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Solo Stove Ranger Review – Is It Worth $200?

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Solo Stove Ranger Review

The Solo Stove Ranger is an awesome backyard firepit with some amazing features…

It burns cleaner and gives off less smoke than a traditional firepit.

But is it worth the premium price?

Kayla and I fell in love with Solo Stoves, and we’ll explain the benefits (and drawbacks) of owning one so you can decide if it’s right for you.

Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

Solo Stove Ranger Review Video

Don’t care for reading? Here’s a great review we found on YouTube you can check out:

Not convinced yet? Keep reading.

Solo Stove: How It Works

To see how to use your Solo Stove, here’s a how-to video made by Solo Stove themselves:

The Solo Stove Ranger – and all of their other products – produce a hotter fire and less smoke using a unique airflow system.

Thanks to the holes in the bottom and inside of the fire pit, cold air is pulled in by the flames, then split in two directions.

Half of it goes under the fire to feed the embers, and the other half is heated through the sidewalls and comes out of the holes in the upper chamber, causing secondary combustion of the fire.

Here’s a visual:

How Solo Stove Bonfire Works

They also have bottom vent holes under your logs so oxygen can be fed directly into the bottom of the embers, resulting in a hotter burn.

A hotter burn means less ash – and you can easily clean out anything that happens to be left by tilting the fire pit upside down and giving it a little shake! (There’s an ash pan underneath the logs).

The Ranger Benefits

Solo Stove Benefits

The Solo Stove Ranger fire pit has a modern stainless steel design, burns hotter than a regular fire, and makes fire-starting easier thanks to the walls that block the wind. It’s made of military-grade 304 stainless steel.

But more than that, this outdoor fire pit has three main benefits:

1. Hotter Fire & Less Smoke Means No Campfire Smell!

Have you ever spent the night around a fire, then smelled like thick smoke for the rest of the day – so strong that your significant other didn’t want to lay next to you?

You know, the kind of smoke smell where you have to wash your clothes and scrub yourself hard in the shower to get it out.

With the Solo Stove Ranger, your clothes won’t smell like smoke!

One of Solo Stove’s key features is their patented air-intake system that allows for hotter air to feed the fire, causing a “secondary combustion”, resulting in a hotter fire – and less smoke.

And it actually works!

Solo Stove Bonfire Lit

Note that low smoke doesn’t mean NO smoke!

You will still see smoke coming from the fire, especially when you first light it while the smaller twigs first start burning. However, Kayla and I have found that there is significantly less smoke than a regular campfire (almost none) and this helps a lot with the campfire smell.

2. Lifetime Guarantee

All Solo Stove products are made out of 304 stainless steel. That stainless steel construction makes it pretty darn durable.

However, unlike other fire pits on the market, it’s not made of cast iron – and thus isn’t as heavy or as durable. So it’s better to be a bit gentler with it rather than tossing logs in willy-nilly.

But, if you do somehow break it, you’re covered by a lifetime guarantee. Not 10 years. Not 100 years. You’ll have this thing till the day you die! (And I’d bet your kids and even your kids’ kids will, too.)

Solo Stove Lifetime Guarantee

3. Portable Enough to Take RVing or Tailgating

Our favorite feature of the Ranger! Thanks to its lightweight design (it’s only 15 pounds) and the durable carrying case it comes with, you can easily bring your Bonfire in your RV camping, or to any tailgating events!

Kayla and I personally love sitting at a campsite, getting comments from passers-by on how cool our Solo Stove is, and asking where they can get one!

The Drawbacks

No product is perfect (although some certainly come close)!

It was hard for us to come up with cons to the Solo Stove Bonfire. But there are a few, and we wanted to have an honest review. So let’s talk cons.

1. You Can’t Really Cook Over It

Unlike Solo Stove’s smaller portable fire pits – the Mesa, the Titan, and the Campfire – you can’t easily cook over the Bonfire. (Other than hot dogs and marshmallows; it’s not a fire without s’mores!)

The reason is that you can’t disassemble it. It’s all in one piece. So if any food falls in – like sauce or burger juices – it can be a pain to clean it out.

It also doesn’t have prongs over it like the smaller Solo Stoves do, so if you DID want to cook over it, you’d have to get a grill grate.

Even then, I’d only recommend cooking in pots or pans, not directly over the flame (again, to avoid any hard-to-clean foods falling in).

2. It’s Pricey

Let’s face it – you’re still spending $200+ for a fire pit. Even if it is a super awesome, techy, minimalist, lifetime-guaranteed fire pit.

3. Some People Complain About Rust

While Kayla and I have yet to experience any rust on our unit after several years, some reviewers have complained about theirs rusting.

If yours rusts, it’s covered by the lifetime guarantee!

Those are really the only cons we could come up with. This thing is awesome and it’s easy to see why they have thousands of 5-star reviews.

Other Customer Reviews

Speaking of reviews, here are some things Solo Stove’s customers are saying about the Ranger (taken from Amazon):

Solo Stove products rock!

