Anyone tried a firepit bed?

[wanderingblade]

Just read a handy tip and wondered if anyone had tried it.

After cooking your dinner in a fire pit, dig out the stones and re-position them in a long trench and cover with soil.

Leave for a few hours for the moisture to evaporate then stick your bivvy / sleeping bag up over it for a bit of central heating.

Sound like a good idea.

 

[Leezo]

I havent tried it but i imagine once you have put the soil back on and waited a few hours to be dry there wont be much heat left.
Worth trying though

 

[DavidJT]

Haven't tried it, but have wrapped stones in loads of layers of newspaper, tied up with cord, and used as a hot water bottle. Works great provided stones aren't absolutely scorching. Heat lasts for a long time through the night.

 

[calibanzwei]

Rocks retain heat for a surprising length of time - I've read about it in several books, but not tried it myself.

 

[Tye Possum]

I haven't done that myself but I think Jeremiah and bear claw or whatever his name is do it in the movie jeremiah johnson. Then in one episode of survivorman I'm pretty sure Les does it and calls it his "Jeremiah Johnson shelter". In the movie though Jeremiah (Robert Redford) wakes up in a cloud of burning hot steam and bear claw says "you didn't put enough dirt down". Shows you the importance of leaving it to let the moisture evaporate. It also seems like a good way to keep warm inside a shelter if you were worried about having a fire inside or can't.

 

[pete79]

My partner insists on some form of heating when camping (either that or I get woken up in the middle of the night to the words "I'm cold"). We always heat up rocks for her sleeping bag. We heat them really quite hot, put them in socks, and they keep her warm all night.

 

[wanderingblade]

Sounds like it may well work a treat. Might have to give it a go.

Might also have to chuck in a chunk of bacon to slow cook overnight for brekkie in bed!

 

[AnnieSantiago]

Yes, I've done it.

I also taught my sons to put rocks around the nighttime campfire, then wrap in a rag and take to bed for warmth.. just like a nice hot water bottle!

 

[traderran]

Yes I have used them as well. while horseback camping just remenber to put down more dirt. Hi Annie glad to see you hear

 

[reddave]

I haven't done it yet, but aim to do it this year. 2-4-8 was the combination to use. As in, heat the rocks for 2 hrs, bury them in 4" compact dirt, sleep on them for up to 8 hrs. So if you were cooking with a fire pit, fill it in and sleep on it

 

[forestwalker]

If one makes a rised bed of the Mors pattern one can put thge hot rocks underneath. Very simple if one has a metal pot that one can stiff full of hot rocks...

 

[Ex Member - Sidney Bounty]

yes I have and works well but I also wonder if this was used by nomadic people in colder regons of the world long ago...