Smokeless campfire

[naturist]

So who among us doesn't love a campfire? It's one of the joys of being out in the woods, isn't it? Even if you are in a campground at some independent private place where your neighbors are only a spitball's distance away on either side, as well as behind and across the road.

And who amongst us doesn't find the smoke seriously annoying, especially when you get a little green wood in there and the smoke chases you around and around that fire? I thought so.

So for Christmas I got a Solo Stove Bonfire. I've now had it out and built a couple campfires in it, and I'm satisfied, indeed, impressed. Even with a little wet wood, it was impressively smoke-free. I'll post a video soon, but there are others on Youtube already. I was also astonished at how much heat this thing throws off. The heat is all off the flames, which themselves are glorious to behold, and I'm thinking this would make a great stove/heater inside a teepee or a yurt.

clicky

[naturist]

JimBollman wrote:
I have used it on my wood deck with just a pizza pan upside down under it with no problems.

dedmiston wrote:

I'll have to try the pizza pan. That's a great idea.

Or, heck, three rocks of roughly the same height. I haven't attempted to measure the temperature of the bottom, but the sides just above the air holes hit all of 135°F according to my IR thermometer.

BTW, I saw a circular Weber cooking grate as a replacement for one of their 22.5 inch charcoal grills for $10 at Lowe's this afternoon. I brought it home, and see that it fits perfectly atop the ring that goes on top of the Solo stove. I'm thinking that after the wood has burned down to coals, when wood fires are best for cooking anyway, that it might just be the perfect accessory to do a fine dinner. I'll have to test that theory next week when we go camping.

[pnichols]

We pack one of these along with us in our small Class C RV, along with a 20 gal propane tank to fuel it for many hours, so no need to find or carry along wood.

It has bricks that get hot from the flames and then radiate heat for great warmth while we sit around it. We can also roast hotdogs and marshmallows over it's hot bricks and flames.

We haven't found any camping places where use of a propane firepit isn't allowed: https://www.amazon.com/Outland-Firebowl-893-Portable-Diameter/dp/B00KY4S388/ref=sr_1_2?s=lawn-garden...

[dedmiston]

JimBollman wrote:
I have used it on my wood deck with just a pizza pan upside down under it with no problems.

I'll have to try the pizza pan. That's a great idea.

[naturist]

Flan wrote:
Seasoned wood is key. A lot of the overpriced, bagged “kiln dried” garbage they sell at the campgrounds end up smoking a lot more then the mill ends or scrap pallet material I prefer to use.

For an open fire really dry wood is indeed crucial. The more water, the smokier the fire, but even bone dry wood still smokes some in an open fire. Last time I fired up the stove, I used some wet pine, cut to make a little log cabin 20 years ago, but left uncovered in a pile after cutting into firewood a year ago. It was sufficiently wet it barely burned, but even that wood produced no smoke.

So, yeah, might be too expensive for some folks, but I like it enough to spring for it just to avoid smoking/stinking up the neighborhood. YMMV.

[FunnyCamper]

never a campfire fan and hate smoke etc

but I am also not a fire fan, just don't need it 🙂 so I wouldn't bother 'carrying more stuff' around just to have a smokeless fire BUT VERY cool for those who want it! Nice contraption!

[Halmfamily]

Cool product but for $300 I'll pass

[JimBollman]

I have the Large Solo stove and use it for a mini smokeless campfire. Since I have a small truck camper with limited space it works well for me. I just cut up scrap lumber into small chunks 1-2" X 3-5" and store them in plastic pails with lids. I carry the stove and enough fuel for a couple of fires in one and if it is a longer trip I slide a second one in. They store in the wheel well storage. There is always small sticks and stuff in the camping area to supplement.

It works great, maybe a couple of minutes of smoke till the gasifier kicks in then very clean burning. I have used it on my wood deck with just a pizza pan upside down under it with no problems.

A friend has the Big Campfire model and loves it.

[Flan]

Seasoned wood is key. A lot of the overpriced, bagged “kiln dried” garbage they sell at the campgrounds end up smoking a lot more then the mill ends or scrap pallet material I prefer to use.

[naturist]

dedmiston wrote:
I gave my wife one of these for Christmas. We've only used it twice so far, but I absolutely love it. A lot of my friends have wash tubs and they're kind of a mess when it's time to pack up and leave. This Solo tub burns very clean. The next morning, all you have is very fine ash. It's pretty easy to dump it out, and then you put it in the travel bag and load it back into the trailer.

I'd like to use it at home too, but I'm nervous about burning a hole in the lawn.

I set mine on some grass at home and fired it up. It didn't burn a hole in the grass, although there was some wilting. If there's a Tractor Supply nearby, swing through there and spend $5 or so to get 3 wood stove fire bricks. Set the stove on those, and burn your campfire in peace, knowing it won't even wilt the lawn.

[dedmiston]

I gave my wife one of these for Christmas. We've only used it twice so far, but I absolutely love it. A lot of my friends have wash tubs and they're kind of a mess when it's time to pack up and leave. This Solo tub burns very clean. The next morning, all you have is very fine ash. It's pretty easy to dump it out, and then you put it in the travel bag and load it back into the trailer.

I'd like to use it at home too, but I'm nervous about burning a hole in the lawn.

[bukhrn]

The Redneck version is an old washer or dryer tub, not as pretty, but a whole lot cheaper. :B

[fj12ryder]

Looks like it works pretty well, but then that's advertising. But anything that makes a non-smoking fire is a good thing. One of the worst things about campgrounds are those smoking fires. Stink-o.

[SidecarFlip]

They say smoke follows beauty. Appreciate it....