Campfire In A Can (Wood burner)

[RBA]

Thanks for posting the new link for the kickstarter campaign. I just pledged.

 

[Finlay]

Welp, that is an unfortunate turn of events.

We want to thank all of you for your support of this project. Despite our best efforts we are not able to complete this project. There are many reasons; one of the biggest causes was the significantly delayed timeline. The project also involved relying on others to do their part. We received the revised sample from the factory and it is not satisfactory. Unfortunately the people that we relied upon did not do their part.

New products are always risky, even with our experience in making similar products things can still go wrong. Unfortunately that's what happened with this project. The production development had too many time delays and unsatisfactory product samples from our partners in China. This was a shock for us after working on similar projects in the past and being able to work through many challenges that arose during the same sort of endeavor.

This is our final update. It is with a heavy heart that we have to stop working on this project.

Here is a basic representation of the allocation of Kickstarter funds.

Production Development Costs

10% Commissions paid to Kickstarter & Amazon payment processing
10% China factory visits
12% Safety testing & approvals
23% Tooling costs
20% Production development administration costs
17% Prototypes, samples, engineering work, CAD drawings
8% Subcontractors

 

[Corey]

Bummer, that is the way it goes sometimes with relying on others, especially when outsourcing.
I know that all too well from the company I work for
Much delays that 787 had in the beginning.

 

[Finlay]

It appears that Campfire in a Can is going out of business. Their website lists everything as out of stock, and they've removed several pages.

Commenters on the KS thread also say that Campfire in a Can has been unresponsive to support requests for existing products.

If it is true that they are going out of business, they should release their design documents and stuff. We did pay for it, after all.

 

[dstock]

I hope they aren't closing, LOVE my Campfire in a Can. They were super nice and helpful when I spoke to them.

Guess I will be taking extra good care of mine, want to last a long time!

 

[Tazman]

I just bought my wife one for Christmas. Although it is not road tested, we have used it in the backyard quite a bit. It was expensive and not made in China, which appealed to me greatly. Super product and really makes a difference on a cold day.

 

[Tazman]

I just received this message from their website.

Thank you for your email.

"We are currently in the process of reorganizing our business. If you have a question about your campfire, visit our FAQ section on our website. You can also view the product manual.

Sorry for any inconvenience."

I hope the reorg goes well. I'm sure the product isn't going to disappear. Things are tough in Canada now. Their currency is .70 to the dollar.

 

[Bigunit]

They treated me well. They refunded all of my money without having to ask for a refund when they decided to "can" the fire-in-a-can project. I even got a personal phone call from the designer and chief "jefe" in charge. Great company and great customer service in my book. I would gladly buy any of their products.

 

[matt41482]

Bigunit Did you get a refund from there most recent kickstater?

 

[Bigunit]

No, I wasn't a kickstarter contributor. I was on their initial pre-paid sale list.

 

[perkj]

I just bought my wife one for Christmas. Although it is not road tested, we have used it in the backyard quite a bit. It was expensive and not made in China, which appealed to me greatly. Super product and really makes a difference on a cold day.

Camp Fire in a Can is INDEED made in China. Leo, CFIAC owner, told me this directly. They were also to use the same factory to make the new Kickstarter model which failed to deliver

 

[Finlay]

It is looking more and more like this wasn't just risk that didn't pan out and instead was a straight up rip-off of the backers.

So far, Leo Knight has been unable/unwilling to provide any evidence that he even attempted to get the product developed, let alone made. No design documents, no rejected prototypes, no receipts.

Caveat Emptor and all that, sure. Fraud is fraud, though - and so far it looks less like innocent bad luck and more like straight up thievery.

 

[huachuca]

Sorry to hear this. I picked up the propane version last Spring and we've really enjoyed it where wood fires were prohibited or just too inconvenient. Shortly after receiving it, I broke one of the locking clips on the cover - totally my fault. I called CFIAC, spoke to Leo, explained what I'd done and asked if I could purchase a replacement. He sent a new set of clips out that day at no charge. We chatted a bit about his product and camping in general. He seemed like a nice enough guy and I hope they can get back on their feet. Good product that I'd buy again should the need arise.

 

[grogie]

I still love my propane Campfire in a Can. It's really well designed and made, a great flame to it, and all without the wood smoke. Well I hope that they can get their company back in business.

 

[grogie]

P.S. Just saw a new propane version selling on eBay for $519.98! (I think I paid $250.)