Solo Stove Bonfire

...and in tight campgrounds your neighbors will appreiciate not having smoke drift into their trailer.  

I wondered if they really worked.  Biggest problem with wood these days is that you’re not supposed to transport it and campground bundles are very expensive.  

bapsjp posted:

I wondered if they really worked.  Biggest problem with wood these days is that you’re not supposed to transport it and campground bundles are very expensive.  

Oh, they work and work very well! You'll have flames until the entire load is nothing but coals. Those last few logs will not sit there smoldering. The Bonfire isn't cheap but if you're handy one could fabricate something close.

Those problems with wood are real, mainly due to exotic insects. I used the price and transporting wood criteria in my decision to buy the Bonfire, plus using it in my own fire pit at home (I'll soon be a FreeLOAder participant). If I must buy firewood to enjoy part of the camping experience, I will. I wanted to see as much wood as possible making flames and adding a whiff of wood smoke to polish off the experience. I'm only a newbie at TT camping but I've been at it in some form or another since I was a child and still yearn for all of it! 

The stainless steel drum from a scrap tumble drier works very well for a fire pit.

I also have the Solo Stove Bonfire and it works beautifully.  Yes, a steel drum will work however it won’t burn nearly as nice as a fire in the Bonfire.  It really is a thing of beauty.  Yes, it’s somewhat expensive but in my opinion it’s worth it.  They also have sales where it’s marked down by $50. so anyone that’s interested should watch for them.  

Duckman posted:

...and in tight campgrounds your neighbors will appreiciate not having smoke drift into their trailer.  

@Duckman; Craig, you're bringing up an important component of wood fire etiquette. I wouldn't want to have my living space filled with unwanted smoke either. Here's a  timely article in a recent RV Travel Newsletter entitled "Majority of readers not fond of campfire smoke".  I'm not (yet?!) a fan of RV parks' often close quarters and would not think of having a smokey wood fire or one even in a Solo Bonfire fire pit. I'll probably be looking into a propane pit for those smokeless flame nights as the situation requires. More $tuff to buy!

I’ve read reviews both on Amazon and Costco regarding the Outland 18" Portable Propane Fire Bowl Premium and they are quite favorable.  I don’t have any personal experience with them though.  

Got the pizza oven mod worked out!

Next addition to the Solo Bonfire we carry with us was a Good Directions 20" Small Spark Screen with Lifter.

After taking these pictures, I pinched the screen a little at the hinge pins so it sat more securely on the Bonfire's edge.

The Bonfire pit is not prone to producing many sparks because it burns the wood so completely. I'm not convinced it will be carried on all trips but I have noticed some campgrounds require a spark screen on all fire pits.

I plan to double its practicality and use it as a lid once I cover it with HD aluminum foil. Could come in handy to use the Bonfire fired on smolder burn for a real meat smoker. I've slow cooked venison burgers this way and they tasted phenomenal!

My Bonfire showed up earlier this week. Going to test drive it next week before we head out on our first camping trip of the year.

@R47Smiley - It's Friday!   How'd the test drive go?

VigII posted:

@R47Smiley - It's Friday!   How'd the test drive go?

Hoping tonight. Got a late start to my evening due to a family members flight arriving 2 hours late.

Gotta love Fridays though!

Just in case you can't wait...

Great video. I finally unboxed mine. Very pleased with the way the product is built. Looking forward to testing it out very soon.

Big positive is, when on its side in the carry bag, it passes through the door of the camper and stores away nicely under the dinette for travel.

Might have someone weld a loop on it so I can lock it up when not at camp. Unfortunately there are too many dishonest people for me to feel comfortable leaving is out while we're on the water all day.

Rob

Welding on a security loop is a very good idea.

Seems there's a good July 4th sale going on right now.  I'm getting ready to order and wondered about the Bonfire Stand, "allowing you to use your Bonfire in more places than ever before!"  I couldn't find info regarding certain ground types that would need this stand. Is this something you would recommend?

I don't have the stand.  since camp grounds typically require you to use their fire ring, I just set my solo stove in the per-existing ring.

Happy burning!

Rob

However, I also bought a Yukon that came with the stand. I use it on the lawn and the lawn remains undamaged. I need to remember to move it to let the sun get to the grass beneath the big pit. 

