Solo Stove grew on a smokeless demo, then lost 44%.
A Kickstarter fire pit went from $16M in sales in 2018 to $133M in 2020 and a $2B+ IPO. In 2025 Solo Stove sales fell 43.8% to $167.2M. Owner: Solo Brands, now on the OTCQB.
BLOOM10X did not work with Solo Stove. This breakdown uses public sources only, linked below.
- 2016Bonfire raises $1.18M on Kickstarter
- 2018About $16M in sales
- 2020$133.4M, 92% sold direct
- Oct 2021Solo Brands IPO, valued at $2B+
- Q4 2023Snoop Dogg stunt, sales down 16.2%
- 2025Solo Stove sales $167.2M, down 43.8%
What the growth was made of.
Four plays behind the growth.
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Pre-sell the hero product
The Bonfire fire pit hit its $15,000 Kickstarter goal in two hours in 2016 (CNBC, Feb 2023) and closed at $1,176,641 from 4,953 backers (Kickstarter).
Copy this: pre-sell a new hero product to your list before you fund inventory, and use the order count as your first ad proof.
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Make the demo the ad
The product sells one visible thing: a flame with little smoke. Its top US ad by impressions, live since Jun 25, 2026, is a 15-second fire with the line “the world’s most popular Smokeless Fire Pits” (Meta Ad Library).
Copy this: if your product does something you can see, film that in the first second and cut everything else.
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Sell the kit, not the pit
Orders tripled in 2020 while the average order rose 8.3% to $274.47 (S-1). Today the default Bonfire listing is a $299.99 fire pit and stand bundle, with four add-ons under it.
Copy this: make your hero listing a bundle of the product plus the accessory most buyers add anyway.
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Add retail after direct
Dick’s Sporting Goods came first, then Home Depot, Lowe’s, Amazon and Walmart (CNBC). In 2023 Solo Brands’ wholesale sales rose 45.1% to $136.7M while direct sales fell 15.4% (Solo Brands, Mar 2024).
Copy this: add one retailer whose shoppers already buy your category, and watch whether it adds buyers or only moves them.
From $16M to $297M and back.
Solo Stove sales
Direct share of sales
Brand reach, no bottom of funnel.
- Q4 2023: a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float and a Snoop Dogg “going smokeless” tease. Q4 sales fell 16.2% and CEO John Merris stepped down in January 2024 (Modern Retail, Mar 2024).
- The fix named: new CEO Christopher Metz ended the media buying contract, replaced the agency and said more spend should have gone to bottom-of-funnel ads in the season.
- 2025: Solo Stove sales fell 43.8% as “retail partners worked through excess inventory” (Solo Brands, Mar 2026).
- 2026: Q2 Solo Stove sales $32.7M, down 14.7%, while it rebuilds retail partnerships (Solo Brands, Aug 2026).
“You want to be spending across the full funnel for the entire year, but you really want to be converting in key selling seasons.”
“It wasn’t linked in any way to our website.”
Their top ad is a 15-second fire.
First in the Ad Library’s impressions sort on Nov 10, 2026. Tap a number.
- 1Five months oldStarted Jun 25, 2026 and still live in November. A product demo doesn’t go stale like a sale.
- 2Many versions“This ad has multiple versions”: the same claim runs with different cuts.
- 3Social proof as the hook“Turn your backyard into THE place to gather with the world’s most popular Smokeless Fire Pits.”
- 4The flame is the proofA 15-second vertical video. Its first frame is the flame.
- 5One feature, one link“Unrivaled Smokeless Tech,” then Shop Now to the backyard fire pit page.
A celebrity again, plus deep bundles.
About 180 active US ads. Of the 50 newest, 36 run “Win the Holidays with Solo Stove,” all started Nov 9–10, 2026.
“All-Pro Gift-Giver Marshawn Lynch”
A 30-second holiday spot that links to the gift guide. A Lynch holiday film went up on their YouTube on Nov 6, 2026.
Three years after the Snoop Dogg campaign, a celebrity leads Q4 again, this time linked to a gift guide.
“Summit 27 + 4 Torches. Now 27% off.”
The discount sits on a bundle, not on the fire pit alone. Five ads share this creative and text.
“The Gifts That Get You Invited Back.”
A static grid of the range at up to 20% off, linking to the deals page. The same offer runs in the site’s top bar.
