Is the Solo Stove fire pit worth the money? Can you put a Solo Stove on a deck? Which of the numerous accessories they sell are actually worth buying? These are the exact questions I had when we were deciding whether or not to purchase a Solo Stove fire pit for our backyard last December.
Now, after nearly a full year of use (and some epic bonfire parties), I want to share an honest review of the Bonfire fire pit by Solo Stove, how we have been able to safely use it on top of our composite deck, and give you my thoughts on which accessories I’d buy again in a heartbeat.
*This post contains affiliate links: This review is not sponsored, and I am not affiliated with the Solo Stove brand in anyway. We purchased all the products in this review with our own money. However, this post does contain affiliate links which earn me a very very small commission off any purchase made using them. This is a great way to help support your favorite bloggers at no cost to you. Think of it like a tip jar that costs you nothing!
Why Is A Solo Stove Fire Pit Different Than Other Fire Pits
There are a few main qualities that set Solo Stove fire pit apart from other fire pits on the market but the main one is:
The Solo Stove Has A *Mostly* Smokeless Design
The Solo Stove website claims that their fire pits boast “unrivaled smokeless tech”.
In our experience this is *mostly* true, but requires very specific use guidelines be followed which we found challenging at times based on the size constraints of our Bonfire fire pit. (I’ll talk more about why that was in the pros and cons section below)
However, even when not following the guidelines to the letter, the firepit puts out far less smoke than a traditional campfire. So you can soak up all the cozy fireside vibes without smelling like you just stepped out of a smokehouse later.
It’s Incredibly Easy To Get A Fire Going
Growing up with an Eagle Scout father, I know a lot about building a fire. The thing most people don’t get right is airflow. Luckily Solo Stove solved this common problem with their signature 360˚airflow design.
That means you can pretty much just chuck in some firewood, not pay any attention to how it’s in there, and still easily get a fire going. Which is great news for anyone who didn’t have a father who was an Eagle Scout like I did.
That said, Solo Stove still recommends always using a fire starter to get your bonfire going. (I personally really love this brand.) Once lit, I’ve never had a fire go out on me.
The Solo Stove Is Portable And Great For Camping
Made with lightweight (yet incredibly durable and rust resistant) stainless steel the Solo Stove Bonfire only weighs 23.3 lbs and comes with it’s own special carry bag.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how much we’d use this feature, but we love it so much we’ve actually taken it on a few camping trips with us this year and have LOVED the convenience it provides. (I’ll chat more on why this is in the pros and cons)
Clean-Up Is Super Easy
After years of scooping ashes out of our wood burning fireplace in our house, clean-up on the solo stove is like hitting the easy button with it’s removable ash pan. Just wait until your fire pit has cooled completely, then lift out the ash pan from below the base plate and dump it out. No tool required.
Solo Stove Provides A Lifetime Warranty
If you are going to invest this much money on a fire pit, you want to know it’s going to last. So I love that this product comes with a full lifetime warranty!
Solo Stove Models & Size Comparison
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, we ultimately decided to go with the Bonfire Solo Stove when we purchased our fire pit for our backyard last year. However Solo Stove makes a variety of sizes depending on your needs, each with their own pros and cons:
Ranger Solo Stove
The Ranger is Solo Stove’s smallest (and most portable) fire pit. At only 15″ wide and 12.5″ tall it only weighs 15lbs making it perfect for taking camping, or for use on small patios.
However, the Ranger can only hold 2-3 (short) logs at a time and has a heat radius of only 2-3 feet, making it best suited for smaller fires for groups of 2-4 people.
Bonfire Solo Stove
The Bonfire is Solo Stove’s other more easily portable fire pit. At 19.5″ wide and 14″ tall it still only weighs 23.3 lbs, making it the perfect goldilocks size for those looking for a slightly larger fire but still want easy portability.
The Bonfire can only hold 3-4 (shortish) logs at a time and has a heat radius of 4-6 feet, making it ideal for groups of 4 to 6 people.
Yukon Solo Stove
The Yukon is Solo Stove second largest fire pit. At 27″ wide and 17″ tall, it is designed for larger gathering and longer lasting fires. Weighing in at 41.6lbs it’s technically still portable, but going to a be more cumbersome to transport.
