[didee99]

Love it!

Our group used the pop-up fire pit on a 2 night trip just recently and we all loved the performance. A lot of real estate to play with so the logs are far less like to fall out of the fire (a problem we have had with the Cambridge fire pan).

Overall, the fire we had was nice and hot and the embers were mesmerizing. It just had a nice look and feel as far as fires go. We were all really impressed with it. I hope the pop-up pit continues to perform for the long-term. We did not use the grill this time around so can't report on that.

 

[Riverboat Works]

Pop Up Pit in Stock!

RiverBoat Works has 'em in stock.

What a great product!

 

[Dsuth82]

Purchased the pit and tri fold grill during the memorial day sale. Used it on two night Chama trip. The weight and size of the pit is nice and it's easy to set up. Cooked one dutch oven meal on it and it did fine. With charcoal briquets a lot more ash falls through than with wood. Way more than 2 tablespoons. Added bonus of this pit is it's easy to pop off the screen to dump ash into your ash can. It's also interesting watching the fire draw air from underneath.

 

[WaZach]

Anyone taken one of these on the middle fork of the salmon yet this year? I’m planning on bringing mine next week and and there’s no backup fire pan in the group, so I’d like to know for sure that the rangers are cool with it. Side note, had this thing out on the Owyhee earlier this year and it kicked ass. Super sturdy even as a featherweight.

 

[Raft Dad]

MFS or Selway acceptance?

WaZach, had mine on the MFS two weeks ago. All good. Used it considerably for the first time also and it worked great. Have a fun trip.

 

[GS Dave]

just used it this past weekend on the Chama, works great.

Dave

 

[Fly By Night]

just used it this past weekend on the Chama, works great.

Dave

Were you on river left mile 13-14ish, 2-3 boats and some duckies?

 

[GS Dave]

Were you on river left mile 13-14ish, 2-3 boats and some duckies?

we had 3 boats, no duckies (one dog)

 

[Fly By Night]

That sounds right, I wasn't positive on the duckies and it seems like everyone else had at least a few if not a whole flock. I saw a few of your group and pointed out your pop up pit to the girls on the front of my boat, its a small world.

 

[whateverfloatsurboat]

I recently purchased the full monty. Pop Up Pit w/ Grill accessory and I have to say it's pretty awesome. My favorite part it the lightweight and portability. I also own the Camp Chef Fire Pan and as great as that is, 47 pounds vs. 8 pounds is no contest. 24"x 24" is plenty of room to grill for a medium to large group. That said, I've only used mine a couple of times so far, but I really like it. Seems to hold up well and we've had some good size fires in it with no issues to date. I would like to see a NPS certification attached to this product as I can bet this issue is holding off a lot of potential buyers.

 

[90Duck]

First extensive use

Just back from 7 days on the MFS, and used the pop up pit extensively for campfires every night and grilling one night. While it performed well, we did end up melting and warping a couple of the side walls pretty significantly when a really strong microburst wind storm kicked up just as we were getting the fire going for the night. It literally turned into a blast furnace with 40mph winds and ended up damaging the side walls pretty badly. We managed to do some riverbank repairs with a mallet and a squared-off piece of wood and hammered them back into useable shape. The screen, legs, and everything else performed flawlessly, and after reshaping the sides do still work and got us through the rest of the trip. While the weight savings of the all-aluminum sides is great in most circumstances, steel would have held up no problem to the heat that melted the aluminum on mine. Maybe too much compromise for weight saving?

For those nervous about ranger inspection, at Bounday Creek they were clearly familiar with them and approved its use without hesitation.

 

[CampfireDefender]

Just back from 7 days on the MFS, and used the pop up pit extensively for campfires every night and grilling one night. While it performed well, we did end up melting and warping a couple of the side walls pretty significantly when a really strong microburst wind storm kicked up just as we were getting the fire going for the night. It literally turned into a blast furnace with 40mph winds and ended up damaging the side walls pretty badly. We managed to do some riverbank repairs with a mallet and a squared-off piece of wood and hammered them back into useable shape. The screen, legs, and everything else performed flawlessly, and after reshaping the sides do still work and got us through the rest of the trip. While the weight savings of the all-aluminum sides is great in most circumstances, steel would have held up no problem to the heat that melted the aluminum on mine. Maybe too much compromise for weight saving?

For those nervous about ranger inspection, at Bounday Creek they were clearly familiar with them and approved its use without hesitation.

Well that's never something you want to see, shoot us a DM and lets get you a whole new set of ember guards out.

This may sound ridiculous but what order did you assemble the pit in? We've had a few customers put the pit together the wrong way and it makes it much more susceptible to damage.

