Hilux 4x4 Forum

I'm taking the family camping the end of the year.
two weeks.

Now what wood do i take with. I would need something to braai with and some as a fire to sit around and ponder the day of hard blanking on the fishing grounds... with a non-alocoholic beer

what wood should i take with? Or should i get fire wood, and just some coals for braaing?

you can NEVER have enough fire wood !!

Best stuff for braaing is that Kameel Doring Namib stuff... makes for long lasting coals. For sitting a around the fire blackwattle is fine, just very smoky if it's a bit damp. Else good old rooikranz for both! BTW... I usually take a bag of charcoal along just in case!

Tip I got from an old camper -

I decanted charcoal into small bags. These are VERY handy to start a fire with WET wood.

Pack your wood for the fire, place the charcoal in the middle and light the fire lighters. The fire lighter dies long before the wood is dry enough, but then the heat of the charcoal dries the wood and gets the fire going.


Handy when you end in camp with some wet garage wood ....



And if you ran late and the wife is grumpy and kids hungry - use the charcoal to cook some wors, THEN start the fire for the night :)

Thought you guys down in the Cape would be using grape vine

You need some contacts to get hold of it ....


Also has a small window for usage. Once dried out the coals dont last long ...




something else worth remembering - if the opportunity is there, use pine-cones to make coals.

The smoke of a camp fire is food for the soul

Sekelbos of course
If you wanna buy ten bags or more check out
http://namibianfirewood.co.za/

Bought my last batch there.

pietpetoors wrote:Sekelbos of course
If you wanna buy ten bags or more check out
http://namibianfirewood.co.za/

Bought my last batch there.

Jip.Some of your best fire wood. But for a "kuier vuur" the wood is to good to use. That is why I like to mix with Rooikrans. Nice thing is that Rooikrans is a Alien specie,so you dont feel to bad when you make a lekker big fire.

Thunder02 wrote:Thought you guys down in the Cape would be using grape vine

Good for a fish braai but coals don't last long enough for much more

thanks guys...

i wanted to get some of the grape vine but boer who supplies brother in law father says only next year avail.

So i guess good old rooikrans will have to do. With few bags of coal as backup.

I'm planning to buy some this weekend at that guy at melkbos intersection.
YOu think it wil be dry enough for camping 19 Dec if i keep it in the garage?

That wood at the Melkbos intersection just arrived about 2 weeks ago. We drive past there often and see when the piles have been topped up. Looks dry, but as you know looks can be deceiving when it comes to wet/dry wood.

ChrisF wrote:Tip I got from an old camper -

I decanted charcoal into small bags. These are VERY handy to start a fire with WET wood.

Pack your wood for the fire, place the charcoal in the middle and light the fire lighters. The fire lighter dies long before the wood is dry enough, but then the heat of the charcoal dries the wood and gets the fire going.

Nifty old trick Lately I had to use it even on sekelbos.

Also like to take charcoal with me on a camping trip; when you realize that the coals aren't going to make it you can scatter charcoal around the sides to supplement.

so i got a supply of grapevine... think this is enough??

dalkill wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:40 am so i got a supply of grapevine... think this is enough??

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TO MUCH WOOD, WHATEVER YOUR CHOICE OF WOOD!!!!!

Obelix and Dogmatix wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:36 am

dalkill wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:40 am so i got a supply of grapevine... think this is enough??

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TO MUCH WOOD, WHATEVER YOUR CHOICE OF WOOD!!!!!

Bliksempie wrote: ↑Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:32 am

Obelix and Dogmatix wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:36 am

dalkill wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:40 am so i got a supply of grapevine... think this is enough??

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TO MUCH WOOD, WHATEVER YOUR CHOICE OF WOOD!!!!!

en met jou is dit ontmoontlik om genoeg hout te he

I'm on the wood hunting trail again... my 1000pc every 5 years ... LOL... yes i know that very weak.

I've settle on Black wattle. Rooikrans prices has just gone crazy recently. And about 2 weeks ago i braaied with last of my rooikrans. I still ended up adding coals to it ... it was fairly dry and i burned fairly thick-ish logs. Granted it was bit overcast, and had to employ the umbrella one of twice... for what supposed to be the king of braai wood... i was left bit

Before lockdown, we visited De Hollandsche Molen, where i bought some wood alongside the road there.
Guy sold me some blackwattle... made a very nice fire... but coals did not last too long... although.. it was enough to braai just some boeries.

But casting my mind back... it had a slight red hue in the wood... looking at some pics online ... i see wood with this red hue sold as blue gum though.

So how does one identify black wattle? Which one below would you say is wattle?

Pic 1 Pic 2

Gum is yellow with a pinkish red core and the grain is fairly straight. Black wattle has a this outer white layer, more brownish red and grain tends to be a bit more twisted, especially if it's an older tree.

Neither produce long lasting coals, gum might be marginally better, depends on how fast the tree has grown (sunlight, water etc). Both burn fast and hot, leaving more ash than coal. You'd have to burn quite a bit to produce a layer that will last.

We have both on our Hogsback property and normally add some briquettes if we braai, but it makes a nice cosy fire in the fireplace on a cold night.

You in CT.. Braai on mapani wood, hardest you get. For fire, thorn wood, wattle, rooi krans

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