[OC1Rolls]

I am trying to figure out how high to elevate my firepan. Is a 4" height off the ground enough? I bolted 3 license plates together and used some old drape brackets to elevate it. Surprisingly sturdy and it comes apart for easy storage.

 

[mcfarrel]

I got a great idea from a coworker for a fire pan. I used a hog feeding pan and some legs from an old wood burning stove. The legs were connected with a nut, bolt and washer through holes drilled in the bottom of the pan. I topped the pan with an old grill. It weighs less than 10 lbs or so

The ranger at the Lodore put in also said that a "soda" can is exactly 4" and would meet requirements... but I'm not sure I believe that.

 

[OC1Rolls]

Nice setup mcfarrel.
I have the firepan part...just working on a compact stand that will not scorch the earth. I will mainly be using it for aesthetic campfires and possibly some dutch oven containment.

 

[cataraftgirl]

Here is my fire pan set-up. The idea came from another MB member. It's the Partner Steel compact fire pan, with 1 inch nuts welded to all four corners of the female side, and the outer corners of the male side. 4 inch long, lag bolts for the legs. Unscrew the legs and pack them away, and the fire pan compacts to a 15 X 13.5 size. The fire pan weighs 15 lb. and expands to a 13.5 X 25 X 3.25 size. Works great. Very stable, and with the fire blanket underneath there is no problem with the legs in sand. Since I don't weld, and I wanted it done right, I ordered the fire pan from Partner and had them weld the nuts on in the proper positions. Cost $60 shipped from Partner.

 

[mcfarrel]

I like the partner pan idea too. I have to put my leftover coals into another container but with that setup you could just put them in the male side and then close the female on top to contain them.

Also to get to the question OC1Rolls asked... I would think that with a fire blanket 4" is tall enough to avoid scorching the ground below the pan

 

[watermonkey]

I am trying to figure out how high to elevate my firepan. Is a 4" height off the ground enough? I bolted 3 license plates together and used some old drape brackets to elevate it. Surprisingly sturdy and it comes apart for easy storage.

That's the dumbest [email protected]#$ing thing i've ever seen. You're joking, right?

 

[cataraftgirl]

I like the partner pan idea too. I have to put my leftover coals into another container but with that setup you could just put them in the male side and then close the female on top to contain them.

Also to get to the question OC1Rolls asked... I would think that with a fire blanket 4" is tall enough to avoid scorching the ground below the pan

It works really well to snuff out the coals, and also protects from a muddy mess if you leave it out over night and it rains. Another nice thing it that you can alter the size of the fire pan to suit the number & size of dutch ovens in use. This makes it more efficient with the heat from the coals. With the 4 inch legs and the fire blanket I've not seen any scorching. This fire pan is half the weight of the big fire pans with the fancy legs, and costs a fraction of what they cost. If you like to grill, just buy a light weight cheapo grill top and lay it on top of the fire pan, works great.

My friends just borrowed my fire pan for a GC trip. It should meet the regs, as it is over 300 sq. inches, has a lip over 3 inches, and has manufactured legs. We shall see if it passes, and how it holds up when they get back. I have seen a commercially produced fire pan with the same legs, that's 19 X 18 inches, doesn't compact, and cost over $200.

 

[lmyers]

Also to get to the question OC1Rolls asked... I would think that with a fire blanket 4" is tall enough to avoid scorching the ground below the pan

Agreed. I actually really like the license plate idea. That would work great for kayak self-support... the only issue I have is lack of a lip.

 

[Stiff N' Wett]

I don't think that license plate platform would pass by any ranger.

 

[OC1Rolls]

Yeah. Maybe I could upgrade to better riser brackets. The jenky drape brackets was an attempt to recycle, reuse, renew some parts I had laying around.
Or maybe weld some nuts on the bottom of my round firepan like Cataraftgirl has. Those lag bolts look simple enough. I'll use a welding blanket underneath.

 

[cataraftgirl]

Yeah. Maybe I could upgrade to better riser brackets. The jenky drape brackets was an attempt to recycle, reuse, renew some parts I had laying around.
Or maybe weld some nuts on the bottom of my round firepan like Cataraftgirl has. Those lag bolts look simple enough. I'll use a welding blanket underneath.

The welded on nuts and lag bolt legs are a great way to go. Easy on & off, and no too heavy or bulky to carry. My friends are launching on the GC today and sent me a text last night to say that the fire pan passed inspection. So there you go. We'll see how it holds up to the Grand Canyon use.

 

[kazak4x4]

I am trying to figure out how high to elevate my firepan. Is a 4" height off the ground enough? I bolted 3 license plates together and used some old drape brackets to elevate it. Surprisingly sturdy and it comes apart for easy storage.

This is from Lodore handbook:

The use of a fire blanket and elevated fire pan is required. Fire pans must have
a 3-inch rim. Fire pans must be elevated at least four inches off the ground with
legs, rocks or other items. Fire blankets are considered to be any fireproof tarp,
blanket, or welder’s cloth of sufficient size to catch coals, ashes, and debris from
around the fire pan.

You have to have a lip around it.

 

[cataraftgirl]

I had my fingers crossed that my Partner compact fire pan with the lag bolt legs would pass inspection on the Grand Canyon. My friends realized at the last minute that none of their fire pans had legs and borrowed mine. I've heard that the GC rangers are pretty picky about gear, and I didn't want my friends to be stranded without a fire pan. It passed, and I breathed a sign of relief. My fire blanket is 4ft. X 4 ft., so it wouldn't have passed. GC requires a larger fire blanket, 5 X 6 I think? They had a large welding blanket, so they were good.

Awhile back there was a post about a take-apart fire pan that was used by a kayak self support group. Light weight and pieces could be spread out between multiple people. It looked really cool, but when I priced out the parts to make one, the Partner fire pan was a bit cheaper. 15 X 13.5 X 3.25 and 15 lb. isn't too bad to pack on a raft.

Found the link - http://kayakcamping.amongstit.com/2010/03/16/the-fire-pan/
If you're handy with metal work this is a really cool design.

 

[mcfarrel]

The use of a fire blanket and elevated fire pan is required. Fire pans must have
a 3-inch rim. Fire pans must be elevated at least four inches off the ground with
legs, rocks or other items. Fire blankets are considered to be any fireproof tarp,
blanket, or welder’s cloth of sufficient size to catch coals, ashes, and debris from
around the fire pan.

that is odd that the Lodore reg says you can elevate it the 4" with the use of rocks or other items... the regulations for gc (which i thought would be the same for most permit areas) say it must have "manufactured" legs and rocks don't count.

This leads me to believe that the ranger was right to say that a beer can is 4" and would suffice for elevating a fire pan.

Do you know if there is a size reg for Lodore?

My pan doesn't meet the 300 sq inch requirement for wood fire use but does meet the 144 sq inch charcoal requirement for gc.

 

[OC1Rolls]

This is from Lodore handbook:



You have to have a lip around it.

Yeah, the license plate platform is just to elevate the fire pan. It's not the actual pan.


Thanks to all for contributing to this thread! I'll combine the strict part of the GC and Ladore regs to make it bomber. Good to know about the welding blanket size restrictions also. Cheers Buzzards!

 

[Stiff N' Wett]

Oh cool... I was confused send a picture of the done product. Way to reduce reuse and recycle... Thrifty!