Looking for a safe and tidy way to have open campfires? Perhaps with a spot of campfire cooking?
We were!
And Wolf and Grizzly stood out as clearly one of the most compact and effective solutions to having fires when traveling Europe in our camper.
Full disclosure, the guys at Wolf and Grizzly sent us this product for us to review, but I want to be clear that all views expressed are our own.
This Wolf and Grizzly review aims to be completely unbiased, giving a full assessment of both the Fire Set and the Grill.
Which together form the basis of the Wolf and Grizzly Campfire Trio.
As well as addressing any immediate thoughts you might have if you’re looking to buy.
Most notably, is it worth the price tag?
Let’s get stuck in!
Let’s clear this up quickly, so …
As of writing, Wolf and Grizzly sell 2 main products:
Together, these 3 products form the Campfire Trio.
In this review I will be discussing each of these products individually, including their quality, their compactness, and how well they truly integrate together as a set.
If you’re already sold on Wolf and Grizzly and are simply looking to smash that buy button (I honestly don’t blame you) then the best place to buy is direct through their website.
It’s possible to buy all Wolf and Grizzly products individually, but really, as a combo is where Wolf and Grizzly really is special.
All of their products are designed to work together in one seamless and awesome fire/cooking set, so I would recommend picking up the full set to get the most for your money.
First up, I have to say, the Fire Safe is CRAZY compact.
Honestly, the work that must have gone into designing, manufacturing, and packaging this fire pit is unreal.
The pit is only actually made up of two parts; a frame to contain the fire, and then a sort of zig-zaggy base designed to hold the wood and effectively distribute oxygen.
Altogether, both parts of the Fire Safe weigh just 910g and is less than 1 inch thick when folded down. It then slots into a small premium carrying case for easy storage.
Cazzy and I have been driving round the world in our camper now for a little over a year, and having fires (legally of course) is one of our favorite parts of van life.
Especially when travelling in autumn or winter conditions in colder countries like Ireland or Scotland. Where there is no better way to end the day than with a nice warm fire, enjoying the stars and the silence all around.
So for us, having a fire pit is a natural part of what we need, but we always figured they were big and bulky, and space is now at a real premium in a van. That’s why we were so shocked (and excited) when we came across Wolf and Grizzly.
It’s made of lightweight 304 stainless steel, so it's lightweight and compact is perfect for us as we can easily slip the set away out back and not have it be an inconvenience, even if we don’t get it out for a few months.
I think it’s an obvious top choice for people backpacking/hiking/camping as it’s so compact and would take up relatively little space in any backpack.
Especially if you do pick up the full Campfire Trio set.
As you’ll read below, the grill is equally as compact so together the whole set really doesn’t get in the way, and is extremely good at what it’s designed to do.
Like a typical man, the first thing I did was take the parts out of the packaging, toss aside the instructions, and get to work assembling the pit myself.
And guess what?
For once I actually managed to get it right! Okay, maybe after a little bit of fiddling.
But yeah, my point being, it’s really easy to assemble, and is a simple case of unfolding the surround, and then slotting the base into place.
It is designed to have a sort of undulating design. I presume this is something to do with airflow ...
But what’s great about the design is that, after your fire is done, you simply lift the base back out and can easily discard the cool ashes.
Long story short … It's very easy to assemble and disassemble.
In my opinion, Fire Safe has a few clear objectives …
And by those measures, it is extremely effective. As long as you know how to start and maintain a fire, then Fire Safe does exactly what it says on the tin.
And it does all of those things whilst being shockingly small and lightweight, so yes very impressed on that front.
There is of course one big thing I’d like to point out … the fire isn’t huge.
Meaning, if you’re planning a crazy weekend away somewhere with a dozen or so people, and it’s a cold night, you will likely be fighting for space around the campfire.
If there are 4 or 5 of you (or just 2 in our case) then it’s absolutely perfect!
Like most firebugs (in a non-pyromaniac sense of course) I love a big fire. But Fire Safe does show you that a fire doesn’t need to be huge to burn bright and hot enough for what you need. In that sense it actually saves you from using too much wood unnecessarily.
Unlike the Grill, I guess keeping your Fire Safe 100% clean doesn't really matter.
Whenever we use ours, we give it a good brush off and maybe a little wipe if there’s any dirt. But beyond that we don’t worry too much.
It goes in it’s own separate packaging from the Grill, so you don’t need to worry too much, but yes a basic clean is very straightforward.
One big thing you will realise is that the colour of your FireSafe will change after just one use. I’m no material genius or anything, but it’s clearly how the finish of the metal reacts to extreme heat.
When your Grill first arrives you will genuinely be impressed by how sleek it looks, personally I love the design and materials.
This does change slightly after first use, but honestly I still love how it looks. It kind of takes on more of a used and natural look over time, like a fireplace in your home.
To be clear this doesn’t affect its strength or effectiveness.
Please Note: Wolf and Grizzly recommend you don’t use water when cleaning your Fire Safe. Residual water left in joints can cause rust over time.
Let’s move onto the Wolf and Grizzly Grill …
Again, wild cooking over fires is something Cazzy and I love.
Especially when in countries who have a good selection of fake veggie meats.
So one of the things we have been meaning to grab is a barbecue, but the only reason we haven’t is due space.
Even a compact barbecue is guaranteed to be awkward to store in the back of a camper and risk getting other things dirty/smelling of ash.
So this is the big reason why the Wolf and Grizzly Campfire Trio appealed to us. And why it’s top of the list in our run-down of must-have campervan accessories.
