By Chuck Woodbury
This is a firewood vending machine at McKinney Falls State Park in Texas. We found the photo at the Facebook group Texas RV Camping. A bundle (one compartment in the photo) sells for $16.99 plus tax. Apparently the company that provides the service — Outdoor Vending Solutions — has contracts with other Texas parks.
I bet the parks love the self-service concept. But asking campers to pay $17 for a bundle of wood?
Many of the 200-plus people who commented on the post believed that was too much. One woman wrote: “This vending machine just happened to be across the street from our site and the price just overwhelmed me. So much that I had to drink a margarita to settle down!”
What do you think? Please leave a comment. But, first, take a moment to tell us if you would pay $17 for a bundle of firewood.
That’s just insane. I don’t know anyone who needs a fire THAT badly. I like convenience, sure, and will often pay for it. But not to that extent.
Camp host in PA. state park. $5.00 per., self-service. Sometimes can’t keep if full.
I would buy the Duraflame logs first if I had to. Or just go without a fire.
Never would I pay that much. I don’t like paying $5 for a bundle. I just go with out a fire.
I personally believe the firewood should be provided with the campsite. In Michigan, they don’t want you transporting firewood to prevent the movement of invasive species, by providing one bundle of firewood for each night of camping at the park, I believe this would remove the incentive of bringing your own from home or elsewhere. I personally seldom have a fire as I don’t like the price for the small amounts of often crappy wood you get in the bundle, often not good enough to get a good bed of coals going so you can cook your dinner over the fire.
I will not even pay $5.00 a bundle. I just walk around the park and introduce myself to someone who has already bought a bundle and enjoy their fire. I enjoy meeting people and chatting around their fire. Free is wonderful.
Never, that is totally stupid. But then there must be idiots willing to pay or it would not be there.
State parks sell firewood in bundles at an easy price, Gets rid of their dead wood and keeps invasive bugs from being brought into the area.
Nothing like greed.
From looking at the picture it appears the amount of wood is somewhat more than the typical bundles sold at parks, so it may not be as outrageous as it appears. Most parks no longer allow foraging for firewood, so if one really wants a campfire we’re kind of at their mercy. But I agree with another poster, the wood is frequently too damp or too green to burn properly and usually the chunks are too large. I usually use an axe to split them into smaller pieces for a smaller fire.
I keep an eye open when I’m away from a campground for someone selling wood. Usually you get more pieces for your dollar. 6 or 7 pieces at $17.00…..no way !
I would go into town and buy firewood for $5.00
not a chance in hell.I manage a rv park,I sell a wheel barrow full foe 15.00
Unless a large group is involved, we don’t do campfires. We can sit inside our RV and enjoy the neighbors’ smoke free of charge.
No way!
The problem is they “outsourced” the service. Anytime anything is “outsourced” the consumer is the one footing the bill if they want to have a fire.
Texas state parks have a policy that you can’t gather or bring in your own wood. I talked to a park ranger and she said that yes while you can’t gather or bring they did not have any for sale and suggested I go to town to buy some wood. We now bring our own wood. usually from a certified pest free supplier (HEB for us Texans). We did buy some from a park vending machine once, and were reminded that buying in town was a far better deal.
Ditto in Canada in our National Parks where it is illegal to pick a berry, a wild flower, a mushroom let along disturb anything to burn in a fire pit.
The fines are outlandish.
In Lake Louise, Yoho, Kootenay NP’s here’s what the sign in a kiosk reads
” The removal and or possession of mushrooms or other natural objects in National Parks is ILLEGAL. violators will be persecuted and SUBJECT TO FINES UP TO $2000.00.”
That sum has probably risen since I recorded that decades ago.
Welcome to Canada, look but don’t touch, your 37 cent on the dollar advantage can disappear in more ways that they can dream up.
I bring my own firewood, for “free,” pretty much everywhere I go. The secret is a DEC form stating that I have heat-treated the wood for invasive species (which I HAVE; I’m not saying to cheat). While intended for official “firewood producers,” the form is usable by anyone — and since I cut/cure 30 cord minimum a year, maybe I am a producer even if my own client? I cure it because I store a good amount of my firewood inside my house so I don’t have to go outside as often.
