SolHuma Vital Stove
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Tester
Information
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| Name: |
David
Wilkes |
| E-Mail: |
amatbrewer@yahoo.net |
| Age: |
42 |
| Location: |
Yakima
Washington USA |
| Gender: |
M |
| Height: |
5'11"
(1.80 m) |
| Weight: |
197
lb (89.40 kg) |
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Biography:
I started backpacking in
1995 when I moved to Washington State. Since then, I have
backpacked in all seasons and conditions. I have usually only managed
time for 1-3 trips a year averaging 2-5 days, and as many day hikes as
I can. I am currently getting into condition to summit some of the
higher peaks in Washington, Oregon, and California. I prefer trips on
rugged trails with plenty of elevation gain. While I continuously
strive to lighten my load, comfort and safety are most important to me.
My current pack is around 30 lbs (14 kg), not including consumables.
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Product
Information
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Manufacturer:
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SolHuma
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Year
of Manufacture:
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2009 |
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Manufacturer’s
Website:
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www.solhuma.com |
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MSRP:
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CA $79.00 |
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Listed Weight:
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1.5 lbs / 700 g |
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Measured Weight:
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1.7 lbs / 772 g |
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| Image
courtesy of SolHuma |
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Product Description:
The SolHuma stove is a compact wood
burning (CWB) stove designed for use by humanitarian organizations and
outdoor enthusiasts. It is marketed as a “survival stove” for extreme
situations. The stove is designed to burn a wide range of combustible
materials including wood, paper, charcoal, waste material, and even
animal dung, creating up to 20,000 BTU of heat according to the
manufacturer.
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Initial
Report
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April 1 2009 Features (as listed by the manufacturer)
- Removable stainless steel diffuser plate
- Support rods pivot to accommodate pot sizes,
and can support up to 24 kg.
- Fold-down stainless steel thermal shield
- Cover plate protects the ventilation
system.
- Mechanical airflow shutter.
- Aluminum base
- Hooks hold the folded thermal shield for
transport.
- The air intake is split to prevent particles or
smoke from going into the fan.
- Quiet high-performance fan
- Six feet provide stability and heat isolation
from the ground
 The
stove has 4 major parts:
First is the fire box. This is comprised of a collapsible metal heat
shield with pivoting pot support rods, and a removable stainless steel
diffuser plate on the bottom. The sides of the fire box (called the
“thermal shield” by the manufacturer) can be folded for storage and the
pot support rods swing to accommodate different size pots.
Second is the aluminum base of the stove. This portion provides the
structure of the stove and includes the air intake, feet to help limit
heat transfer to the ground, and the housing for the fan along with the
airflow shutter.
Third is the fan. The fan is used to create a forced airflow through
the fire box , via the diffuser plate, to create a furnace like
combustion chamber. The fan is powered by two “AA” batteries that
according to the manufacturer should operate the fan for 35-40
hrs.
Last is the battery holder which includes the fan speed switch
[0 = off, I = low, II= high]
The stove is intended to burn a variety of combustible materials.
Forcing air up through the fire box helps in the combustion making the
materials more effective at producing heat.
 Initial
Observations:
The box the stove arrived in includes the instructions printed on the
box in English and French. There were no instructions separate from
what was on the box.
The stove comes with two notable warnings. First is printed on the box
as well as on the stove. The warning is to never use flammable liquids
to light or re-light the stove. The second is that one of the functions
of the fan is to keep the base of the stove from overheating, and as
such it is important to not shut off the fan until all of the fuel has
burnt out. The instructions suggest to fully open the shutter and set
the fan on high (II) to burn off the remaining fuel after cooking is
completed.
Upon unpacking the stove my fist impression was how heavy this stove is
and how solid it feels. The
weight specifications listed on the box appear to be rounded up quite a
bit. 1.5 lbs = 680 g but the box says 700 g.
