This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
I am always looking for a lightweight, portable stove that can be used for emergencies as well as for backpacking, so I was excited to try the Solo Stove Titan and matching Solo Pot.
What is the Solo Stove?
The Solo Stove Titan is a wood-burning stove. It is larger than the Solo Stove Lite which I tested years ago. You can use biomass such as small twigs dried leaves etc. as fuel for the stove. It is designed so that air is pulled through the bottom vent holes of the combustion chamber, fueling the fire at the base, and rising up to the top air holes of the burn chamber.
The Solo Stove Pot 1800 is the pot that is designed to fit with the Solo Stove Titan. It is an aluminum pot, very lightweight and durable. It has a pour spout and double fold out handles. The Solo Stove Titan can fit inside the pot for space saving and easy transporting.
Both items come in their own stuff sack.
The Test
I tested the stove and pot in an apartment balcony. First, I gathered up twigs from the grounds around the apartment complex. I made sure to gather the twigs and branches while they were plentiful, before the gardening crew came to clean up. There was no shortage of dried out branches to be found.
Next, I broke off the branches to pieces, approximately the size of my finger. Once I had a nice pile, I was ready to start the fire.
- Set the stove on a clear, level area, away from the wind. If the stove is not level it can potentially topple over especially if you have a full pot sitting on top of it.
- Remove the cooking ring from the top part of the stove.
- Fill the combustion chamber with twigs. As a fire starter, I used a cotton ball soaked with petroleum jelly, which I nestled among the twigs.
- I then used a single match to light the fire. The petroleum jelly covered cotton ball instantly caught fire, and the surrounding twigs started burning as well.
- Soon, the fire spread to the top of the stove and I set the pot of water to boil.
- I started adding more twigs to keep the fire going. There was a small amount of smoke from the burning wood, but not nearly as much as a campfire would make.
- Within seven minutes, the water was boiling.
I used the pot to cook ramen noodles which only took another two minutes.
The Solo Stove Titan and Solo Stove Pot 1800 worked very well. I was impressed that the small amount of twigs I set aside was more than enough to fuel the stove. It was also very easy to start the fire and maintain it.
After cooking, the stove and pot were covered with soot from the fire, but they were easy enough to clean with dish soap and water.
Both are very lightweight but have a sturdy construction. I can see myself taking both items on my next backpacking trip. I am also keeping them as a backup cooking method in case of a power outage. I like the fact that I do not need propane or butane to get the fire going; all I need to do is pick up a few twigs in branches outside and I will be all set.
© Apartment Prepper 2016
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