Campfires: Love them or hate them?

[hedgehopper]

For some, campfires mean bedtime stories, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. For my wife and me, on a recent overnight at Lathrop State Park near Walsenburg CO, campfire smoke meant sneezing, itchy eyes, and runny noses. Never another campfire wouldn't break my heart.

So I'm wondering, how do the rest of you feel about campfires? Do you love them? Hate them? Or don't care one way or the other?

[jimmyriley]

Love them. Main reason we camp is to sit by a fire at night. Always burning until 2-4am just relaxing and also drinking our beverage of choice. We have never been approached by another camper telling us it was bothering them. Fires are soothing to the soul and my DW and I have great bonding time just chilling out.

[Jarlaxle]

crabbin cabin wrote:
Jake2550 - old chief says "white man builds BIG fire and freezes, Indian builds small fire, stands close and stays warm!"

And old chief's wife adds: "And let's not mention the time he set his trousers on fire!" 😄

[2012Coleman]

You can't beat a good campfire - or hunting for really long straight sticks to roast marshmallows over it as the fire gets going...

[deleted-2]

bsbeedub wrote:
We love them. I know some don't like the smell in their rig but we like the smell it brings.

Dig yer "Just ate a big meal... thingy bsbeedub LOL!

Been cooking on the campfire on the last few trips out.
We don't sit around the fire much anymore...dawgs don't like fire.
I'll build a fire at times for coziness, especially if the campground is not very full.

Seems like most of the fire rings have a lot of clearance around them for safety these days. Besides California discourages fires and with "buy it where you burn it" I can see campfire rules tightening up anyhoo.

On cool evenings at home we build a fire in the backyard at home.
Great way for me to get rid of the scrap wood that builds up.

[bsbeedub]

We love them. I know some don't like the smell in their rig but we like the smell it brings. On cool evenings we make sure the windows are open so the smoke wafts inside. Then, each time we go back to the trailer to start the next trip we get that great smell as soon as we open the door. Different strokes and all.......
Last weekend we brought our beagle and she spent time by the fire with us. It was a messy, rainy weekend so she got a little muddy and needed a bath when we got home. Scrubbed her down as well as one could but naturally we can't get much of her head so we don't get water in her ears. The next day my wife was giving her some lovin' and noticed the top of her head still smelled like a campfire! Funny!
We used the pie irons for pizza pies for lunch on Sunday. We used our neighbor's fire that we just met and turned them onto the pies. They had fruit ones before but never pizza. It was nice bringing a new treat to someone we just met. Meeting and making new friends is one of the things I really enjoy about camping.

[jake2250]

Last Wednesday nights fire!! If you look you can see the "devil" actually did a little dance for us!!

[jetboater454]

Pudgie pies are also called camp pies.You can get the campfire pie maker almost every where.




Meats are best precooked before using them in the pie maker.You can use pie fillings too.

[colliehauler]

BeckyIO wrote:
Love campfires! Especially cooking hotdogs and making s'mores and pudgie pies over them. Like others though I don't approve when neighbors don't put their coals out when they go to bed, or burn trash.

What are pudgie pies?

[Getup_ngo]

I camp-host summers and while fires for the campers are a special occasion, I can't take it. I shut the windows and doors on the MH on Friday night, and I run an air purifier all weekend. I didn't do that for a long time and found myself wheezing with lung problems.

No more.

[jake2250]

well, were booked for this week,, tomorrow night the washer drum will be looking like a rocket engine!!! 92 degrees tomorrow,, hopefully it cools off quick,I have saved allot of scrap wood since last outing!!! The campers on either side will need welding goggles to see us having a merry old time in shorts and tank tops...keeping the skeeters at bay!!! they should burn up within three feet of the fire if I plan it well!!!(skeeters that is)!! Wouldnt want to be down wind of me this week if you dont like the smell of a fire!!!

[BeckyIO]

Love campfires! Especially cooking hotdogs and making s'mores and pudgie pies over them. Like others though I don't approve when neighbors don't put their coals out when they go to bed, or burn trash.

[mowin]

Water-Bug wrote:

mowin wrote:

Our new TT has been sittin in the driveway for 3 weeks, waitin for the CG to open.(May 1st)..DW had to have a campfire in our yard every weekend since our new TT has been here..

We live in northern Michigan and a campfire in the yard is part of the lifestyle. We have an old cast iron tanning kettle that we use for a firepit. If filled with water, it would easily hold 55 gallons. It was a flower planter in the yard of a home that we sold 20 years ago. We just couldn't leave it behind.

55 gal:E...Thats a HUGE cast iron kettle. I have one that holds about 20 gal. Was here when I got the place.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

I'm allergic to smoke - and have a family full of pyromaniacs...LOL!! When it's just Ed and myself, we don't bother with campfires. But if it's a family event... I just try to sit upwind and a ways from the fire. The rest of the family sure loves them!

[Water-Bug]

mowin wrote:

Our new TT has been sittin in the driveway for 3 weeks, waitin for the CG to open.(May 1st)..DW had to have a campfire in our yard every weekend since our new TT has been here..

We live in northern Michigan and a campfire in the yard is part of the lifestyle. We have an old cast iron tanning kettle that we use for a firepit. If filled with water, it would easily hold 55 gallons. It was a flower planter in the yard of a home that we sold 20 years ago. We just couldn't leave it behind.