Solo Stove Lite Camping Stove - UK Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- For more information about the safe use of camping stoves please check out the Camping and Caravanning Club's information sheet here: www.campingand...
To check the latest price and buy a Solo Stove Lite + Pot 900 Combo, please see:
UK Amazon: amzn.to/34H881f
US Amazon: amzn.to/2YKwl2Z
The Alcohol burner is separate purchase:
UK Amazon: amzn.to/2D8UetF
US Amazon: amzn.to/2EBgtcb
Bioethanol camping stove fuel (fireplace BioEthanol is exactly the same liquid):
UK Amazon: amzn.to/2ENS7M0
US Amazon: amzn.to/34FY2xF
It looks like the Bioethanol firelighting gel is no longer produced, so check out these cool natural firelighters instead:
UK Amazon: amzn.to/32E8NxQ
US Amazon: amzn.to/2D5RVay
Biolite camping stove (with the USB charging facility)
UK Amazon: amzn.to/3jpzOfq
US Amazon: amzn.to/3lrCTxk
n.b. These are affiliate links upon which I earn a modest commission. However, please be assured that I will only recommend products I would personally buy and use myself.
For my video on how to make your own wood fuel for a wood gas stove, please see: • How to make kindling /...
In this video I check out the smallest of the Solo Stove line-up, the Solo Stove Lite. I try it using the alcohol burner, and then by using wood. Is this the perfect camping stove - providing the best of both worlds?
You can use your wood gas stove indoor if you have an alcohol burner inside of it burning. You just need to crack open a window. If you rub dawn all over your pot and let it dry overnight all you have to do it wipe the soot off, and it will come off easily with the dawn coat all over it when using your gasifier in wood mode. I love that with liquid fuel, no soot. You can also pour liquid fuel all over the twigs, and pellets, over night in a container, or sterno gel. It can burn the wood, and alcohol all at once, and no sooty mess. You can even use purell hand sanitizer to soak pellets, or twigs in too. Use a mini stainless steel vegetable steamer to hold the wood pellets, or they will fall below the grate of the gasifier stove. I hope this helps! :) Best of both worlds there. :)
Wonderful job, Andrew! That was a great explanation of a brilliantly useful product, coupled with real-life examples of actually seeing it in action. You actually cooked a complete and tasty meal on such a small device. That speaks volumes.
Cheers Gary!
Its a great little stove. I have used it for four years now and I´m really happy with it. This nice stove also accompanied me on an 18-month-bicycle-trip and did a great job then. I use it not only for cooking some coffee but also for proper meals and I must say it performs pretty well in both situations. Specially the little amount of wood what you need, I find really incredible. I guess this stove lasts a life time. Thanks for the nice rewiew.
hey andrew! great video! these stoves are super fun to use and are great for when you find yourself in a pinch. one thing i'd like to mention however, is that i noticed you poured water in the stove to extinguish it. i've done this with some of my stoves when i needed them cool and empty quickly, but i would not recommend doing so if you can help it, especially with that particular model. adding water to ash can create a goopy mess, and if you don't clean all the goop out it can dry inside and clog your stove. you see, the solo stove lite has many internal pathways for air to travel which is why the stove burns so efficiently. if one were to bisect the stove, you'd notice that there are actually 3 bottoms. the base of the stove, another bottom with a hole to provide the lower internal air ports with airflow, and the ash pan itself. if you get dried goop in between these layers, you'd be hard pressed to clean it out properly. so unless its a life or death situation, i'd simply allow it to burn itself out.
I’ve used this stove and it really is brilliant , it boiled snow at -8 the pot stand is also a wind shield . Great review !
Woo-hoo! Great to hear from another satisfied user. Cheers Peter!
Thanks for the video. I think it is also worth pointing out that any stove that uses wood will create quite a bit of black soot on your pot. This means there is an added step of cleaning up the outside of your pot and stove before packing them away. Stoves that use propane or butane tend to burn much cleaner. Of course, the big advantage of the Solo stove is the ability to use fuel you collect in the wild, saving both money and weight.
What an impressive bit of kit. I'm actually quite tempted, but often just take a flask of tea!
That works too, I use a sealed thermal mug when on the road. But i have a 2-day car trip ahead down to Bavaria to pick up this camper van...
Fantabulous review!
Like you I started with BioLite about 4 years ago (gift from wifey). Also have the grill attachment.
Got the Solo Stove Lite, alcohol burner and pot Christmas 2016.
