Here’s another quick take post! Amongst my circle of camping and overlanding friends, I am known as the guy who hates fires. There are two main reasons. One I hate smoke! Two it really isn’t the fire’s fault but all those who are completely irresponsible with them and cause wildfires.
I can’t solve the second problem but Fireside Outdoor has pretty much solved the first one. A friend of ours in Colorado turned us on to this gadget. I wasn’t convinced it would reduce the amount of smoke. He invited us over one evening for a few beers and set his up. I still had my doubts but other than the initial smoke from getting the fire going I would say the “in your face” smoke output was reduced by at least 80%! A few weeks later we purchased two direct at an off-road show. One for home and one for our trailer. I guess I’m lazy and like to keep things packed. Now I can look forward to sitting by a few fires. My friends will hate me a bit less and I might even try to cook on this.
The optional heatshield works amazingly well. If you need to protect the ground below your fire use it. We will likely set this up in approved fire rings and existing fire pits. Just remember if there is a fire ban this does not allow you to have a fire. This is why we still carry a propane fire pit. Clean up is easy. It is also easy to use very little water to put out the fire. I would recommend carrying a brush the clean the screen off before packing. Everything packs up and fits back in the original bag without any issues.
We also purchased the grill grate and will have to give that a try on a future trip. You can use charcoal with this as well. Once we have a chance to use this we will update our review.
Lots of gear comes and goes at 4XOA but this one is a keeper.
Shown with optional ember mat. This would be useful if you are in an area with a lot of pine needles that might easily combust from popping embers.
Even this small fire produced a nice amount of heat. The burn is very efficient.
Once the wood burns down to hot coals this makes an excellent grill. We have the optional grill as well.
Here’s a demo video from the manufacturer. If you like this quick review and would like to purchase one click here. We receive a couple of bucks for the referral.
