Skip to content

Review: Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Adds Removable Ash Pan

Solo Stoves beautiful Ranger, Bonfire and Yukon fire pits just got a big upgrade with removable ash pans. No more picking up the entire fire pit to empty

We’ve already reviewed the Solo Stove Bonfire 1.0 and loved it. Solo know what they’re doing: high quality craftsmanship, a clean look and the least smoke of any firepits we’ve ever used. Now they’re back with version 2.0 of the Ranger, Bonfire, and Yukon.

All three fire pits are similar, with a simple, cylindrical shape, differing only in size. The Ranger is the small size, 15 inches across and 12 inches tall. The Bonfire is in the middle at 19.5 inches across and 14 inches tall. The Yukon is the large size at just over 26 inches across and just over 17 inches tall. All three operate the same way, just different footprint.

With the Ranger, Bonfire and Yukon version 2.0 you don’t have to lift the whole thing to dump out the ash.

Removeable Ash Pan

One of the downsides with the original Bonfire was lifting the whole thing to dump the ash. I don’t have a problem with it but lifting over 20 pounds to dump ash each time wasn’t great. Carrying it all the way to the compost or the garbage bin is a bit of a trek. The Yukon version is even bigger and heavier than the Bonfire.

On the new Bonfire 2.0, Solo has separated the bottom plate and added a removable ash pan. Now to empty all the ash, lift the bottom plate, lift the ash pan and dump both in the bin. Far easier.

Same smokeless 360° Airflow Technology

The key to the Solo stove’s is their 360° Airflow Technology. Heated air flows up through the double walls and then out the holes at the top, reburning any smoke that’s coming out of the fire.

As soon as the process is running with a decent size fire, hardly any smoke comes out the top. After sitting around fires in the Bonfire a lot lately, I’m surprised when I sit around a regular firepit and everyone are constantly moving out of the smoke.

The reburning doesn’t work as well if you have wood sticking out the above the wholes, or a tiny fire that isn’t heating the walls. As long as you have a decent size fire, the reburning happens drastically reducing all the smoke.

Pros

  • less smoke
  • even easier to clean without having to lift the whole stove
  • looks good
  • portable

The pros and cons are basically the same as the Bonfire 1.0 but now being easier to clean with the removable ash pan.

Cons

  • less heat from sides
  • can’t douse with water

Specs of the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0

  • 360° Airflow Technology
  • Removable ash pan
  • 9 kg (20 pounds)
  • 50 x 35 cm (19.5 x 14 in)
  • 304 stainless steel
  • Available stand, carry case, shield and lid
  • Prices
    • Ranger – $229.99 USD
    • Bonfire – $259.99 USD
    • Yukon – $459.99 USD

Conclusion

We loved the first Bonfire we tried and don’t want to use any other firepit now. The Bonfire is portable, holds a fire well and, of course, prevents a lot of smoke that would normally come from a campfire.

The old version had a base plate that was welded in place so any time you wanted to empty the ash it required the whole thing to be dumped upside down. Now the Bonfire 2.0 has a removeable base plate and ash pan can be pulled out any time and chucked in the compost or garbage.

Our favourite fire pit just got even better.

More photos

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_0367-1024x683.jpg

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *