SOLO STOVE
TEST SERIES BY BRIAN HARTMAN
LONG-TERM REPORT October 14, 2012
CLICK
HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT CLICK
HERE TO SKIP TO THE LONG-TERM REPORT
TESTER INFORMATION
NAME:
|
Brian Hartman
|
EMAIL:
|
bhart1426ATyahooDOT com |
AGE:
|
44
|
LOCATION:
|
Westfield,
Indiana |
GENDER:
|
M
|
HEIGHT:
|
5' 9" (1.75
m) |
WEIGHT:
|
145 lb (65.80
kg) |
I have been backpacking for over
20 years throughout Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and most recently in Western USA.
In addition to backpacking I enjoy family camping with my wife and kids and
being outdoors in general. I would describe myself as a mid weight backpacker.
I use fairly light weight equipment and gear but still like to bring more than
the bare essentials with me while on the trail.
INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION &
SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Solo Stove Year of Manufacture: 2012 Manufacturer's
Website: http://www.solostove.com/ MSRP: US
$89.99 (Currently on sale for $59.99) Listed Weight: 9 oz (280
g) Measured Weight: 9 oz (280 g)
Size (nested): 4.25 inch (10.8 cm)
diameter, 3.8 inches (9.7 cm) tall Size (assembled): 4.25 inch (10.8 cm)
diameter, 5.7 inches (14.5 cm) tall Material: Hardened 304 stainless steel;
nichrome wire Time to Boil (per manufacturer): 8-10 minutes to boil 34 fl oz
(1 liter) water
A couple things of note are that the Solo Stove ships
free of charge in the USA via USPS Priority mail and Solo Stove offers a 30 day
money back guarantee and one year warranty from date of purchase.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The Solo Stove arrived at my doorstep in a small lightweight cardboard box with
Solo Stove's logo and usage instructions printed on the side of the box. Upon
opening the box and removing it from its storage pouch, I found the Solo Stove
in all of its glory. As one who appreciates well engineered products, I must
say that pictures do not do this stove justice. From my initial inspection, it
was obvious that a lot of effort went into the design and manufacturer of this
stove, from its one-piece stainless steel outer shell with no welds or seams to
its meticulously crafted inner firebox, wire grate and formed ash pan. Of
course the stove is made completely of 304 stainless which doesn't hurt its
looks either. Upon close inspection I could find no sharp edges on any of the
formed pieces or vent holes and just the slightest hint of welds inside the
firebox and on the cooking ring. As a matter of fact I couldn't find any
smudges or even a fingerprint on the stove. The stove exudes quality and I
think that's testament to the top notch manufacturing that backs up its
impressive design.
The stove features intake holes on the bottom of the
outer shell. These holes draw air through the inner wall of the stove to just
below the combustion chamber and wire grate where it feeds the primary
combustion of twigs and sticks. In addition, the double walled construction
allows heated air to travel further up the inner wall to the firebox vents where
it mixes with smoke and burned particles in a secondary combustion process.
According to the manufacturer, this results in a cleaner, more efficient fire
with very little smoke. The inner cooking ring sits on top of the stove and
supports a cooking vessel with three small pot supports. The ring has vented
holes around its circumference to allow additional airflow and also has an inner
lip that directs flames upward for minimal heat loss.
