Fire blanket

[bigjackbrass]

Does anyone know of a UK supplier for a fire blanket? This isn't anything to put a fire out, it's a groundcloth on which you pile a little dirt and then set an open fire, to avoid scorching and damaging the ground below it. I found it listed on an American equestrian site, but nobody here seems to know of them.

 

[harry]

Never hear of that before, it would be cool to get one. hey Tone review one for us
It would have to be quite tough, I wonder if that means it would be heavy? Did it have any info on the equestrian site bigjack? Name, specs etc.

 

[bigjackbrass]

After posting the query last night I had a hunt for the catalogue I got from the site and finally found it. www.wyomingoutdoor.com is the company website, but there is no indication of the manufacturer for the fire blanket. They have it in three sizes, ranging from $26.99 to a rather heftier $70.99, and a photo showing the blanket in use, but since I have neevr heard of anyone using one of these things I've been unable to find out whether they are worthwhile. The idea seems sound, but I hesitate to experiment with a potentially unnecessary piece of kit at those prices plus international postage.

 

[Tony]

no one in at that address! I found reference to the site on the web but could not get to it. Maybe it's a temporary problem.

 

[alick]

Hi, excellent thread - I've never seen one of those before.

Since bushcraft emphasises working with natural resources, I have to say I can't see the need. Cut and roll back the turf, set aside, keep damp, replace when you're done with the fire ?

This looks like a response to laws restricting campfires or forbidding digging in national parks.

If I wanted to improvise one in the UK, it looks woven, is presumably a heat resistant fibre, so why not try an ordinary fireblanket ? With some earth on top it probably won't overheat and take any damage in use. Exotic would be 2 old fireblankets stitched together with some sort of insulation in between.

Cheers, Alick

 

[Tony]

even though it does seem a little OTT I can see that it would be useful for convenience sake. You do not always want to lift the sod out of the way. The blanket would be much quicker and in some situations maybe even safer.
But it is something else to carry :rolmao: probably not nice to the environment to make and dispose of and I have not got one....What's with that??? :mrgreen:

 

[bigjackbrass]

Thanks for the feedback. I can see both reasons for and against such an item, which is one reason why I was interested in other views. My own preference is for paring down the kit without reaching the point of inadequacy ( a fairly flexible point, I admit, much influenced by personal knowledge and taste), but I can think of a number of circumstances when an item like the fire blanket could be a benefit... assuming it works. Maybe a home-made version is worth trying; thanks, Alick. My usual compromise when open fires are frowned upon is a folding fire can, although obviously sometimes even those are not acceptable and I'm happy to pack my aged Trangia. Bushcraft certainly isn't about taking a bullheaded stance and declaring that there is one absolutely right answer, after all.

 

[sargey]

i sometimes use a dogfood tin based hobo stove, and suspend a billy over it. by using a raised grate in the tin rather than cutting the bottom out you dont leave the circle of scorched earth normally associated with hobo stoves. it's much easier to burn damp or "sub-optimal fuel too.

you could try your local diy store, homebase, whatever. look for a plumbers blanket. plumbers use 'em to prevent burning joists when soldering pipes between floor boards.

one trick i heard recently was using a tarp and covering it with dirt to build a fire on. you need to be particular as to the type of tarp. apparently it's easier to take any sign of the fire with you for disposal en route. can't vouch for it meself. never tried it.

cheers, and.

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

Fireblankets are almost exclusively a horsepacking item. A irresponsible packtrain can quickly chew up the country. Picket lines require "treesavers" which are little more than webbing such as auto restraint belts, weedfree feeds to avoid introducing exotic plants and fireblankets,as dutch oven cooking is the norm. Campfires can actually sterilise the underlying soil via burning of minerals and nutrients. I have seen many old campgrounds marked with barren circles. If you are only building a small campfire simple care as posted will suffice. The blankets themself are a heavy metallic outer layer with insulating material between.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Over the last few weeks, I've been looking into making a similar item.

I've found woven glass fibre cloth, intended for sculpture, but looks similar to what you'd use to make a reasin and fibreglass canoe.

I think that two sheets of the heaviest grade, which I think was 300g/m², with rockwool inside, would be fairly light and a good insulator.

