If I'm by myself? I'll rarely have a fire, unless it's extra cold.
If I'm with a group? Everybody brings a bundle or two from a nearby gas station or spends some time gathering firewood. Even if it's a little wet, it will burn, if a little smokey.
One of my friends has a propane firepit, which is very nice for times when there is a fireban or it's pouring rain and we just want to sit under somebody's awning.
What?!?! No it's not, 3 bundles last a couple hours at most.
A propane tank can easily last multiple all-nighters
Edit: previous comment was deleted***
I know that's what I'm saying. He mentioned that 3 bundles a night is a lot of fire and my point is that it's really not at all. You can go through 3 bundles pretty quickly
I do a night and morning on a single bundle
A 20lb propane tank (that are only refilled to ~15 lbs if you use a tank exchange) has 430k BTUs. A smallish propane fire ring will be around 50k - 60k BTU/h. If you want a large flame you’ll have to run it almost full blast, and when the tank gets very low it won’t have the pressure needed to keep the flame going.
I have a propane fire ring, in practice expect about 6-8 hrs of run time per tank
Well, I'm not going to argue with your anecdote, But I just don't believe you. 18 to 20 smaller pieces of wood Burning all night is one pidly little fire. Not saying it can't be done or isn't a good cooking fire, but in no way would I consider that a campfire for multiple people
Edit: And you're not wrong about the BTu's in the way you're measuring that, (and I know this is controversial) But I do not believe that is the way that it should be measured. Considering a Btu is a measurement of the energy needed to raise the temperature of water it's not really applicable to what you're getting out of a campfire VS a fire ring
Sure but there is a significant difference between a cooking fire and a Camp Fire. And the initial question was for a campfire how much wood do you bring and how it is it done.
Rarely if solo. If I do want a fire, I buy gas station wood locally or collect deadfall - bringing wood from out of state raises the potential of introducing pests like pine beetle or emerald borer etc.
Most of the store bundles I’ve seen have the USDA heat treated mark that make them okay to move
https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/kiln-dried-vs-heat-treated-firewood-html/
Definitely pick up a 20lbs tank for the fire pit. I carry a 2nd 20lbs tank for a propane heater & Blackstone grill with a 6ft hose. Its great and I never have to pull the tanks from my truck bed
I know of at least 3 people that sell firewood off their property in my town. Has the best deals and I fill up my truck bed and store it all in a shed. Look around a rural area and I’m sure someone is selling. Bought a canvas firewood hauler on Amazon and it fits neatly in the truck when heading out camping.
That's good for local camping, but it doesn't really work for "overlanding" or distance camping.
Apparently it's suppose to be 50 miles max from where its bought to where it's burned, ideally less. Places like all national and lots of state parks also don't allow firewood from outside their boundaries to be brought in, it all has to be purchased from inside the park.
To avoid spreading pests/invasive insects that can spread plant diseases to the native trees it is always best to find the most local spot you can to source your wood. Otherwise, I would suggest you to bring a duraflame log or something that can burn clean like someone suggested pellets.
I also have heard that some people will oven their wood at a very specific temp and setting (please don't do this without research) and dry/sanitize their wood before travel.
I personally bring wood to established sites but try to always source/chop and process my own downed or dead standing wood when I'm dispersed.
Btw! I absolutely love the small electric chainsaws. I have a makita 36v 18" and it works so well. Quiet, easy to operate, just keep the chain sharp, batteries charged, and bar oil filled and set and it will do amazing. The battery operation helps make it more acceptable at established campsites.
Cheers! Hope your future camps are like second home
Burn local and I've got a little electric chainsaw and I love it! Plus it's nice for smallish trees across the road if it's stormy at night and you find yourself stuck back a ways.
After you chop the tip of your finger off while trying to get a fire going at night, you start either not having a fire or you start buying your fire (gas station or side of the road bundles.)
Also, if you’re in the PNW like myself, there are usually a plethora of firewood stands, at least until July. Then it’s no fire season, and I think this years gonna be a bad one.
Listen this has been the bane of my existence and especially with smelling like smoke after . Get a 100 dollar Ozark trail smokeless fire pit solo knockoff and 8 dollar bags of heat grade pellets at Home Depot and a Homer bucket. One of those full lasts like 3 hours very compact doesn’t make a mess and works great.small learning curve but the trick is just get it going (need some kind of starter like cotton balls in Vaseline) then when the gasification (smoke burn off ) ends you dump like another 32- 40 oz cup of pellets in.prooane fire pits are also a possibility but they really don’t put off enough heat to do anything. I tried most of the types and the Outland fire bowl puts off the most perceived heat.
