Amputee Outdoors

 Adaptive Outdoor Activities for Outdoor Enthusiasts!
 

Starting a campfire in the snow is challenging, even more so in the Pacific Northwest, also known as the Pacific NorthWET.  Seriously, our snow in the Cascade mountains is called 'Cascade Concrete' due to the high level of moisture in the snow that then freezes causing bruising when you take a fall.  Everything in the forest has been rained on, snowed on, or just enveloped in fog and clouds since October. All the available firewood is wet! 

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I've tried to start a fire in the snow with a base several times and each time it's taken a couple of handfuls of dryer lint with Vaseline, and then died out in a few minutes.  So I got one of those twig stoves and put it in a baking tray so it wouldn't melt into the snow (here's the video).  Then I stacked twigs all around it to help them dry out.  This worked, but to keep the fire going you have to constantly shove sticks into it.  The twigs are so small that you can't just put in a few and leave it, constant attention is required.  

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So, in my search for a solution, I stumbled across mesh firepits.  They look flimsy and at first didn't take them seriously as an option.  But the more I read about them the more curious I became and finally decided to buy one (link below, and yes, I'm an Amazon Affiliate so I'll get a little compensation for any qualified purchases.).  

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Something I should tell you now is that this kit and none of the other brands I've seen reviewed come with instructions on how to set it up.  The absence of instructions is a common theme in many of the reviews.  Nonetheless, with a little fiddling, you can figure it out.  

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Once you have figured out how to put it together, (I've got a video here that may help), you start your fire like in any other campfire. I like to use dryer lint with Vaseline.  Burdened with the high moisture content of the twigs and sticks available to me, it takes a while to get it going.  However, and this is key, the fire gets going a lot easier precisely because the firepit is raised off the ground on a mesh.  A fire needs a heat source, fuel, and oxygen, with the fire resting on a mesh, it's pulling in air from underneath with zero barriers to that flow.  A little breeze and the flames start going!  

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One of the big advantages of this firepit is that you can put your wood, gloves, boots, etc., under the fire and the heat from it will dry them out.  However, I do caution you to be careful putting your gloves under the fire as I did.  Once the fire gets to a certain size gloves and other items like it can get a little singed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the fire is going you can use it like you would any other campfire.  I found the base to be very stable thanks to the wide stance of the four stainless steel legs.  The pot you see in this picture is a large size pot filled with water, noodles, and chicken and was stable on the logs. The firepit gave no indications of being top-heavy.   

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One thing with this firepit that may be an issue is rust.  The legs are stainless steel and the mesh is too.  However, my experience is that even stainless steel will rust with time and exposure to moisture.  Perhaps in dryer climates, this wouldn't be an issue, but here in the Pacific NorthWET it's always an issue.  So I recommend dumping out the remains of your fire and once the mesh is cool, (took about five minutes in this case) pack it away in its little bag to keep it all dry.  

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Thanks to this raised mesh firepit I was able to have a toasty warm fire, and easily cook up a meal. 

 

Let's look at the pros and cons. 

Pros: 

Lightweight

Excellent airflow

Wood stays dry

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Cons: 

Possible rust

Fiddly to assemble

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This mesh firepit is my new go-to option for campfires, especially in wet or snow conditions.  Here's the link if you want to check it out yourself: https://amzn.to/3DMCqmY​​