The Yukon can only hold 4-5 logs at a time and has a heat radius of 6-8 feet, which allows it to be utilized by groups of 6+ comfortably.
Canyon Solo Stove
The Canyon fire pit by Solo Stove with their largest and most robust offering, at 30″ wide and 19″ tall, the Canyon is designed to be a backyard centerpiece. Weighing in at 55lbs, its size and weight also reduce its ease of portability.
Like the Yukon, the Canyon fire pit can hold 4-5 logs but has a heat radius of over 8+ feet, making it best suited for large bonfire nights with more than 8+ guests.
NEW! Summit Fire Pit By Solo Stove
The Summit fire pit by Solo Stove is their newest offering, at 24″ wide and 15″ tall, the Summit is designed with a pantent-pending “Quick-Strike Cone” that allows you to light fires up to 3x faster using their Solo Stove Fire Starter Gel. Weighing in at 35lbs, the Summit even comes with its own built in stand!
Designed for groups of 5-7 people, the Solo Stove Summit’s shorter profile and upgraded airflow creates the tallest and brightest flame. Allowing you to see more flame but still enjoy a smokeless burn.
Why We Chose The Bonfire Solo Stove For Our Backyard Fire Pit
Ultimately our decision to purchase the Bonfire Solo Stove for our backyard boils down to one major factor:
We wanted a real wood burning fire pit that would be safe to use around children and we could place on top of our Trex composite deck without damaging it.
After looking around the market, Solo Stove seemed like our best option for how to make that dream a reality, and we chose the Bonfire model solely based on the size constraint limitations of our existing backyard decor.
All that said, this was still a really big financial investment for us. So in the spirit of full transparency, even after making the decision to buy, we definitely waited until a really good Black Friday sale popped up to finally make our purchase.
Can You Use A Solo Stove On A Composite Deck?
With a few important accessories, YES! While I wouldn’t recommend just setting a Solo Stove directly on a composite deck, when combined with their basic stand or the Solo Stove Fit Pit Surround (which raises the Solo Stove up off the ground) and Spark Protector Shield (which keeps embers from flying out and burning your deck), Solo Stoves can be safely used on wood and composite decking!
Solo Stove Bonfire Review: Top Pros & Cons After a Year
After one year of use in our backyard, on camping trips, for large bonfire parties and quiet evening sipping coffees next to the fire, I have compiled a list of all my personal pros and cons for the Solo Stove fire pit to hopefully help you in your decision making:
Solo Stove Pros
I’ve already listed out a lot of the features that make the Solo Stove fire pit different than other fire pits on the market, however I do have a few more pros I wanted to add to that list.
When Combined With The Tablestop Surround, It’s Great For Use Around Kids & Pets
One of the reasons I’ve come to really love our solo stove is that it gives me peace of mind when burning a fire around our very curious toddler.
The table top surround ensures that no small children or pets are going to accidentally trip and fall into the fire pit, and the surround stays cool to the touch even after the fire has been going for hours.
We Can Use It On Top Of Our Trex Composite Deck
One of the biggest reasons we ultimately went with the Solo Stove was its claims to be safe to use on top of a wood deck (as long as you are using it with a Solo Stove stand).
It’s one thing to read that claim online, but after 1 year of use I can gladly report back that we have had zero issues and there are no marks or burns anywhere on deck where the fire pit has been used.
However, we are careful to also alway use the Solo Stove Shield spark protector when burning any fire on our deck, which I think has also contributed to the lack of damage.
It’s Great For Camping!
When we first got our Solo Stove and saw it came with a carry bag for easy portability, I was skeptical we’d ever use it. However after burning a few fires in it at home, I quickly saw how great something like this would be to use while camping. Especially if you are camping with toddlers.
For starters, having the ability to put a lid on your fire when you’re done with it for the night is a great safety feature.
Another benefit to putting the lid on the fire pit each night is that it ensures your kindling and fire pit are still nice and dry in the morning, even if it poured rain in the night.