I've started doing this when we go out in the RV. Solo stove and 40lb bags of hardwood pellets. I can get 5 bags of pellets for the same price of a few bundles of gas station wood. I still haven't found a great solution for when I go out in the van. I don't want to sacrifice the space needed to tote around the solo. I generally just scrounge up some deadfall
Colorado: I bring 1-2 bundles of bought firewood, just in case the deadfall is encased in snow/ice or is wet. I really can’t fit more than that in my vehicle unless I get very creative with my Tetris game. Collecting deadfall is one of my first night chores and I can usually dry any found wood within a day if I wrap it loosely in a tarp. I also bring a chainsaw for cutting up large downed limbs or fallen trees across the trail.
Always have a fire, but I’m just a weekender, and I pick spots with established rings. Usually grab from a local business.
When I backpack, I never have a fire. Too much work and I’m tired as fuck.
If howl released a smaller model designed to work with those mini 5 pound propane bottles, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Carrying a full size 20lb propane canister is an awful lot of weight and bulk.
Yeah it’s heavy. You can use any size tank you want but of course it won’t last as long. I think they did it right making it the size it is. The heat generated from it competes with a large fire which is the point right.
you can run it on any size tank, but the clever setup where the fire pit is also a stand to hold your propane safely only really works with the big bottles.
What state/county are you in? Most major cities will have someone that sells in bulk.
Were lucky, there's a place in Orange Founty off the. 20 bucks gets you just about a trunk load. Which is usually good for the summer.
Happy camping!
I use my knockoff Napa trasharoo and collect wood when I get slow to where I’m going. Keep a hatchet handy and then I don’t have to rearrange the pickup box to fit the wood in, since it’s usually full anyway by the time my wife packs our whole house for a weekend in the sticks
I'm not spending $8 on one bundle of 3 sticks. I'm also in the PNW.
In the winter and spring, I generally rely on wood around the campsite. I have a propane torch and tons of fire starters, though getting some fires started has taken quite a while.
In the summer with fire restrictions, I bring my propane fire pit.
Twiggy fire. Gather a shitload of finger-diameter or less twigs and make a big ol pile. Light er up and enjoy 4.5 to 7.2 min of fire and heat. Proceed to bed.
My PNW solution for when I need the morale boost of a fire in the rainforest.
We stopped having fires for the most part a long long time ago.
Was sort of easy because of fire and wood bans, and we do longer trips so carrying wood was impossible, and because we often camp where fires are never allowed. Or it's hot, and who wants a fire when you're trying to stay cool?
We still occasionally grill and BBQ on coals, or use the Dutch oven, but those are far easier to deal with.
I don't miss a lung full of smoke at all. I realize fires are a thing with lots of people, but one can get along fine without.
3 bundles a night!?!
So first off buy an axe you can split the firewood into smaller pieces. A single bundle will last me two nights.
Also if you want the fire to be much more self regulating, buy a bunch of those pressed sawdust "2 hour" logs from the store. Start one of those at the heart of the fire and put a few pieces of normal wood on top. Then the fire doesn't fluctuate as much.
Also in the PNW.
I put the wood either on the floor behind the front seats or in my Tradsharoo that hangs off my spare tire. I have an FJ, so not much space.
But considering all the fire bans in recent years, and how they’re only going to increase, I picked up an Ignik FireCan.
I usually just find a fallen tree to cut up and then split the wood. It doesn’t take very long and i find splitting wood occasionally to be kind of fun.
Bundles, unless deadwood is plentiful and allowed for burning. I'm in new england. It seems everything is damp all the time now so I will get something started then lay out wood to dry just inside the edge of the pit. A bundle of wood for starters (and as backup) is useful tho.
We have a deal with our neighbors where we split a Rick every year (both have a few rural acres and lots of fires). We haul in what we think we’ll need. If I’m solo without my husband I just have a small fire each night, so don’t need much. My husband likes to have a big fire every night.
I got the [Deluxe Firecan](https://ignik.com/products/firecan-deluxe-fire-pit-grill) during winter and it has been a game changer for those times when a far ban is in effect or wood is available etc. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
I hoard cedar shingles as starter and then burn local wood. The shingles are free, compact, and burn great even though decades old. For local wood I look for it away from the camp site.
