Campfire Alternatives in Canyonlands NP

Going to be camping in Canyonlands first week of April and am a bit worried about staying warm between the time the sun goes down and we all hit the sack. What alternatives are there to a campfire when you can't have one? Somehow, the thought of everyone hovered over a camp stove doesn't sound so great.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HPC-Roun...Go2I2mq-MN6_wylR8L6RxOMD0F3uPWgUaAvKMEALw_wcB

 

I have one of these but only a single
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mr-Heate...S9nHpA1IyLXF_OdI-ySm9ryePhexEqOQaAjTSEALw_wcB

 

I actually made one out of 1/2” galv pipe. Just made u shape with a few 4” nipples, two 90 elbows, a T, and two caps. Drilled 1/16” holes in the nipples, and connected it to a propane tank with a hose and regulator I had laying around. Worked great.

 

I use this as a shop heater and it works very well. I have the double.

 

I use mine in the center of the tent between the 2 cots. Nice and toasty.

 

Dude, yer gonna die from carbon monoxide

 

On several of our trips, we've used one of these propane fire rings. Paired with a 20lb tank, you can get 3-4 nights out of a single tank and the pit throws off plenty of heat.

Camco Portable Propane Outdoor Campfire with Foldable Legs, Comes with 8ft Hose and Protective Storage Bag- Great for Camping, Cookouts and More (58041)

(or a more expensive option: Outland Firebowl 870 Premium Outdoor Portable Propane Gas Fire Pit with Cover & Carry Kit, 19-Inch Diameter 58,000 BTU Auto-Ignition)

A few of the trips we used it on - note that we generally only use it on nights when we can't have a wood fire (in a NP) or when it's raining/snowing and we can't keep wood going:

• September 2017 - The De-Tour [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7]
  [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13a] [Chapter 13b]
• August 2018 - The Re-Tour [day 1] [day 2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7] [day 8] [day 9] [day 10] [day 11] [day 12-14] [rig review]
• October 2018 - F.U.Rain (North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Bears Ears, and Capitol Reef NP) [day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7] [day 8] [day 9] [day 10] [day 11] [day 12] [day 13] [day 14 & 15] [rig review]
  

 

I use this in my tent. I'm afraid of it falling over so just warm it up and turn it off. I live in the southwest so mostly mild winters.

$64 Mr. Heater F215100 MH4B Little Buddy 3800-BTU Indoor Safe Propane Heater With Portable|Low-Oxygen Safety Shutoff|Tip-Over Protection|Lightweight, Medium , Black/Red

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CFRF7I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

That actually looks pretty nice. You could even omit the ring and rocks for portability. And I spent about $35 building mine so this a great way to do it.

 

That has a saftey switch in it. If it falls over it turns off. I have one if those also, but the little propane tanks only last 4 hours.

 

It's a tent with windows

 

Lucky. My wife gets on me for leaving the doors open with the heat on, and the windows down with the ac going.

 

She ain't there, just my son and I.
That's where I teach how to not do things.

 

Don't forget when we stood in front of the Mr buddy at panorama and pretended we weren't freezing.... Then woke up to snow

 

We have a Campfire-in-a-Can (no longer available but similar to the Big Red Campfire by Camco) which has worked well for several years. Having everything self-contained is a big plus because these do get sooty. We also have one of the Mr Heater radiant types that attaches directly to a propane tank and it does fine in our screen room but not so much for anyone other than those directly in front of it when outside.

The Horsethief BLM campground just off 313 is a great campground with convenient access to Canyonlands, Arches and Dead Horse Point.

 

There are several propane campfires out there, $100 or less at home depot or whereever. I would check if those are allowed, but they’d by far be your best alternative if you’re looking for ambiance. A shop heater will get the job done but they are usually directional, which can be good or bad depending on how many people you have.

 

You should be fine as long as you have decent outdoor gear. I backpacked there last April 5-9 (Needles) and the weather was mostly perfect. On night it got to the high 30s but that’s nothing a down sweater can’t handle.