Propane Fire Pit Recommendation for Overlanding / Car Camping - Lavabox!

[scoobiedubes]

I thought fellow AZ mudders may appreciate a good referral for a fire pit to carry with their rigs.

I don't usually go out of my way to recommend something like this but I take my family on camping trips pretty often, and as everyone in AZ (and most of the west coast for that matter) knows we often have fire restrictions when we head out especially in the summer. So we have been using propane fire pits for probably the last decade or so, as I can't imagine camping without a fire The downside has always been that they tend to be bulky (and space is at a premium), get dirty, and actually don't really put off that much heat compared to a real fire.

I had been looking for a compact fire pit for a while, and was very intrigued when I went up to the Overland Expo this last summer and saw the Lava Box tent. Met the owner / creator / fabricator who is a really down to earth guy that had this idea on his own during some of his river rafting trips I believe up in CO. Same issue over landers have with space, but even moreso - space is REALLY at a premium on those rafts, and they especially need a fire to warm up at the end of a day of rafting. So they came up with the idea to build a fire pit out of ammo cans. The more compact space in the can allows a more dense fire in that smaller footprint which lets off a lot more heat, and honestly the flame height can go probably 4 or 5 feet in the air if you really wanted to crank it up. These are very compact, very easy to tuck away in the back of your rig (or even strap down on the roof). You do still need to carry propane obviously, but that would be the same as with the larger fire pits I always used to carry of course.

These were on backorder for a very long time while he waited for the ammo cans to arrive, I ordered mine back in October and just finally got it and can say it was well worth the wait. If you're considering one, order it soon while he's got some stock and catching up on orders. For anybody looking for a similar solution, I highly recommend it. They also sell a great kind of wetsuit material "sleeve" for the propane tank that I've always wanted to find to keep the tank from rattling around (always stored ours on the exterior, but rattling still an issue).

I have no affiliation with this company, just very impressed by the product!

LavaBox Portable Campfire - Fire Ban Compliant Campfires

THE portable propane campfire to rule them all. Chuck an ammo can fire pit in the rig and bug out for fire ban compliant fun with all the nostalgia of a wood-burning fire.

fireanytime.com

Here's a link to it operating on a pretty low setting in my backyard. It has the same regulator on it that you have on any other fire pit, so presumably a tank should last just as long.

New video by Nathan D

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[TWILLY]

Hear, hear.

Ours, here, has been a game changer. It's crux for winter trips with long nights, providing a place to hang out. It's a great way to stay warm on rain days, and each night everyone goes to bed warm. On long trips our clothes, hair, and bedding don't stink like smoked sausage. It doesn't throw sparks or leave coals, and so it's often allowed when here in the high country campfires aren't.

But even with folding legs, ours isn't very compact. The Lava Box is impressive. I'd have bought it had I known of it.

We use between .5 and 1 gallon per day on winter trips, but that's several hours of operation per day.

 

[scoobiedubes]

Hear, hear.

Ours, here, has been a game changer. It's crux for winter trips with long nights, providing a place to hang out. It's a great way to stay warm on rain days, and each night everyone goes to bed warm. On long trips our clothes, hair, and bedding don't stink like smoked sausage. It doesn't throw sparks or leave coals, and so it's often allowed when here in the high country campfires aren't.

But even with folding legs, ours isn't very compact. The Lava Box is impressive. I'd have bought it had I known of it.

We use between .5 and 1 gallon per day on winter trips, but that's several hours of operation per day.

The propane fire pits in general really are a game changer. Never worry about smoke and sparks again, no worry about fire restrictions, and you don’t end up stinky! All a bonus. The lava box is a pretty new product, but I’m really impressed with it. Just wanted to pass it along!

 

[peacesells63]

Hear, hear.

Ours, here, has been a game changer. It's crux for winter trips with long nights, providing a place to hang out. It's a great way to stay warm on rain days, and each night everyone goes to bed warm. On long trips our clothes, hair, and bedding don't stink like smoked sausage. It doesn't throw sparks or leave coals, and so it's often allowed when here in the high country campfires aren't.

But even with folding legs, ours isn't very compact. The Lava Box is impressive. I'd have bought it had I known of it.

We use between .5 and 1 gallon per day on winter trips, but that's several hours of operation per day.

I have had that same camp chef for 4 years now. I bought it so we could have a fire on the pool deck at an old house and we end up using it more during fire restriction season.

 

[splitshot]

Someone needs to tell him to go to Sportsman's Warehouse for the cans. Last time I was there there was no ammo, just a bunch of
empty cans to make the shelves look full.