Open Fire vs Closed Fire: Safety Features That Matter

When deciding between open fire vs closed fire, it helps to understand how each setup works. Both options have real advantages around the campsite.

It comes down to your space, conditions, and any local fire restrictions. Here's how they stack up for campers who want heat, meals, and peace of mind on every trip.

🔥Open Fire - Portable Flat Pack Fire Pit

  • Visible and Manageable

    Open flames give you a clear view of your fire at all times. Easy to monitor, adjust, and extinguish quickly. Familiar and straightforward for experienced campers.

  • Perfect Where It's Allowed

    In areas where open flames are permitted, there's nothing stopping you from enjoying the full campfire experience. Wide open spaces, national parks, and private land with no restrictions.

  • Natural and Low-Footprint

    Uses natural wood with no manufactured components. In established fire rings, the environmental impact is well understood and manageable with good fire practice.

1 3

🪵Close Fire - Portable Wood Fire Camping Stove

  • Contained and Controlled

    Flames stay contained inside the stove or pit. A built-in spark arrestor keeps embers under control. Critical in dry conditions and tight campsites where stray sparks can cause real damage.

  • Works in More Places

    A wood fire camping stove or enclosed fire pit is permitted in many locations where open fires aren't. A solid choice when campground rules or fire danger ratings are a factor.

  • Efficient and Tidy

    A cleaner burn means less smoke drifting through camp, and contained ash makes clean-up easy. Leaves the ground beneath untouched. No scorching or lasting marks on the site.

1 3

Fire Regulations

Check fire restrictions before you set up camp. A contained camping stove or fire pit often works where open flames aren't allowed so you can still cook inside safely and stay warm without drama.

Camping Wood Stove: One Fire, Many Jobs

When it comes to wood fire cooking, a quality camping stove earns its place fast. With the right accessories, a well-designed camping stove works like a compact oven or smoker too, giving you a full range of cook options without the fuss.

Even the base unit lets you cook meals, boil water, and stay warm all from one wood fire. Ozpig makes two purpose-built options for off-grid campers:

Fire Pit: 3-in-1 Versatility

Designed in Australia - lightweight, compact, easy to transport to any campsite

Whether it's a quick backyard cook-up or a multi-night camping trip, it handles both with ease. The compact pack-down fits neatly into its own storage bag, making carry and transport between campsites a breeze.

Flip hot dogs, grill a steak on the chargrill plate,or fry up a camp breakfast.

Unlike rigs with folding legs, the Fire Pit uses a rigid slot-together frame that's both stable on uneven ground and easy to pack. Three setup configurations give you flexibility whether you're camping solo or feeding a group.

  • Low Pit

    • Traditional ground-level setup
    • Great for atmosphere and larger fires.

  • Raised Pit

    • Legs elevate the base 30cm above ground
    • Compiles with most campsite regulations.

  • Fire Ring

    • 90cm diameter ring for gatherings around a well-contained wood fire
1 3
Buy Fire Pit

Series 2: The Ultimate Off-Grid Cooking Stove

Off-grid workhorse. Built for serious heat and serious meals.

The Series 2 is the ultimate allrounder at a remote campsite. Compact enough to carry in its custom carry bag, tough enough to cook on every trip.

A wide range of accessories lets you expand what you cook and how you cook it: rotisserie kit, smoker, diffuser, warming plate, and more. It's a wood fire camping stove that grows with your setup.

The built-in spark arrestor keeps embers contained and the chimney directs smoke safely up and away so you can run a fire inside the stove without worrying about sparks jumping toward gear, scrub, or the tent. That's the kind of safety feature that matters in dry conditions and tight campsites.

  • Cook & Grill

  • Smoke & Roast

  • Heat the Camp

    • Pumps out serious warmth
    • Stay warm overnight without a separate heater

  • Spark Arrestor

    • Chimney directs smoke up and away from your campsite
    • Built-in spark arrestor keeps embers contained in any conditions
1 4
Buy Series 2

Choosing the Right Camping Wood

A camping stove that runs on wood is lighter to carry, easier to fuel on the road, and lets you cook anywhere there's fallen timber.

When it comes to charcoal vs wood, wood wins hands-down for touring - available in the field, packs lighter, and burns hotter with the right wood fire setup.

Not all camping wood is equal though. You can't just chuck any old branch on the fire and call it a day. The right fuel makes a real difference to heat output, smoke levels, and how easy it is to light and cook with.

  • Go Dry. Always

    • Well-seasoned (dry) hardwood burns cleaner, lights more easily, and gives better heat control in any camping stove.
    • Dry wood means less smoke, less effort, and more delicious meals every time.

  • Size it right.

    • Small sticks for quick meals and fast boils. Larger logs for sustained heat and overnight warmth.
    • Split larger pieces for better airflow and faster light-up a huge benefit when the temp drops quickly.

  • Keep it dry and off the ground.

    • Store your camping wood elevated and covered wherever possible.
    • Ground moisture works into wood overnight and turns a simple light into a frustrating mission.

  • Take only what you need.

    • Keep your pack lightweight and collect on-site where allowed.
    • Over-collecting puts pressure on the local environment and leave what you won't burn.

Pro Tip

The flat bottom tray on the Ozpig Fire Pit is built for coal management. Once your hardwood burns down, you've got steady, controllable heat perfect for grilling the kind of setup that makes wood fire cooking genuinely easy to manage.

Easy Transport: Built for the Road

A portable wood burning stove is only worth carrying if it's actually easy to carry. Both the Ozpig Fire Pit and the Series 2 are designed with easy transport in mind

Compact pack-down, lightweight frames, and carry bags that keep everything contained between stops. Whether you're loading up the ute, strapping gear to a rack, or moving between campsites on a longer trip, both are built to go where you go.

  • Fire Pit

    • Slot-together design means no loose parts or awkward shapes on the road.

  • Series 2

    • Customised Carry Bag
    • Screw-in legs pack down compact between stops

Cleaning Your Ozpig in the Bush

Knowing how to clean a camp stove properly is just as important as knowing how to cook on one.

Whether you're maintaining the Fire Pit or the Series 2, the routine is the same and a well-maintained camping stove delivers better heat, cleaner burns, and more reliable performance trip after trip. It's easy to maintain, it just takes a bit of routine after each use.

  • Let it Cool Completely

    Rushing this step is how accidents happen and surfaces get damaged.

  • Empty Ash into a Metal Container

    Don't leave ash in the pit as it traps moisutre and accelerates rust over time.

  • Wipe Down all Surfaces

    A quick wipe after every trip keeps the stove in great shape for longer.

  • Store Dry

    Pack it away properly with the included storage bag until the next adventure.

A clean camping stove and a reliable stove means better meals, more warmth, and no headaches when you're trying to cook inside on a cold night.

One Wood Fire. Built for Off-Grid Adventure

Life off-grid is simple: warmth, food, and safety. Whether you go with the 3-in-1 Fire Pit for lightweight versatility or the Series 2 wood fire camping stove for full cooking and heating power. Both are built to handle every campsite you'll throw at them. From wood fire breakfasts to keeping the crew warm late into the night, one fire is all it takes.