Overlanding Fire Box – Cooking & Coffee without Gas

Kitting out an overland fire box, our list of contents:

• Mini BBQ
• Petromax FK2 Fire Kettle
• Petromax Atago
• Fatwood
• Lighters x 2
• Kindling Sticks
• Wood/logs
• Hand Axe
• Blanket
• Silky Pocketboy [folding saw]

We also have a comprehensive fire kit in the Shogun which is kept under the drivers seat, another half dozen lighters, fixed blade bushcraft knife and a couple of pieces of fatwood in the storage drawers.

The fire box is something we put together for the Autumn/Winter season, this is when you can actually light the mini BBQ or the fire kettle [in designated areas] without the risk of attracting attention or getting reported. Fires are lit all over the Andalucian campo to burn off excess brush so making a coffee on the FK2 isn’t an issue – at least we have not had any in rural parts when we’ve been out.

The fire box contains everything we need to boil water and cook food as well as prepare wood for burning. Yes it takes up space especially when we have the Petromax Atago with us but it’s handy to have when we’re not burning gas, no stove and no cartridges tends to balance things out slightly when it comes to space.

The most used item in our overland fire box is without doubt the kettle, an item we invested in back in Spring 2022, it’s not exactly compact being the bigger model to the FK1 but it’s great to use, runs on natural fuel and boils water in a fraction of the time compared to the gas stove.

One accessory we made for the kettle was a wooden base, something just a little more sturdy than the provided legs and quicker to use as well as a protector against heat.

Is the box in the 4×4 all the time?

In Autumn and Winter yes it is, we quite often head off into the woods or the nearby hills after being out shopping, a spur of the moment kind of thing and it’s good knowing that we have everything we need to get a flame going and get the kettle on.

The Atago is not always with us however given its shape and size, only on a wild camp or when we’re out for a full day in a certain place do we take and use it as the Atago is the kind of gear you use when you have plenty of time and are in a settled environment.

What type of box is it?

We have two variants one is a lidded box that we use when we’re not taking the fire pit, nothing fancy, just a simple and fairly economical box you can get online and the other is a crate [pictured above].

The crate is a heavy duty but lightweight storage solution that we picked up from our local tip, initially we got it for wood collection but it’s just the right size to get all of the gear in.

Besides from being free it is also sturdy enough to make a great saw horse when we need to cut up longer branches – it’s actually a great piece of kit!

One of the reasons we like overlanding in the Autumn besides from the change in colours and more comfortable temperatures is the ability to use our naked flame equipment.

After the 15th October the fire risk goes down from high to medium then after 1st November it’s low risk until May of the following year.