As I normally do, I attempted to assemble and operate the stove prior
to reading the instructions in order to see how difficult it is. I
found the assembly and basic operation to be totally obvious and
intuitive. After assembling the stove and inserting batteries I
attempted my first fire. I placed a handful of leafs and twigs from my
yard into the stove as tinder and placed a small scrap of pine on top
of the tinder. I then lit the tinder with a match and turned the fan on
to its low setting. Immediately the fire spread across the tinder and
in around 30sec the wood block was clearly burning. I ended up burning
some scraps of wood as well as a handful of pellets from my pellet
grill and playing with fan speeds and the shutter. I allowed the fire
to burn with the stove fan set to the low speed setting until the
material was mostly burnt away. I was quite surprised at how thoroughly
the material burned. The material burned almost completely; there were
only a few small coals and a small amount of ash. Most of the ash was
blown out of the stove while it was operating. I allowed the stove to
cool before dissembling and putting the stove away. I found it a bit
difficult to get the ‘thermal shield’ back into its storage place, it
is a tight fit and requires a bit of work to get it in and out.
The battery pack holds two AA batteries and is held closed with a small
cross-tip (Philips) screw. I don’t normally carry a tool that would be
very effective for this type and size of screw. I considered leaving
the screw out but the battery cover does not appear as if it would stay
on without the screw. In addition this screw is not held in place and
as a result could be very easy to lose while changing the battery in
the field. It might be more back country friendly if the screw had a
slotted head so that it can be easily removed with a knife or similar
tool, or better yet if the battery compartment would remain in place
without any screw.
The air flow shutter seems to be a bit flimsy and there seems to be no
way to fix it into the closed position. I fear it might be a potential
failure point if this shutter opens while in my pack and is damaged.
The stove does not come with any sort of carrying or storage container
except for the box it came in. Some sort of storage container or bag
might be a good idea.
Normally when testing a stove, I would perform some tests where I boil
a given volume of water under controlled conditions to see how long it
takes and how much fuel is consumed. With this type of stove I think
there are simply too many variables such as type, size, and moisture
content of fuel, along with the two speed settings and the air flow
shutter position, not to mention wind, temperature, and altitude. I did
build a fire in the stove and boiled 0.5 L (16 oz) to get an idea how
long it would take and how much fuel. I found it took no longer than I
expect from my white gas stove, and only half consumed the three small
scraps of pine board (see image below) that I was using for fuel. My
initial impression is that I could heat enough water for a meal 1-2
people in the same amount of time I currently experience with my other
stoves. In addition, depending on what is available for fuel, it is
likely that I could cook the meal using just the fuel that I placed in
the stove to start. During the course of the field & long term
testing, I anticipate using different types of fuel to see how they
affect the performance of the stove.
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Field Report
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June 2 2009
Field Test Usage:
- 2 overnight backpacking trips
- Central Washington – in a wooded canyon at
about 2000’ (600 m)
- Eastern Cascades (California) in a pine
forested valley at about 10000’ (3000 m)
- 1 night of car camping at a campground
- Eastern Cascades (California) Hosted
campground at about 7000’ (2000 m)
Additional usage:
Twice
I used the stove while working nights on ridge tops in central
Washington and once while on a 15hr drive from Washington to the
Eastern Cascades (California).
Comments:
I have been quite surprised at how much I have enjoyed
using the stove. Primarily how easy it is to get a fire started, and
how easy it is to obtain fuel. So far, in every place I have used the
stove, besides my back yard, I have been able to locate plenty of fuel
in the area around where I placed the stove. In fact during my last use
while in the Eastern Sierras’ I realized that within about 20’ (6 m) of
where I placed the stove, I could locate enough fuel to cook two meals
a day for myself for probably 2-3 days. Keep in mind that the stove
placement had nothing to do with fuel availability; I just picked a
good sheltered spot to place my camp, and a relatively flat spot to
place the stove.
Lighting
the stove is amazingly easy. During my
initial tests, I carefully placed some wood along with kindling in the
stove as I would if I were lighting a campfire. After doing this a few
times I realized that this was unnecessary and for all of my field
tests (one exception noted below) I simply tossed a handful of burnable
litter that I found nearby (small twigs, leafs, pine needles, grass,
etc) along with a few small pieces of wood (branches). Then with the
stove fan set to low and the air flow shutter fully open, in most cases
I was able to start the fire with a single household stick match. On
one trip I tried using my flint fire starter with immediate success.
