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

My e-mail:bpskids@gmail.com
Name: Jodi Cornelius
Age: 42
Height: 5'4"/1.6 m
Weight: 198 lbs/90 kg
Gender: Female
City: Derrick City
State: Pennsylvania
Country: USA
Date: October 19, 2004
My area of the country: Mid-Atlantic States

• 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

Field Experience: After 6 months of testing I have come to the conclusion that the Finbar Folding Fire Grate is great for wood fires but not for use with an alcohol stove. This is fine as it was designed for wood fires and in that regard it is a fantastic piece of gear to carry. I have used it for drying out socks and underwear, which had gotten wet on a couple of occasions, by laying them out on the grate (see my Field Report), simmering water as I "brewed" a pot of coffee, boiling water for freeze-dried meals, and once, a marvelous treat. I happened to have my fishing gear with me and when I tossed the hook into a stream where I had decided to break early for the night, I caught a nice native brookie (trout)! I grilled the freshly caught trout on it. Clean up wasn't too bad either. Took a bit more effort since I didn't have any aluminum foil to cover the grill with.

I have been very pleased with the design and construction of this fire grate. It shows no sign of wear after being submitted to approximately 30 wood fires and 10 alcohol fires. The hinges are still secure and show no signs of loosening.

What I really like about this fire grate is that it takes up practically NO space in my pack. No matter how full I pack my backpack I can find a spot to stick the grate. This will have a permanent place in my gear list!

I have found the best distances for cooking on the fire grate range from 4 in/10 cm to 6 in/15 cm. I also found that building the fire to one side allows me to move my pot around for simmering purposes.

I have tried many pots, including my stainless steel cooking cup that I usually use for my solo pot, my MSR cook pot, and my Wal-Mart grease pot. I have found that I almost "need" to use either the MSR pot or the Wal-Mart Grease Pot as my pot of choice. I can use my solo pot but my options are limited as the smaller diameter limits where I can place it on the grate. My cup pot is 3.5 in/9 cm and it doesn't sit well on the middle of the grate. The MRS is 6.5 in/16.5 cm in diameter and sits really nice on the fire grate. The Wal-Mart Grease Pot is 8 in/20 cm in diameter and works good as well.

Another thing I found I like is the ability to use it on uneven ground. Even a variance of 2 to 4 in/5 to 10 cm is no problem provided I can safely build a fire. I can level my fire grate by using different size logs, rocks or whatever I use. This is something I appreciated in some of the places I camped.

This fire grate has been tested in temperatures ranging from 40 F/5 C to 60 F/16 C and it has worked fine. The temperatures do not really matter as it's not a "stove" per se.

All in all I this to be a worthwhile piece of gear to own and I highly recommend it.

My thanks to Finbar Innovations for allowing me to test this piece of gear and to BackpackGearTest for selecting me as a tester.

Things I like:  I can dry my socks and underwear on it!
Will work on uneven ground
Takes up practically NO space in 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 > Long Term Report