Obviously, the aluminium does have its limitations, especially when you add in 40mph winds. Glad you were able to make the field repairs and get everything operational.
This looks like it was most likely just a freak accident with the right combination of wind, fire, and fuel. Through all of our testing we've only been able to get similar results using lighter fluid and a leaf blower. (Professional I know)

We will be looking at other solutions for this to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.

Thanks,
Triston
Fireside Team

 

[90Duck]

Hey, thanks for the response. I would definitely categorize the event under freak circumstances. It was the two downwind shields that bore the brunt of the damage. The fire was literally roaring like someone had a leaf blower going on it. No lighter fluid involved, though.

In all transparency to those following this thread, the pit actually was assembled in the wrong order for this particular fire; despite our best efforts, we could not get the mesh to stretch over the supports with the side guards in place, so we had to put it on first with the base slightly closed and then fully extend is. As a result, the mesh was below the aluminum side guards which did not help the situation. We never had any issues fitting the mesh over the uprights above the side guards on subsequent days, as it mush have stretched out a bit from the heat.

The only other criticism of the pit was regarding the cooking grate; our chef that night wished he could extend the grate up higher from the heat than the threads would allow. Some foil on the grates made it work and the chicken was delicious, but maybe something to consider addressing. Note that the grilling took place the night following the melting event, and once we hammered it back into shape you can't really tell other than the once piece that melted a hole in it.

I will send you a dm.

 

[CampfireDefender]

Hey, thanks for the response. I would definitely categorize the event under freak circumstances. It was the two downwind shields that bore the brunt of the damage. The fire was literally roaring like someone had a leaf blower going on it. No lighter fluid involved, though.

In all transparency to those following this thread, the pit actually was assembled in the wrong order for this particular fire; despite our best efforts, we could not get the mesh to stretch over the supports with the side guards in place, so we had to put it on first with the base slightly closed and then fully extend is. As a result, the mesh was below the aluminum side guards which did not help the situation. We never had any issues fitting the mesh over the uprights above the side guards on subsequent days, as it mush have stretched out a bit from the heat.

The only other criticism of the pit was regarding the cooking grate; our chef that night wished he could extend the grate up higher from the heat than the threads would allow. Some foil on the grates made it work and the chicken was delicious, but maybe something to consider addressing. Note that the grilling took place the night following the melting event, and once we hammered it back into shape you can really tell other than the once piece that melted a hole in it.

I will send you a dm.

That does make sense, the couple of millimeters that mesh gives the aluminium actually makes a huge difference in its ability to transfer and release the heat from the fire.
When trying to put on the fire mesh you should make sure to keep the grommets at the tops of the poles before sliding all four corners down at the same time. The tolerances get really tight, due to the nature of the design.

We can definitely get you out some new ember guards and it sounds like a fresh mesh too just in case.

We are pretty happy with the grill design right now, obviously there is some room for improvement so we we will keep everyone updated when/if those changes do come around.

 

[90Duck]

Thanks Triston - you've got a great product here, exceeded only by your outstanding customer service.

I also wanted to add that I was super impressed by how thoroughly the wood combusted on the steel mesh. at the end of 6 nights of use, our 20mm rocket box ash can was only about 1/4 full. Pretty remarkable, really.

If anyone is considering purchasing one of these, they are the real deal and everything is 30% off on Fireside Outdoor's website right now. A great time to pull the trigger.

 

[90Duck]

Thanks Triston, I received the replacement ember guards, mesh screen, and bonus fire gloves yesterday. Much appreciated, and those gloves are actually really nice. They will be replacing the harbor freight cheapo welding gloves I was using before.

By the way, after witnessing the melting event and your response to it, two members of our boating party have pulled the trigger on getting their own pop-up fire pits.

Thanks again!

 

[CampfireDefender]

Thanks Triston, I received the replacement ember guards, mesh screen, and bonus fire gloves yesterday. Much appreciated, and those gloves are actually really nice. They will be replacing the harbor freight cheapo welding gloves I was using before.

By the way, after witnessing the melting event and your response to it, two members of our boating party have pulled the trigger on getting their own pop-up fire pits.

Thanks again!

Always great to hear! We try and do our best to make sure you guys are always taken care of.

Always feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Cheers,
Triston

 

[panicman]

So are they still 30% off? I don't see that on your site. If they are I would get one now.

 

[CampfireDefender]

So are they still 30% off? I don't see that on your site. If they are I would get one now.

Hi Panicman,

The 30% off was a limited sale for the Fourth of July, that has ended.

 

[mttodd]

Used the PUP on our MFS as well. Best fire pan on the market. Total game changer. I think it is the best advancement in river camping gear in the last ten years. Right there with sand mats and woodland power stoves.