The
only time I have had difficulty in lighting the stove was when I
attempted to use dried cow dung as the fuel. In this case I tried to
use a handful of dry grass as tinder but this was not sufficient to get
the dung burning in a sustainable way. I then resorted to using a scrap
of paper as the kindling and this was effective. To my surprise, the
cow dung was not a very good fuel, in order to keep a fire burning of
sufficient heat to cook (heat water in this case) I had to keep the
dampener fully open and the fan on the high setting. When I set the fan
to the low setting the fire quickly diminished to the point that I
could easily hold my hand over the stove for an extended time. On a
side note on one of my trips I added deer dung to the stove, and found
these functioned very much like mini charcoal briquettes. Along with
some wood, the deer pellets worked quite well at maintaining a steady
flame. I detected no unusual or unpleasant smells when burning the dung
(I have to admit I did not go out of my way to suck in a big lung full
of the stuff), the smell was surprisingly neutral, not pleasant like
oak or cedar, but not unpleasant either.
One concern I had after receiving the stove was how
difficult it would be to locate wood small enough to fit in the stove
while large enough to burn effectively. I was worried that I would be
constantly adding small twigs in order to keep the stove burning. I
have found that at least in the locations I have been to, that there
seems to be plenty of the right size fuel around; primarily the small
branches too small for most people to use for their campfire. I was
also concerned that the pieces of wood that would thick enough to
provide a good fire might be difficult to break down small enough to
fit into the stove without cutting. This has proven not to be a
problem. So far I have been able to break the branches into the right
size by hand or by placing them against something hard (a rock) and
simply breaking them by stepping on them.
Aside from the design
issues I mentioned in the Initial report (battery compartment, switch,
air flow shutter) I have found a few significant issues with the stove.
The biggest one is the weight. While I have enjoyed using the stove,
for me it is simply too heavy to use for backpacking. It has however
got me thinking about how I could do something similar with a fan (and
coffee can?), and looking seriously into other wood burning stoves that
are available. The second issue is something inherent to wood burning
stoves and that is the soot & smoke. The stove and cookware get
covered with soot, and while cooking with the stove most of my clothing
and gear end up smelling of smoke. Another concern I have had while
using the stove is the volume of embers that can be expelled. A few
times while starting or soon after adding fuel, I experienced quite a
few burning embers exiting the stove; some of these were still burning
when they landed on the ground. This is a major issue in areas where
fires are a problem and a big concern for me since I normally wear
synthetic materials that melt and/or burn easily. 
On one trip I
decided to see if the stove could be used as a heat source similar to a
camp fire. I got a good fire going, and tried to warm myself from it.
This did not work. The firebox contains most of the heat forcing it
straight up (good for cooking but not good for warmth) and I found that
standing over the stove, I had to get uncomfortably close to the flames
before I could feel significant warmth, and then the smoke made it hard
to breath. I would not consider using this stove too close to my
shelter (tent/tarp) and especially not under a vestibule due to the
above-mentioned issue with embers that exit the stove.
Cooking
on the stove has been simple. I have mostly boiled water, but I also
simmered some quinoa [see note below] and melted snow. Once I get a
fire going, I place
my pot on the stove and wait. I occasionally have to add fuel and/or
adjust the air flow shutter in order to maintain a relatively
consistent heat. After I finish cooking I leave the fan running as per
the instructions until most of the fuel has been burnt off. Most of the
uses I have allowed the fuel to fully burn off before dumping out the
ashes. The one time I had to dispose of un-burnt fuel, I simply dumped
it on to some sandy ground and doused it liberally with water before
covering it with sand. Many of the areas I hike have a thick blanket of
pine needles covering the ground so disposing of the un-burnt fuel
would be more of a problem (hence me allowing it to fully burn off).
So
far, not being able to fix the air flow shutter in the closed position
for transport has not been a problem. Since my first hike with the
stove I have been keeping it in an old stuff sack in order to minimize
the amount of soot that gets on my other gear.
During my last
two uses, I noticed that the pot support rods have become more
difficult to move. They require quite a bit for force to get them to
turn. Since I am only using a single cook pot with this stove (I am not
about to get my good Ti pot covered in soot) this has not really been a
problem.