Secondly, if you bring along the tabletop surround (which actually packs down pretty well) it helps ensure no small children are going to accidentally burn themselves on the campfire while you have your head turned. It also gives you a great place to set food and drinks down around the campfire!
We loved having it along so much I’m even considering picking up the fire pit cooking hub and cast iron grill top attachment for the future! (For now we just set a cheap weber grill grate on top and it gets the job done!)
Solo Stove Cons
Now that we’ve talked about all the things I love about our Solo Stove (and I do really love it), there are a few things I wish I had known before we purchased ours:
Your Firewood *Length* is Important When Using the Ranger or Bonfire Fire Pit Models
One thing I didn’t consider when purchasing our Solo Stove is if a standard length of firewood would fit inside it. We have a wood-burning fireplace in our house so we always have firewood on hand. Though the longest point to point measurement inside the Bonfire is just over 17″, we found logs need to be no more than around 14″ in length (depending on their other measurements). This length allows multiple logs to fit in our Bonfire fire pit properly so they sit low enough for the smokeless technology to work as designed and the spark protector to sit flush on top the fire pit.
In a normal delivery of firewood, we have found only select logs we receive are short enough to fit inside the Bonfire solo stove properly.
For me this has been the one big disadvantage to the Bonfire fire pit and the only reason I may consider upgrading to larger Summit model in the future.
The Heat Mostly Goes Straight Up
Let me start by saying, these fires burn HOT. However, due to the design of the Solo Stove, *most* of that heat goes straight up in the air. So much so that even if you’re sitting on the couch we have next to ours, you can barely feel any heat coming off of it. This is great news for people who want bonfire vibes but get hot easily, but bad news for people who want the fire mainly to stay warm.
If warmth is your primary goal, then I will highly recommend purchasing the additional heat deflector attachment. The outward heat output before and after using it is night and day.
It’s Industrial Aesthetic Isn’t For Everyone
While the design of the Solo Stove is by no means “ugly” there are definitely more aesthetically appealing fire pits on the market. And while the fire pit surround tabletop makes the fire pit appear a bit more substantial (and less like a plain steel drum sitting in your yard) its modern, industrial design isn’t going to fit everyone’s design aesthetic.
That said, I have seen some amazing DIY project where people create custom surrounds for their Solo Stove that are more to their personal design aesthetic!
Solo Stove Accessories & Attachments Review
Now that I’ve broken down all the features, benefits, pros and cons I’ve experienced while using our Bonfire Solo Stove over the last year, I wanted to follow it up with a review of the various accessories we’ve purchased (and if they have been worth the money or not.)
The Solo Stove Lid
This is one component I wish just came with your Solo Stove. However, If you don’t want to wait up all night for your fire to go out, or pour water over your embers before you walk away from your fire pit for the evening, I highly recommend picking up the optional lid for your Solo Stove.
We used this a lot while we were camping especially so we could just go to bed safely and keep our firepit nice and dry.
Considering it’s just a lid, I think it’s a bit overpriced for what it is, but it is one of our most used accessories and a must have for me personally.
The Solo Stove Surround
If you plan to use your Solo Stove on a deck you will need to elevate it off the ground with either the Solo Stove Stand, or the Solo Stove Surround (which has a built in stand as well). This component is not cheap. In fact it costs more than the fire pit itself.
That said, it was a must have for me with small children running around. The increased safety it provides was worth the money for me. Especially since all the outer components stay cool to the touch no matter how long you’ve been burning a fire.
Could you DIY something similar for much cheaper? Yes… and no.
On the one hand there isn’t much to the Solo Stove’s fire pit surround, just a few metal & fabric components that quickly and easily screw or snap together. On the other hand, it breaks down just as easily and is therefore transportable. We’ve even brought it along when we go camping!
Solo Stove Surround Surface
The surround surface is the matching black tabletop cover for your Solo Stove surround. It’s designed to serve as a hard surface to set food and drinks on when you’re not using your firepit, as well as offer your firepit some protection from the elements.
In my opinion, this is the one accessory we purchased I wish we hadn’t. For starters it’s basically just a second lid if you already purchased the main lid for your Solo Stove. And you can’t use the surround surface unless the fire pit is completely cool, so it can’t just replace the main lid as your primary lid. It also isn’t totally flat, and is a somewhat awkward surface/distance to serve food and drinks off of. So we’ve never used it as a tabletop. At this point it’s really just there for looks and that doesn’t justify the price of this add-on for me.
