The RTE FireFold from overland accessories specialist Rough Trails Equipment is one of the slimmest, fastest packing fire pits out there. It folds more completely than other fire pits, packing slim enough to carry in a laptop bag. And whether there are strict campfire bans in place or not, the FireFold is ready to serve as the flickering centerpiece of base camp.
There were many products at this year's Overland Expo Mountain West that you couldn't miss if you wanted to ... six-wheeled Arctic campers and blindingly reflective Bowlus bullets to name a couple. Then there were the products that just managed to tickle the corner of our eye enough to make us stop dead in our tracks and do an immediate 180 to have a closer look.
As you can probably surmise, the FireFold was one of the latter. We previously knew Rough Trails Equipment as a specialist in building out electrical systems to fit against the outside cab wall of pickup trucks with campers or toppers. They're nice-looking systems but a little too niche for what we attend a show like Overland Expo to cover so we kept walking on by when we saw the RTE flag flapping in the breeze. But then, the FireFold drew us right back.
It's not technically the lightest or slimmest fire pit we've looked at, as there are envelope-slim wood fire pits and backpackable gas fire pits. But at 5.5 lb (2.5 kg), the FireFold is very lightweight for endeavors like overlanding, off-roading, tailgating and other vehicle-supported escapades that may benefit from portable controlled fire. And it's designed to pack as small as possible while still being one of the simplest, most straightforward pieces of fire kit you'll ever use while camping.
We watched the RTE rep fold and unfold the FireFold unit in a matter of seconds. Perhaps the most difficult part would be remembering to remove the propane burner and re-seat after folding/unfolding. Other than that, it's instantaneous.
All folded up, the FireFold packs down to a perfectly neat rectangular package that reminds us of a laptop. At 1.8 inches (4.6 cm), it's a little thicker than your average laptop, but it makes up for it with a compact 14 x 10.3 (36 x 26-cm) length by width. It's designed to fit in compact spaces where larger, boxier fire pits do not - under the seat, between cargo boxes, in a backpack or duffel bag, etc.
If your rig is still too packed to fathom adding an optional luxury like a gas fire pit, RTE offers a powder-coated aluminum carry case with lockable latch that lets you carry the FireFold outside the vehicle, secured to a roof rack, MOLLE panel or other attachment point ... assuming you have any room next to the bikes, traction boards, recovery gear, spare tire, Jerry cans, etc.
The aforementioned removable burner and its accompanying propane hose are key to the FireFold's restriction-compliant operation. In many popular camping areas, it's common for wood fires to be banned at backcountry campsites and sometimes also official organized campgrounds. It's less common for propane stoves and fire pits to be banned, so by its nature, the FireFold is compliant with all but the strictest of bans.
Long story short, you'll still enjoy a fire during those times when wood campfires are banned, a feature I could have very much used this year, as bans were in place for the majority of the nights I've spent camping.
The stainless-steel RTE FireFold is available now for a price of US$295. It comes with a ripstop carry case. The vehicle-mountable carry case costs $185.
Source: Rough Trails Equipment
