Winter camping and Solo Stove Ranger review
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- We tested out our new Solo Stove Ranger on a trip to northern Michigan while doing some winter camping. Can you carry a portable fire pit while living the van life? We think you can and the Solo Stove Ranger is the size you need to make it possible.
#hikecampgo #solostove
...
If you'd like to help us out with the cost of maintaining our website, running our RUclips channel, and other expenses we encounter to produce content, buy us a cup of coffee (for Ari) or tea (for Jessi). We appreciate you!
www.buymeacoff...
---
Would you like to get your hands on some Trekers merchandise? We have a store with t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and mugs at trekers.org/shop/
One of the beauties of the ranger is that you can use it under a shelter. We use a gazebo over ours. Even cheap nylon tarps don’t melt if it’s at a good height over it. That helps with keeping heat down at body level and reduces wood consumption.
We use ours camping in the U.K. It’s the perfect size because we drive a mini and take a lot of kit with us.
We actually got ours free because I was cheeky enough to ask for it after a store that stocked them made a mistake in an order I placed. I got very lucky because I would t normally pay the heavy price tag for what is essentially a fantastic fire pit.
very informative video, I really like that you explained about the height of the wood sticking out of the solo causing smoke, and the fact that at some camping sites you can't find all good wood, appreciate your sharing this review with us
Glad you found it helpful. We do enjoy our Solo Stove very much, even with some of its quirks. We've been camping with friends this weekend who took care of keeping the campfire burning each night. We forgot how much smoke there is from a regular campfire!
Great review! And glad i picked your video. I used to live in Michigan. Miss those State Parks
Glad you enjoyed it! We have been to all 103 state parks in Michigan and they have so much to offer. We think too many Michiganders take them for granted. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@Trekers Holy smokes! 103 state parks in Michigan? I had no idea!
I came for the good review. Now I have to add to that, a good plug for visiting Michigan. Next, I'd need to learn the best and worst times of year for doing so.
@@gregparrott We do have a lot of options for camping! Every park offers different things in different seasons, although many of our parks are closed for camping in the winter. The trickiest part about hitting the hot spots in the summer is that you often have to make a reservation 6 months out to secure a site. Always happy to help guide folks based on what they like to do and how they like to camp. Feel free to reach out to us for more at trekers.org/contact. Cheers!
@@Trekers Thanks for the link. The long reservation times are a problem and detractor in many states, and apparently in Michigan as well. Based on viewing the link, you're traveling a lot.
@@gregparrott We try to go whenever we can. Been spending a lot of time in Michigan (visited all 103 state parks in 2019) and then COVID-19 hit in 2020, but starting to travel to other states more now. Looking to head out on a longer trip this winter to get away from Michigan's cold and snow!
Well done review, I just got mine a week ago and love it. I did notice I was getting a little cold sitting around it in 30 degree weather but was burning below the burn holes. I want to get it up to the woods and over fill it to see if it would be warmer with wood sticking out on top. Here from western Washington, stay healthy my friends. -MG
If you end up with wood sticking out over the top and burning, then the heat from those flames would emanate further out so I think you're right about that, at least in my experience. But that also defeats the purpose of keeping the smoke at bay. It could depend on the type of wood being burned though, too. If you test out the theory, let me know what happens. Thanks for watching and commenting; you stay healthy, too! -Ari
Nice video fun and informative thank you
Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@Trekers your welcome
Silky Saw Pocket Boy may be a useful add to cut the wood down to size. Thank you for the review!
Thanks for watching and for the tip! We now have an Agawa Canyon - BOREAL21 Folding Bow Saw and it works wonders.
It‘s a bit funny. German cars are so much smaller than American cars. I asked myself if the Campfire was too big for camping and started out with the Titan. You just go biiiiig :) but it‘s good to see it in use with a fellow camper :)
And the Ranger is the smallest one of the "big" stoves, too. The largest is the Yukon and people set those up in their backyards, apparently to consume entire trees. LOL Thanks for watching!
Good vid!!! you’re almost to 1,000 subs. Go Trekers Go!!! Whats your opinion on the campgrounds staying open with what is going on? Seems like the best place to be. If my trailer wasnt winterized and covered and in the back yard, I think I would do some winter camping. The wood stove looks very interesting, good review on that! I may actually consider buy that.