Let’s take a better look into it ...
You probably know how this is going to go …
It is HELLA compact!
Somehow Wolf and Grizzly managed to find a way to roll up the entire Grill into a slim cylinder shape.
And it’s weight comes in at a little over 1kg (just 6 grams over to be exact!).
So when coupled with the Fire Safe, the whole unit is crazy small. Again, making it practical to pack for many types of trips.
And perfect for most types of traveller, right through from backpackers to space-conscious van lifers like us.
Again, assembling the Grill unit is pretty straightforward, though it does help to read the instructions the first time (I really should start taking my own advice …).
Again, there are just two parts. One is the foldable grill frame which is pretty straightforward and can be opened up as much as you’d like. The more you do, the higher the grill becomes.
The top part, the actual grill, simply slots into the edges of the stand, and then tension naturally pins it into the palace. So there’s no need to actually tighten or undo anything, which is really cool!
Each edge of the rollable grill surface has 3 different notches. And you simply base which one you use off how high you’d like the grill to be.
If you’re cooking slowly over just embers, you can lower the grill right down. Or for more distance/larger flames, you bring it up to it’s top height.
Again, let’s quickly spell out what the purpose of the grill is …
Once again, the Grill meets all criteria!
It really is very easy to put up, and is simply placed over the top of the flames when cooking, and then taken away when you’re done.
I like that you can easily adjust the height and, as you'll see below, cleaning is pretty straightforward.
That all being said, I do have two things to point out with the grill.
One is that, as there is no edge, food can roll off. That’s all a part of the design and why it’s so compact, but yeah just make sure the grill is 100% square and standing on a solid surface, otherwise you could end up with some grass on your sausages.
And secondly, it isn’t huge. Again, it’s designed to be perfectly compatible with the grill, so it’s size matches that. And for 2 people, it’s absolutely fine.
I would say that for 3 or 4 you could cope easily, but for any more people you will need to cook in batches. Again, not exactly a reason not to pick up, just something I thought I’d point out.
Don’t worry, the guys at Wolf and Grizzly asked themselves this question too!
Their solution is a useful custom cleaning tool you get with the Fire Set, which is included when you pick up the Campfire Trio.
It has a notched edge, designed to make scraping any charred remains off the edge of your grills rungs.
A pretty simple tool, but does the trick.
And because the grill is fully flexible, cleaning it is much easier than a large rigid grill. So yes, it’s about as easy to clean as is possible with a grill.
Of course, the Campfire Trio is not complete without the Fire Set.
As discussed above, one key component of this is the grill cleaner. A pretty straightforward, yet really effective tool in cleaning your grill.
But the main part is of course the firestarter itself.
I remember getting my first firestarter as a kid. I think I wore through the whole thing in like 3 days, they’re just so much fun to use.
Wolf and Grizzly’s one does exactly what it’s meant to and is great at its purpose. The way it integrates well with the cleaning tool is quite cool, and the whole little set tucks nicely away in the packing for the Fire Safe.
Yeah, I’m not going to say it’s game-changing, not like the Grill and Fire Safe itself, but it is certainly well made and fit for purpose.
If you want to go the extra mile (or have no experience using a firestarter) it’s worth picking up some Spark Fiber. The way a firestarter works is it strikes up small sparks that then ignite kindling.
The perfect dry, fibrous kindling can be sometimes hard to find naturally; so this can save a lot of effort when it comes to cooking. Essential if you’re already getting hangry …
Quick answer … Yes 1,000%!
If you are a lover of the outdoors and plan on using the set even just a few times a year, then pick it up.
It’s crazy lightweight, compact and well-made and will serve you well for years to come.
If, like us, you plan on using it regularly every single month, then you should have bought this YESTERDAY.
I will be open here and recognise that yes it can seem slightly pricey, I mean you could just head to a big-chain store and grab a small barbecue for like $30 right?
But really you have to look beyond that and realise that for something this portable, it is an absolute bargain.
It’s not designed for the one-off family barbecue, but instead for people that care about the outdoors, and want a simple, easy way to cook great food when in nature.
If I was looking for a gift for a backpacker, then I would buy this for them in an instant.
It’s so easy to love. Like, how often do you get excited about something that contains wood and cooks up a quick meal?
I genuinely do love it’s design and uniqueness.
One product we have not yet had a chance to try out is their Cook Set. And once again, Wolf and Grizzly find a way to be a bit different ...
As of writing, the Cooking Set from Wolf and Grizzly is on back order by 6 weeks because it’s so popular.
And personally, I can’t wait to try it out!
Once again, the only cooking sets like that I’ve used before are the heavy, clunky ones I used back from my DofE days as a kid.
All of the bits would fit in the oversized metal tin and would rattle around like crazy in my backpack.
It looks like the guys at Wolf and Grizzly have taken their awesome design skills and applied the same genius approach that they did with the grill set.
It looks super slick and is extremely lightweight. Giving you complete flexibility to cook everything you’d need right through from pancakes to pasta.
And the whole set comes in at under 2kg. Which makes it an ideal piece of hiking/backpacking gear to have, and slots away nicely whenever not in use.
The other thing they offer is a set of Wilderness Gloves.
A pair of these would be a great thing to own, mostly for when it comes to disposing of the ashes from your Fire Safe.
It’s necessary to lift the base off, and unless the ashes have had like 12 hours to cool, there’s a good chance you’ll burn yourself.
I suppose they’re also great for actual wood collecting, I always seem to forget that lesson every time I collect wood, and end up with splinters.
You know what … Yes, I need to get some!
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