We tested out the Solo Stove Yukon fire pit and now we’re obsessed

Out in the wild, we’ve got all kinds of ways to stay warm this winter: fires, heaters, and more. There’s something frugal about using a fire pit though, especially during the cold months. You can get a fire pit for less than $100 and it will last for years. The Yukon Fire Pit (YFP) is a great option for a budget-friendly option.

The Yukon Stove was one of the best fire pits we tested out last year. It has been getting rave reviews from both camps when it comes to outdoor entertaining, and we couldn’t agree more. The Yukon is a versatile outdoor space heater that can be used for cooking, warming up drinks, and for general barbeque-type cooking. We love it, and so do many others.

It’s not uncommon for a new product to carry the hype of being perfect from the get-go, but the Solo Stove Yukon fire pit is different. You may have heard it’s the hottest new product for the outdoors, but that’s just the beginning. We’ve been using the Yukon fire pit for the past couple of weeks and we’ve found it to be genius.

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Without a fire to end the night, no backyard barbeque or camping excursion is really complete. The greatest disadvantage of roasting s’mores or having a conversation around the fire is the smoke in your face, as well as the fact that you still smell like smoke hours after the fire has died. Enter the Solo Stove, a virtually smoke-free fire pit that promises to be the solution to this issue. We were able to get our hands on Yukon, Solo Stove’s biggest fire pit, and witness for yourself how smokeless it is.

The biggest fire pit from Solo Stove, intended to provide a smoke-free fire.

We put Yukon to the test, and it proved to be a blazing hot fire pit that produced almost no smoke.

These beautiful stainless steel fire pits are sure to have caught your eye on social media or in a friend’s garden. While the appearance of a Solo Stove distinguishes it from most other outdoor fire pits, the manufacturer says that its 360-degree Airflow Design is what really distinguishes it.

The stainless steel fire pits from Solo Stove are double-walled. To provide a plentiful quantity of oxygen to the fire, air is pumped in via the bottom of the drum as well as through the top vent holes. The air at the top of the fire pit produces a “secondary burn,” allowing the Solo Stove to become very hot while producing much less smoke than rival fire pits. This also means that whatever wood you burn will reduce to almost nothing, leaving just a tiny mound of ash and debris to pick up, making cleaning a breeze. When your fire is out and your Solo Stove is cool enough to handle, just flip it upside down to empty it. The airflow design is what distinguishes a Solo Stove from others.

A new Solo Stove Yukon fire pit.

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A new Yukon fire pit from Solo Stove.

Solo Stove began in 2011 with wood-burning stoves for hiking and camping. Ranger ($199.99), Bonfire ($254.99), and Yukon ($449.99) are three fire pits with diameters ranging from 15 to 27 inches. Because of their compact size, the Ranger and Bonfire are both portable fire pits that come with nylon carrying bags. Solo Stove has entered the backyard fire pit market with the Yukon, the company’s biggest fire pit.

The Yukon Solo Stove 27-inch fire pit came in a single, big package. And, to our pleasure, it needs no assembly after it has been unboxed. The Solo Stove’s low-profile, simplistic design instantly drew our attention. In addition to the Yukon, we purchased the whole Backyard Bundle. The fire pit, a stand to protect whatever is below, a shield to catch any sparks from the flame, and a protective cover for when your Solo Stove isn’t in use are all included.

When utilizing the fire pit on certain surfaces, such as composite decking and wood, Solo Stove advises placing a support below it. We felt safer utilizing both the stand and the cover during testing since the flames inside a Solo Stove are screaming hot. A stand costs $39.99 to $69.99, and a shield costs $99.99 to $199.99, depending on the fire pit you choose.

A Solo Stove Yukon fire pit and stand.

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Yukon fire pit and stand by Solo Stove.

We began the fire with four pieces of kindling and then added logs. It’s essential not to overfill the fire pit with wood, according to the instructions, so that the flames remain confined inside the drum and between the top and bottom air vents.

Though we wish it were, a Solo Stove does not completely eliminate smoke. When you ignite a fire, the wood will start to smoke as it heats up to the point where it may burn through. If you’re there throughout the lighting process, you’ll be inhaling smoke until your fire reaches full temperature, which took us 20 minutes in our tests. However, once the fire is blazing, you may sit around a Solo Stove nearly completely smoke-free. Hot tip: Have someone else start the fire so you don’t have to deal with the smoke.

A Solo Stove Yukon fire pit and protective shield.

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A Yukon fire pit and safety cover from Solo Stove.

The Solo Stove provided another twist with multicolored flames after an hour of smoke-free fire pit time. We added two color packs to our flames and were actually oohing and aahing at the sight of the color. Although the color packs claim to last an hour, we found that the color in our flames only lasted around 20 minutes. So, what exactly did we do? We added additional color packs since we had so much fun with it. For $19.99, you may get ten color packs.

A Solo Stove, unlike other outdoor fire pits, is not intended to be kept out in the open. It’s essential to let your Solo Stove cool down and cover it, or take it inside someplace like your garage, if water enters the drum and affects how the fire pit works. This is a worthwhile additional step to take, but it isn’t a deal breaker for us since a Solo Stove cover may be purchased for this reason. Moving a Solo Stove isn’t difficult, but since they’re one solid piece with no wheels, the bigger Yukon may need two people.

A Solo Stove Yukon burning color packs.

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Color packets are being burned on a Solo Stove Yukon.

If you buy a Backyard or Ultimate Bundle, you’ll get a shelter (also known as a cover) for free. The shelter is constructed of thicker PVC-coated polyester than your typical outdoor grill or furniture cover.

You’ll also want to plan ahead of time when you’ll stop using the fire pit since you’ll need to let the flames burn down naturally. It is not recommended that you use water to put out a fire in a Solo Stove. There was very little ash left in the Solo Stove after our backyard campfire went out. We flipped it over, emptied the ash, and then covered our campfire. Due to the lighting of the fire pit, we smelled slightly like smoke after we were done, although it was nowhere like as strong as normal.

These really unusual fire pits are made possible by the 360-degree Airflow technology found inside a Solo Stove. You don’t have to be a camping expert to appreciate — or be fascinated by — how a Solo Stove fire burns. If you can’t stand the smoke from a fire pit or find yourself having outdoor bonfires on a weekly basis, a Solo Stove is a good option.

It costs $450 for a Yukon fire pit alone, and up to $800 for the Yukon Ultimate Bundle, which includes all of the extras. These are some hefty price tags, so think about how much you want to spend on a backyard fire pit. A Solo Stove, on the other hand, is well worth the investment.

A Solo Stove Yukon burning color packs.

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Color packets are being burned on a Solo Stove Yukon.

Accessories such as roasting sticks, fire pit tools, and color packs can be purchased to complete the backyard fire experience. A countertop is not included with a Solo Stove, but a cover may be purchased to make the fire pit more useful when not in use. A Yukon Ultimate Bundle is also available, which contains everything but the lid.

Solo Stove roasting sticks.

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Roasting sticks for the Solo Stove.

The Yukon fire pit is a great addition to a backyard that isn’t really “outdoorsy” enough to warrant a big outdoor grill, but also doesn’t have enough space for a fire pit. Enter the Solo Stove Yukon fire pit: a fun, stylish way to add a fire to your backyard without taking up too much space. We recently found out about the Yukon fire pit after seeing it on the cover of the March 2016 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.. Read more about what size solo stove to get and let us know what you think.

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