Field usage summary:
The stoves reliability and my
ability to find suitable fuel exceeded my expatiations. The only real
problems I have had with the stove have been the weight, embers, and
soot. I am still concerned about the durability of the switch, but so
far this has not been a problem, although I did find it difficult to
operate with gloves on. I was also a bit concerned about the
possibility of leaving the fan on or the switch getting turned on while
in my pack, but since I unplug the battery pack from the stove when not
in use this has not been an issue. Due to its weight, I do not expect
to take the stove with me on any additional backpacking trips. However,
I do intend to keep the stove in my work vehicle for when I work nights
and want to make tea/coffee or cook a meal, and I plan to take it with
me on our family car camping trips this summer.
One final question I
have not had the chance to answer is if this stove is OK to use
when/where open fires are not allowed. After using the stove and seeing
the embers that can be ejected from the stove, I personally would not
use it any time/place that starting a wildfire is a significant risk,
but I am curious what the local forest rangers have to say.
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Notice the
material near the stove in the
image above; a hand full of this, a few sticks and a single match was
all I needed to get the stove lit.
Note:
From Wikipedia: Quinoa
(pronounced /ˈkiːnoʊ.ə/ or /kwɨˈnoʊ.ə/, Spanish quinua, from Quechua
kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop
grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than
a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a grass. As a chenopod, quinoa is
closely related to species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds.
I
use quinoa just as I would cuscus, while it tastes nothing like cuscus,
it is cooked in a similar manner and seems to work well in the same
dishes. I have heard it is considered a “complete protein” and very
healthy, but I just like the taste and texture. In addition, I find it
a little less dry than cuscus. |
Long Term Report
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July 28 2009During
the long term testing I used the stove a few times in my back yard, I
carried it in my vehicle and brought it along on a 3 day family camping
trip.
I finally got around to trying out cooking a dinner using only
dung as fuel. I used dried cow dung that I collected previously. As a
test I used only a handful of leafs and twigs as tinder under some
dung, and was able to start the stove with a single match (in fact I
repeated this twice). As I experienced before, the dung is a bit more
difficult to get lit and keep burning than twigs and sticks, I had to
keep the fan at high speed for almost the entire time in order to keep
it burning (it did get a bit hot near the end and I had to turn the fan
down for a while to prevent burning one of the patties). However it did
produce an even heat and enough heat to cook a few turkey burgers
(although my wife and kids were not interested in tasting them…go
figure). They tasted fine and I could detect no unusual smells from the
burgers or while the stove was burning.
I
brought the stove along on a 3 day family camping trip, but since all
of our meals were eaten as a group (6 people) I did not use it for
cooking, and since temperatures were quite warm I did not make tea or
coffee (my intended use on this trip).One
thing I have yet to confirm is if this stove is allowed to be used
during burn bans, however after using it, I would never use it when one
was in affect (especially when even charcoal grills are not allowed)
due to the number of burning embers I have seen expelled from the stove.Summary:I
am quite impressed with how easy it is to get a good cooking fire
started with this stove and the availability of fuel. Durability of the
product, especially in regards to the power pack continues to be a
concern for me, but so far I have not experienced any problems. The
stove is easy to use. The
draw backs for me are primarily its weight and bulk. The weight and
bulk of the stove do not offset the ability to not carry fuel while
backpacking; however for car camping and emergency use the stove seems
very effective. While initially I was concerned about the life of the
batteries but since I have not had to change them throughout this
entire test I would say that this is no more of a concern than I
experience with pressurized canister gas stoves. Rather than risk
running out of fuel on a trip, when in doubt I bring a fresh canister,
and with this stove I would simply replace or carry a spare set of
batteries (I normally carry a spare set of AA batteries anyway). The
fragile construction of the battery pack has not been a problem for me,
but having experience with the kind of switch it uses and the fact that
the stove is almost useless without power, this is something I would
not want to have to rely upon for a long trip.In
conclusion while I do not plan to use this stove for backpacking, I do
plan to carry it in my work vehicle as part of my emergency kit and for
cooking (mostly heating water) when I have to work nights and am on the
road for extended periods. I also intend to bring it along for car
camping trips, for cooking small meals and heating water for things
like tea and hot cereal. I would recommend this stove as part of an
emergency preparedness kit.
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This concludes my report on the SolHuma Vitial stove.
I would like to thank the folks at SolHuma and BackpackGearTest.org
for the opportunity to test this product.
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