Add another positive review.  We really enjoy our Solo stove Bonfire. Works just as advertised.  Big flame from very little wood.  

Solo Stove keeps coming out with accessories.  I'm addicted.  Bonfire w stand, spark screen, now lid in December, now handle to pick it up in May.  What's next?  Doesn't matter, I'll buy it. 

Nice example of how reviving an old thread can be a good thing. I had never heard of these until today and they look really great.

I am super tempted to buy one, but it seems like 9 times out of 10 there are fire restrictions in effect, certainly here in Arizona. I hate carting propane around for my thirsty gas firepit, but can’t justify taking another 20 lb accessory I can rarely use either.

Super jealous of that beautiful fire in the OP, though!

I heard good things about the solo stove but decided against a purchase due to cost and not see a real advantage to having one.  But it looks like you can get a nice fire using less wood.  Is that correct?  Considering the cost of fire wood at campgrounds (and even from locals selling in front of their homes), it may pay off pretty quick.  Do they use less wood than a traditional fire pit for the same campfire experience?  If so, how much less? 

The Bonfire makes BIG fire with little smoke.  I'm not sure it uses less wood.  When I purchased it I thought we would take it camping.  Haven't actually done that.  We just use it in the courtyard at home during non fire season. 

It's the King of Combustion (I should register that as a trademark!) and once at operating temperature there's little smoke. Think about this, smoke = particulates. I sit around soooo many camp fires I see complete combustion as a health benefit! I'm not really joking about that either.

@TSR Campers posted:

Solo Stove keeps coming out with accessories.  I'm addicted.  Bonfire w stand, spark screen, now lid in December, now handle to pick it up in May.  What's next?  Doesn't matter, I'll buy it.

Ha! (i have three: 2 Bonfires and a Yukon for the yard!)

@MrFancypants posted:

Nice example of how reviving an old thread can be a good thing. I had never heard of these until today and they look really great.

I am super tempted to buy one, but it seems like 9 times out of 10 there are fire restrictions in effect, certainly here in Arizona. I hate carting propane around for my thirsty gas firepit, but can’t justify taking another 20 lb accessory I can rarely use either.

Super jealous of that beautiful fire in the OP, though!

This is why I converted our travel Bonfire to dual fuel. We were in AZ and NM this winter so I added a propane ring to the Bonfire. To convert to propane I pop on the plate mounted double propane ring (a 12" and a 6") fed from under the plate. I drilled a hole thru the side of the Bonfire at the bottom and fed the metal tube out thru the hole. I feed it propane from a spare 20 lb bottle via a high pressure regulator. Used it all winter on our 2 month trip. It all fits in the original Bonfire carry bag.

Ok, yet another example of LOA friends helping friends spend money!  We have looked at the Solo off and on for years.  And then this old thread pops up.  Down that rabbit hole discovered a current summer sale with 25% off on the Solo website.....hmmm. Bad bad Dave!

😁

VigII.......Do you have a pic or two of the propane burner setup?  I'd like to see how you did that.  Thanks.

@VigII posted:

This is why I converted our travel Bonfire to dual fuel.

I did not need to see that

Are those ceramic logs? I second the request for more details on the conversion!

Must...fight...urge...to...spend...

They are indeed ceramic logs and I will follow up with pictures of my propane modifications to my Bonfire pit with their screen. Until I get the chance to take some pictures, here's the materials I used. It's straight forward to me and everything goes together in a few minutes. The only mod to the pit was to cut the hole through the side of the pit so the bottom of the hole was nearly flush with the top of the perforated pit floor. The mod wasn't inexpensive the purpose was to have a Bonfire flame with propane. I'd recommend reading up on risks of building DIY propane fire pits and accumulate returned parts a cheaper prices.

