Building a Fire Ring?

[syoungblood]

Hello All,

Just booked a trip to Ocean Lakes in Myrtle Beach for April.  To my surprise, I was informed they don't have fire rings on the sites.  They have no rules against having a camp fire though.  The more I talked to people, the more I hear that this is pretty common outside of Wisconsin.  So here is the question...

How do we have a campfire without a fire ring or pit.  Is there an easy and safe way to do this?  Any ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Can't wait for April. :XMas

[byrdr1]

We had a cut in half 55gal barrel during our stay at Thanksgiving. But I did see several sites that had dug a small pit for a fire.
The campgorund is mainly dirt/sand with a little grass on the back sections.
Some had fire pits that were about 6 inches deep and then fires. But you will have to clean it out and cover it back up. Thats what I saw most doing that did not have some type of fire ring/stove type thing. I saw a few with cement blocks on 3 sides. You could buy these at the Lowes near the CG on us17 bypass. I would think 5-6 would make a circle that you could use or 4-5 in a "U" shape. You would only be talking $6-8 for these blocks and then you could leave them or take them home.
When you headed down in April?
I will be there April 14-19th for the kids Spring break. Camping with now up to 8 families with TT's and popups and one family renting a park model TT.
randy

[mike4947]

The easiest way IMHO is the "outdoor fireplace" type unit you see at sporting goods stores. They remind me of an old fashioned charcoal grill with a top and heavy gause wire mesh sides.
Others haul around a large truck rim or believe it or not use the tub from an old washing machine.
 
In all cases weight can be a problem, not to mention storage space and cleaning it to keep where every you store it for travel somewhat clean.
 
So far over the years I've been lucky, in that if I end up somewhere they allow fires but don't provide a ring/firepit we usually had one of the "big guys" camping with us that's had the space and CCC for bringing somethin for a firepit/ring and the rest of us just bring the amount of wood our rigs can carry and have a "group" campfire.
On a two weeker in Florida one year, when camping alone we actually went to the big box hardware and bought cement blocks to build a fireplace/pit and hauled them to the dump the day before we left.

[dee106]

get a cheap smoke/gill /bbq style kettle,  and use that, it is light, the legs are short (table top models) and easy to use! and cheap! also easy to clean up, (hint ) use extra heavy reynolds aluminum wrap!

[Sltrawick]

Back in the garden shop at Wal-mart, they actually sell Fire Rings for camping, etc.  It's a round circle.  I forgot exactly how much it is.

 
We have one in our backyard, and we just used blocks and bricks.  Love it.  The neighbors and I get together on the weekends and sit around the fire sipping on our strawberry daquires...lol!

[Ab Diver]

How do we have a campfire without a fire ring or pit. Is there an easy and safe way to do this? Any ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Can't wait for April. :XMas

Grab your standard Weber BBQ. Take the legs off, and set it on the ground using a few bricks to keep it from wobbling over. Perfect height for a campfire, you can grill on it if you want, and even put the lid on it to turn off the fire. We've done this in our back yard when we "backyard camp" and it really adds a little something for the kids. Add some smores, and you almost feel like you are really camping.
 
Fitting the upside-down lid *into* the base makes it take up less room for transportation.

[B-flat]

sltrawick, it's good you have neighbors that encourage a campfire to sit around but I bet some areas have ordinances against stuff like that.  You could always say you are grilling out or cooking out.  LOL!  How about chilling out?

[MommaMia]

A couple of the SPs in CT don't allow ground fires and you have to bring your own "firepit".  So we used a inexpensive metal wash bucket ( You know... the kind that people use to wash their dogs in.) set atop a couple cinder blocks.    They come in a variety of sizes.  To cook over the fire, we happened to find a round wire bbq grate with handles that is the same diameter as the wash bucket.  We flip the wire grill over and set it on top of the wash bucket with the handles angled down.  The handles of the wire grate fit perfectly inside the wash bucket and keep it from sliding off when moving your food around.  We start of with a bag of charcoal briquettes to cook over then when we are done cooking we just start adding wood and are campfire is lit!

We have had the same metal bucket for several years and it's still holding up well.  It's lightweight and fits right inside a trash bag.  On the road we would flip it over and bungee it down right over the propane tank.  A perfect fit.

[julecav]

Jay and I built a fire pit in our back yard.  He put some of the flat 2" wide cinderblocks on the ground and used some concrete flowerbed edging for the outside.  They are about 4 inches high and 18 inches long. They would be in the gardening section of Home Depot with the pavers.  You couldn't build a really big fire but it would work.

[Sltrawick]

sltrawick, it's good you have neighbors that encourage a campfire to sit around but I bet some areas have ordinances against stuff like that. You could always say you are grilling out or cooking out. LOL! How about chilling out?

Actually, I have a grate that can go over it, so I can make it into a grill if I wanted too, so really there isn't any problem there.  

[MommaMia]

sltrawick, it's good you have neighbors that encourage a campfire to sit around but I bet some areas have ordinances against stuff like that.  You could always say you are grilling out or cooking out.  LOL!  How about chilling out?

We lived in a neighborhood where the next door neighbor did everything and anything she could to make our lives miserable.
 One fall evening we were getting ready to have our annual beer tasting party and wanted to have a small bonfire/campfire but just KNEW she was going to try to put a stop to it.  I knew she'd have the cops and fire dept. show up and try to put out the fire and put a big damper on my party. So before the party started, I called both the local police department and the fire department.  I told them who I was, my address and what I had planned for that evening and WHY I was calling... That I knew she's call them later that evening.  Both departments were sympathetic to my situation and said they appreciated the heads up.  The only thing they told me was to keep the fire to a reasonable size and keep a hotdog stick next to the fire!  That way the fire was used for cooking purposes and was exempt from any regulation about bonfires.  

That night she did call us saying she was calling the fire department.  I told her go right ahead.  Hehehehe!  Neither the police or the fire depart made an appearance.  Maybe they should have shown up at her house because I am sure there was smoke and steam coming from her ears and nostrils when she found out what I had done!  

Where is that little smilie with the devil horns anyway?? I really need that one!

[B-flat]

I'm glad you got to have your party and that you check the rules first.  That saved you a lot of problems and your backyard campfire was actually a hot dog roast.

[Sltrawick]

We lived in a neighborhood where the next door neighbor did everything and anything she could to make our lives miserable.
One fall evening we were getting ready to have our annual beer tasting party and wanted to have a small bonfire/campfire but just KNEW she was going to try to put a stop to it. I knew she'd have the cops and fire dept. show up and try to put out the fire and put a big damper on my party. So before the party started, I called both the local police department and the fire department. I told them who I was, my address and what I had planned for that evening and WHY I was calling... That I knew she's call them later that evening. Both departments were sympathetic to my situation and said they appreciated the heads up. The only thing they told me was to keep the fire to a reasonable size and keep a hotdog stick next to the fire! That way the fire was used for cooking purposes and was exempt from any regulation about bonfires.
 
That night she did call us saying she was calling the fire department. I told her go right ahead. Hehehehe! Neither the police or the fire depart made an appearance. Maybe they should have shown up at her house because I am sure there was smoke and steam coming from her ears and nostrils when she found out what I had done!
 
Where is that little smilie with the devil horns anyway?? I really need that one!

Yikes, I would hate to have your neighbors....but your right (my brother is a fireman) and he said have a cooking grate nearby that you can put on top or like you say---stick for hot dogs (which we have both).