Wifey was so impressed, for my Birthday this year she purchased the Solo Stove Titan and Pot (family backpacking and car camping)
In the 2017 car camping and backpacking season it was only BioLite, Grill attachment and Solo Stove, alcohol burner and pot. 2018 season will be the same.
I feel so sad for my Coleman white gas car camping stove, it has not seen a camping trip in 2 years.
Thanks Doug! Sounds like you have a wonderful wifey indeed! :)
It’s a great piece of kit. Have had it with me on many trips now and served me well. I’d advice on getting a small wind screen to keep the temperature easier to manage, and make for more consistent cooking.
The meal you made looks absolutely amazing
Thanks Daryl!
Hi Andrew hope your ok! Nice to see your doing well 17000 subs now!!! What a top bloke you are,like watching your films
Cheers Darren!
Andrew, I am glad to see you back in Airstream! That's where you belong.
Love the star of the show.
Sweet little one.
Charming review, ive been looking at these stoves for a while, going to treat myself to this great stove. thanks for such a calm and refreshing review. A pleasure to watch.
Thank YOU! I've been using it ever since (mostly on alcohol) and am still loving it! Every time I make a tea or coffee out of the back of the car I think that that is another £2.50 towards the price of it :)
Been using this stove for years. My goto stove since they came on the market. I bought the gas stove separate, because it came out a couple years after the original stove. I have a video of using this one in the rain-where it worked just fine. Once you get the base hot enough, it burns wet twigs just fine!
Love the dog! Nice review. Thanks.
Hi Andrew, Fabulous review, covered all features & benefits, did a practical demonstration, honest opinion, you Sir are the best at what you do!
You maintain your slim appearance, staying very fit 😜in thoes black leather pants 😍!!!
There's a method in my madness Bob. I'm too mean to buy new leather pants so I have to make sure I can always fit in these! This pair is 25 years old now. Gees I feel OLD!!! :)
Looks a handy piece of kit Andrew. Nice and compact too. atb Andy 👍👍
I’ve got one of these had it over two years now and love it!
Excellent! Great to hear Jo Ann :)
What a cracking little back up stove or solo tent camp stove!! Might just check this one out......but I do like the Biolite....ooh choices!!!
Versatility vs slightly faster cooking & USB charging. I like the fact I can power the Solo Stove with an alcohol burner for that crafty coffee on the tailgate of the truck in a motorway service area ;@)
As always, I liked before i watch the video. Keep going sir!
Lovely video. Great little product and very compact when stowed away. 👍
Love a good stove! Had a trangia for about 25 years and while now use it on gas retain the alcohol burner if required :-)
I got , solo lite/ svea NC 68 fits perfect 👌
Also try making the fancy feast stove. The carbon felt inside will keep the stove going, plus you can use it in the gasifier stove. :)
Nice bit of kit! I use rocket stoves myself, have done for aeons :) free fuel and no chopping logs. (All my cooking is outside). Yesterday I took delivery of a Kelly kettle (think rocket stove with a water jacket), I got the base camp version 1.6 litres, and of course, as soon as it was unpacked I was making coffee. I was impressed that it boils as quickly as an electric kettle, I guess we know what I'll be using every day now :)
Cheers Mike! My dear friend Dr Mike P is also a huge fan of the Kelly Kettle and we use that when in his woodland... the downside being it is a single purpose piece of kit, whereas the Rocket Stove and Solo Stove are far more versatile. This demo was done using scavenged twigs, but I do find it therapeutic to make up the fuel with a saw and froe & mallet! It's just great using this kind of thing, isn't it? All the best.
So much more sophisticated than the Primusstove I used to use
Hello Andrew, I just watched this video and if you are burning alcohol indoors, I highly suggest denatured alcohol or straight methyl alcohol as it burns much cleaner and produces almost zero soot.
Hi Andrew, love the videos that you generate. I am a great fan of the stove that can charge via USB, saw that when it was first produced a good few years ago. I use the Trangia meths stove set up, and am thinking to go with a gas coversion of the stove, Ifind that the meths is a little to uncontrollable. But I am really impressed with the Jet Boil system, so efficient. I too retired early at 52, after 34 years in the same job, offer I couldn't result, plus it was getting very heavy, and pressure was mounting. Really conected with your last video about issues with van lifing, I've always been a camper, mainly the Cairngorms, many a time on my motorbike, and the French Alps/Provence, both paces booked again this year. AND, in a weeks time ,my son and I are hiring a VW Cali for a long weekend in bonny Scotland, it was always a plan to buy one, so we are trying one first, but my goodness how expensive are they ??!!! All the best for your future trips, and will keep an eye out for your rig if, and defo, when we do that long planned trip to the O Hebridies.