If you’re looking for something to skip, this would be my first element to pass on. We’ve rarely (if ever) used it at any point in the past year.
Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround Shelter
When you spend this much money on something, it make sense to protect it best you can so it lasts as long as possible, and I truly love how well made the fire pit surround shelter for the Solo Stove fire pit is.
Made to protect your fire pit from rain, snow and debris when not in use, it is made of very heavy durable materials that are incredibly easy to slip on and off.
Solo Stove Shield: Spark & Ash Arrestor
Since we were using our Bonfire Solo Stove on top of a deck, I wanted to make sure we did everything we could to protect our Trex composite decking, so we also purchased the Solo Stove shield to use with our fire pit.
I’m happy to report that it works amazingly well and I have never had so much as a single ember fly out of our fire pit in all the times we’ve used it!
Additionally, while it is not designed or intended for use as a cooking surface, we have discovered it works incredibly well as a surface to heat up foil packs on over the fire while camping!
The biggest “con” for using this accessory is having to open it every time you want to put a new log in the fire pit. Solo Stove does provide tools to lift the mesh lid off with, however the tools are designed to be used with two hands. Which makes it pretty hard to then also pick up and set a log in the fire. So that means you have to set the shield down somewhere to free up your hands first. Which means you need to have a heat safe surface to set the very hot shield on.
Luckily, you can usually just lift up one side of the mesh lid and slide in a log, so this tedious process doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s enough of the time to make it annoying.
Solo Stove Heat Deflector Review
While I love that the design of the Solo Stove drastically reduces smoke, the design has one drawback – it sends most of the heat straight up in the air (and not out towards the people sitting around it).
This can be an advantage for using it during warmer weather and for making it easier to use roasting sticks without burning your hands, but it’s not going to keep you warm and cozy in the winter.
Luckily there is an easy fix for this problem: the Solo Stove heat deflector! I was SHOCKED by how much heat this attachment redirected outwards when utilized! Definitely a must have if you’re part of the “always cold club” like I am!
The only “con” I have for this heat deflector, especially when used in combination with the spark shield, is that placing more wood in the fire pit gets a bit complicated.
You have to lift up the lid on the spark shield, then somehow get your new log in the fire pit under the heat deflector without touching it and burning yourself or knocking off the heat deflector. It’s just a bit tedious.
Solo Stove Roasting Sticks Review
After we invested in our Solo Stove and our family saw how much we loved it, they surprised us with the Solo Stove roasting sticks, which I have since falling in love with.
For starters, I’ve used everything from a long stick off the ground, to bamboo skewers, to fancy expandible roasting sticks over my life and these are the most robust, heavy duty, long, sturdy sticks I’ve ever used.
My husband burned his hand in a kitchen fire years ago, and has trouble getting to close to any heat source to this day, and these sticks are long enough that he can keep his hands far enough away from the fire to still enjoy roasting marshmallows and hot dogs with our toddler.
I love that they even come with a fancy carry case, with each roasting stick breaking down into two sections for easy storage.
My one “con” to this set is that they can be a bit heavy for children to use and the skewers are a tad thicker than average which can make threading something more delicate (like a peach slice) onto the end a bit more challenging.
Final Thoughts on our Solo Stove Smokeless Bonfire Fire Pit and Accessories Review
I love to entertain and I love the sounds of a crackling fire, so once we got our composite deck complete we knew we were going to have a fire pit outside, no question. The smokeless technology combined with the safety features and wide range of accessories put the Solo Stove Bonfire at the top of our list. So when a combo of the Bonfire plus the surround went on an after Thanksgiving sale, we snatched it up. And now as our baby has turned into a toddler I am more thankful all the time for the choice we made, so she can enjoy the fire and I can keep her safe.
Long story short: we love our Solo Stove fire pit, and I think you will too!
Did I miss anything in this review? Do you have a Solo Stove already? What do you think about yours? What other questions can I answer for you? Let me know in the comments below!
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