Harness the sun while cooking a meal with the GoSun Sport. My wife and I decided that we wanted to try an alternative way of cooking not just at a campground but at home too. We started looking into solar ovens and opted to give the GoSun a try. We are happy that we did.
Our first impression of the Sport was that it looked awkward. It‘s a giant glass tube with metal wings. Very different from the standard burners we were used to. But don‘t let the awkward appearance fool you, it is actually really easy to use and setup. The carry handles are folded down and become the feet. From there, just position the Sport into the sun and adjust the “wings” to catch the sun and target it towards the tube. It literally takes a matter of seconds to do. After prepping my meal, I place it into the tray (we like to call it the sword) and then slide the tray into the tube. That‘s it.
Cooking times vary based on the time of day and sun coverage. I‘ve cooked in both very sunny and cloudy days. Sunny days result in faster cook times, and as expected, longer cook times when cloudy. Either way, the food cooked and filled my belly. We call it nature‘s crockpot on really cloudy days. There is just something cool about seeing it on our patio and smelling our dinner cooking practically hands-free.
Cleaning after a meal is easy with the included scrubbing attachment.
I would not say that this a a great stove for backpacking. The Sport Solar weighs in at around 8 pounds, so base camp is the better place to cook with this stove. I typically rest it on a stump or table and let it cook while I go on a hike or take a short dip in a stream. In all truthfulness, I use it at home much more than when camping.
Some things that deserve mentioning are that the protective film that it ships with is horrible to remove. Small pieces tore off and were hard to reach under the stand. Not sure of how thorough to be, I removed every scrap before using the stove.
Also, the construction of my Sport looks very prototype-like. It seems to lack the finished appearance I was expecting. This doesn‘t affect the cooking or durability of the oven in the slightest.
My largest issue is mainly the capacity of the stove. The tray barely has enough room to feed all four members of my family. Yes, we have a teenager who could eat a horse, but the tray really could be larger. Serving up seconds requires a second round of cooking. If you are have a larger group, you may need to get their larger oven, the GoSun Grill. Had the GoSun Grill been available when I purchased the Sport, I would have chosen that instead.
All in all, I am really happy with the GoSun Sport. It cooks quickly, cleanly, and with no need to pack fuel. Enough so that I will probably spring for the larger GoSun Grill in the future as our family grows. If you are looking for a solar oven for yourself or your small family, look no further than the Sport. If you have a larger family or want some leftovers, GoSun has you covered with the Grill.
For more info: https://www.gosunstove.com/
MSRP: $279.99
Andy
A special thanks to GoSun for hooking us up with a deal on their grill. I’m giving them this shout-out, as it’s worth every penny of their MSRP.