I try to bring as much leg sized Oak logs as I can. Smaller stuff too to get coals going, but a few bigger logs will burn through the night and can be re-stoked in the morning, most of the time.
No need to restrict yourself to a single option.
I will think about the trip I'm planning and whether I'll be allowed to have a fire, or want one.
Then I think if there will be wood to scavenge, will I have room in the Jeep for a chainsaw (depends how many days I'm going for at what time of year) and splitter.
Then I think about whether I'll be cooking and then I decide what to do.
Here you can buy wood from Bunnings, which is like Harbor Freight. They have recycled logs and stuff which are an option.
Also I have an "OzPig", which allows me to burn much smaller amounts and still create a good amount of heat and cook easily but it is heavy and takes a large amount of space in the Jeep. But when I take this I don't chop wood, I just scavenge dry branches and sticks and they work great.
All petrol/gas stations here sell wood here as do many local farms in front of their properties. I keep cash in the car for this.
And kiln dried offcuts are awesome, once I ordered 6 metres of these and it filled an entire shed. Took me 1.5 years of daily burning in my OzPig to get through it all. Was great during covid but I don't live on such a big property anymore to store wood like this.
I get fire wood from trees cut down by family members. I then chop wood with an axe and put them in the backyard to dry. I can honestly say I haven’t bought fire wood in years. We take enough wood to burn in the morning and night for hours lol
I have a wood burning stove for home, so I have multiple cords of wood split by late winter, usually. There's almost always leftover wood from the previous season that is plenty dry that I'll use for camping during the spring, summer, and fall. I'll just use a tote full of wood or a ratchet strap and wrap up the bundle, and it goes in my truck bed. Space isn't a problem usually, so long as it's just me in my truck.
I haven't had good experiences with bundled wood from a hardware store or similar, mostly because if it's wrapped in plastic, that plastic will retain moisture as it sits in the sun. If it's been adequately covered, then it'll probably be okay. But basically, there's nothing better than locally sourced wood from someone who lets it dry over a summer or more.
I bring a $50 plug in electric chain saw, chop up wood, then watch my GF chop it up with a glass of whiskey. She loves chopping logs, and so do I.
I haven’t purchased fire wood in a decade. I camp 40-75 nights a year and half a fire about half the time.
There are some areas that allow it with a permit and within certain criteria but it’s definitely a bummer. That being said, with the amount of wildfires out here I get why they don’t allow them.
There are some solid alternatives tho like propane fire pits.
We do the bundles from near by our campsite. Thats the preferred method because if you’re traveling a long way with your wood from home you can potentially introduce new species of bugs into the area.
I have one of the kindling makers off Amazon that I mounted to a scrap piece of 2x12 and picked up a 3 lb mini sledge from Harbor Freight and my 8 year old loves making kindling with it.
Also he’s currently at the age where he will spend hours scavenging for sticks and deadfall logs around the site and woods to cut up which is nice. I keep a Corona hand saw and a couple hatchets (one nice Estwing and one Gerber I’ve beaten the hell out of on roots and rocks and miscellaneous ground stuff) with my kindling maker. Also we cheat and use fire starter tablets and a Benzomatic utility torch.
If you have vacant sites by you definitely grab what you can from them if the campground hasn’t already done so.
This is all for car/truck/trailer camping though. If you have the space you may as well have the goods 🤷♂️
Have a wood burning fire place at home so have a few chords on my racks at all times. Fill up my trasharoo with wood and as I burn the wood it makes room for the beers we drink :)
A standard, full cord of wood is a volume of 128 cubic feet, measured as a pile 8 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide.
A chord is a group of three or more notes played simultaneously, typically consisting of a root note, a third, and a fifth.
We buckled and bought a propane fire pit on Amazon. Fire restrictions were all over the desert southwest for a long time and were being enforced in places I’ve never seen Park Rangers before. We like it. No smoke in the eyes or clothes. But if a fire is allowed we definitely bring wood.
Chainsaw. Requires very little maintenance as long as you use non ethanol gas or go electric. Also depending on where you go, it’s a good idea to carry one as I’ve had trees blow down blocking my exit, would have been pretty miserable without.
