Campfire

[Patrika]

Can I build a campfire in my camp? And use wood? Or can I use charcoal

[burner von braun]

Welcome to eplaya Patrika. Since fire in a tent city located in a dry, windy environment always needs to be taken seriously, below is a link directly to the Burning Man website regarding Fires in Theme Camps. You might consider taking a moment to read through some of the other fire related topics there as well in order to give yourself an even broader sense of the factors that go into the burns you see out there.

https://burningman.org/event/art-perfor ... eme-camps/

[Patrika]

Thank you....
did not answer my question about cooking with charcoal...
But informative

[lucky420]

Thank you....
did not answer my question about cooking with charcoal...
But informative

Charcoals messy and if a big wind comes up while you’re cooking, dangerous as fuck. Plus you have to have a closed container to put cooled down ashes in.

Camp stove with fuel bottles is much better. When you’re done cooking you can just turn it off and head out on an adventure. You don’t have to wait for the coals to cool

[Patrika]

Bringing an enclosed fire pit, with a lid for sparks.
Also I do have a camp stove.
Just love cooking with charcoal.
Also the fire ambience is so peaceful.

[Ratty]

Patrika, Welcome to ePlaya. You can do what ever as long as it's within the guidelines/rules governing FIRE! The rules are many. Learn them, live them. A propane firepit is nice. (Like Luck420 has at her camp). There are plenty of camps with a fire to enjoy but this isn't a quiet setting in the woods. You'll find there are more inviting things to do. Bringing wood takes up too much car space.

[Token]

I grilled daily on playa on hardwood charcoal for 10 burns.

I refuse to grill on gas. Blasphemy!

The original Webber half-bowl design works well and is not too sensitive to the winds. Some wind shielding is recommended.

You must have a metal can with a tight lid big enough to haul out the ash and smoldering coals.

[AntiM]

The thing with Burning Man is time and shiny stuff. Fire takes time and tending, as you do not want to become an incident, or potentially endanger nearby camps. Stuff is happening, lots of stuff, so much shiny to go and take in. You are unlikely to be sitting around a fire all evening.

We cook on propane because we can turn it on, get it going, and proceed with doing shit. Charcoal is a messy pain in the ass, and wood creates MOOP before, during, and after burning. We don't even try at our regional anymore, as there have been too many statewide fire bans. If you're going to do specialized foods, fine, but for everyday noms, it is a bother. Worth it to some people, not to others.

That said, one of the best hot dogs I had was from some random guy who had a tiny enclosed charcoal grill on his bike rack, handing out freshly grilled dogs next to the PETA camp. The one with the murder signs. Think hibachi grill, but with higher sides and a lid he could clamp on. He'd put a lot of thought into that.

[Papa Bear]

Too be even more specific - if you're cooking with charcoal, and any ash happens to spill or get blown out of the unit, you are responsible for tracking every last speck of it down, containing it, and hauling it back out with you. That's not easy, especially if the wind is still blowing.

That doesn't just mean larger embers - we really do mean you have to find and contain every last speck of it. You see, every one of those specks counts against us if it's found by the BLM after restoration. This isn't the usual wilderness camping environment where it's ok for a little cooled ash to get away from you.

[FlyingMonkey]

Hey Patrika, Welcome.

As others have mentioned there are a lot of rules about fire that everyone should be familiar with. There are very good reasons for them.

597677788.jpg

Don't be that guy person.

The risk of tent fires sparked from windblown embers is real and with so many flammable tents in close proximity the result could be catastrophic.

So because of having to haul in a bunch of wood, the risk of flying embers, the potential moop, and the fact that you need to babysit it a wood/charcoal fire until it's burned down to harmless ash, many people don't bother with them.

Having said that, I love a wood fire late at night when the Playa gets chilly & yes, grilling with gas is a for heathens and should be left for boiling water & wort.

And in fairness to burner von braun your OP didn't mention cooking and he provided you a good resource for you to find the answers.

I say if you can be a responsible "burner" and want to use charcoal or wood then go for it but do it right. The Playa wind can come out of nowhere & wreck your otherwise sound plans.

[AntiM]

Okay, the power poles say "not at Burning Man", but where was this slice of unhappiness? A post-disaster camp?

[FlyingMonkey]

Okay, the power poles say "not at Burning Man", but where was this slice of unhappiness? A post-disaster camp?

Nope, sorry I didn't mean to imply that. I just used it as an example of what can happen in a "tent city". This has happened in the past at deployed military bases where living in a tent for 6 months to a year is normal. My point is that 1 burning tent driven by a strong Playa wind could quickly spread and even with fire lanes in every village hard to control/extinguish. I don't think this has ever happened at Burning man which frankly amazes me. We have either been lucky of people have actually been responsible fire tenders. I like to think the latter.

[Token]

And only piss standing up, wipe front to back, and don't pick other peoples noses!

Any other way and you're doing it wrong!

BTW, BVB, the first reply, that is the relevant post with the rules and good advice on tending fires, minimum perimeter, moop, etc.

The rest is just opinions.

Bring a good ABC extinguisher, follow the rules, and tell everyone else to fuck off. Its your burn.

[Traveller in Time]

Image has similarity with these Refugee Camp tent-fire images.