Cheers John! Yes, Cali's are not cheap, are they? Jet boils are obviously much quicker than this stove, but I like the versatility of this one. I'm hoping to get a bit more motorcycle camping in this year, since last year I proved I can take Dougal AND all the camping gear on the bike. But as it has to be dry weather and I don't like carrying Dougal long distances, they won't be as far as the French Alps! All the best.
The best and only stove I ever want to use is my Trangia set. Two pots, one pan, gas or fluid, very stabld and compact, perfect in high wind ...
Nothing beats it - for me. Been using it for 15 years now.
Great little stove! Wanted to share a tip..... If you put the salt right after pouring the water for cooking meals..... the salt makes the water boil quicker :)
Top tip, thank you!
Oooo shiny new must have stove for camping ☺ loved this ☺ thanks!
Cheers! :)
Lovely insight Andrew. As always 😊
It is a very good video. I learn how to use this stove properly from your video. Thank you very much
Very useful information, nice to see the demo. 👍
That’s looks a great little stove! Don’t know why it got all those thumbs down!
Love your honest reviews. We are currently looking for products that will make our van life easier... and this looks awesome. I've considered the biolite stove, as well, but love the versatility of this one.
Yes, I'll not be getting rid of the BioLite just yet, but I do love the versatility of this one too.
It looks far better than my trangia stove!
I watched it and thought. I think I will keep my Trangia. 2 saucepansd, a frying pan and a kettle. I think the Trangia would be able to withstand really bad weather better as well.
Just the review I was looking for. In the market for a wood gas stove and this one fits the bill. Thanks. I’ll have a look at your other vids now.
Hi Andrew. We use natural firefighters which would be good to fire up your stove. They are very Green, and look like mini Shredded Wheat. Easy to find on the internet but I can’t remember the details. Thanks once again for your videos. Looking forward to your next van adventure.
Hi Keith, when searching for the firelighting gel I saw that it was no longer available, and I found these little 'Shredded Wheats' instead. I haven't tried them yet but linked to them below the vid, so it's nice to hear from you that they work well. Cheers!
I can confirm the little waxed wood firelighters are great use them on the home wood burner stove all the time.
Came for the stove review; stayed for the pup.
Nice honest review, and it looks like a good product.
Wow what a great , clear, informative video....thank you very much!
I have one of these, also a Ghillie Kettle. The Ghillie is UK made, you can boil 300ml of water in 4 minutes. The trick is..... get it started with twiglets only, say 3-4mm dia by say 3" long, also a couple of screwed up balls of waste paper underneath to get it going. I find this stove a bit slow and can be a bit of a pig to get going but its well made and you can cook on it also
Great video again Andrew , looks like a really nice little camping stove , i like the idea of duel fuel use , especially wood 👍🙏
Excellent review! Love the way it packs away into itself, so small and practical. Think I will invest.
Cheers John! Been using it 'in anger' on this current trip and I am still delighted with it, both on wood and alcohol.
Use it in many trips and expeditions for several years already...best cooking kit
FB kayak cobber
Hi Andrew nice little kit to have with u when u out and about ideal for day trips out very good review looks like u put a lot of effort into the video good work all the best .kev
Thanks Kev!
Great review with humour and integrity as always, thanks Andrew .. it’s on the list between camera and gimbal 😬
Cheers! More toys for the list :)
The way Dougal looked 😂😂
Gracking review Andrew, thank you.
Yay 👏👏👏Andrew .. well done!
Hi Andrew,greetings from deepest Macclesfield,great vid,the Zippo of camping stoves.
Yes! A great comparison... I should have used my Zippo to light it! ;@)
Hi Andrew lve beem watching you for few months now and love your attitude and love your honestly and realism in your vlogs.love dougal xxx l have 7 year old JRT called Poppy xx x
Aww, I bet Poppy is as adorable as Dougal (who will be 7 in June)
I bought a generic version of this on eBay, delivered for just over £10, very well made, and much cheaper than £50 for the original version.
They need a spacer for the top, as when burning wood they produce a rocket stove length of flame ,I simple used a suitable stainless pot (an empty paint tin is probably lighter mind) with the bottom cut off.
Now it cooks using much closer to the hottest part of the flame, and it would be even quicker with a wind shroud, I will be adding one next.
Absolutely astonishing heat generated by the rocket design with secondary heated air added, cannot recommend this type enough.
