Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0, Tested and Reviewed

I live in a small bungalow built in the ‘20s and, out of necessity, have created more living space by expanding into the backyard. One of the typical amenities of backyard living is a fire pit. Gathering around a fire at night feels comforting and communal on a primal level. I’ve owned a few fire pits over the years, but they’ve inevitably rusted out quickly and gone into the scrap pile. The other caveat: I live in hot, humid Florida. Outside of a few glorious months in the fall and winter, temperatures keep me from sitting around a flame.

When Solo Stove reached out for me to test the Bonfire 2.0, however, I gave it a go for a few reasons. It’s a smokeless fire pit and — fully knowing that smokeless fire pits aren’t truly without smoke — the innovation intrigued me. Made of stainless steel, this Solo Stove also seemed like a promising, rust-resistant option for my humid climate. And then it has the year-round potential with accessories for cooking, from cast iron skillets and grill tops to a pizza oven add-on. So, I set it up in the backyard to test it out.

Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Fire Pit

Is the Solo Stove Bonfire Really Smokeless?

First, let’s address this “burning” question. Though it’s a smokeless fire pit, the Bonfire 2.0 does produce smoke, but it’s a cleaner byproduct than what you’d get from a normal fire. The Bonfire has a convection design, which pulls the smoke back in for a second burn. It ignites the particulate in the smoke and then releases clean, white smoke. The convection also results in a more complete burn of your wood, leaving you with clean, white ash and very little unburned wood in the ashes. But to attain that somewhat nirvanic state of “smokelessness,” these pits require a full, roaring fire. When the fire is hot enough, you’ll see the convection start, visible as flames swirling around the pit’s top holes. As the fire burns down, the convection ebbs, and you’ll see more visible smoke rising. 

How I Use the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 

Extracting the Bonfire 2.0 from its form-fitting packaging took longer than getting it ready to burn. Assembly was simple: Place the base on the ground, put the pit on top of that, insert the ash pan, then place the grate on top of the ash pan. The final step, placing a ring on top of the pit for extra safety, required building the fire.

Burning is much more interesting, isn’t it? I started a small fire with some downed wood I found and a fire starter block. Since the wood was wet from recent rains, the smoke it produced was thick, black, and noxious. If you’re thinking that’s not quite what was advertised, you’re not wrong. But the Bonfire has a double-wall construction that creates convection, which re-burns the smoke.

As the flames grew higher, I saw the secondary burn process start, drawing air from below that superheats as it traveled up the pit’s walls, igniting the smoke as it left the top. A dancing ring of flame came out of the vent holes that evidenced the second burn, and the smoke that rose from the top was white and clean. We went from my neighbors coughing at my fire-starting efforts to clean smoke in about 15 minutes. The Bonfire 2.0 burns quickly, so keep a decent amount of fuel on hand, either cured wood or wood pellets (a separate pellet adapter is available for purchase). There are several accessories available like a stainless steel fire pit lid and a waterproof camping stove cover.

After letting the fire burn out, I checked the exterior temperature after 30 minutes, and it was cool enough to the touch that I could pick it up and move it. The wood burned almost entirely; only a few small, charred pieces remained in a clean, white ash pile. The ash pan made cleanup easy, just lift it out and empty it into the trash or compost and call it done. In the interest of no lingering smells, I took a garden hose to the pit and components to rinse any remnants.

I first tested the Bonfire 2.0 on a July afternoon with the temperature in the mid-90s and, while I saw potential in it, I knew I wouldn’t be using it for recreational purposes until at least November. So, I put it in its storage/carry bag and put it in my shed for a few months. This move wasn’t entirely to get the fire pit out of my way. I wanted to see what it looked like after living in the humidity for this time. I was pleased to see no rust developed while living in my leaky shed, and other than some discoloration from my initial testing, it was no worse for the wear. I left it outside for the winter, occasionally emptying it from collected rain, and I still saw no corrosion or even further discoloration.

What I Love About the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 

My favorite thing about the Bonfire 2.0 is the complete (or near complete) combustion of the wood. There is often little but feathery ash to clean up the next morning. The second best thing is the lift-out ash tray that allows you to just move the whole mess to wherever you plan on disposing of it. There’s no scooping required.

When I stored the fire pit, I used a wet/dry vac to remove any ashy remnants that might have escaped the ash tray to ensure there wasn’t anything to trap moisture during storage. I also gave the components a quick spray with a hose and let them dry in the sun so my shed didn’t smell like a wood fire. The carrying/storage bag makes the Bonfire 2.0 very easy to move around and keep all the pieces together. As I have a tendency to misplace crucial parts, this latter point is a big plus for me.

Performance-wise, I can say that you get out of the fire pit what you put into it. I tend to scrounge for downed branches for tinder and kindling. If you put musty, moldy wood into the fire, expect black smoke. If you use well-seasoned hardwood or pine, you’ll get a much more pleasant combustion and a more thorough secondary burn when you get the fire built up.

The Caveats

One thing worth noting about the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 is its efficiency in burning fuel. It’s perhaps too efficient. As I’ve said, to get the full “smokeless” benefit of this fire pit, you need a roaring fire to create the convection that creates the high heat to burn the smoke. That increased airflow and high heat also mean you’ll burn wood significantly faster than with other fire pit styles. As a loose guideline, consider having twice the wood on hand that you’d use for a more conventional pit over an evening.

Also, the Bonfire 2.0 measures 19.5 inches in diameter and is 17 inches tall. The standard length of firewood is 16 inches and that which you cut yourself may be longer. When adding wood, you may not be able to lay the piece down, depending on how your existing fire is arranged, and you might have some wood extending past the rim of the pit. In the interest of safety, that protruding log will require some close monitoring.

And while we’re on the topic of size, Solo Stove touts the Bonfire as portable. It is, but it’s somewhat awkward to carry in its natural state. It only weighs 23 pounds, but the circumference makes it unwieldy to carry for any distance. Some handles would improve that experience, but placing all the parts in the included carry bag makes it much easier to walk around with.

Tips and Tricks for the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 

• Use well-cured firewood to minimize smoke during startup.
• Use wood that’s cut to 16 inches or shorter.
• Double the amount of firewood on hand for the evening that you’d use in conventional fire pits.

How It Compares

The Bonfire’s closest competitor is the Breeo X19, which is about $100 more. The X19 has a steel finish, but you can upgrade it to stainless for an upcharge. The X19 is heavier, at 47 pounds. There’s no ash management system for the Breeo pits, but a specially designed scoop is available for an additional price. Each pit is customizable with additional cooking features, but if open-fire cooking is a concern, the Breeo system is more feature-rich, allowing for multi-level, multi-zone cooking, whereas Solo Stove’s offerings are more single-purpose. Both have pizza oven add-ons that sit on top of the pit for a full, wood-fired pizza experience.

The Verdict

I would have no qualms about purchasing another Bonfire 2.0, nor would I think twice about recommending it. I thought so highly of it, I gifted mine, which should tell you quite a bit about what I think of it.

Shipping/Warranty Info

Solo Stove offers a lifetime warranty on the Bonfire 2.0

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