“SEND this to someone…”
A partnership ad from a camping couple’s page: the Summit 19.5 and Chiminea Topper on a truck-camper trip in Idaho.
The copy asks for saves and shares before it sells.
“When you’re #1, the only place to go is up.”
A $179.99 add-on for fire pits buyers already own, sold with one number: up to 30% more heat.
Screenshots of active US ads in the Meta Ad Library, taken Nov 10, 2026. Click an image to enlarge.
A launch film and its FAQ.
The default product is a bundle.
The Bonfire page on mobile, Nov 10, 2026. Tap a number.
- 1The bundle is the product“Bonfire 19.5" Fire Pit + Stand Bundle” is the page, not an upsell.
- 2Proof before price39,678 reviews at 4.9 stars.
- 3Who it’s for, then price“Our most popular Fire Pit… Seats 4–6 people,” then $299.99. No strikethrough.
- 4A size ladderRanger 15" to Canyon 30" on the same page.
- 5Engraving“Customize” sits above the cart button, a gift cue.
- 6What’s in the box“Bundle Includes: 2 Items,” Bonfire and Stand.
- 7A date, not a promise“FREE delivery, starts arriving Monday, Nov 16.”
- 8Price on the button“Add to Cart $299.99,” then lifetime warranty, free shipping over $199 and returns.
Below the button: the rest of the order
- 1The anchor$299.99 clears the $199 free-shipping line by $100.
- 2The cheap yesSticks for s’mores, the first add-on shown.
- 3A coverSized to the pit you picked.
- 4A lid“Converts your pit into a tabletop.”
- 5The new thingThe Chiminea Topper, the product in its September launch ads.
- 6One tap each“Frequently Purchased With,” each with its own Add to Cart.
- 7No bundle discountThe Surround bundle costs a cent more than its parts bought apart.
Our wireframe of solostove.com Bonfire and Surround bundle pages on Nov 10, 2026. Not a copy of their page.
Our math on the buy box
Read it with three caveats.
- 2020 was a tailwind. Orders tripled in a year people were stuck at home. Metz later called it a “Covid hangover” for durable goods.
- One fire pit lasts. CNBC noted in 2023 that slower growth could mean buyers stop at one stove. Add-ons and new products have to carry the second order.
- Retail can mask demand. Wholesale grew while direct fell, then retailers sat on stock in 2025.
- What we’d do differently: tie every brand moment to a page and an offer from day one, and judge it on new customers in the season, not reach.
Six moves for a $1M–$10M brand.
- Pre-sell a new hero product to your list before you buy inventory. Retention
- Film the one thing your product does that people can see, and lead with it. Creative
- Make the hero listing a bundle with the add-on most buyers pick. Raise AOV
- Put add-ons with their own buttons under the main add to cart. Conversion
- Link every brand campaign to a landing page and a seasonal offer. Meta ads
- Check margin before you add retail or discount bundles. Margin calculator
Where every number comes from.
- “Solo Stove Bonfire: The World’s Most Unique Fire Pit,” Kickstarter campaign, Sep 26 to Oct 26, 2016, viewed Nov 10, 2026. kickstarter.com
- Tom Huddleston Jr. and Sam Rega, “How two Texan brothers ‘reinvented fire’ to build a $400 million backyard campfire company,” CNBC Make It, Feb 14, 2023. cnbc.com
- Solo Brands, Inc., Form S-1 registration statement, SEC, 2021. sec.gov
- “Solo Brands Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Results,” Business Wire, Mar 14, 2024. businesswire.com
- Anna Hensel, “Solo Stove ignites the age-old brand versus performance marketing debate,” Modern Retail, Mar 15, 2024. modernretail.co
- “Solo Brands, Inc. Announces Fiscal 2025 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results,” exhibit 99.1, SEC, Mar 2026. sec.gov
- “Solo Brands, Inc. Announces Fiscal 2026 Second Quarter Results,” exhibit 99.1, SEC, Aug 13, 2026. sec.gov
- Solo Stove, Bonfire 19.5" Fire Pit + Stand Bundle page, viewed Nov 10, 2026. solostove.com
- Solo Stove, Bonfire + Surround bundle and fire pit accessories pages, viewed Nov 10, 2026. solostove.com
- Solo Stove, official YouTube channel, videos dated Sep 23 and Nov 6, 2026. youtube.com/@solostove
- Meta Ad Library, active US ads for the Solo Stove page, viewed Nov 10, 2026. facebook.com/ads/library
