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Solo Stove started selling wood-burning camp stoves back in 2011, and it soon made the leap into smokeless fire pits. Over the past few years its flagship fire pit, the Solo Stove Bonfire, has exploded in popularity. Its durable stainless steel construction, smokeless performance, and superior flame quality consistently earn rave customer reviews, as well as a perennial ranking among the best fire pits on the market. While the fire pit itself comes close to campfire perfection, the company has recently released a few new accessories to upgrade the Solo Stove experience. I’ve already shared my thoughts after testing out the Pi Fire fire pit pizza oven, and in this article I’ll review the new Fire Pit Surround that provides both style and safety to the outdoor experience.
At a Glance
Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround
- Durable powder-coated steel material is waterproof and heat-resistant
- Sturdy yet lightweight and easy to move around the patio or backyard
- Stylish modern design in a neutral color suits most outdoor decor schemes
- Serves as a safety barrier to protect children and pets from the hot fire pit
- Full assembly is required (all tools and hardware are included)
- Not as portable as the Solo Stove fire pit, so best for semipermanent placement
Rating: 8.7/10 PROSCONSGet the Solo Stove Bonfire Surround at:
What is the Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround?
If you have young children or dogs, keeping them safe often seems to require a sixth sense. Taking a break from the stress of parental vigilance sometimes means cutting back on our favorite family adventures and social activities. It makes sense that in order to avoid an accident, some folks figure, “Maybe we shouldn’t have a fire tonight.” Solo Stove heard these concerns and recently released the new Fire Pit Surround to help decrease the risk and make fire pitting more relaxing.
The Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround serves as an attractive base for your Solo Stove fire pit and creates a protective barrier around it. With it in place, no one will be injured by accidentally brushing up against the hot fire pit wall. Plus, the rim of the Surround doubles as a coffee table. It doesn’t get hot, making it a convenient place to put down your cup of coffee or a tray of s’mores ingredients. The Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround is available in two sizes, a smaller one for Bonfire or Ranger fire pits, and a larger one for Yukon or Canyon fire pits.
Testing the Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround
I tested the smaller model with my Bonfire 2.0. For a family with two kids and three dogs, this was one of the best fire pit accessories I’ve seen. To begin with, it looks great. The ceramic-coated steel added sleek contemporary styling, and with the fire pit in place, the whole setup gained a more stable, substantial appearance. It was also easy to use.
After assembling the Fire Pit Surround, I just placed my fire pit inside and it was ready to burn. I tried it with only the fire pit, then with the Heat Deflector installed, and also making pizzas with the Pi Fire. In every case, the Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround seemed to enhance the experience. It takes up a bit of extra space, but it definitely adds a level of safety, and I really liked having the extra surface to place fire tools when needed.
Because the finish is weatherproof, I only had to remove my fire pit for storage between burns. If I add the Fire Pit Surround Shelter (sold separately), I could simply let it cool and cover it with the fire pit inside. The finish cleans up easily, as I found out after a pizza accident left melted cheese on the surface.
Ease of Assemly
Full assembly is required, and though somewhat time-consuming, it was not difficult. I laid out all of the pieces on a 6-foot folding table in my shed. After confirming that all of the parts were present, I followed the instructions and used the included tools to assemble the Bonfire Surround in less than an hour. The hardware is all stainless steel, and most of the nuts were welded in place, so it was only necessary to turn the bolts. The instructions were mostly clear and everything lined up perfectly. The only slightly confusing part was figuring out the alignment of the fabric stays, fabric, and slots on the legs—there is a subtle but specific top and bottom orientation that must be followed.
Safety Features
The Fire Pit Surround is a barrier that keeps hands, feet, legs, and tails away from the hot exterior wall of the fire pit, so it’s a safer environment for everyone. This is an excellent protection against the inadvertent contact that can happen just walking by, or with the sudden unexpected moves of children and pets. It definitely adds a significant layer of safety, but it is only as tall as the rim of the fire pit, so even toddlers could still have accidents if left unattended nearby.
Design and Materials
Quality shines through in every aspect of the Fire Pit Surround. It starts with a thoughtful design that solves real problems for the user. In addition to the aspect of improving safety, it eliminates the need to also purchase a stand, and it adds a functional element with the coffee-table ring.
The material quality is also top notch. Just like the steel used in the stove, the Bonfire Surround is made of high-quality material with an extremely durable finish that also looks great. Clearly the manufacturer takes quality seriously during production, as shown by the perfect alignment of all parts for assembly and the clear instructions provided.
Is the Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround Worth the Money?
Currently priced at $349.99, the Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround is a premium accessory for the company’s top-selling Bonfire 2.0 smokeless fire pit. In fact, the Surround sells at a higher price than the fire pit itself. Is it worth the money? The Surround’s quality far exceeds that of conventional wood-burning fire bowls and fire pits, including those built into coffee tables or featuring similar types of surrounds. Among the best smokeless fire pits, nothing else quite like the Solo Stove Surround is available. Whether you already own a Solo Stove and want to boost safety and functionality, or if you’re considering an all-in purchase of a new fire pit with the Surround, the Bonfire 2.0 plus Fire Pit Surround makes a durable, high-functioning setup that will last for many years. I think it’s a great buy, too.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for something to elevate your evenings around the fire pit, consider the Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround. This unique accessory solves several safety and functionality problems. As a durable weatherproof base, it’s easy to maintain, looks great, and can stay outside year-round. It protects people and pets from directly contacting the dangerously hot sides of the active fire pit. And it’s a convenient place to put down a cup of coffee, tray of snacks, or fire pit tools while relaxing around the fire.
But this new fire pit accessory is not the cheapest upgrade for backyard entertaining. Some buyers may want to shop around to see what other options are available. At $349.99, the Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround costs a little more than this stainless steel one, but far less than this powder-coated one offered by other sellers. I prefer the way that the one from Solo Stove completely covers the sides of the pit where the other makers leave the sides open, and I suspect that Solo Stove’s mesh surface makes the Surround lighter and easier to move around.
So if you’re looking for a durable safety barrier for your Solo Stove that looks great and adds a bit of functionality, you won’t go wrong with the Fire Pit Surround. Buy it with your initial purchase or add it later; either way it’s a great choice.
Where to Buy the Solo Stove Fire Pit Surround
Get the Solo Stove Bonfire Surround at:
Meet the Tester
Mark Wolfe is a writer and product tester with an extensive background in the nursery, landscaping, and outdoor-living categories. For more than 20 years he mowed, edged, planted, pruned, cultivated, irrigated, and renovated beautiful landscapes. Now he tests and writes reviews about the latest outdoor power equipment, hand tools, fire pits, and other outdoor-living goods.