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News | We’re Partnering With SOTO To Climb Mount Fuji

Stay tuned as we embark on an overseas adventure to learn how SOTO make their trusty Windmaster Stove, including an ascent of Japan's tallest mountain

This August, we’ll be partnering with SOTO Outdoors to embark on an epic overseas adventure to learn all about SOTO camping stoves, and ascend Mount Fuji in the process. (Sarcastic tone: ‘No biggie.’)

‘Soto’, in case you didn’t know, means ‘outside’ in Japanese. SOTO stoves then, as you might expect, are purpose built for the great outdoors. They’re a bit of cult classic in the UK actually, with many hikers and backpackers swearing by their dependability and top-quality materials.

Our gear tester checking out SOTO’s Windmaster stove in Scotland during our Outdoor 100 test trip. Photo: Dave MacFarlane.

The company began in 1978 when the founder Hajime Yamamoto – fed up with slow burners – decided to create the Shinfuji burner. Around that time, burners took between 2 to 3 minutes to heat up which just wasn’t quick enough for Japan’s winter temperatures that can drop to -40°C.

The Shinfuji burner dramatically reduced this heating time and the team at SOTO became famous in Japan under the name “Master of the Blue Flame”. Since then, they’ve gone on to create multiple innovative outdoor stove options, as well as sturdy cookware and other camping accessories.

Since the official launch of SOTO Outdoors in 2010, they’ve actually gone on to win several sought-after industry awards including two ISPO prizes and a UK Outdoor Industry Award. Not bad, not bad at all.

British mountaineer Alan Hinkes picking the winner of SOTO’s competition at the OTS last week.

SOTO describe these stoves as “ready for use and at maximum power within seconds – not minutes. Even at minus 40 degrees.” Well, Outdoors Magic are going to really put that to the test this year. While we’ve tested SOTO’s Windmaster stove in the UK before and were very impressed, we’re heading over to the Windmaster’s birthplace to test it out on Japan’s tallest mountain, Mount Fuji.

Accompanied by the winner of a competition SOTO recently ran at the Outdoor Trade Show (see picture above), as well as a member of the brand’s team, we’ll be visiting the SOTO factory where we’ll build our own Windmaster Stove followed by an epic ascent of Mount Fuji (3776m).

Stay tuned for more updates on our overseas adventure.

For more information on SOTO, visit sotooutdoors.eu.