Nice job Andrew. Just a bit tough on the knees.😉
This looks great 😃
Jetboil! Life changing
This stove is based on an old model my parents used back in the 1950
Small alcohol stoves are a pain in the a**, dangerous in tents.
In this case the pot itself looks easy to overturn.
As far as I know there is no gasoline tax on camping gas. Actual the cheapest fuel. On the backside, camping gas does not scare away mosquitos
Very good, Thank you very much
Good Review.. Check out the Firebox stove - they have plenty of videos on YouT. They have a large and small. I've had the large one (heavy) for about a year and it is a brilliant piece of kit. It is so versatile as well as bullet proof...
Sounds good Terry, I shall! I had a folding Fire box a few years back from a Teepee company which cost me £80 and rusted to nothing in just one season. I'd love something for evening camp fires that doesn't take up a lot of space. Cheers!
www.fireboxstove.com linky. I'm not affiliated but find it highly unlikely that as you say "rusted to nothing in just one season" . The Firebox i have is way to stout to rust to nothing in just one season....l . Cha Cha Cheers..
Thanks for the link Terry. I've had a look and this is very different to the much larger (and less durable) unit I used some years ago. I'm liking the look of the Firebox and see you can use an alcohol burner too, but while you have the advantage of being foldable and portable, it doesn't do the secondary burn of the wood gas. So many tough choices!
Just had a stray thought: Have you ever warmed up food for Dougal? Saw the stove, cooking dinner, cuppa. Then Dougal popped into my thoughts. Or does he even care the temp of food? Good kibble, good enough, regular enough.
The link to the stove is gone. Everything is sold separately now and you can’t find the alcohol stove anywhere anymore!
Very interesting. But seeing the high flames, I feel this is not for me. Which is useful to know.
A bit too scary.
Also, the shop that sells these stoves in my country say not to put it directly on a wooden surface.
looks very good.
I just ordered a solo stove lite. I didn't know they included a gas fuel regulator.....I thought it was just a wood burning stove! Two foe one!
I'm going to buy one! 😃👍
What a great product. This would be ideal for hiking etc. Ah you've joined the Stiff joints club. Welcome there is no subscription but we do accept payment in kind LOL. J&P.
Trouble is, the older you get the only lubrication you want for those joints is nothing stronger than tea! :-/
I live in Scotland and I'm getting into bikepacking and becoming more accustomed to camping etc. I bought this on the basis that it was quite versatile in that, you could just use natural material to burn (providing its dry). However, I've had a nightmare trying to get a continuous light going that is enough to boil water cook anything with biomass found in a local forest. I invested in trangia spirit burner too with denatured alcohol but I cant help but feel I'm totally detracting away from what the solo stove is geared for.
Tell me I'v not made an ill informed purchase 😄
Great review by the way. Perhaps the gel is the way forward
To be honest, it's hard finding biomass that is dry enough in Scotland. Maybe if we get a good summer and a long dry spell you'll be fine, but denatured alcohol is a good back-up. Try pine cones late summer - they are awesome. I don't think you've made a bad purchase - just accept that wetter climates are never going to yield much usable fuel.
I have the camp fire solo stove. And it's very good.
It was used to boil water on the picket line. We was on strike, I was keeping it going from 0530 to about 8 am when we lucky had help from a units electric. Kind of them..
Focus shift... Where are those Greek beans from, Andrew ? Inspired!
I got them in Lidl Deborah. They only have them on occasion so I buy up 10 tins at a time! In the US you can buy them at Trader Joe's... or in any Greek Deli :)
Dougal looked a bit scared as soon as you started messing with your new cooking toy so shifted to another area..............just in case you set the ''house'' on fire!! lol
Ok,,,,putting on the grocery list: Greek Beans,,,,,,never heard of them! Also,,,,I am soooo frugal! I would much rather pay for something ONCE than buy it every two years! When I make a big purchase (anything over $20) I plan on handing it down to my grandchildren! It better last longer than I will! Haha
Just to say you can buy a lookalike for £17.00 which works perfectly!
well done
Great little video but had I crouched down that long like you did outside, I would have required help getting up. What is with the dislikes? I don't get it? Good video technique, good editing and honest opinion. I'm mystified.
Thank you. I'm pretty sure there is a sad army of haters who just thumb-down everything to compensate for their own inadequacies. What a pity they are not accountable - I wonder if they would be so brave if they were? As for the getting up, I have ordered myself a crane.... ;@)
There's always a knucklehead or 12 (as of now) around.
