The idea of a solar stove has been around for a while now, but the new SolSource Sport appears to be one of the most polished examples we've seen yet (pun intended). Most other solar cooking devices use wrinkly, crinkly reflective fabric or foil, or they're too enormous and fragile to lug around the backcountry. This led One Earth Designs to create the SolSource Sport, a solar stove designed to remain mobile, lightweight, and packable.

Earlier this week, the SolSource Sport launched on Kickstarter, and it exceeded its $20,000 funding goal in only a few hours. While we haven't had a chance to get our hands on one of these stoves yet, the specs and features look pretty impressive.

It weighs approximately 10 pounds, and packs into an included 2-foot by 1.4-foot duffel bag. Assembly (or disassembly) is said to take less than 3 minutes.

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The stove reaches grilling temperatures in about 5 minutes on a clear sunny day, and will reach searing temperature in 10 minutes. It's compatible with a wide range of cookware, and is said to be effective in partial sunlight (as long as you can see your shadow), temperatures as low as 30°F, and wind up to 30mph.

The SolSource Sport isn't One Earth Designs' first foray into solar cooking — the larger original SolSource (pictured above left) used a similar design, and has been proven effective as a cooking and water purification device in remote regions of Kenya and China. The Sport solar cooker scales the device down into a size that's designed for camping, tailgating, or off-grid use.

A limited number of early-bird Kickstarter backers can pre-order the SolSource Sport for discounted prices as low as $99, but the retail price is expected to be $329 (including carrying case and cover). For more information and specs, visit the company's Kickstarter project.

Written by Patrick McCarthy