Campfires in the National Forest

[Living in the Past]

I was looking thru the "camping and outdoor gear" section seen this thread. https://forum.ih8mud.com/camping-outdoor-gear/491946-camping-fire-pit-ring-material.html Figure you guys would have a better idea what's going on in the National Forests here in AZ. Question is this really where we are going? I know you are encouraged to reuse old fire pits instead of making news ones (been doing that for years) but having to bring your own fire ring is something new to me. Seems funny all this worry about a small area of ground when we've lost well over a millon area to forest fire in the last ten years. Been camping in AZ since the early seventies but lately gotten spoil sleeping in a warm bed up north. Now it's coming to a time if grandpa doesn't take the grandkids camping it's a experience they will miss. Is it really getting this bad? What's next, take your shoes off before stepping out of your car in the forest

 

[BrotherRob]

My take on this is that it is another example of good old American commercialism charging you money for something that would otherwise be free.
I've never heard of a regulation requiring a removable fire pit. The only fire pit that I would ever consider buying would be the ones that run on propane. They are much safer that open fires and in some cases, can be used during fire restrictions.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I have a propane fire ring and wish I found it 30 years ago. Win win in my book I dont see a wood fire in my future unless its an emergency. The bonus like Rob said ranger approved when fire restrictions are in place.

 

[Saddletramp]

I may have to camp with you Phil to see if your propane ring lives up to a true campfire replacement. I will bring the marshmallows

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I may have to camp with you Phil to see if your propane ring lives up to a true campfire replacement. I will bring the marshmallows

If you are looking forward to smelling like smoke, getting smoke in your eyes, and looking for fire wood drunk in the middle of the night you will be disapointed.

 

[Saddletramp]

Then how the he'll would anyone know I had been camping?

 

[re_guderian]

Never thought of this before. Would help keep the Scouts from burning down... well, everything... Despite being a lifelong camper, I've always found campfires to be a chore. I grew up in the Seattle area, so there was no such thing as scavenging for wood, you had to bring it with you if you were car camping, or go without if you were hiking. Any suggestions of good models? A quick google search shows that Camp Chef makes the cheapest one, and some get pretty pricey.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I have the Camp Chef and 100% happy.

 

[Living in the Past]

I guess part of rusty_tlc statement "The NFS and BLM frown on stone fire rings down here in the lower 48. A lot of wilderness areas don't even allow fires directly on the soil" that bothered me. A big part of camping was the camp fire. There are lessons to be learned with a camp fire. What type of wood to burn for what you plan to do. Don't want to use pitch pine to cook on but it's great for heat. How to chose the right wood to start a fire when everything seemed soaked. Unlike the Pacfic Northwest and their fir forest we have plenty of different type of wood to chose from in Northern Arizona. While I'm not much on backpacking anymore I could never see me carry a metal fire ring in my backpack. I was brought up never going camping. It was backpacking trip in West Creek when I was in my late teens and couldn't get a fire started because it had been raining that cause me to learn about this firewood thing. I passed it on to my kids and would still like to be able to teach the grandkids.


John

 

[BrotherRob]

Then how the he'll would anyone know I had been camping?

You can always get some pine scented incense and stick it somewhere.

 

[splitshot]

Evertime we build a new fire ring in a remote area, the cleanup involves pitching the stones and making it look like it never exhisted.

 

[DSRTRDR]

we like to watch the sky without light pollution when we camp (which is why we go camp in the first place, to be where there is no infrastructure ) - we don't usually build fires

 

[re_guderian]

I have a propane fire ring and wish I found it 30 years ago. Win win in my book I dont see a wood fire in my future unless its an emergency. The bonus like Rob said ranger approved when fire restrictions are in place.

I have the Camp Chef and 100% happy.

Picked up one of these Camp Chef units last week to use at Scout Camp by Bear Canyon Lake since there were fire restrictions in place. I LIKE IT! worked well, and everyone was happy with it. Nice for a "quick" fire in the AM, which I usually pass on doing with wood since it's a hassle to get going, and then put out adequately before we take off for the day's activities. Also cuts down on the amount of water I have to bring since I use between 5-10 gallons to douse the fire ring when using wood. Still hard to keep 10 Scouts from throwing crap in it, but that'll work itself out when they have to clean lava rock...

It even passed the Ranger test. FS ranger stopped by camp last Friday night with the red and blues flashing, when he saw the fire, but was cool with it being propane. I had called the Apache Sitgreaves Ranger office beforehand to confirm it was "allowed". It's all good!

It could use a longer hose, and it does chew through some propane. We went through 2 20lb tanks in 4 nights (and a few mornings).