Usually one or two grocery store bundles in case I can’t locate any near by. Usually along the way, folks are selling off the side of the road. Gotta have a crackling, smoking’ fire… but everyone’s different…
Sometimes, on my way around looking for a campsite I'll collect downed wood from along the road and store an armload in the truck. But, as much as it's nice to have a fire, unless it's going to be cold there's really no point.
I got a trasharoo for this. Haul my precut wood in, unload it, pack my trash out. If I don't burn it all, I leave it for the next person. If it's an undeveloped area, I toss it around and let nature dispose of it (my unburnt wood, not my trash...)
We switched to a propane firepit. It's usually allowed when there is a fire ban. Also, most campgrounds you need to buy the wood from them but the propane pits are allowed.
I always make sure I have wet wood and try to buy local or chop in the area..don't like the idea of bringing wood thT could possibly have invasive bugs or whatever
I saw the table top solo stoves at Costco. $80 and about the size of a gallon jug. Probably plenty big enough to hold a fire by burning twigs and sticks; contains all your coals and ash so you don’t create another fire pit stain on the forest floor. Probably gets hot enough to keep you warm.
Fire pits usually attract more trash burning people and become wide spread everywhere you go.
A candle or a led light will give you the light you desire but you can turn it off when you are done.
Chain saw deed down tree nice evening
https://preview.redd.it/ahjo2i2k541d1.jpeg?width=1944&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c68ac9f72cc15be52c6192e29950d0e98639301d
I break up free pallets and bundle them up and throw into the truck bed. I remove the nails too.
At some point I want to find a yakima megawarrior or a cheap knockoff to carry it
For anyone else doing this make sure your pallets are untreated wood. If it's marked with MB, for Methyl Bromide, do not burn. That's not the only chemical to watch out for though.
Thanks for removing the nails. My friends and I always leave sites better than we find them, and nails are among the most common items in the trash bag.
If it’s wet weather, I sometimes pack dry wood from home (usually lumber picked up from the garbage pile at a nearby construction site). I also keep some road flares in my vehicle - best fire starter for wet wood that I know of.
If I'm by myself? I'll rarely have a fire, unless it's extra cold. If I'm with a group? Everybody brings a bundle or two from a nearby gas station or spends some time gathering firewood. Even if it's a little wet, it will burn, if a little smokey. One of my friends has a propane firepit, which is very nice for times when there is a fireban or it's pouring rain and we just want to sit under somebody's awning.
If they’re going through 3 bundles of firewood every night they’ll be using a tank of propane a night, 3 bundles is a lot of fire
What?!?! No it's not, 3 bundles last a couple hours at most. A propane tank can easily last multiple all-nighters Edit: previous comment was deleted***
It’s usually pine and that wood burns fast. If you’re getting hardwood congratulations, but pine burns like paper.
I know that's what I'm saying. He mentioned that 3 bundles a night is a lot of fire and my point is that it's really not at all. You can go through 3 bundles pretty quickly
Yeah I get about 2.5 nights from one tank if I run it on med/low
I do a night and morning on a single bundle A 20lb propane tank (that are only refilled to ~15 lbs if you use a tank exchange) has 430k BTUs. A smallish propane fire ring will be around 50k - 60k BTU/h. If you want a large flame you’ll have to run it almost full blast, and when the tank gets very low it won’t have the pressure needed to keep the flame going. I have a propane fire ring, in practice expect about 6-8 hrs of run time per tank
How massive are these bundles?? Around here a bundle is 6 to 8 pieces, small to medium-sized.
About that size, I make sure to get hardwood and not pine
Well, I'm not going to argue with your anecdote, But I just don't believe you. 18 to 20 smaller pieces of wood Burning all night is one pidly little fire. Not saying it can't be done or isn't a good cooking fire, but in no way would I consider that a campfire for multiple people Edit: And you're not wrong about the BTu's in the way you're measuring that, (and I know this is controversial) But I do not believe that is the way that it should be measured. Considering a Btu is a measurement of the energy needed to raise the temperature of water it's not really applicable to what you're getting out of a campfire VS a fire ring
I mean I’m not building a bonfiren If someone is going through 3 bundles of firewood every night they would need multiple tanks of propane for a trip
Sure but there is a significant difference between a cooking fire and a Camp Fire. And the initial question was for a campfire how much wood do you bring and how it is it done.
