Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Finbar Folding Fire Grate > Jodi Cornelius > Initial Report

My e-mail:bpskids@charter.net
Name: Jodi Cornelius
Age: 42
Height: 5'4"/1.6 m
Weight: 160 lbs/73 kg
Gender: Female
City: Derrick City
State: PA
Country: USA
Date: April 9, 2004
My area of the country: Northwest Pennsylvania

• Takes up a minimal amount of space when folded
• Easy to assemble
• Contained in a nylon casing
• Expanded - size is 18" x 5 1/4 "
• Weight is less than 8 oz.
• All parts remain attached - nothing to fall off

The package arrived at my house via USPS Priority Mail.  I have to admit I was VERY surprised at the package.  To be honest, I expected it to be square and flat.  I don't know why that impression was so firm in my mind as I checked it out on the net but it was.  It came in a tube!  The tube carried a long red storage bag that held the folded fire grate.  The fire grate when folded is 18.75 in/47.63 cm.  The diameter when closed is 2.5 in/6.35cm. The weight was just a wee bit under 8 oz/277 gm. There are 3 long rods connected with hinges.  The description from the website states "The Folding Fire Grate consists of three pieces of stainless steel tubing, and two pieces of stainless steel sheet bent to shape. The pieces are riveted together at the appropriate places, allowing them to pivot when folding and also to interlock when in the open position for use on a fire." When I put the grate together, it was a little longer than the website states. Assembled, it is 18.125 in/46 cm and 5.25 in/13.34 cm.

I immediately tried to figure out how to put it together and felt a little stupid when I couldn't figure it out.  I went to the website and by looking at the picture I saw (again) how it went together and was able to copy that.

The Fire Grate came with a single sheet of paper that thanked me for purchasing the Fire Grate.  What I think would have made that sheet better would have been the diagram that was on the website to have been printed on the opposite side of the sheet.  Even though I had gone to the website to check the Fire Grate out - I had completely forgotten what it was supposed to look like and how it should go together.  For someone who may receive this as a gift, having instructions printed on the opposite side of the original sheet would be excellent!

Test Plan: I will be testing the Fire Grate with 3 different pots, my single walled cooking cup, my double walled cooking cup, and my Wal-Mart Grease Pot. I will be looking to see how well the smaller pots work on the grate along with the larger Grease Pot. I will also be checking to see how stable the grate is if unable to set it totally level. Will also check to see what distances are the best for boiling water the quickest between the fire and the pots. I am going to test it using wood fires, Sterno, and my alcohol stoves.

I will be using the Fire Grate in temperatures ranging from 20 F/-7 C to probably around 90 F/32 C. Our temperatures here can widely fluctuate and although we have run into temperatures into the 100s F/38 C, those temperatures are not normal. If things go for me like they have every summer since I started backpacking, I expect it to rain - every time! Seriously, I have been rained on every trip so far I have been fortunate enough to go on. However I will be able to test the grate in dry weather I am sure. I plan on using logs and stones to hold my Fire Grate while cooking. But I had also decided to try something a little different also. What I am going to do is try (and this I am going to do in my backyard due to my desire to Leave No Trace when backpacking) is dig a hole in the ground large enough for a small fire and lay the grate on the ground above the hole. I am curious to see if I can get enough air for the fire and if it speeds up cooking time with all the heat being directed up. This would allow me to know if it will work should I find a campsite with a naturally hollowed out space for a fire that I could cover with dirt.

My Background: I have been backpacking for 2 years now and before I car camped quite a bit. I consider myself somewhat new to backpacking and am on my way towards becoming a lightweight packer. I hike in the Alleghany National Forest and along many of the loops that can be found in the State park. I prefer overnight trips to day trips because I love to camp, but I hate just finding one spot to camp and staying there with little to do. I love to hike to a spot and park it for the evening, then get up and do it all over again. I average around 8 miles/13 kilometers a day depending on terrain. I'm never in a huge hurry to get where I'm going because usually I don't know where that is. My favorite type of hiking trail is the loop because then I can park my car and not worry about getting a ride back to it.

Things I like: Small, compact size is excellent for tucking in a corner of my pack.

Things I dislike: No instructions included. Would have been helpful if they had been printed and packed with the Fire Grate. With a diagram on the sheet of paper, I would not have needed to go to the web site to determine how to assemble the grate. Before looking at the website again, I wasn't sure how to get the grate to work.

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Finbar Folding Fire Grate > Jodi Cornelius > Initial Report