TRYING IT OUT
The Solo Stove was amazingly simple to set up. I simply removed the cooking
ring from its storage spot inside the stove and inverted it so it rested on top
of the stove with its three pot supports pointing up. As it had rained all
night and there were no dry sticks in my backyard, I used a cotton ball with
some Vaseline on it as a fire starter and a large handful of popsicle sticks as
kindling for my first fire. After lighting the cotton ball, I placed 5 or 6
popsicle sticks in the firebox to get things started. During the next minute or
two I added a dozen or more sticks to the fire until I had a considerable blaze
with flames approaching 6 inches (15 cm) in height above the pot supports. I
set my GSI mug full of water on top of the stove and started my stopwatch. At
this point the fire was consuming my sticks almost immediately and during the
next three to four minutes I found myself feeding the rest of my kindling into
the stove. I quickly went back into the house to get more kindling but when I
returned a minute or so later I was surprised to find that the fire had gone
out. I stoked it with more kindling and waited. Nothing happened for a few
seconds and then slowly flames began to emerge from the firebox until after a
minute or so the fire returned to its previous size. During this entire time I
found that I could easily add more kindling to the stove without removing the
pot - I just slipped popsicle sticks through the vent holes and the opening in
the cooking ring. In total, I was able to bring 16 oz (497 g) of water to a
rolling boil in 9 minutes and 20 seconds. The popsicle sticks burned completely
and all that was left in the bottom of the stove was ashes. As can be seen in
the photo, my stainless steel mug was coated in black soot. In a matter of
minutes the stove cooled down to the point where I could hold it and empty out
the ash pan. Since most of the soot on the stove was inside the cooking ring, I
didn't bother to clean it. However, I spent several minutes scrubbing my mug
with soap and water and was able to get most of it clean. Cleaning my mug was
quite easy to do in the comfort of my house but I will need to come up with an
alternative solution in the field where water is precious
During my
initial test, I did not have any problems keeping my mug balanced on the pot
supports but then again the stove was resting on my driveway. It will be
interesting to see if the stove continues to provide a stable base when used in
the field as it does not have feet to compensate for uneven ground. Much of the
time while I was cooking, flames from the stove engulfed my mug and so it would
not have been possible to grab the mug handle if it started to boil or tip over.
In this regard, I'm curious to try cooking with a larger diameter pot to see if
it makes a difference.
Here are a few observations I've made so
far:
Pros
1. Compact and lightweight. I won't have to carry liquid fuel bottles or
worry about half used canisters that may run out of fuel during my
trip. 2. Incredibly simple to set up. Its as easy as starting a fire.
:) 3. Built tough. I have no concerns about its
reliability.
Concerns 1. Uncontrollable flames (all wood burning
stoves). This means that I will likely only boil water on this unit. 2.
Eating a hot meal is based on finding plenty of dry kindling. 3. Boil time
for 16 oz (497 g) water was long. This could have been the result of the
kindling I used. I will experiment with other kindling and a larger pot during
the next few months. 4. Soot on cooking pot (inconvenience).
SUMMARY
I really had fun using the Solo
Stove for the first time and look forward to the next several months of Field
Testing.
This concludes my Initial Report for the Solo Stove. I will
post a Field Report in approximately two months so please check back then for
further information. Thank you to Solo Stove and BackpackGeartest.org for the
opportunity to test this item.
FIELD
REPORT
FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
During Field Testing, I used the
Solo Stove on a three-day backpacking trip to Franklin County, Indiana and on a
weekend trip to Oldenburg, IN. Unfortunately, for the past month, a Stage 1
Burn Ban has been in effect throughout Indiana and this has limited my further
use of the stove. According to Indiana law the ban applies to all fires,
charcoal grills and wood stoves except when used at designated recreation sites
with fire rings. Not wanting to take any risks, I simply decided to eat my
meals cold. Weather conditions for the past three months have been hot
and extremely dry with daytime highs approaching 100 F (38 C) and drought
warnings in many counties throughout Indiana. Nighttime lows haven't offered
much relief with temperatures staying around 80 F (26 C).
1. Franklin
County: During this three-day outing I hiked mostly on wooded trails and
covered 12.4 miles (20 km) across moderately hilly terrain. Temperatures topped
95 F (35 C) by mid afternoon on two of the three days. At night I pitched my
tent in low areas near water hoping cooler air would settle there and give me
temporary relief from the heat. Elevations ranged from 570 ft (174 m) to 710 ft
(216 m).
2. My second trip was near the town of Oldenburg in Southeastern
Indiana. During this two day outing I mainly hiked off-trail through woods and
farmland several miles outside of town. I covered 9.1 miles (15 km) across
moderately hilly terrain while temperatures approached 100 F (38 C).
