If the Lord of the Rings taught us anything, it’s that rings can’t be trusted. It also taught us that powerful things can come in small packages. While LOTR’s version of small and mighty was the Frodo of the Shire, I’ve got my own mini warrior: the Solo Stove Mini Campfire with Tripod and Pot Accessory.
And while it’s not as hot as the fires of Mount Doom, it did a damn good job of cooking up a camp meal when I used it. This is 'The Lord of the Bonfire, The Fellowship of the Camp Cook.' Here’s what I thought after using it for a little camp cooking.
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Solo Stove Campfire Gear Kit Read More
The Solo Stove Campfire Gear Kit: What We Think
I was skeptical of the Solo Stove Mini Bonfire at first. At 2.2 pounds, it felt too small to be able to generate and maintain the blaze that I needed for cooking a camp meal. But, after using it for a campfire cookout, I was impressed by the heat generation, the smokeless-ness of the blaze and the ease of clean-up.
The Campfire Gear Kit is only meant to be enjoyed by 1-2 people, so hermits, best friends like Sam and Frodo and camping couples will be pleased — but if you’ve got a big group, you’ll want something a little bigger. And while it's convenient to tote around and use, its small stature means getting enough heat to cook takes a little longer than expected. Overall, this is an entertaining and low-impact addition to any car camping set-up.
The Campfire Gear Kit is really, really easy to put together
The Campfire Gear Kit comes with instructions, but you won’t need them. It’s extremely easy to set up; the hardest part by far is the tripod, which comes unassembled, but I’m confident a nine-year-old could set it up with ease — it only takes a couple minutes to screw together. I decided to go rogue and set the entire kit up without deferring to the instructions, and I had everything ready to go in about five minutes. The entire system weighs less than five pounds and comes in handy storage bags that keep dirt and debris out when you’re not lighting a little fire. It's lightweight, easy to set-up and take down and simple in its execution.
It was a little breezy while we set up our Solo Stove, which meant the fire took a little longer to develop, and there was more smoke initially — it became virtually smokeless after a few minutes' burning, but the process isn't entirely smokeless.
Cleaning is easy, but avoid getting loose dirt in the tripod
This is specifically referring to the tripod, but it’s a good idea to keep all of your camp gear as clean as you can. (We bring this blower along on our car camping trips to keep the truck and gear tidy — you’re welcome for the hack.)
Because the tripod is made of nine independent pieces that screw together to form three legs, there are a lot of areas for loose dirt to get trapped and cause irritation. The grating sound of sand and dirt in screws is not something most folks enjoy, so if you'd like to avoid that, I suggest setting up the tripod in a clean location; maybe that's your tent or your tailgate, but wherever it is, just keep it away from the dirt.
After using the kit and letting it cool, clean-up is a breeze. We burned pine logs in our pit, which give off a lot of soot; cleaning the outside of the pot took a wet towel, some soap and water and a nice brush but it wasn't difficult to make it look shiny and new again. I dumped the ashes from the fire into a paper grocery bag for down-the-road disposal and got everything back into its respective bag in about 20 minutes.
Boiling water or making food is simple...
...just be prepared to wait for a little while. During my testing, it took 23 minutes for water to boil and the outside temperature was a balmy 72 degrees F. I can imagine in colder climates boiling would take longer, but when you’re relaxing with a drink in your hand and tending to your little fire, 20-30 minutes fly by pretty fast, so the extended waiting time isn't something to sweat. If you get hangry like I do, it's worth factoring in the extra time it takes to get the fire hot enough to cook; or, make sure you have snacks on standby.
The Campfire Gear Kit will keep you warm — if you don't mind rubbing elbows with your fellow campers
I appreciated the heat that came from the little fire pit, and once the initial burn was over and a solid blaze was going, the smoke essentially went down to zero. This Solo Stove pit is teeny, so if you want to feel maximum warmth, you'll need to sit as close as possible to the little pit — which means sitting as close as you can to fellow campers. I used the pit with my family, and we like being close to each other, but if you're a fan of personal space, this is really the right size for 1-2 people, three at most.
