Hauling Firewood

[KdHammonds]

We are newbie TM owners and have only been out about 4 times in our TM. However, one of the issues we have come across is hauling firewood to the campgrounds. One of the camping events is sitting around a campfire. Our children don't really consider it camping unless we have a campfire. How do those of you who are experienced TM campers haul firewood to the campsite.

We tow with a GMC Safari Van and typically load the back of the van with tools, the TV, and immediate needs for setting up. I really don't think we have the room in the back of the van. Does anyone haul firewood inside the TM? If so, where?

Thanks,

Keith

[Happytrails]

Kd, I guess that depends on the type of area you're in. Our last trip I played the sucker and paid the 5 bucks for about two hours worth of dried seasoned wood at a convienience store.....for the "fire ring".......been such a bad vacation, I said what the heck......lol Best thing to do is drop off the camper if in an isolated place and let the chainsaw do your talking. If on national forrest NO NEW GREEN trees may be taken.....HOWEVER, felled trees are WELCOMED game for a campfire. It clears the dead wood allowing for new growth, and provides the camper with a happy campfire. It's usually seasoned, and burns well..... for what it's worth, pound for pound, all wood burns the same, and puts out the same BTU's, green wood will burn slowly for a long time, and still put out the same BTU's (all in all), as a very dry seasoned wood that burns in half, or less the time.

Happytrails..........

[arknoah]

We've generally purchased wood at either a campground, or, at the end of the winter season, we can get a whole lot of it from Lowes for a song. When we haul stuff to the campground, we place tarps on the rug at the front of the trailer, and place things on that, such as our folding chairs, TV, microwave, and some of those plastic foldable crates. It's in the crates that we haul the wood and things like bike helmets and basketballs. That way, the wood does not fall out and scratch the floor, and it's easy to take out when we get to the campground.

[Bill]

I tried carrying some in the rear compartment of our 2720 once. I don't recommend it. There wasn't very much wood, it was dirty, and it beat up everything else in the compartment. Not worth it. Now that I'm older and wiser, I **DO ** carry a bit of super-dry kindling in that compartment, in case the campground wood is a bit wet and hard to light.

While at home, with plenty of leisure time, I drive around and find a house under construction, and grab a bunch of 2x4 or 2x6 cutoff scraps, preferably not longer than 4-8". Take 'em home, use a small hatchet to whack 'em lengthwise into pencil-sized pieces, and load a double handful of pieces into a small trash bag. Stow the bag in the outside compartment, use them only when needed - it's magic! Starts a fire easily, and doesn't stink like the petroleum-based firestarter liquids, tablets, or logs.

Bill

[efelker]

Bill's got the right idea. Kindling -- good; firewood -- bad.
With all the discussion on this site about loading weights I wouldn't mess with hauling firewood unless I went somewhere where there was absolutely nothing available. For as often as you'd have a fire pit, stick with buying it at the convenience store. Having knidling with you though is a great idea.

[kempert]

I found a great source for FREE kindling and firewood. Our local high school has a woodworking shop and they throw away tons of scrap wood every year. I have a plastic tub with a lid and go by periodically to make a pick up. They give me oak, walnut, and poplar which burn with little ashe or smoke. The wood is clean and dry so you don't have to worry about it making a mess. They even help me load it since a tub packed compactly weighs a lot. Just think- it doesn't go into the land fill and it burns cleanly.

[Happytrails]

Just be careful about that Bill, burning treated lumber is actually illegal. (hey officer, I didn't see a durn thing).......lol Well, at least in Va anyway....dunno about other parts.........But I'd have to agree it does work well doesn't it?

Happytrails......

[kempert]

Ditto on burning treated lumber. It contains chemicals that you do not want in the air around your camp site.

[efelker]

... and that chemical is arsenic!!! (or at least used to be)

[Larry_Loo]

Getting kindling has never been a problem for me on our trips. We primarily use our TM for business travel - to woodworking shows. Since the rip fence that I sell can produce strips as thin as 0.040," I usually make several pounds of thin stirps every day that I demonstrate my rip fence.

Even though my wife and I enjoy camp fires, we're generally too tired to build a camp fire by the time we get back to our TM! :( :( :(

[arknoah]

Thanks for the tip on high school, woodworking shops -- I'll check to see if ours has one too!

[bonzaibeaver]

We have often been able to scavenge wood from vacated campsites. Often we have found that campers will leave their leftover wood in a campsite when they pull out. I guess they don't want the weight and dirt, etc. When our boys were young, they would seek out the firewood while we set up our pop-up camper.

[Happytrails]

Arsenic? Durn, lol, I always wondered why it wasn't allowed......Never knew that! My dad though a CPA, as a side project, owned a woodlot.....now is that a strange thought, a CPA out on his woodlot splitting firewood.....lol Anyway, he managed to get a really good deal on kindling that he used to sell which worked really good. It was basically the unused stuff they use on basketball courts, etc, those little tiny 1"x5" slats unfinished of course, he'd get by a truckload, and bag them up years ago. (It was untreated btw). There were all kinds of scraps, etc, different sizes, different cuts, but it all burned really well, and was dirt cheap, I'll have to ask him tomorrow where he used to get it. (A cabinet making company that did flooring comes to mind first). I guess you could say one man's scraps makes for another man's campfire? lol

Happytrails..........

[arknoah]

Bonzaibeaver,

We also scavenge wood from other campsites once people have left, but I was too embarrassed to mention it. We had a really obnoxious family camping next to us for a night in South Dakota, and we were only too happy to take three nice logs that they left behind. We saw it as just compensation.

[MawCraig]

And aren't we glad that so few campers are the obnoxious type! We have been very fortunate in meeting many more super nice people than jerks!!

[kempert]

If there are new houses being built in your area, check to see if they are installing wood floors. Oak flooring scraps are great for camp fires About 1/2" thick w/ different widths). I asked if I could have them and was told that they wouldn't give permission (fear of lawsuits) but if I came back when no one was working there would be no problem.

BTW, arsenic in treated wood is supposed to stop soon but you can bet that the replacement chemicals will not be good to burn either.

[dlajoie]

We have brought firewood in 5 gallon plastic pails in the back of our Safari back when we camped in a pop up and our son was young. Now, that he is in college and we have our new 2720SL, we prefer to cozy up with the furnace. I used to take all the seats out of my old Safari, line it with a large tarp and haul quite a bit of firewood from our wood lot to our house.:)

[jbeletti]

I usually take 2 totes of wood camping for a typical weekend. The totes I use are semi-clear with blue lids form Sam's Club for $9.99 a pair. I place the rugs we use in the TM on the floor between the sink cabinet and the oven cabinet in front of the stowed wardrobe cabinet. Then I lay a blanket on the floor, stack the 2 totes of wood, strap the totes together with a tie-down strap, pull the blanket sides up over the tote stack. Then I wedge pillows on 3 sides of the totes.

This method allows me to carry the weight of the wood over the trailer axle and where I have it stowed, it never moves.

I use fat wood for kindling and a small propane torch with an auto-igniter with a copper pipe soldering flame tip. Works great.

Jim