I now have every model Solo Stove manufactures apart from the Yukon and that will join the family once I save up for it. I also have the firesteels which are amazing.

Great products, well made and work as described.

Lighting a fire is a cinch and once these things get burning, they are an inferno. My Bonfire goes through logs as if they were paper so be prepared to be prepared!

The Ranger is now our traveling companion for camping. Great products from a solid company with a lifetime warranty. What more can one ask for?

They’re not inexpensive but I’ve been through more than my share of lower-priced “fire pits” which only tie out to be money-burning pits. They rust out within a season or two at best, even with proper care.

These are heavy gauge stainless and our Bonfire stays out year-long at our cabin in the Catskills with no issues.

Wonderful, clean burning fire pit

I first experienced a solo fire pit at a friend’s party and was captivated by watching the inner workings and how it burned so cleanly and with almost a complete absence of smoke.

I purchased one for our personal use last year and enjoyed it all summer- easy to start, light, and portable.

More enjoyment because we were not being smoked out! This unit I just purchased as a gift. Purchase with confidence! It’s a bit of a splurge, but with this, you get what you pay for.

Just buy it!

I never quite realized how good it would be, and that was with high expectations given the price. Buy the stand as well.

Of course, there are a few critical reviews on Amazon showcasing some of the negatives of the Bonfire. 

Note that nearly all of these reviews are from 2017 and may have been addressed since then. Kayla and I haven’t seen any rust issues yet, but we’ve only used it a handful of times. We’ll update this post after a few months.

*Since buying our stove and using it a ton, we’ve still yet to see any rust issues! Of course, we put it away after nearly every use so it doesn’t sit out in the rain or get morning moisture, so we can’t speak to negligence.

Great idea but not rust-proof

This is not Rust proof. Mine rusted within 6 weeks in the summer. Here is the response from Solo Stove. Too expensive for something that can rust so easily. I prefer my cheaper use-and-throw models.304 Stainless Steel has a resistance to rust, however, it is not rust-proof. Normal wear, tear, rust, and corrosion, such as the burn chamber becoming black, rust occurring, and corrosion occurring, is not covered under warranty, as it is to be expected inside the burn chamber.

Enough customer reviews. Let’s answer some commonly asked questions!

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions we’ve personally been asked or seen others asking. Click any question to open a drop-down box with the answer.

Where can I use the Ranger?

In your backyard, on the back porch, outside your RV, at a campsite, tailgating – you name it!

As long as you’re outside, the world is your plaything.

Do I need to purchase anything extra to use it?

Nope! All you need is your bonfire, some logs, and kindling to get it started.

What’s the difference between the Ranger and other Solo Stoves?

The Solo Stove Lite, Titan and Campfire are more portable and were designed for backpacking and campsite cooking.

The Solo Stove Bonfire was created to be an awesome fire pit for your backyard!

What kind of wood should I use?

Any firewood will do!

However, hardwoods like birch, maple, hickory and oak will burn longer than softwoods.

How many logs should I use?

You can fit ~4-6 normal sized logs inside without much fuss.

However, there’s no need to overfill it. You can always add more logs on later if you want more fire!

How do I clean the Ranger?

Since it’s all one piece, you might be wondering how to clean it.

From what we’ve found, there’s very little ash left over after a burn. All you have to do is tip your Bonfire upside down to dump the ash out – that’s it!

Do the sidewalls get hot? How long do I have to wait to pick it up?

Yes! The sidewalls get hot. Don’t pick it up in use or try to move it!

Wait until the fire is completely burnt out and the steel has had time to cool off. Usually 2-3 hours, depending on how hot it was.

Does the bottom get hot? Will it harm the grass underneath?

The bottom of the stove never gets hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

We’ve done several burns on grass in multiple locations, and it’s never hurt the grass any more than leaving something cold on the grass would.

Can I use it on a wood deck or porch?

Yes! Unlike a regular fire pit, the bottom of the stove never gets hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

That said, it should only be used outside. If your porch is enclosed or covered, you shouldn’t use it on the porch.

How close can I sleep next to this outdoor fire pit?

You can get fairly close (within 3 feet), but if you’re using a sleeping bag, I wouldn’t be within 4 feet due to risks of embers.

How do I go about cleaning and maintenance?

Cleaning and maintenance are easy! After a fire, just dump out the ashes – no need to wipe anything down.

Just be sure to store your wood stove in a cool, dry place when you’re done using it to avoid rust.

The Verdict: Who’s It For?

Overall, the Solo Stove Ranger fire pit is a high-quality, minimalist, portable backyard fire pit. For us, it was worth the money.

But it’s not for everyone.

The Solo Stove Ranger is for you if…

  • You don’t like smelling like a campfire every time you sit around one.
  • You need a portable fire pit that’s fairly lightweight to take RVing or tailgating.
  • You’re going to use it often enough to justify the price.
  • You just like having a cool ass bonfire in your backyard.

*If you’re looking for a portable stove to bring on camping trips, consider the Solo Stove Mesa or Solo Stove Bonfire instead.

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