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The Solo Stove Lite is a stainless steel ultra lightweight 9 oz camping stove for 1-2 people that burns twigs in a highly efficient low smoke way so you don’t need to carry fuel. You can add an alcohol burner and lightweight pot and wind shield too with their thoughtful accessory kit.

In Depth Review

I’ve spent a lot of time on trails including the Appalachian Trail and setting Fastpacking records on the 215 mile New England Trail and 615 mile Monarchs Way in the UK. I’ve even used a titanium stove in the Sahara Desert on the Marathon des Sables. Whilst I’m a huge fan of small stoves when wild camping I find that no matter how lightweight many stoves are its the butane gas cannister that’s the heavy part.

This stove will now be added to my Multi Day Trail kit List because its the first one to have multiple fuel options as well as being lightweight. With the Solo Stove Lite I have the option to burn twigs I find around me and save vast amounts of weight and bulk in my lightweight pack, or use an alcohol burner if I’m in an area with no trees.

Stainless Steel

The Solo Stove lite is made from 304 stainless steel. It weighs around 9 oz and comes with its own little black pouch to stop things banging and making a noise when in your backpack. There are a series of air holes low down that feed air into the main chamber. Twigs ( or anything dry like leaves or pine cones) sit on a wire mesh so that air can get to the fire from all directions.

The design leaves the fire elevated and shielded from the base of the stove so its not hot to the touch on the base after use, and doesn’t leave scorch marks on the ground.

There is a second set of air holes higher up that creates a ‘secondary burn’ which explains why the stove seems to throw out so much heat so quickly with just a few twigs.

Size Matters

The solo stove is about 4 inches by 4 inches so its slight higher than a can of soda and twice as wide. The top part removes and sits inside for transport and there is enough room left over for some tinder too.

Find Your Own Fuel

The stove will burn wood and twigs. I suggest you actually look for thinner twigs when starting the fire, and then add some slightly thicker ones once its burning. The stove will also burn leaves which you can use for tinder and I found that throwing in pine cones makes a great smell for cooking and hot drinks. The way the stove burns so fiercely means that even with slightly damp twigs there is surprisingly little smoke.

Alcohol Makes Everything Better

When you are in places where twigs and branches aren’t available you can buy a small brass alcohol burner for this stove for $20 here.

It weighs 3.5 oz empty and runs on denatured alcohol. It reminds me of my trusty old Trangia Swedish Army stove.

Boil Time

The solo stove website estimates an 8 to 10 minute boil time for 32 oz of water but I actually found that I got it to a boil in 6 minutes with a decent packed stove with relatively thin twigs. The heat it generates is actually quite surprising.

Solo Stove Pot 900

You can buy a Solo Stove Pot 900 that weighs about 8oz and holds 32 oz of liquid. It comes with a lid with a small fold out handle and fold out handles on the main pot too so you don’t burn your hands when taking it on and off the stove.

The Stove is marked with volume markings that are readable from the inside and the nicest touch is the subtle pouring spout which stops the uncontrollable pour of a lot of camping pots. Overall its slightly bigger than the stoves dimensions.

Tinder On a Rope

You can also get Solo Stoves ‘Tinder on a Rope’ which is a thin slab of wood deeply soaked with resin. It helps start a fire even when its wet by simply shaving off a few sections with a sharp knife.

UCO Fire Striker

The UCO survival fire striker uses a ferrocerium rod and aluminium handle to create sparks even when wet. The stick is good for about 3000 sparks and comes with a lanyard cord. Make sure you scrape off the black protective coating first !

The striker is also a multi tool with bottle opener and mini wrench sockets as well.

Solo Stove Windscreen

You can also get a windscreen that weighs 7 oz and is made of 8 anodised aluminium panels which even come with their own ground pegs. Its great for obviously keeping the wind off the stove when its very windy but I also found it is great when used to radiate heat towards you when sleeping near it,

The Solo Stove needs feeding with twigs regularly but when falling asleep in a bivvy bag or sleeping bag outside without a tent it provides some welcome warmth as you fall asleep in the knowledge that it’ll go out shortly after you are asleep.

Perks

The stove comes with links for solo stove recipe videos, some monthly gear giveaways and gear testing opportunities too.

Verdict

The Solo Stove Lite is a stainless steel ultra lightweight 9 oz camping stove for 1-2 people that burns twigs in a highly efficient low smoke way so you don’t need to carry fuel. You can add an alcohol burner and lightweight pot and wind shield too with their thoughtful accessory kit. Its incredibly well built, easy to use and very very lightweight.

Click here for the lowest USA price.

The extra time needed to boil water is a small price to play for the weight saved by not having to carry a butane gas cannister round with you all day. Lightweight minimalist fastpackers will love it, and its perfect to leave in your car for little impromptu cookouts and hot drinks when outside.

Specs

Airflow

Rising hot air, and the absence of oxygen created by the combustion process, pulls air through the bottom vent holes. This air movement fuels the fire at its base while also providing a boost of preheated air through the vent holes at the top of the burn chamber.

Ash Pan

Catches loose ash and prevents it from clogging vital airflow. The ash pan also acts as a heat shield and prevents your stove from scorching the ground beneath it.

Nichrome Wire Grate

Allows oxygen to be fed directly to embers from below. This helps to burn biofuel faster and hotter while allowing spent ash to fall out of the process.

Secondary Burn

Vent holes near the top of the burn chamber allow preheated oxygen to fuel the flame resulting in a more complete combustion and a hotter fire with less smoke.

Cooking Ring

Directs heat up and towards the center of your pot for maximized efficiency. The cooking ring also acts as a windscreen while still allowing oxygen to fuel the flame. The entire cooking ring can be packed into the stove body for compact storage.

About Solo Stove

In 2010 the idea of Solo Stove was born.  Solo Stove started off as a single, simple and unique cooking stove.  It was built strong and worked really well. The business started small and slowly.  We focused on the customer and building simple, high quality products.

Over the years Solo Stove has become so much more than just the products we sell. It is what our products can do to the people that use them, that is most important.  Our products are simply the tools for those that want to reconnect to what matters in their lives.

It’s for the mom or dad that takes their kids out camping to spend more time with them. It’s for the person that wants to get outside and reconnect with nature.  It’s for the family that just wants to sit around a fire in their backyard.

Solo Stove will always focus on making innovative gear that will just work. We hope that our gear will be a part of how you reconnect to what really matters.