$17 per small bundle??? The last time I bought a logging truck load, I think I paid about 5 cents per cubic foot. I gotta get into campfire-wood production!
At $6 a cord it would be worth shipping out. We post around$150 to $225 depending on the time of year.
That vendor has lost their minds. But from their perspective, they have to buy the vending machine, install the vending machine (including electric), pay the State Park half of their profits just to be there, pay a vendor to cut the wood, get someone to deliver and stock the machine, pay for insurance in case someone incorrectly burns the wood or eats some it without seasoning it first, and pay for the electric bill to run it. They also have accounting fees for tax purposes. I’m surprised its not $100 a bundle…
To avoid firewood extortion, bring a propane pit. You can control the fire, avoid any cleanup, save a few trees, and put it out quickly when you are ready to retire for the night. You’ll also have happy neighbors that don’t have to live with that second hand smoke. And, your clothes won’t smell so bad the next morning.
Whose lost their minds the vendor or the vendee – TravlingMan? I say the vendee.
If this were my business, I would have to reconsider selling out and looking for something different… 🙂
Before I’d pay that much for a bundle of firewood, I’d use commercial firelogs from Walmart. They may not be as ‘ambiance producing’ as natural wood, but they’d save me from highway robbery in TX.
I’ll stay with my propane fire, cleaner, safer and more convenient plus no smoke to stink up clothes or bother others. I’ve been to CGs that do not allow any fires and recently 2 that only allow propane. I hope the latter catches on!
When we were coming back from our Alaska vacation & going through Canada most of the FREE camp sites had FREE wood! They didn’t have hook ups or electricity, but we only wanted a place to spend the night. I thought how cool was that!
As far as the wood vending machine, not sure but it seemed like you got a lot more & it did look like hard wood, not that crappy white wood {6.99 a bundle of 5 pieces) that burns so fast ya cant even cook a hot dog with them!
Snoopy
My propane fire pit works really nice, and we don’t smell like smoke afterwards. I’ve seen some wood pellet fire pits as well, that look like they’d be pretty good.
First off, NEVER would I pay that much. Secondly, my wife is very allergic to wood smoke so if others have a fire we close windows and turn on AC.
Thirdly, at that price my daughter would be a millionaire for all the red oak she has cut and stacked at her cottage.
Turn on A/C? what’s wrong with this picture?
Idk educate us
That’s why I have a gas fire! $17.00 is a lot of propane!!
The wood sold by Michigan State Parks is virtually unburnable & the campgrounds have a permanent smog cloud throughout. We switched to a propane fit pit last year.
In Alberta, Canada near Jasper National Park in 2018. The pile was free. (I tried to post a picture of a pile of wood, which filled a parking area). The trees had been cut down because of the horrendous pine beetle problem. Lest you think I’m exaggerating – we stayed in the park but only away from the campground. Our original assigned site was surrounded by dead and dying trees as far as the eye could see. We returned to check in and we’re told of a camping area next to the children’s park. It had hookups and showers, but no trees. It was safe. Turns out the the NP had been on the list to be closed for the last 2 years because of the beetle outbreak. It was closed for “repairs” in 2019.
Leanne
Leanne just up the road in Banff at one of the largest pack and cramp parks on the continent Tunnel Mountain, Parks Canada who runs the place, supplies (supplied) wood for free. But there was a rub. You had to buy a permit to burn it, and if you didn’t you’d wished you had the fine was several times the price of the permit.
This I suppose, besides being a novel fundraiser, was better a tactic used to prevent folks from bringing in their own wood to prevent the spread of pine beetle/ Dutch elm disease and so on.
We used to like to start a fire in the camp houses there to cook on, but this practice stopped us both from using our rip off national parks, and burning firewood – nothing about either made sense to us anymore.
On the CA coast there is a campground just south of Ft Bragg. The owner will deliver a half rick of seasoned, ready to burn firewood for $60ish. That might last a three day weekend. Spend that same amount with a local service, you get half again more. I always try to buy local.
Hi Phil
In Colorado they ask that you do not bring your own firewood to prevent the spread of disease and bugs. If this much is charged people are going to bring their own wood.
