Solo Stove

I was so excited to receive my solo stove and it did not disappoint! What a perfect little stove. No fuel to carry though we did gather some better fuel along the trail. Used the stove every day without a hitch. Planned out camp site each night along the 37 mile trip so as to have a little wind break since it works best without direct wind on it. My biggest fear going into this trip was that soot would get on everything, WRONG! If your fire is hot and fast all the smoke burns up and there is very little soot, even on my kettle. Everything (stove, cotton tinder in a copenhagen can, flint and steel and even a coffee press fit together in one very little package that is also very lightweight. This is the perfect product for any situation be it long backpacking trips in the wilderness or SHTF situation. Thank you Solo Stove!

I've been using my Solo stove for about two weeks. It took some time to get used to using the stove but I would not turn back to gas (which I have been using for the past 5 years) unless I'm camping in a no burn zone that does not allow the use of vegetation. Here are my tips:
- Use a fire starter like gel coated cotton ball or solid fuel. I carry a couple of solid fuel bricks in case of really wet days (about 5 grams and $0.75 each). You cannot light this stove from the bottom so a flint starter works great.
- Prepare your wood before starting the fire. If you let it burn for 2-3 minutes, it will be reduced to coals. Although it's easy to start again from the coals (no need to relight), you won't be heating your pot during that time. I camped with it in a downpour and found that branches from dead but still standing trees works the best. It does not require much at all; only a handful.
- Don't under stock or over stock the fire box. When secondary combustion occurs through the holes at the top, try to maintain that amount of fuel. I found the flames make a unique sound at this point, try to identify that point for the most efficient and fastest cooking.
- Buy the solo pot 900 for this stove. It has graduations for volume, a sturdy handle and it's a perfect fit for storage.

Cons:
- Longer boil time than gas (8-10 minutes vs 5 for gas)
- More maintenance during burning (must be continuously stocked with fuel for maximum performance).
- More cleanup (the pot will turn black after a couple uses; it all depends on what you're burning).
- Needs a moderately dry biomass to start; after it's started it can burn almost anything.

Pros:
- No moving parts or risk of failure; very reliable if you get to know how to use it. It has a solid construction that will definitely last many years of torture.
- Free and unlimited fuel!
- Much lighter weight. Great for ultra light backpackers.
- Lowest environmental impact (no gas, fuel containers, distribution of said containers, etc.).
- Sense of pride knowing you are an outdoorsman (or woman) able to command fire.

Summary: For me, none of the cons are really cons. All of them just result in a little more time and preparation but when you are backpacking, especially in groups, you've got nothing but time IMO. I would recommend this stove to anyone.

Well built and lite stove, fast to boil water. Very little to no smoke.

Love this thing. I keep it in the trunk of my car wherever I go, and I always take it camping. I store it in a plastic coffee can with a little pot, twigs already broken down to size and a tinder bundle. Keep lighters in the car. You never know when you're going to need to boil some water. I usually load it up with tons of twigs and then it boils water quickly when it's really roaring.

I had a little problem lighting the first fire, but for my first try with your top down fire method it wasn't too bad. Even with junk wood from my back yard, the fire burned well after being successfully lit. It took me 3 tries to get the fire going successfully, but it burned better than expected once it was lit.
It burned more than twice as long as I expected with the poor quality wood I used. I'm sure that with a little practice I'll be very happy with it's characteristics.