• Stanbroil Stainless Steel 18" Round Flat Fire Pit Burner Pan w/12 Fire Ring Installed, BTU 92,000 Max
• Stanbroil 1/2" OD x 3/8" ID 24" Non-Whistle Flexible Flex Gas Line Connector Kit for NG or LP Fire Pit and Fireplace
• Skyflame 8 Small Piece Set of Ceramic Wood Logs and Accessories for All Types of Indoor Gas Inserts, Ventless & Vent Free, Propane, Gel, Ethanol, Electric or Outdoor Fireplaces & Fire Pits
• Stanbroil Liquid Propane Fire Pits 1/2" Air Mixer Valve - High Capacity 90K BTU Stainless Steel
• Gas One 4 ft High Pressure Propane 0-20 PSI Adjustable Regulator with QCC-1 type Hose - Works With Newer U.S. Propane Tanks
• Stanbroil 24pcs Light Weight Ceramic Fiber Pebble Stones for Fire Pit and Fireplace - Grey

VigII.......Thanks for the detail.  Question about the hole you needed to make for the propane line.  When you use wood in your Bonfire is there any flame that protrudes from that hole?  Thanks again.  Paul

No, just a glow is all I see. The hole transects the double wall side of the pit just above the perforated interior base. This space produces the superheated air that spontaneously ignites any escaping smoke at the top of the pit, where one sees thee secondary burn in the op. The pit design produces so much draft the hole feeds air. However I do plug the hole with a electrical box knockout cover. I use a S-type  cover because it's easy on/off. https://www.morrisproducts.com...43E3B7209EE61602D773

Here is a picture of the pit burning wood without the hole covered.

VigII......thanks for the info and video.  This project may be in my future.

Speaking of Solo Stove accessories... A nice new one is available... A cast-iron grill:

The picture above is from the solostove.com website.  They just started shipping the pre-orders.  I pre-ordered a while back, and mine arrived this week.  I haven't had a chance to use yet, but it looks pretty good.  The casting has some little bit rough areas that I'll sand on to smooth out. Then I want to season up the cast-iron before I cook on it.

As was said earlier, I'll state once again, pricey, but very cool stuff.  I think this will add some cool versatility for the campsite.

Les found this thread for me because I was telling him about my new Solo Stove "Campfire" (that's the model name). I travel alone and I LOVE a campfire...best part of camping for me! Anyway, in the past, by the time I get a regular wood campfire going good, I'm ready for bed - waste of wood and time!

Over the years, I've had a Little Red (propane) Campfire and a Flame Genie (built exactly like the Solo, except uses pellets). Little Red - on the heavier and bulky side and you have to schlepp an extra propane tank (heavy). Flame Genie - burns through pellets really fast; pellets are heavy; non-cooking pellets are difficult to find on the road.

Now I'm giving this Solo Stove Campfire a try - the largest of the stoves, but nowhere near close to the largest of the campfires. It weighs in at 2.2 lbs! It's meant to burn with twigs and sticks and leaves. I bought wood chunks online and the pic below was using 1 Weber fire starter cube, 2 fatwood sticks, and 2 pieces of chunk hardwood. So far, so good - perfect for me, as a Solo (pun intended) traveler! (the black thing is the Flame Genie). Happy Camper here in NW TN. Real World experience to follow!

We are giving the Bonfire a try at home on the deck. I have it on casters and use a hot water heat aluminum pan as a lid. So Far so good.

I've had the Solo Stove Ranger unit for about a year. I got the package that include a carry bag, safety spark screen, and the ring to elevate it. I've used it on the grass in my backyard with absolutely no damage. It's so nice to have a portable fire pit.

Saw something similar called a HotShot at Costco a couple nights ago. I think it was $279 in store. Sure seemed heavy. Not sure if it’s a knockoff.

https://www.costco.com/hotshot...oduct.100804326.html

Alternate product idea here.

Before I knew about the Solo product (my brother has a Solo Yukon in his backyard and that bad boy does a great job of completely burning wood mostly smoke free), I picked up a Pop Up Firepit from Fireside Outdoor, also mostly smoke free. Kind of like one of those collapsible chairs you travel with or use around the campfire.

With the heat shield and ember mat, it's a  great lightweight, ground safe firepit that fully burns wood, manufactured logs, and charcoal (they have available cooking grates sized to fit).

I'm not sure if the BLM or US Forest Service officially weighed in on it, but at the time I bought ours the claim was that they are BLM and USFS approved.

They have occasional sales, the best usually before the Christmas season. Here's a link: https://firesideoutdoor.com/co.../products/pop-up-pit

Note: While I love our pop up firepit, I am not associated with the company and I do not sell the product or profit in any way from them except from the enjoyment of an excellent campfire.

@VigII posted:

Got the pizza oven mod worked out!

What are you using for the "pan?"