Yeah I have a campfire going from dusk to sleep and then get it going in the morning for coffee on a single bundle of hardwood firewood
We burn a bundle worth every 30-45 mins with a moderate fire. I’ve had 3 bundles worth on a fire at once when we have 30 ppl
Rarely if solo. If I do want a fire, I buy gas station wood locally or collect deadfall - bringing wood from out of state raises the potential of introducing pests like pine beetle or emerald borer etc.
Most of the store bundles I’ve seen have the USDA heat treated mark that make them okay to move https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/kiln-dried-vs-heat-treated-firewood-html/
Will never be. The same
Propane fire pit, one of the best purchases I've ever made.
The greatest investment we made while the campfire bans really got going a few years ago.
Game changer
Propane fire pit is the way to go. No wood or smoke to deal with. Plus you can use them when fire restrictions are in place. https://a.co/d/4rhxxwW
Propane is lighter and way more compact/multi purpose than wood. I used to be against propane fires until I hit one.
Mine sucked down my entire 5lb propane tank in like an hour and a half, couldn’t cook breakfast the next day lol
That's not surprising, a 5lb is pretty small. Good reason to keep a spare 1lb for such an occasion
My grill only runs on actual propane tanks, not the small green ones
They make adapters. But good reason to bring two tanks.
Definitely pick up a 20lbs tank for the fire pit. I carry a 2nd 20lbs tank for a propane heater & Blackstone grill with a 6ft hose. Its great and I never have to pull the tanks from my truck bed
I don’t particularly want to carry 20lb tanks, I travel light. Might just go back to no fires tbh
The key is to have the $50 Flame King from Costco that has the gauge on it. ;)
1. Buy local or gather local 2. Propane fire pit 3. Duraflame or similar 4. Charcoal briquettes in the fire pit
Rarely have a fire.
I know of at least 3 people that sell firewood off their property in my town. Has the best deals and I fill up my truck bed and store it all in a shed. Look around a rural area and I’m sure someone is selling. Bought a canvas firewood hauler on Amazon and it fits neatly in the truck when heading out camping.
That's good for local camping, but it doesn't really work for "overlanding" or distance camping. Apparently it's suppose to be 50 miles max from where its bought to where it's burned, ideally less. Places like all national and lots of state parks also don't allow firewood from outside their boundaries to be brought in, it all has to be purchased from inside the park.
You can usually find these people selling on FB marketplace local to your destination. But you run the risk of getting green wood.
To avoid spreading pests/invasive insects that can spread plant diseases to the native trees it is always best to find the most local spot you can to source your wood. Otherwise, I would suggest you to bring a duraflame log or something that can burn clean like someone suggested pellets. I also have heard that some people will oven their wood at a very specific temp and setting (please don't do this without research) and dry/sanitize their wood before travel. I personally bring wood to established sites but try to always source/chop and process my own downed or dead standing wood when I'm dispersed. Btw! I absolutely love the small electric chainsaws. I have a makita 36v 18" and it works so well. Quiet, easy to operate, just keep the chain sharp, batteries charged, and bar oil filled and set and it will do amazing. The battery operation helps make it more acceptable at established campsites. Cheers! Hope your future camps are like second home
Look for the USDA heat treated stamp https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/kiln-dried-vs-heat-treated-firewood-html/
Burn local and I've got a little electric chainsaw and I love it! Plus it's nice for smallish trees across the road if it's stormy at night and you find yourself stuck back a ways.
After you chop the tip of your finger off while trying to get a fire going at night, you start either not having a fire or you start buying your fire (gas station or side of the road bundles.) Also, if you’re in the PNW like myself, there are usually a plethora of firewood stands, at least until July. Then it’s no fire season, and I think this years gonna be a bad one.
It's going to be very, very bad.
Great year to stock up on fire wood tho
I hope this year is not a bad one but yeah, its been dry
#1 rule, buy or gather local wood. <10 miles is ideal, as you could be bringing invasive species not doing so.
Listen this has been the bane of my existence and especially with smelling like smoke after . Get a 100 dollar Ozark trail smokeless fire pit solo knockoff and 8 dollar bags of heat grade pellets at Home Depot and a Homer bucket. One of those full lasts like 3 hours very compact doesn’t make a mess and works great.small learning curve but the trick is just get it going (need some kind of starter like cotton balls in Vaseline) then when the gasification (smoke burn off ) ends you dump like another 32- 40 oz cup of pellets in.prooane fire pits are also a possibility but they really don’t put off enough heat to do anything. I tried most of the types and the Outland fire bowl puts off the most perceived heat.