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
I have really enjoyed using the Solo Stove so far. It has forced me to take
time for breakfast and lunch and not be in such a hurry to get back on the trail
as is sometimes the case on my backpacking trips. The process of gathering
sticks and building a fire has been more time consuming than simply lighting my
white gas stove, but it has brought me back to the essence of backpacking which
is being in touch with nature.
Finding Fuel - Given the hot, dry
weather this year it has been very easy for me to find fuel for the stove. So
far, I have been able to find plenty of kindling and small sticks in the areas
where I have set up camp without having to search too far away. It usually
takes me 10 minutes or so to gather enough twigs and small sticks to build my
fire. This amounts to several large handfuls which is more than enough fuel to
boil water or cook a small meal most of the time. The determining factor for
how long my fires last and how hot they get is based on the type of wood I'm
burning and whether it was lying on the ground or pulled from a dead tree. A
side benefit to using this stove is that I have become more observant of the
different types of trees and ground cover in the areas where I am backpacking.
The more mature forests that I have been gravitating to in the hot weather,
because of their excellent shade, do not have as many small sticks and twigs as
younger forests.
Stove placement - Because the stove has a flat bottom
with no feet to keep it from tipping on uneven ground, I have found it best to
position it on a nearby trail or close to a creek. If there's a fallen tree or
someplace convenient for me to sit next to it that's even better. The photo
above shows one of my favorite spots to set up the stove and that is on trail
steps. This works particularly well in that I can sit a step or two below the
stove and easily tend to the fire. Another ideal spot I have found is on any
large rock as it gets the stove up higher so that plenty of air passes through
the intake holes near the bottom of the stove.
Lighting the stove -
Lighting the stove is straightforward. So far I have simply used a cotton ball
soaked in Vaseline as my fire starter. Once the cotton ball is lit I place
twigs and other kindling in the stove as if I were lighting a campfire. After a
few minutes I add small sticks into the firebox to build the flames and create a
hot ash bed. I have experimented with a number of types of wood as well as pine
cones, pine needles, grass etc and found the following to be true for me:
Pine cones and pine
needles work well for kindling and pine, spruce and fir are good for starting a
fire because they are resinous. However they do not work as well once the fire
is started as they burn faster and with less heat output. They also tend to be
sooty and smoky. In addition, I have found that cedar and spruce tend to pop a
lot and throw sparks. Therefore, once the fire is going, I prefer to use
hardwoods as they are denser and tend to burn slower and hotter with lower
flames. I like to use oak, hickory and maple as they are readily available and
produce lots of heat and long lasting embers. The forests in central and
southern Indiana consist mainly of oak, poplar, beach, maple, walnut, hickory,
cedar and ash so this is what I have to pick from. I have not had the
opportunity so far to cook with this stove in wet weather. If given the chance
(hint for more rain) I plan to experiment with different woods to see which ones
burn best. Ash is one wood I've read about that sounds promising when wet. I
found that small finger-sized pieces of wood worked well once the fire was going
and were readily available on the trail. Thicker pieces would have burned
longer, but were too hard to break with my hands.
Cooking on the stove -
While backpacking in Franklin County, I used the Solo Stove to boil water for
breakfast and dinner each day. In the mornings I made oatmeal and in the
evenings I made freeze dried soup. I have also experimented at home with eggs,
hamburgers and sausage but I don't like to take anything on the trail that must
be kept cold or frozen. In that regard, it may be a while before I cook gourmet
dinners on the trail with this stove, but for now I'm quite happy boiling water
for simple meals. Winter may be the best time to try these other
items.
Cleaning up - Regarding clean up, I let the stove cool down on its
own before dumping the ashes and wiping things down. Typically it takes 10-15
minutes for the stove to be cool to the touch once the fire has died out. It
would be a lot quicker to douse the stove in a stream or dump water on it but
I'm usually not in that big of a hurry. Getting the soot cleaned up is a pain
as it gets over everything but that's the nature of the beast when cooking this
way. I recently read that coating the bottom of my bowl with detergent or soap
would make cleanup easier. I will give that a try on my next campout.