The ones that puzzle us are the states like New Mexico where the parks are open all day but closed to overnight camping. I agree that getting away from population centers in our campers seems like a great idea right now! Thanks for your comment on the Solo Stove review. So far it has proven itself to be pretty handy. We're going to test it out some more this week in more spring-like winter conditions, so hopefully it continues to serve us well. -Ari
Good Review Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Great review 👍.
Thank you! Now that we've lived and traveled with the unit a bit more, I'm thinking about doing an updated warm-weather edition of this review. Anything you'd like to know more about or still have questions on? I can try to answer them for you here, but then would incorporate them into the next video, too. -Ari
@@Trekers thanks. I've just got one. Would like to know your thoughts on how it would be under the awning of my van. I'm hoping to be able to fire her up underneath but worried it might be too hot and melt it🙄
@@kirstythomson9909 Oooh, yeah, that might be a bit hot considering how close your awning probably is off the side of the van. I'd keep it out a little way at least. Also, did you get the spark arrestor? I don't think I'd even attempt it under the awning without one. -Ari
Yeah I got the spark arrestor thanks. Chad from living the van life had it under his but offset underr one of the corners farthest from the van. Seemed to be ok but it was snowing, was warm enough to stop much snow from accumulating, that may have helped prevent damage. stay safe out there. I'm off to North Isle of Skye next weekend, will try it and let you know✌️
Good review. However my recent experiences with them indicate the customer service in not up to scratch. You cannot get through on their telephone line to speak to anybody. Anyone else experienced this?
We have not had any bad experiences, but we have heard of others running into snags ever since a Christmas rush seemed to hit SoloStove. Some folks seem to have better luck using the messaging feature on their website. I hope you can get through to get your questions or issues resolved. They build a nice product and it would be unfortunate if the quality of their customer service can't keep up. It could just be some growing pains given their recent success. Thanks for watching -- keep us posted on how things turn out! -Ari
Lots of companies are moving away from telephone based service to a more e-mail centric customer service model due to shrinking budgets. Pretty standard issue these days, albeit more inconvenient for the end user.
Think I'd rather have the campfire backpack version and then have a metal heat reflector (kind of like a stove windscreen) sitting above it to reflect the heat towards me
Great review BTW
Several people have come up with ingenious heat deflectors to hang above the various Solo Stove models. There is a Facebook group for Solo Stove owners with tons of ideas. Thanks for watching and commenting!
i read someone's solo stove started to rust. did you experience that? thank you!! beautiful video 💗
Thanks for watching and commenting! We have not had any issues with our Solo Stove rusting. There are some people on Facebook that have seen some rust but those who keep their units covered when not in use (or not outside) seem to fare better.
SoloStove says the following about rust:
"Always store your Solo Stove in a cool, dry location. If you've got a Shelter, our 100% weatherproof cover, use it as often as possible. Prolonged exposure to harsh weather will increase rust & discoloration. We use 304 stainless steel, which has a resistance to rust, but it's not totally rust-proof. "
I'm curious if a stove fan would be helpful to blow the heat horizontally
It might. Solo Stove just came out with a heat deflector you can put on top to direct heat downward. Many people have started creating their own and Solo Stove saw the trend happening.
Thanks for review. Do you really need stand? I am going to use solo ranger on the concrete floor back yard..
Without the stand, whatever's underneath will get hotter, so it's a matter of whether the concrete can handle it. We do like how the stand gets the unit a little higher off the ground for the users to stand or sit around it. Thanks for watching! -Ari
How is the heat output for those sitting around the solo stove?
It doesn't put out heat in as large a radius as an open campfire can. However, when the secondary burn is going in the SoloStove it radiates a good amount of heat. You lose that heat output for sitting near it as the fire burns down, although standing around it means you'll still benefit from the heat coming out from the top. Hope that helps! -Ari
What's it like getting the ash out? Tip out and shake?
Yes, it's very easy, especially with the Ranger models since it is so small and light. Just tip the whole thing over and dump it out. Sometimes I tap on the bottom but most of it comes falling out on its own. I usually empty it after each burn if we're traveling or after a couple of burns if we're stationary for a bit. That keeps the holes open for better air flow and a better fire. -Ari