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The market has hosted many portable fireplaces / grills that can fit in a car or on a motorcycle, but few are ideal for carrying on foot and less small enough to fit in a pocket.
Japanese start-up The Brand Labo presents its foldable, pocket-sized fire grill called Alpha Bonfire. The flat, compact kit opens up to a mini fire pit and grill that you can use wherever the trip takes you. It also comes with tiny utensils for preparing and eating food.
The Alpha Bonfire measures just 5.8 x 2.7 x 0.2 in (147 x 69 x 5mm) when compact. The kit includes five 1mm thick stainless steel card-shaped panels that stack on top of each other during travel and open into a V-shaped hearth with height adjustable grill top. The design looks like a miniaturized version of the folding camping fireplaces Blue Ridge Flatpacker and Camper Stahl.
The smartest feature of the Alpha Bonfire is the grill top, which contains utensils that pop out of the slots, leaving a grill behind. While the utensils are tiny and not ideal for dining, they are built into the set, meaning users will always have something to use. Being a Japanese creation, there is a pair of chopsticks, a fork and a knife. Overall, the utensils should come in handy for simple actions like stirring soup or flipping a veggie steak or burger.
Once the grill is set up, all you have to do is light a fire with twigs collected from the camp and Voila! You have a stove ready to cook. Despite the name “Bonfire”, the small fire will serve as an ambiance and kitchen rather than warming up a group of people. The grill can be used to cook food directly (for things like shish skewers and burgers) or to hold a pot / pan of food, similar to a stovetop burner.
In addition to multi-day or overnight camping like hiking, kayaking, and biking, The Brand Labo is considering using the Alpha Bonfire in daily activities such as fishing and hiking. Since the kit is so small, it could easily complement other portable cooking equipment to create a more complete and versatile kitchen.
The startup plans to manufacture the Alpha Bonfire units in Japan through Osaka-based manufacturer Plan Co, if all goes well. The Brand Labo is currently running a Indiegogo campaign to raise enough money to get the pocket fireplace to market, but there are only a few days left. Pledge levels start at 8,840 yen (approximately US $ 82), a 15% discount from the expected retail price of 10,400 yen ($ 96).
Watch how the Alpha Bonfire goes from dish to baking and preparing a meal in the video below.