I need to find some heatproof thread or glue before I can make a prototype.

I suppose I could use big staples or maybe very thin stainless steel cable.


Keith.

 

[Toddy]

Don't know how relevant this is and I haven't seen this used in over thirty years, and the widespread use of central heating may have made the stuff very hard to find....but, in old tenements with wooden floors the hearth was built on top of beams which *could* burn out. In the 60's renovations a new insulation layer was cut and laid on top of clean dry timbers before the new grates were built in.
My dad was joiner and got a bit through his work. He had a piece of the padded cloth that he would use on top of the burden boards in a dory so he had a safe place to brew up. I saw a family friend use a piece of the same stuff to light his fire in a woodland weekend after weekend and leave no sign on the ground that his fire had ever been there. They just called it 'Fire blanket'. I believe it contained asbestos and some sort of dense heat proofing. Central heating engineers might know of a suitable source, maybe a builders merchant.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[bambodoggy]

Don't know how relevant this is and I haven't seen this used in over thirty years, and the widespread use of central heating may have made the stuff very hard to find....but, in old tenements with wooden floors the hearth was built on top of beams which *could* burn out. In the 60's renovations a new insulation layer was cut and laid on top of clean dry timbers before the new grates were built in.
My dad was joiner and got a bit through his work. He had a piece of the padded cloth that my he would use on top of the burden boards in a dory so he had a safe place to brew up. I saw a family friend use a piece of the same stuff to light his fire in a woodland weekend after weekend and leave no sign on the ground that his fire had ever been there. They just called it 'Fire blanket'. I believe it contained asbestos and some sort of dense heat proofing. Central heating engineers might know of a suitable source, maybe a builders merchant.

Cheers,
Toddy

Top idea Toddy.... we had most of our heating pipes changed at work a few months ago...I project managed the whole thing and the Plumbers I called in used these small mats held by hand behind the pipes to protect the wall while they were using a blow torch to seal the pipes.... the pads were about 6" X 8" and would work really well with a small folding hobo type shove :biggthump

 

[Wildpacker]

Welding cloth any use?

 

[tenbears10]

They must have found something to replace the asbestos now Toddy.

Would something like this not be very bulky to carry with you?

Bill

 

[bambodoggy]

The pads I saw the Plumbers using weight next to nothing and are about the same bulkiness as a single hand oven glove.... Not my cup-o-tea but some here may find a use for them.... I just dig a hole, have my fire in there and then fill the hole in.... ): Same on turf.... we were shown to do this with our Hexi-burners in the TA to limited signs of us having been there...

 

[Keith_Beef]

They must have found something to replace the asbestos now Toddy.

Would something like this not be very bulky to carry with you?

Bill

I was thinking of something around 30cm × 30cm, and up to around 5cm thick. That would go in the game pocket in the back of my Barbour as a bit of extra insulation.

Especially in a group of two or three people, you can share the load with shared kit. You don't need three fire mats for three people.

A smaller mat, around 15cm × 15cm should be enough for a small hobo stove, shouldn't it?

Keith.

 

[Toddy]

Did anyone ever get hold of a bit and actually try lighting a fire on top of the modern stuff?
I worked two sites in the Summer where the ground was so dry that I had real concerns about setting fire to buried tree roots; something like this sounds like it might be incredibly useful in certain situations.
I found a link to some specialized fire blanket material but no idea on how well it would do in constant use or how much it would cost.

http://www.adlinsulflex.com/heat-resistant-fire-blankets.asp

Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Motorbike Man]

I could see something like this being useful if you wanting a fire on peaty ground

 

[Jared]

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Pro...0&productId=399864&parent_category_rn=4500639

One made of heat treated fibreglass, with kevlar stitching.

 

[pumbaa]

I could see something like this being useful if you wanting a fire on peaty ground

I was thinkoing about fires on peat as well . Not sure about trying it though . Warmwell heath is all on peat and the grockles seam to set fire to it reagulary .
If anyone is trying one of these out , try putting the blanket on top of a load of tinder . That should give a good idea as to weather these blankets could be used in a particulary dry or peaty area .
Pumbaa