Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Review: A Stand-Out Smokeless Fire Pit (2024)

The best fire pits add warmth and a wonderful ambiance to a backyard space, whether you’re choosing to burn wood or turning on a gas fire pit. After extensively testing nine options to find the best fire pits, I found the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 to be the best choice for creating a smokeless fire with plenty of heat.

This stainless steel fire pit is lightweight and compact enough to be portable, yet large enough so multiple people can gather around it in the yard. Solo Stove makes two larger fire pits, Canyon and Yukon, along with a smaller Ranger and two sizes of Mesa tabletop fire pits, all with an almost-identical design, but I found that the Bonfire 2.0 hit the sweet spot in terms of size. Of the fire pits I tested, it was the easiest to set up and simplest to light. Most importantly, it also proved to be truly smokeless while putting out heat. Read my full review of the best fire pits for more picks to choose from, and for more details on the Bonfire 2.0.

Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Features

Easy To Light And Truly Smokeless

Starting a fire in a fire pit can be tricky. Compared to other fire pits I tested, I found that it was easier to light a fire in the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 fire pit. At 20 inches in diameter, the fire pit has a wide opening, with 14-inch walls. Those tall walls made all the difference in my testing, helping to block any wind or breeze that could make lighting kindling more difficult. This was particularly evident in comparison to other, more shallow fire pits I tested.

This fire pit is constructed from double-walled stainless steel with airflow holes which make it smokeless. As the fire gets going, there will be a bit of smoke. But as the burn gets hotter, the smoke will start to flow through the built-in airflow holes, both on the top and bottom of the fire pit. To ensure the fire stays smokeless, it’s important to keep wood below the top ring of the air holes to allow for proper airflow.

Ideal For A Small Gathering

Fire pits range greatly in size, but the 20-inch Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 is right in the middle compared to Solo Stove’s 30-inch Canyon, 27-inch Yukon and 15-inch Ranger back yard fire pits. While there are larger size options for big groups of six or eight people, the Bonfire 2.0 is the ideal size for two to four people to gather around. While the fire pit is relatively compact and easily portable at 23 pounds, it puts out a tremendous amount of heat for its size thanks to the double-walled airflow design. While testing, I found that temperatures easily reached over 1000 degrees, and I could feel the warm heat radius from three feet away from the fire pit. Solo Stove also sells a heat deflector separately—you can place the deflector on top of the fire pit to create even more warmth.

Cools Quickly And Is Easy To Clean

After enjoying a fire, it’s crucial to ensure the fire has died before leaving it unattended. Solo Stove doesn’t advise spraying water on the stainless steel fire pit, however. Not only can water damage the metal, but it can also create a lot of hot steam. Instead, Solo Stove advises that you allow the fire to naturally cool down on its own. With its airflow design, this took about 60 minutes in my testing.

While testing, I was able to easily clean the Bonfire 2.0 fire pit once the coals and ash were cool. This pit has a lightweight, removable ash pan at its base. I lifted the cooled ash pan out, dumped it and placed it right back inside. This was much simpler compared to the other fire pits I tested, eliminating the need to either dump the whole pit or use an ash shovel or vacuum to clean it out.

Cooking Accessories Galore

If you’re hoping for a medium-sized fire pit that will put out a lot of heat, the Bonfire 2.0 will do the job. But it can also do more, particularly if you like to cook. You can use Solo Stove’s cooking hub and cast iron griddle, which are sold separately, for wood-fired cooking. The hub lifts the cooking station up from the direct flame, while the cast iron conducts and retains heat efficiently. I was impressed with the number of options for cooking accessories and other gear Solo Stove offers compared to other fire pits I tested.

How Does Solo Stove Bonfire Compare To Other Fire Pits?

During my testing, I set up and lit nine fire pits, all ranging in size, price and features. The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 continued to impress me with each test. I found it much simpler to set up than other top picks including the Breeo 22” Smokeless Fire Pit and Barebones Living Cowboy Fire Pit grill. The Bonfire was light enough to pull out of the box, and it didn’t require any assembly. Several other fire pits I tested required setup or were too heavy for just one person to get the fire pit out of the box.

I found the Bonfire 2.0 more versatile than other options I tested. It had an ideal balance of performance and portability. It can be stationary in the yard and crank out plenty of heat, but it’s also light enough to transport in its included carrying case.

How I Tested The Best Fire Pits

I tested nine different fire pits to find the best options across a variety of sizes, fuel types and categories. The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 fire pit took the top spot of best fire pit overall, earning the most points across multiple tests. While testing fire pits, I evaluated each based on how simple it was to set up or assemble. The Bonfire 2.0 just needed to be pulled out of the box, without any assembly necessary. From there, I took note of how quickly I could get a fire going in the fire pit.

Once the fire was going, I used an infrared thermometer to check the heat output of the Bonfire 2.0 fire pit, and the temperature measured well over 1000 degrees. I also considered how well the heat could be felt from a several-foot radius and how many people could comfortably fit around the fire pit. If the fire pit claimed to be smokeless, like the Bonfire 2.0 does, I took note if that was actually true.

Finally, I looked at any cooling, cleaning and maintenance considerations for the fire pit. The Bonfire 2.0 proved to be simple to empty and store away.

My Expertise

Before testing for the purpose of this article, I have personally used the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 fire pit for three years in my own backyard.

I am a product reviewer, recipe developer and food and travel writer with a specific emphasis on outdoor cooking and baking. An avid hiker and paddle boarder based in Oregon, I spend as much time as possible outside. I have spent years cooking over fire pits and love to host friends and family to gather for dinner and s’mores around the fire.

As I was researching and testing the best fire pits, I also turned to Allison Messner, CEO of landscaping company Yardzen, as well as Brian Shaunfield, a store manager for Lowe’s, for additional expert insight.