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A fire blanket allows you to have the flickering light and warmth of a campfire while minimizing its impact (a campfire built on the ground can scar the landscape for years). This kevlar sewn, heat-treated, fiberglass blanket is lightweight, flexible and easily carried. This compact, lightweight "fold-up firepan" complies with governmental requirements for firepans. A fire blanket contains ash and insulates the ground from the heat of your mound fire. Dimensions: 3 ft x 3 ft (also available in a 2' x 2' size for larger groups)
Directions for use:
- Locate a site clear of combustible material around a wide perimeter. Lay the blanket out flat with no roots or lumpy rocks underneath. Do not create a fire ring because it causes ground scarring and blackens the rocks. However, if there is an existing fire pit, clean it out and apply the fire blanket there rather than in a new spot.
- Cover with 2"-6" of soil, sand or gravel from an area already disturbed such as the soil at the base of a fallen tree, rodent's burrow, or dry stream bed. Shape a bowl on top to contain the fire.
- Keep the fire small and follow Leave No Trace practices: collect only already downed wood no thicker than your wrist, and select it across a large area. Break the wood into small pieces that will burn completely to ash. Avoid putting trash such as Styrofoam, aluminum or plastic in the fire. It can collect on the blanket, causing it to become hard and stiff, or it may be improperly discarded with the ashes.
- When ready to leave camp, make sure your fire is completely out and the ashes cold. Ideally, drown the campfire, stir it and drown again. Water will not harm the fire blanket. Check the fire for any non-combustible trash, and pack that out. Lift up the blanket by its four corners and dispose of the ashes well away from the campsite by scattering them thinly over a vegetated area that will conceal and absorb them readily. Absolutely do not discard ashes in or near any watercourse or body of water.
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