A truly portable and compact fire pit (with optional roll-up grill) for backpacking and wilderness campfires
Ever get to camp after a day on the trail and long to be able to light a fire and enjoy the evening with ambiance and warmth? Well, now you can! The genius and oh-so-simple design of the super lightweight Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe enables hikers and backpackers to carry a fire pit (yes, you read that right) with them into the wilderness. No mess in your pack, no set up faff and no trace left on the ground. Read on to see why the Fire Safe rocks, and why the Wolf and Grizzly M1 Grill might also find its way into your shopping basket!
Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe: The stats
| Best for: | Overnight hiking and short backpacking trips |
| Weight: | 2 lbs / 910g |
| Dimensions: | 11.2 x 10.9 x 4” / 28.4 x 27.7 x 10.1cm |
| Size when folded: | 12 x 5.5 x 1” / 30.5 x 14 x 2.5cm (in carry case) |
| Material: | Stainless steel |
Features of the Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe
Fire Safe frame
The frame hinges at each corner and folds down to the size of one panel. Once folded out into a square, the frame sits sturdily on the four corners with the rest of the frame raised off the ground. The sides feature small slots which keep the base of the pit in place. But the slots also let a little bit of air flow into the fire.
Fire Safe base
Made from the same stainless steel as the frame, the base folds out and sits securely in the slots on the sides of the frame. It has a corrugated design which allows you to add charcoal to only the areas that you wish to heat. This means that you only need to use enough fuel to cook your meal, rather than wasting monumental amounts of charcoal to heat a wide area that won’t be used. The design of the base also makes charcoal / ash disposal really easy as you just pick it up (once cooled) and the ash funnels into one of the folds to be tipped out.
Carry case
Made with heavy duty recycled polyester, the zippered carry case does a superb job at protecting both the folded fire pit and the other stuff in your backpack. It features an internal pocket designed to hold a fire starter, and there’s also a sleeve which is great for holding some newspaper to aid with fire lighting.
Cooking compatible
Wolf and Grizzly also sell a grill that is compatible with the Fire Safe. You have to buy this separately. The M1 grill weighs only 1kg / 2.2lbs, has a concertina-style folding frame and a roll-up grill that attaches to the frame. You can read more information about the grill in the Cooking with the M1 Grill section.
Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe review
I can’t count the number of occasions when backpacking where I’d have give my right arm to be sitting around a campfire at the end of a day on the trail. Not only does the warmth of a campfire change where you spend your evening, (i.e. not huddled up in your tent!), but a fire also adds an ambient focal point to sit around. A wilderness campfire opens up an opportunity to step into another world of nocturnal activity in nature. Without a fire, it’s likely that most of us retreat to our tents much earlier than we might prefer in order to stay warm.
But there are very few opportunities to get a fire going when backpacking. Fire bans snuff out any chance of a campfire during the warmer months. And at the times when fires are permitted, there’s the issue of damaging the ground. The Leave No Trace Principles say a thing or two about lighting fires in wild places. (Take our quiz to see how well you know the rules!)
So you’re left with two options: don’t have a fire at all, or carry a fire pit with you. Previously, carrying a fire pit with all my other gear was out of the question. So I succumbed to the former, accepting that as soon as the sun had set I’d be heading on my merry way to the confines of my tent to get cosy and have an early night. Not so bad really, but it could have been so much better.
Things have changed now. The Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe has taken care of this troublesome predicament and made the evenings on overnight hiking trips SO much more enjoyable.
Portability
The main selling point for me is how portable the Fire Safe is. Not only does it weigh a featherweight 910g, but it also packs away into a rather sleek case that makes me feel like I’m carrying a clutch bag (high heels and all) when I hold it! As mentioned, the case is ideal from a portability point of view and fits in the side pocket of my backpack. Alternatively, as it’s flat-packed, it works well packed up against the back panel of my backpack in the main compartment. Either way, it feels like it takes up very little space.
Ease of setup
The Fire Safe comes in two parts that fold out and fit together intuitively. It’s uncomplicated, self-explanatory, straightforward and fast. I don’t really need to say much more than that!
Cooking with the M1 Grill
On its own, the Fire Safe is only really cooking compatible if you have the means to suspend your cooking pots over the fire via a tripod, or if you have a grill that you can place over it. However, when combined with the M1 Grill, the Fire Safe is turned into a portable campfire kitchen and BBQ, as well as a fire pit. The versatility stakes just soared!
As mentioned, the M1 Grill is sold separately. If you’re only interested in the capabilities of the Fire Safe then you can skip this bit. However, if you envisage wanting to cook over a fire in the Fire Safe (or any other small fire), then they’re a dream to use together and well worth the investment.
The M1 Grill is designed to be used with the Fire Safe, so the dimensions are matched. It comes in two parts: the frame and the grill, which fit together with ease. The grill can be used at three different heights (6” 8” or flat), which is a very simple way of adding a degree of temperature control when cooking over the fire. The different heights are locked in place by attaching the grill to the frame in different positions. It’s a very clever system that is also painfully simple, as all the best things are.
The grill rolls up with a microfibre cloth around the folded frame to fit in a 16 inch long snooker queue-like carry case, shoulder strap and all. Inside the case is a small pocket which holds a small cleaning tool and an allen key for tightening the grill, if needed.
What I love the most about the Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe
The Fire Safe and M1 Grill as a whole package really is a winning combo for overnight hiking and short backpacking trips. Having the two means that you can forgo carrying other cooking equipment as you can just cook straight on the grill, no pans needed.
When considering only the Fire Safe, I love how impossibly lightweight and portable it is. The ability to shove it in your pack (especially on shorter overnight hiking trips) completely changes the feel of the trip, extending the fun right into the night and adding a whole other element to the trip.
What I don’t love so much about the Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe
For the purposes of remote campfires and wilderness cooking, there is nothing to dislike about either the Fire Safe on its own, or the Fire Safe when used with the M1 Grill. It’s not a big fire pit. So if you’re after something for your back garden then it may not quite cut it in terms of heat output. However, that really depends on how many chilly hands are trying to eek out their share of the heat (and space that surrounds the pit!).
I suppose the one downfall is that it’s fairly pricey, especially if you intend opting for the grill as well as the Fire Safe.
Verdict
Though it may be on the pricey side for such a small fire pit, try not to get sidetracked by its size. Small, after all, is beautiful! And it’s its compact nature that makes the Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe such an appealing option for those wanting to take their campfires further afield and get them safely off the ground. It’s the ideal solution for having wilderness campfires (when permitted) that have zero impact on the ground. And it’s lightweight enough to carry on overnight hiking trips or short backpacking missions.
Add in the M1 Grill and you really are onto a winner for a lightweight, middle-of-nowhere campfire cooking setup.
Two big thumbs up from me.
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Wolf and Grizzly
Disclaimer: Cool of the Wild received this product free in return for an honest review. We only recommend gear that we love from companies we trust and we are under no obligation to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are that of the reviewer and we are in no way influenced by the brand or company.
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