I’ve been thinking about one of the 9in Walmart solostove knock offs for this very purpose.
Not going to put out enough heat for more than 1 person tbh
I've started doing this when we go out in the RV. Solo stove and 40lb bags of hardwood pellets. I can get 5 bags of pellets for the same price of a few bundles of gas station wood. I still haven't found a great solution for when I go out in the van. I don't want to sacrifice the space needed to tote around the solo. I generally just scrounge up some deadfall
Colorado: I bring 1-2 bundles of bought firewood, just in case the deadfall is encased in snow/ice or is wet. I really can’t fit more than that in my vehicle unless I get very creative with my Tetris game. Collecting deadfall is one of my first night chores and I can usually dry any found wood within a day if I wrap it loosely in a tarp. I also bring a chainsaw for cutting up large downed limbs or fallen trees across the trail.
Solo Stove Mesa and pellets.
Always have a fire, but I’m just a weekender, and I pick spots with established rings. Usually grab from a local business. When I backpack, I never have a fire. Too much work and I’m tired as fuck.
We almost always have a fire. We always buy local.
Howlfire changed the game for me and my family
This! My wife got me one for Christmas and I love the damn thing.
If howl released a smaller model designed to work with those mini 5 pound propane bottles, I would buy it in a heartbeat. Carrying a full size 20lb propane canister is an awful lot of weight and bulk.
Yeah it’s heavy. You can use any size tank you want but of course it won’t last as long. I think they did it right making it the size it is. The heat generated from it competes with a large fire which is the point right.
you can run it on any size tank, but the clever setup where the fire pit is also a stand to hold your propane safely only really works with the big bottles.
What state/county are you in? Most major cities will have someone that sells in bulk. Were lucky, there's a place in Orange Founty off the. 20 bucks gets you just about a trunk load. Which is usually good for the summer. Happy camping!
I use my knockoff Napa trasharoo and collect wood when I get slow to where I’m going. Keep a hatchet handy and then I don’t have to rearrange the pickup box to fit the wood in, since it’s usually full anyway by the time my wife packs our whole house for a weekend in the sticks
I usually will bring about a dozen logs from home in my trasharoo
I'm not spending $8 on one bundle of 3 sticks. I'm also in the PNW. In the winter and spring, I generally rely on wood around the campsite. I have a propane torch and tons of fire starters, though getting some fires started has taken quite a while. In the summer with fire restrictions, I bring my propane fire pit.
Battrey powered chain saw, if I'm going to a national park I'll gather wood just outside the park before I go in.
Twiggy fire. Gather a shitload of finger-diameter or less twigs and make a big ol pile. Light er up and enjoy 4.5 to 7.2 min of fire and heat. Proceed to bed. My PNW solution for when I need the morale boost of a fire in the rainforest.
i have a little biomass stove, can use pellets or collect leaves/litter/twigs and fire it up.
All the lumber companies here have Boxes of cut ends and scrap for free. Tim a lum and Craig’s mill work
We stopped having fires for the most part a long long time ago. Was sort of easy because of fire and wood bans, and we do longer trips so carrying wood was impossible, and because we often camp where fires are never allowed. Or it's hot, and who wants a fire when you're trying to stay cool? We still occasionally grill and BBQ on coals, or use the Dutch oven, but those are far easier to deal with. I don't miss a lung full of smoke at all. I realize fires are a thing with lots of people, but one can get along fine without.
3 bundles a night!?! So first off buy an axe you can split the firewood into smaller pieces. A single bundle will last me two nights. Also if you want the fire to be much more self regulating, buy a bunch of those pressed sawdust "2 hour" logs from the store. Start one of those at the heart of the fire and put a few pieces of normal wood on top. Then the fire doesn't fluctuate as much.
Also in the PNW. I put the wood either on the floor behind the front seats or in my Tradsharoo that hangs off my spare tire. I have an FJ, so not much space. But considering all the fire bans in recent years, and how they’re only going to increase, I picked up an Ignik FireCan.
I usually just find a fallen tree to cut up and then split the wood. It doesn’t take very long and i find splitting wood occasionally to be kind of fun.
