be used above treeline. In Yosemite, that restriction was (I think) at 9,800' . If you choose to cook above this altitude, the best option is to bring just enough Esbit tablets for your days above treeline. The Esbits work well in the Solo stove and can also be carried-on. I must say that the vast majority of wilderness areas (including high-altitude sites in the Rockies, etc.) do not have specific twig-burner restrictions. Note: While checking restrictions, these types of stoves may also be called "Sierra stoves". Overall: This is a very well-made stove with huge advantages, especially for lightweight multi-day backpackers. Also, you benefit from the "psychological effect" of a small, quiet campfire. Just be prepared to deal with the extra hassle of continuous feeding, smoky wet wood and sooty pots. I love this stove and plan to keep my old multi-fuel stove for car-camping use only from now on. Go Solo!

I have used this stove on three trips now; I have to say I am inpressed with it. I bought the stove as a "I'll try it, and see how it works". Now it is my main carry stove, it really does work quite well on just a hand full of sticks. I have also used it with the alcohol burner, and that works great as well. I like carrying the alcohol burner as a lite back up to the wood option. The whole system works quite well as a EDC. I am glad i took the chance on this product.