Red Roads

Revelling in the quietude of the surrounding Wandoo country while testing out the Red Roads fire pit. A few hours after this photograph was taken I was literally wrapping myself around the fire pit while trying to keep warm, hiding under the protection of my awning as an incredible storm cell passed over. Heavy rain, low temperatures, high winds, trees dropping limbs… the kind of weather that makes you feel small; weather that surpasses all else. Nonetheless, I kept warm, mostly dry and didn’t have to wander out for more firewood as I stocked up earlier and put it undercover in anticipation of the severe weather. As a notable aside, of all the wood I’ve put on a campfire, wandoo is one of the best firewoods I have ever used. It is incredibly dense, coming in at 15kN on the Janka scale. In comparison, Jarrah is around 8.5kN and White Oak is 6kN. Hitting wandoo with anything other than a maul or large splitting axe is asking for trouble. I know this all too well. It feels like you’re hitting steel with steel. Even with herculean might behind your swings it can still prove too hard. As you can imagine, such timber equates to some slow burning fuel and really long lasting coals. When I arose the next morning, even after the rain poured for most of the night and temperatures dropped considerably, there were still a few hot coals in the fire pit – so much so that I got the fire going again without having to start from scratch.⁠

I appreciate the form of the fire pit, as well as its wood-burning efficiency. It also has handles so that you can move it around while a fire is going – assuming you are equipped with welding gloves! I find the handles particularly useful, as I can get a fire started away from my awning, then as the flames settle and the heat builds up I can bring the whole assembly right back under my awning with no ill effects. It folds and packs flat, and can conveniently fit most anywhere. Using a fire pit makes camp clean-up real easy. All you do is let the fire die down, ensure coals are cold to the touch (I normally douse coals with water too to be extra safe) and then distribute ashes anywhere already affected by fire. Here in Western Australia that is a pretty simple feat for there is usually somewhere within eyeshot where a bushfire has already altered the landscape. Additionally, using a fire pit means you do not risk setting underground tree roots alight, which can typically be a concern when having fires on the ground. Admittedly, sometimes you can’t beat a ground fire with rock surrounds, however in times of constant travel and transience, and when you don’t want to leave any sure signs of your impact then it really is a great way to go. Having a moveable fire pit means there is no discernible trace of the campfire left on the local area. Arguably it’s impossible to really leave no trace in a holistic sense, particularly when you use items that are a result of industrialised society, including driving a big old diesel-fuelled 4WD around. Though as it goes with a lot of the ways we consume at present, it’s about finding balance. Focus on what matters most – knowing who you are supporting and the way they operate in the world, how you use those things you purchase, how long you hold onto them, what they add to your life and the experience they facilitate that matters most.⁠
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