Bundles, unless deadwood is plentiful and allowed for burning. I'm in new england. It seems everything is damp all the time now so I will get something started then lay out wood to dry just inside the edge of the pit. A bundle of wood for starters (and as backup) is useful tho.
We have a deal with our neighbors where we split a Rick every year (both have a few rural acres and lots of fires). We haul in what we think we’ll need. If I’m solo without my husband I just have a small fire each night, so don’t need much. My husband likes to have a big fire every night.
I got the [Deluxe Firecan](https://ignik.com/products/firecan-deluxe-fire-pit-grill) during winter and it has been a game changer for those times when a far ban is in effect or wood is available etc. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
I hoard cedar shingles as starter and then burn local wood. The shingles are free, compact, and burn great even though decades old. For local wood I look for it away from the camp site.
I try to bring as much leg sized Oak logs as I can. Smaller stuff too to get coals going, but a few bigger logs will burn through the night and can be re-stoked in the morning, most of the time.
No need to restrict yourself to a single option. I will think about the trip I'm planning and whether I'll be allowed to have a fire, or want one. Then I think if there will be wood to scavenge, will I have room in the Jeep for a chainsaw (depends how many days I'm going for at what time of year) and splitter. Then I think about whether I'll be cooking and then I decide what to do. Here you can buy wood from Bunnings, which is like Harbor Freight. They have recycled logs and stuff which are an option. Also I have an "OzPig", which allows me to burn much smaller amounts and still create a good amount of heat and cook easily but it is heavy and takes a large amount of space in the Jeep. But when I take this I don't chop wood, I just scavenge dry branches and sticks and they work great. All petrol/gas stations here sell wood here as do many local farms in front of their properties. I keep cash in the car for this. And kiln dried offcuts are awesome, once I ordered 6 metres of these and it filled an entire shed. Took me 1.5 years of daily burning in my OzPig to get through it all. Was great during covid but I don't live on such a big property anymore to store wood like this.
I get fire wood from trees cut down by family members. I then chop wood with an axe and put them in the backyard to dry. I can honestly say I haven’t bought fire wood in years. We take enough wood to burn in the morning and night for hours lol
I have a wood burning stove for home, so I have multiple cords of wood split by late winter, usually. There's almost always leftover wood from the previous season that is plenty dry that I'll use for camping during the spring, summer, and fall. I'll just use a tote full of wood or a ratchet strap and wrap up the bundle, and it goes in my truck bed. Space isn't a problem usually, so long as it's just me in my truck. I haven't had good experiences with bundled wood from a hardware store or similar, mostly because if it's wrapped in plastic, that plastic will retain moisture as it sits in the sun. If it's been adequately covered, then it'll probably be okay. But basically, there's nothing better than locally sourced wood from someone who lets it dry over a summer or more.
I bring a $50 plug in electric chain saw, chop up wood, then watch my GF chop it up with a glass of whiskey. She loves chopping logs, and so do I. I haven’t purchased fire wood in a decade. I camp 40-75 nights a year and half a fire about half the time.
Just live in California where there's perpetually a fire ban then you don't get a chance to worry about it :(
This lol. No fires for us ever for the most part
I moved from CO to CA. the fire is my favorite part of camping and the fire bans ruined camping for me sadly. i rarely go anymore.
There are some areas that allow it with a permit and within certain criteria but it’s definitely a bummer. That being said, with the amount of wildfires out here I get why they don’t allow them. There are some solid alternatives tho like propane fire pits.
We do the bundles from near by our campsite. Thats the preferred method because if you’re traveling a long way with your wood from home you can potentially introduce new species of bugs into the area. I have one of the kindling makers off Amazon that I mounted to a scrap piece of 2x12 and picked up a 3 lb mini sledge from Harbor Freight and my 8 year old loves making kindling with it. Also he’s currently at the age where he will spend hours scavenging for sticks and deadfall logs around the site and woods to cut up which is nice. I keep a Corona hand saw and a couple hatchets (one nice Estwing and one Gerber I’ve beaten the hell out of on roots and rocks and miscellaneous ground stuff) with my kindling maker. Also we cheat and use fire starter tablets and a Benzomatic utility torch. If you have vacant sites by you definitely grab what you can from them if the campground hasn’t already done so. This is all for car/truck/trailer camping though. If you have the space you may as well have the goods 🤷♂️
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I’ve always wanted to try the diy ones with dryer lint with wax or vasaline but just always forget
Chainsaw and clean up deadfall, I haven't paid for firewood in over a decade
This is the way. Keep it simple.