Great stove review and good cooking demo too, I,m really getting into these veggie meals. I,m certainly a convert to Courgette noodles from a previous video. Was that dairy free cheese?
It was Tim. Some folks can't stand it but I find it OK on pasta meals etc.
Nice vid Andrew. I remember that video ages ago! Have you ever tried Trangea (think I’ve said that wrong!) and Jet boil’s are quite good would be good for hikes. Cheers Oliver
Cheers Oliver. I remember Trangias from my DofE Expedition days! Great stoves, but the advantage this one has is that you can use scavenged wood as well, so it's two for the price of one! Jetboils are cool too, but again a 'single purpose' item. Cheers!
Hi Andrew...I have forgot what date is it you go on your next adventure to Croatia? Looking forward to following it
Leaving tomorrow (saturday) Ann! :)
i have a fake jetboil kettle, and a 'army' mess tin, with 500ml of water on the gas powered stove both take around 4 minutes and boil withing seconds of each other, so a flat bottom on a flame is just as efficient as a heat collector design on a flame. my gas stove says its around 5kw, so if any of that math is true, then i think you must have boiled that water using around 2-2.5kw, which is not bad at all.
I mean to revisit my ''experiment'' to see if the heat collector design wins over a flat bottom on a lower input of heat, as i just had the thought that maybe i was hitting it with so much heat its ''improved design'' wasnt as effective
Interesting stuff, cheers!
Nice product Andrew. Who marked the back of your van
That's just road dirt Tony, needs a wash!
At 3.00 Mmm tin can! At 3.12 empty tin can, boring dad. Great little stove though. Makes all the mod cons in caravans and campers a bit dull really ;-)
Hi can you use alcohol burner in the bigger solo stove
Ouuu...so fancy.
Very nifty!
Hiya Andrew, d'you have an affiliate link which goes to a UK site? I was thinking of buying this for autumn adventures, but the link in your description is for the US site.
Aww, thanks for trying! No, there is only the US site where you then have to pay shipping. Solo Stove asked me not to link to Amazon in the UK so I'm respecting their wishes as they were kind enough to send me the stove. Cheers!
Anyone know what this stove is like in windy conditions? I generally use gas but am looking for an alcohol stove system, possibly solo or Trangi, needs to be able to perform at the foot of Munro’s in windy conditions. Any thoughts?
the only thing that i noticed about that new stove was, when you wanted to drop the lit alcohol part into the cylinder, a little awkward. could it be lit after you drop it in ?
No, watch again! I dropped it in, THEN I lit it! :)
oh , yes i see it now . apologies . red faced .....;)
;@)
Is there a risk of carbon monoxide inside the caravan with the alcohol burner?
Yes, as with any open flame including LPG. You always need good ventilation!
Looks like his homemade lunch caught up with him at the end of the video...
Hi Andrew. Once cooled down, was it easy to clean out?
Looks Fab. 7 minutes is very quick for it's size 😃
Yes! Once the ash was cold I just turned it upside down under a hedge and gave it a shake. The kettle comes up fine with a nylon pad on the soot.
I'm sure you mean you emptied it into a firesafe container... Smokey the Bear would not be impressed with stashing embers, however cold, under brush :-)
Smokey Bear does not live in the very WET and damp UK! ;@) Naturally I'd not do that if we'd had a week without rain, which last happened in 1976.
To get rid of the soot, vinegar works very well
Great to know, thanks Walter!
Can you use the alcohol burner with just the pot stand?
Yes, you can use your own pan.
How long would you say the cool down time is on average to be safe to pack away?
Hi David, I'm sorry but I just cannot remember right now. Not used it in a while. I know that when using the spirit burner it's well cool enough by the time I've finished my cuppa. Cheers!
Wood gasification? That looked like just burning wood. I don't understand.
Leather trousers with lumberjack shirt.
Have you ever used or considered the Kelly kettle Andrew?
Indeed I have Darren, and my woodland-owning friend uses his all the time. But it is a little too 'single purpose' for my needs... I can boil up tea AND make dinner on the Solo Stove :)
Andrew Ditton ah but some of them have a cooking pot attachment so you Can make tea at the same time as cooking your lunch
th-cam.com/video/lw35RppVwcQ/w-d-xo.html. Kelly kettle base camp kit
Commonly known as a rocket stove. Voted!
Wood, charcoal, or propane. All I need.
This could very easily tempt me away from my Trangia triangle.
Brits like their tea as much as Americans like their coffee. Lol
Oh yes!