Home› Camping & Travel
Options

Campfire Heat Reflector

AustinHealeyAustinHealey Member Posts: 66
in Camping & Travel

So MCRanchOverland make a beautiful 4 fold aluminum 24 inch square panel heat reflector to put on the other side of your campfire to reflect the heat back to you. Only problem is it’s $375 plus shipping, and ends up being $460 with tax and shipping to me. I know there are a lot of creative people on this forum - anyone that had built a reflector to get the campfire heat to you more efficiently?

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+

Comments

  • Options
    zgfiredudezgfiredude Member Posts: 206

    Hmmmm, that is a nice piece of kit....but, that PRICE! I'm thinking that printing a couple of the photos and taking them to a sheet metal shop or aluminum supply house and they could help you out for a FRACTION of that price. In fact, I think I'll do that very thing! That would not be hard to make at all!

    '21 T@G 5w Boondock, 2006 Toyota Land Cruiser B)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    AustinHealeyAustinHealey Member Posts: 66

    How tall would you make it?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    zgfiredudezgfiredude Member Posts: 206

    Well those are 24" x 24" which seems perhaps a bit big.....I think I'd check pricing on the aluminum and choose something from 18" to 24".....also, I'd find where I was going to store it which might decide the size as well.

    '21 T@G 5w Boondock, 2006 Toyota Land Cruiser B)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    GulfCoastGulfCoast Member Posts: 76

    Try aluminum foil wrapped around a piece of corrugated cardboard. Just keep it a reasonable distance from the fire.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    GulfCoastGulfCoast Member Posts: 76

    I just looked at that website and unless I'm missing something, this product is a sure sign that some people have far too much disposable income. $399 plus shipping! It's just four 24"x24" aluminum panels with hinges and a fabric case. It weighs 27 pounds, though I can't see why the panels need to be so thick.

    The website claims, "Using the principles of a parabolic arc and the properties of aluminum. It reflects heat exponentially back to the user or users keeping them warm and cozy." There's also a warning not to let flames touch the reflector.

    Well, parabolas are not flat and there's nothing parabolic on that product. Exponential heat reflection is certainly not a real thing. Only a fraction of the energy can be reflected.

    As zgfiredude said, a similar reflector could be made from four lighter aluminum sheets. At 10-15% of the cost for materials, twice that if a shop built it. And foil-on-cardboard would do in a pinch, at <1% of the cost.

    Or did I miss something that makes this thing so pricey?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    HellFishHellFish Member Posts: 140

    Not to put too fine a point on it, I think they mean "parabolic" as in the arc that is formed when you set the reflector up and it curves (arcs) around the fire.

    I like the tinfoil on cardboard suggestion. So simple and inexpensive.

    2014 T@G

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    GulfCoastGulfCoast Member Posts: 76

    @HellFish, you're right. That's certainly their implication, but calling four linked planes "parabolic" is somewhat "hyperbolic" for my taste.

    (Now that I think about it, parabolas focus on a point. But that's not so good if there are more than one person around the fire. Four planes are probably more like what most camp fire situations call for.)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
  • Options
    HellFishHellFish Member Posts: 140

    Yeah, the guy in the middle will burst into flames and those next to him will be only slightly warm.

    2014 T@G

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter Share on Google+
Sign In or Register to comment.