Solo Stove Mesa

My mom has a Solo Stove she loves. When they came out with a more urban-focused tabletop unit, the Solo Stove Mesa, and put it on sale before Black Friday, I figured I’d pick one up and see if I liked it. So far, I do. I got the stainless version, as it was a bit cheaper than the others and none of the colors really grabbed me. It comes with a stand (required), a pellet adapter (required to burn wood pellets), and a little protective bag.

November 10th I ordered the Mesa itself, and Solo Stove’s Mini Oak Firewood and Starters. The starters haven’t arrived yet, so I’m using these  Melt Candle Company Fire Starters that I got on Amazon. (I also picked up some Old Potters Kiln Dried ~6 x 0.5-1.5 Inch Hickory Wood Logs on Amazon, as the Mini Oak wood wasn’t supposed to ship until 11/30, but was actually delivered on the 22nd.)

The Mini Oak wood cuts (and by extension, presumably the Old Potters fuel, though I haven’t had a chance to try that yet) could be a bit shorter. You’re not supposed to have wood above the top row of holes, but with the 6" length wood there’s really no way to keep it lower. Maybe pellets next time? (Or these, a bit cheaper.)

It’s like a fire taster. The flame is nice, the ambiance is great, and you end up with just a tinge of “campfire smell.” The heat directly atop is intense, but there’s very little ambient heat. Solo Stove has a Heat Deflector for its larger fire pits; hopefully something similar will come to the Mesa.

Another boon would be some tools to work with the mini logs. Unlike the larger Solo Stove units for which Fire Pit Tools are available, there’s nothing for the tabletop unit. Might have to make due with something like these extra long serving tongs.

First time firing up the Solo Stove Mesa, with a long Bic lighter and a stack of Mini Oak Firewood

Mesa next to 11" MacBook Air, low flame providing ambiance

Mesa with a higher flame

Mesa with about the highest flame experienced (about 12" high)

Post-burn, the Mesa with glowing embers. The sides of the Mesa get hot!

Update: Folks over at r/solostove have discovered the Titan stove cooking ring fits the Mesa; that, plus a pizza pan, should make for a serviceable heat deflector, at least for now. Have ordered, will report back. Also tempted to order some wood chunks when I run out of the (somewhat oversized for the Mesa) mini logs. (I’ve also heard wood pellets for heating are significantly cheaper than those for BBQ’ing, if there’s a feed store (etc) nearby...)