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Loading a Solo Stove for an instant, hassle free, smoke free fire is easy if you follow a few simple rules. The stove is smokeless once it gets burning hot, so you want a good amount of quick to burn kindling. If you don't put in enough, it will smoke for a while until the larger wood gets burning, or worse, it will burn off before the larger wood catches. A couple long burning firestarters will get things going quickly. I use cotton balls smeared in vaseline as they are long burning, smokeless and odorless. Fatwood is ridiculously smoky, and paraffin wax based ones have a strong unpleasant odor.
I like to load up the stove right after emptying and cleaning it so it's always ready to go.
Firestarter
Firestarter
Smear a cotton ball with vaseline. This is a long burning, odor free, smokeless firestarter.
Four corners
Four corners
Place four of them in the bottom. A couple might get covered by wood, but if you can light at least two, it should get going quickly.
Gather the wood
Gather the wood
You'll want a selection of wood going from thin twigs progressively thicker to logs.
Twigs
Twigs
Arrange twigs in a rectangle on the bottom.
Pinky sized sticks
Pinky sized sticks
Arrange in line above the twigs
Thumb thick sticks
Thumb thick sticks
Arrange in same direction as previous ones.
Arm thick logs
Arm thick logs
Arrange perpindicular to previous ones.
Big logs
Big logs
The big logs get put on after the fire is going. Shown here for illustration only.
Success!
Success!
When you've got it going right, the vent holes at the top will look like gas jets as fresh air comes up and burns off what would otherwise come out as smoke.
If your fire is having trouble getting going, squirting in some 99% pure rubbing alcohol will fix things without the odor of traditional lighter fluid.
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