Field Report

Field Report: Finbar Fire Grate

Personal Information

Name:	Thomas Peltier II
Age:	31
Gender:	Male
Height:	6' 0" (1.8 m)
Weight:	155 (70.3 kg)
E-mail Address:	Thomas@Goldenautomotive.com
City, State, Country:	Bakersfield, California, U.S.A.
Date:	06/22/2004

Backpacking Background:

I have been in the outdoors since I was a toddler. My mother introduced me to backpacking when I was in the backpack. I in good turn joined the Boy Scouts to get away from Mom on the weekend hikes. My first backpack trip with the Boy Scouts was down a dirt road to a park and campsite. That was my last trip with the Boy Scouts. Since then I have been backpacking mostly in the Sierra Nevada.

I have been a professional river guide and kayak instructor for the last 11 years; however, I currently work at a family establishment in Bakersfield, California. Working a "Real Job" keeps me away from the outdoors a bit more than I would like. My summers are busy between city work and river guiding. Much of my packing is done on the river in the summer. This has driven me to long winter trips and short summer trips for the last several years. I took up snowshoeing to help get into winter packing. I have found that less is often more in my backpacking and my summer trips I find myself as happy in a pair of Chacos carrying my pocketknife as I do with a heavy pack and big boots.

Product information:

 

    Manufacture:
    Innovations by Finbar


    Year of Manufacture: 
    2004 
    
    
        Manufacture URL: 
        www.finnovations.org


    Material
    Stainless Steel


    Listed Size = 
 Actual Size:
    18 in x 5.25 in
 (45.7 cm x 13.3 cm)


    Listed Weight:
    8 oz
 (227 g)


    Actual Weight:
    7.125 oz 
(202 g)

    
    Stuff Sack Actual Weight 
    0.125 oz
(3.54 g)


     Total Actual Weight 
    7.25 oz 
 (206 g)

I have not had very many opportunities to use the Finbar Folding Fire Grate while backpacking the last two months. I have found myself hiking and boating in large groups and unable to employ the Finbar Folding Fire Grate as often as I would like. Because of this I began to think about how I could effectively test the Finbar Fire Grate. It occurred to me that the quality of the food I cook on the fire grate was unimportant because that only speaks to my skill, or lack there of, as a chef. So, I decided to test the fire grate in two ways. First I found several unimproved camping areas and I set the fire grate up repeatedly. Second I set the fire grate up over a fire pan I have at home and built several fires underneath the fire grate. I cooked on several of these fires and I boiled water on the others.

Let me tell you about my experiences while backpacking. The first thing when using the Finbar Folding Fire Grate is where to pack it. This fire grate folds up to a long slender piece that is very solid. I found that the fire grate fit very well on either side of my backpacks back supports or it fit very well in the external side pockets of my backpack. When I discovered this I thought to myself that this could be very handy for hot lunches on lazy days when I have the time to build a fire. Aside from those days I think I will carry the fire grate right where I did down the left rear side of my pack. It fits very nicely and is easy to reach and remove. What I'm trying to say here is that the Finbar Folding Fire Grate fit very nicely in my pack and I found it very easy to pack.

Once I had the fire grate situated in my pack, and a few other pieces of gear I headed out the front door, down the road and to the woods. I only had one night to camp so I wanted to enjoy myself. I headed to Johnsondale bridge on the Kern River and headed up four mile trail. I have a favorite little campsite right at the end of the trail with a fire pit I have enjoyed many times, tonight would be no exception. I made camp and gathered plenty of wood for the fire to come. Before I built a fire I decided to set up the fire grate and make any adjustments to the rocks that were needed. There was a lot of ash in the fire pit so I dug the ash out and moved a few rocks around until the Finbar Fire Grate fit perfectly. As the sun slipped behind the mountain tops and the temperature began to drop I built a fire!

First things first, Appetizers! For this I had prepared kabobs, I tossed the kabobs across the fire grate and turned them regularly. This method proved to work very well except for one detail. Remember to keep the fire grate off of the fire until the coals are ready, soot does not taste so good. Once the kabobs were going pretty well I slide them all to one side and added a pot of water. The fire grate was holding up just fine and seemed very stable to me. In due time the appetizers were finished cooking and off they came. Right behind that I pulled the water off for hot tea. Time to build more coals, then start the main course.

Once the coals were ready again I placed two pots of water on the Finbar Folding Fire Grate. Dehydrated pasta sauce and fresh noodles sounded good, so that's what I took with me for dinner. In due time water was boiling and I was adding ingredients and going about the cooking process. Dinner was good that night and when it was over I removed the fire grate from the fire and had a wonderful campfire. Soon it was time for bed. In the morning I woke up hungry. I started a fire the minute I woke up and soon I was making coffee over the fire on the Finbar Folding Fire Grate. This little fire grate is pretty cool and the ultimate test of the fire grate for me was pancakes. I brought everything I needed Krusties mix, butter, water, a pan and the Finbar Folding Fire Grate. On went the pan and soon the butter was melted and the batter was bubbling. 1,2,3, flip, wow, I always love it when the pancake actually flips over and lands in the pan. I made 20 pancakes in my pan over the fire all on the Finbar Folding Fire Grate.

All to soon it was time to head home. I had removed the fire grate from the fire right after breakfast and it was cool by the time I was ready to pack it. Whenever I plan to cook over a fire I try to bring a soot rag. The soot rag wiped the Finbar Folding Fire Grate clean very easily. I folded the grate, placed it in its case and stuffed it into my pack.

Once I was back home I felt that I needed to get a bit more experience with the Finbar Folding Fire Grate. What I decide was twofold. First I cooked over the fire grate several nights in a row. I cooked corn, rice and all sorts of dehydrated foods over the fire. The fire grate did a fine job and was a very stable platform. While I was cooking over the fire grate I found myself wishing there was a mesh grate that attached to the Finbar Folding Fire Grate, then I could grill chicken. Aside from my little daydream I found the grate to be secure and comfortable platform to cook from.

The second thing I decided to do was set the Finbar Folding Fire Grate up over several campfire rings. I have visited 4 camp grounds in the last two weekends and I set the Finbar Folding Fire Grate up and put it away again at approximately 40 campfires. I placed two pots of water on top of the Finbar Fire Grate to test stability. What I found was that I was able to make 37 sturdy platforms to cook on. Three of the fire rings proved to be so difficult I moved on. The rest of the time I was able to prepare the fire ring and place the fire grate within ten minutes. I have also noticed that the joints do not show any signs of wear after all of this folding and unfolding.

I look forward to the next four months of testing. So far the Finbar Folding Fire Grate has proved to be an effective means of cooking. I am hoping to have several opportunities to practice my camp fire cooking during the next four months.

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Read more gear reviews by Thomas Peltier II

Reviews > Cook Gear > Stoves > Finbar Folding Fire Grate > Thomas Peltier II > Field Report

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