I
found the stove easy to pack. It is not fragile and consequently it had no
problems in my backpack. It is lightweight and compact so I typically pack it
on top of my other items where it's easy to access. When not in use, I kept the
stove in its cloth storage pouch and my pot in a plastic bag to prevent soot
from getting on my clothes or the backpack.
SUMMARY
I have really enjoyed using the
Solo Stove in the field. In a world of gas cooktops and microwave ovens, the
thought of gathering wood, building a fire and waiting for it to heat up seems
primitive, but I found that once I adjusted my mindset it became a very
gratifying experience. I really like the simplicity of the stove. It is built
very ruggedly and there are no moving parts to break. I like that my fuel
source is readily available and I don't have to carry it with me. I don't like
the sooty mess that comes from burning wood, but that is an issue for all
wood-burning stoves. My impressions of the stove at this time are very similar
to my initial thoughts a few months ago.
Strengths: 1. Simple
2. Durable 3. Lightweight and Compact
Weaknesses: 1. Soot on
stove and cook pot makes for messy cleanup 2. Relatively long boil
times
Jury still out: 1. I am getting better at regulating the stove's
temperature but it is still somewhat tricky 2. The past few months have been
so hot and dry that I have not been able to test how easy or difficult it is to
cook with wet fuel
This concludes my Field Report for the Solo Stove. I
will post my Long Term Report in approximately two months so please check back
then for further information. Thank you to Solo Stove and BackpackGeartest.org
for the opportunity to test this item.
LONG-TERM
REPORT
LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND
CONDITIONS
During the long-term test period, I used the Solo Stove for a total of
five days on two separate trips to Brown County State Park in Southern Indiana.
Brown County State Park is Indiana's largest and most visited State Park with
over 16,000 acres of rolling hills. It's a great place to backpack in the fall
when the leaves are changing colors and it's sometimes referred to as the
'Little Smokies' because of its semblance to the Great Smoky
Mountains.
My first trip to Brown County was for three nights over Labor
Day weekend where I encountered wet weather and temperatures in the low 80's F
(28 C). My second visit was for two nights in mid October. This time the
weather cooperated and conditions were perfect the entire weekend with mostly
sunny skies and daytime highs in the upper 60's F (20 C). I hiked approximately
14 miles during this trip and slept well with nighttime lows in the mid 50's F
(12 C).
I also took the stove with me to a local park in Central Indiana
where I cooked eggs, sausage and hash browns, something I wouldn't normally due
while backpacking in the wild.
PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
The Solo Stove has continued to
perform well in concert with my earlier experiences. Two new things I was able
to try during this test period were 1) cooking food on the Solo Stove rather
than just boiling water and 2) using the stove in the rain. Since I do not cook
meat or other foods that need to be refrigerated while on the trail, I decided
to give it a try while visiting a local park near my home. I packed a cooler
full of food so that I could try my hand at cooking on the Solo Stove. I am
happy to report that I cooked a full breakfast and lunch and both meals turned
out fine. However, I found it tricky to prep the food, keep the fire tended and
not burn my meal. The fire went out on me twice and at one point I had to
gather more sticks. The stove was also less stable with a large skillet on top,
and it tipped over by accident at least once. Despite my success at cooking
with the Solo Stove, I doubt that I will ever do much more than boil water on
this stove when solo backpacking.
In regards to boiling water in rainy
weather, I found that my cook times went up significantly because I was using
wet kindling for my fire. Without a dry shelter for cover, I was forced to cook
under the canopy of large trees which provided only marginal protection from the
rain.
SUMMARY
Overall the Solo Stove has been a
pleasure to use. It offers a compact, lightweight alternative to gas fired
stoves with no canisters or bottles to carry around. And although stated in my
earlier reports it is worth mentioning again that this stove is really well
built. With its quality design, stainless construction and no moving parts, it
has been a very reliable piece of gear.
This concludes my report for the
Solo Stove. Thank you to Solo Stove and BackpackGeartest.org for the
opportunity to test this item.
This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org
Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
Read more reviews of Solo Stove gear
Read more gear reviews by Brian Hartman
|