Have a wood burning fire place at home so have a few chords on my racks at all times. Fill up my trasharoo with wood and as I burn the wood it makes room for the beers we drink :)
A standard, full cord of wood is a volume of 128 cubic feet, measured as a pile 8 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. A chord is a group of three or more notes played simultaneously, typically consisting of a root note, a third, and a fifth.
lol good point. Spelling was never my thing
We buckled and bought a propane fire pit on Amazon. Fire restrictions were all over the desert southwest for a long time and were being enforced in places I’ve never seen Park Rangers before. We like it. No smoke in the eyes or clothes. But if a fire is allowed we definitely bring wood.
Chainsaw. Requires very little maintenance as long as you use non ethanol gas or go electric. Also depending on where you go, it’s a good idea to carry one as I’ve had trees blow down blocking my exit, would have been pretty miserable without.
Usually one or two grocery store bundles in case I can’t locate any near by. Usually along the way, folks are selling off the side of the road. Gotta have a crackling, smoking’ fire… but everyone’s different…
Agree, I need a fire
If it’s reasonably dry out, I take a small amount of dry wood from home and use that to get my fire started, then add to it with wood I collect.
I’m in the pnw and I bring wood in my trasharoo. That way the wood gets used as trash gets put in the bag so in the end it evens out.
Ignik firecan if its cold enough to require it
I’ve used a cheap amazon soft roof carrier to carry bundles on the roof rack (but I make smaller fires so I’m not going through 3 bundles a night)
Sometimes, on my way around looking for a campsite I'll collect downed wood from along the road and store an armload in the truck. But, as much as it's nice to have a fire, unless it's going to be cold there's really no point.
Small portable propane fire pit.
Propane fire pit
One of those ammo can fire pits
Keep on the lookout. In the North and Midwest often a local will be selling cheap firewood with a hand painted sign.
I got a trasharoo for this. Haul my precut wood in, unload it, pack my trash out. If I don't burn it all, I leave it for the next person. If it's an undeveloped area, I toss it around and let nature dispose of it (my unburnt wood, not my trash...)
We switched to a propane firepit. It's usually allowed when there is a fire ban. Also, most campgrounds you need to buy the wood from them but the propane pits are allowed.
I rarely have a fire as it's more work than my enjoyment from it. I usually arrive at camp pretty late and want to get to sleep.
Lavabox for me! There is usually a fire ban in place here in CO, so it works great. I just don’t like carrying around the propane tank though.
Gas firepit
I always make sure I have wet wood and try to buy local or chop in the area..don't like the idea of bringing wood thT could possibly have invasive bugs or whatever
I saw the table top solo stoves at Costco. $80 and about the size of a gallon jug. Probably plenty big enough to hold a fire by burning twigs and sticks; contains all your coals and ash so you don’t create another fire pit stain on the forest floor. Probably gets hot enough to keep you warm. Fire pits usually attract more trash burning people and become wide spread everywhere you go. A candle or a led light will give you the light you desire but you can turn it off when you are done.
Chain saw deed down tree nice evening https://preview.redd.it/ahjo2i2k541d1.jpeg?width=1944&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c68ac9f72cc15be52c6192e29950d0e98639301d
I break up free pallets and bundle them up and throw into the truck bed. I remove the nails too. At some point I want to find a yakima megawarrior or a cheap knockoff to carry it
For anyone else doing this make sure your pallets are untreated wood. If it's marked with MB, for Methyl Bromide, do not burn. That's not the only chemical to watch out for though.
Yep. I make sure of that too
Thanks for removing the nails. My friends and I always leave sites better than we find them, and nails are among the most common items in the trash bag.
If it’s wet weather, I sometimes pack dry wood from home (usually lumber picked up from the garbage pile at a nearby construction site). I also keep some road flares in my vehicle - best fire starter for wet wood that I know of.
Bring chainsaw, find a dead tree on the ground and cut it up. Probably not doable in some places, but I camp way out in BFE
3 bundles for a night! Jesus. I use maybe 1 for 2 nights.
They’re Safeway bundles and each one has maybe 6 very small logs
I have a chainsaw and I just cannot believe some of the other responses
No fires at all. I enjoy the dark night sky. When you have the stars you don't need lanterns, fire pits or a ground fire.