Ammo can fire pit talk

[WW_RANGER_X]

This concept caught my eye a couple of months ago. Apparently there are a few companies out there who have been producing these things for quite some time now in all shapes and sizes. News to me. I’m all in! I wanted to put one together myself so I did some research and found a DIY kit on eBay. I have a few different sized ammo cans at home and decided to buy one of these kits to put one together. I chose to use a small .30 cal ammo can since it is the most compact.









It puts out some pretty good heat! I ran it off (I’m guessing) 1/8 of a 1 pound bottle of propane for about 20 mins. Playing with the regulator I was able to get a steady 3-4 foot flame no problem. I think the only drawback is how much propane it actually uses. I’d say if you are conservative with a full 1 pound bottle it’ll only last a little over an hour or so. On a 20lbs bottle I’m sure you could get a weekend out of it no problem, but I don’t really want to carry that big of a bottle on the truck while offroad. I know the overlander dudes like to use the 5lbs bottles for cooking on the trail, and I know they make mounts for that size tank, so that’s an option. Thoughts?

 

[84projectFORD]

drink beer, scavange for wood with friends as you drink beer, new friends dont realize AZ has "spikey wood", laugh more as you pound said beer, pull fuel out of service port of fuel rail into now empty beer can (or 3 or 5 or 30 if a pro), pour on wood and dont tell said friends, light fire with match and watch everyone jump as fire ignites.

from there, it is now a game of bringing back more wood as needed and counting the new scratches on your arm


Or you just have a guy bust out a milwaulkee sawzall and cut all the wood you need for the night. i dont care for propane fires because of the added amount of stuff you need like you are stating and lack of run time. i get it if you are in a fire ban and devloped camp ground says you can have one but otherwise id rather just go old school and keep the propane for the grill i brought for cookin.

 

[dwphoto]

pretty rad... might have to build one of these little guys. I actually have a hose spare regular I bought for camp chef and ammo can laying around... could even some lava rocks in there for a little more ambiance... It would be solid to just keep in RV when we go to the rare campground that doesn't have fire pit.

 

[WW_RANGER_X]

drink beer, scavange for wood with friends as you drink beer, new friends dont realize AZ has "spikey wood", laugh more as you pound said beer, pull fuel out of service port of fuel rail into now empty beer can (or 3 or 5 or 30 if a pro), pour on wood and dont tell said friends, light fire with match and watch everyone jump as fire ignites.

from there, it is now a game of bringing back more wood as needed and counting the new scratches on your arm


Or you just have a guy bust out a milwaulkee sawzall and cut all the wood you need for the night. i dont care for propane fires because of the added amount of stuff you need like you are stating and lack of run time. i get it if you are in a fire ban and devloped camp ground says you can have one but otherwise id rather just go old school and keep the propane for the grill i brought for cookin.

Trust me, I love a good ol wood burning camp fire, drinkin beer with a bunch of desert dudes telling old war stories. This is something I thought might be good to have around in cases like you mentioned (fire ban) and camp grounds that don’t allow wood burning fires. I do a lot of travel trailer camping and I run into that situation a lot. This could also be useful for those over night desert trips or point to point trips where you have a different camp every night. Pack it up and take it with out without having to deal with the wood flopping around in your bed.

 

[WW_RANGER_X]

pretty rad... might have to build one of these little guys. I actually have a hose spare regular I bought for camp chef and ammo can laying around... could even some lava rocks in there for a little more ambiance... It would be solid to just keep in RV when we go to the rare campground that doesn't have fire pit.

Yeah this was more of a trial run. I’m thinking of switching it to a slightly bigger can. Not sure yet. I’d like to add some rock at the bottom and possibly hole saw some holes in the sides to transfer heat. Also possibly add some type of inner frame to keep it from warping.

 

[WW_RANGER_X]

Took the fire pit with me last weekend on a last minute camping trip with my son. It definitely exceeded my expectations! I ditched the 1lbs bottle idea and just went with a 20lbs bottle only because I always keep a full one on the trailer. I ran it both nights for 4-5 hours each night and it didn’t even make a dent in the bottle. No warpage on the can, just some paint discoloration. I think I can get a weekend out of a 5lbs bottle (which I can mount to the bed rack) no problem for those truck only trips.

 

[theycallmeWALLY]

Pretty rad! Can you send the link to to the kit you found on ebay?

Thanks

 

[Endless Trails]

If you fill it with small lava rock you might get more heat due to the rock heating up too. and you don't have to worry about it since it seals up..

 

[Cleandezert]

dang i want one of these now

 

[WW_RANGER_X]

Pretty rad! Can you send the link to to the kit you found on ebay?

Thanks

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325605776459