rehammer81
Active member
This seems like the right location for this topic but if not let me know.
I thought people might be interested in a really cool propane campfire option I decided to pull the trigger on. First, yes, it is very expensive at first glance. I am not affiliated with Howl in anyway. I just simply made the decision to give it a chance and buy once and hopefully only cry once.
I was looking for a propane campfire solution to replace carrying around my Solo Stove and wood or scavenging for wood. I live and camp primarily in the SW and we are very often under burn bans and non-propane fueled fires are often not allowed in many areas. Also, carrying or scavenging wood and then getting a fire started just isn't as convenient as sparking a propane fire. Many people hate the smoke that comes with a wood fire. In my experience, one of the biggest issues with all the propane campfire solutions I was aware of is they do a poor job of providing heat in a manner that warms you like a wood fire with glowing coals that provide radiant heat. All the heat is just going straight up. You have to stand right on top of them or use a heat deflector hood. Even the Solo Stove really needs a heat deflector to kick that heat from the flame out to you sitting around it.
Enter the Howl Campfire. I just randomly stumbled upon these guys. They are a startup company out of CO. This thing provides a nice flickering ambient flame (A-Flame) to enjoy but also radiant heat tubes (Barcoals) that glow red hot and radiate heat out the sides of the unit to truly warm you as you sit comfortably around it. This thing is UL rated. They have gone above and beyond to get it certified for use during burn bans. It uses a venturi design to avoid a need for a powered fan and function properly in a very broad range of altitudes. I'm not going to try to describe all of it's features or how it works. Do a Google search and read up on it yourself.
This thing is a UNIT! Yes, it's not small but it isn't any bigger than my Solo Stove was, especially if you add in carrying bundles of wood. We already mentioned burn bans. Another thing to keep in mind is that in some areas it is illegal to bring in non-local wood or even scavenge for wood. I believe people say the Hot Wood and similar are ok because it's treated to eliminate insects and diseases. The Howl solves all of this and it gives you legit heat for warmth while you sit comfortably around it in your chair. I used this at a 24 hour mountain bike race in mid February. We ran the Howl on a freshly filled 20lb propane tank, not a Blue Rhino trade-in tank, for about 13 hours with the Barcoals cranking 100% and the A-Flame running at about 25-50%. The Barcoals are full on/off only but the A-Flame is variable. On my last camping trip this past weekend, it wasn't all that cold in the evening so I didn't even run the Barcoals. We just enjoyed the flickering A-Flame at about 50%, which is plenty. A tank will last even longer running that way. The other thing we enjoyed was the ease of lighting it up for a morning fire and coffee. We almost never do a morning wood fire because the process typically isn't worth the effort in our opinion for a short morning fire.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. Feel free to check it out and ask questions. Swallow anything in your mouth before looking at the price.
I thought people might be interested in a really cool propane campfire option I decided to pull the trigger on. First, yes, it is very expensive at first glance. I am not affiliated with Howl in anyway. I just simply made the decision to give it a chance and buy once and hopefully only cry once.
I was looking for a propane campfire solution to replace carrying around my Solo Stove and wood or scavenging for wood. I live and camp primarily in the SW and we are very often under burn bans and non-propane fueled fires are often not allowed in many areas. Also, carrying or scavenging wood and then getting a fire started just isn't as convenient as sparking a propane fire. Many people hate the smoke that comes with a wood fire. In my experience, one of the biggest issues with all the propane campfire solutions I was aware of is they do a poor job of providing heat in a manner that warms you like a wood fire with glowing coals that provide radiant heat. All the heat is just going straight up. You have to stand right on top of them or use a heat deflector hood. Even the Solo Stove really needs a heat deflector to kick that heat from the flame out to you sitting around it.
Enter the Howl Campfire. I just randomly stumbled upon these guys. They are a startup company out of CO. This thing provides a nice flickering ambient flame (A-Flame) to enjoy but also radiant heat tubes (Barcoals) that glow red hot and radiate heat out the sides of the unit to truly warm you as you sit comfortably around it. This thing is UL rated. They have gone above and beyond to get it certified for use during burn bans. It uses a venturi design to avoid a need for a powered fan and function properly in a very broad range of altitudes. I'm not going to try to describe all of it's features or how it works. Do a Google search and read up on it yourself.
This thing is a UNIT! Yes, it's not small but it isn't any bigger than my Solo Stove was, especially if you add in carrying bundles of wood. We already mentioned burn bans. Another thing to keep in mind is that in some areas it is illegal to bring in non-local wood or even scavenge for wood. I believe people say the Hot Wood and similar are ok because it's treated to eliminate insects and diseases. The Howl solves all of this and it gives you legit heat for warmth while you sit comfortably around it in your chair. I used this at a 24 hour mountain bike race in mid February. We ran the Howl on a freshly filled 20lb propane tank, not a Blue Rhino trade-in tank, for about 13 hours with the Barcoals cranking 100% and the A-Flame running at about 25-50%. The Barcoals are full on/off only but the A-Flame is variable. On my last camping trip this past weekend, it wasn't all that cold in the evening so I didn't even run the Barcoals. We just enjoyed the flickering A-Flame at about 50%, which is plenty. A tank will last even longer running that way. The other thing we enjoyed was the ease of lighting it up for a morning fire and coffee. We almost never do a morning wood fire because the process typically isn't worth the effort in our opinion for a short morning fire.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. Feel free to check it out and ask questions. Swallow anything in your mouth before looking at the price.
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