…..and the beatles are now killing the trees in Colorado… So, guess that plan didn’t work.
You may as well tell the wind not to blow, when I lived in AL I had Japanese beetles infesting my woods and I know there never had been any Japanese burning campfires in my woods. The winds carry insects, I don’t see how someone from 20-30 miles away is going to contaminate the local woods.
Prices like that will make many people transport in wood, which is one reason not to have such a high price. You always told to never bring wood, at $17 people will be bring wood.
Rather than pay that much for firewood, I would use it toward the purchase of a propane-fueled fireplace, or to purchase propane if I already had one.
Nothing but All-American Greed!
Out west with the number of burn bans a propane fire pit just makes sense. Need to roast hot dogs or marshmallows? We make a charcoal fire when allowed.
$17+ for a small bundle of firewood?????
Heck, it’s a self renewing resource and, the stuff grows on trees!
I would use a propane fire pit before ever paying 17$ for a bundle of wood
I would do without a campfire before paying 17 bucks for a bundle of firewood
Charge $25 and then I would not have to worry about all the smoke in my face or RV.
Charge $25 and then I would not have to worry about the smoke in my face or RV.
I would double maybe triple pay anyone banning unnecessary fires especially in tight campgrounds.
With all the knowledge we have today about the harm releasing carbon into the atmosphere does I wonder why anyone, despite knowing this, still wants to burn a fire and foul up not only the air they breathe, but themselves.
Those days are behind the CEO and I and as we do everything possible to avoid the fun folks besides us are having smoking us out of our unit.
Time for a reset on unnecessary burning of wood, and if you must, and pay more than $5.00 for a bundle you’re crazier that a loon.
I didn`t see a survey item for Definitely NO.
Nope, no fire is worth that much. Charcoal works if need a real fire in the evening, as nice as it is to sit around a campfire. 17$ takes all the fun out of an evening of fellowship.
No way in hell! Plus, I’ve got so much firewood on my land, if I need more I just go cut down a tree.
I full time. But never in Texas State parks. They charge day use fees to campers. My disability is not recognized because I am not a Texas resident. Now they want $17. For four sticks of wood. There are way to many other places to camp other than the state parks.
Robbery at its best. I don’t have that type of cash to burn and if I did, I still wouldn’t buy it. You wonder why people move wood around? This is one reason why. If the states don’t want you to move wood around, either make it very affordable or provide a quota of wood for free for each night purchased.
We don’t use wood for campfires anymore – haven’t for a long time. Because we use portable propane fireplaces. No smoke, instant on/off, always allowed and toasty warm.
I get a lot of scrap 2×4 and 1×4 boards so I bring that and burn it. I had a campground tell me I can’t bring fire wood in, I said, it’s not, it is building material from the lumber yard which has all been kiln dried.
No, I do not burn treated lumber.
How big is the bundle. In Quartzite we paid 15.00 for a banana box full
I would like to know the person or persons who set this price point and how they justify it. I’ll bring my own wood.
Being from Texas I’m a bit surprised. I haven’t seen this yet but when I do I’ll avoid it. That’s just nuts unless you don’t need to or want to shop around and you’re going to be there long enough to burn it all. They don’t want people bringing in wood from outside the area that might be carrying insects. I don’t see how this price scheme is going to help that effort.
With the cost of campground fees going up everywhere, and $17 bundles of firewood (burning cash for fun…), whodda thunk camping would become an activity only the well-off could afford to indulge?
Well, the story is a bit misleading as it is not a “bundle” of firewood which is normally between .65 and .75 cu ft. Our provider in Austin completely fills each compartment with 18″ to 20″ oak splits that are below 20% moisture and sourced from less than 25 miles from the park (to stem the spread of invasive species and tree disease). If you do the math, we are providing more than 3 traditional “bundles” for $16.99 which at gas station/store prices would be between $15 and $18 of random hardwood sources from who knows where and you don’t have to leave the park and search for a “deal” to get it. A portion of the proceeds goes directly to the friends group so they can donate and assist the park.
I sell logs in banna boxes
12.00
buy one get one free
im in the lebanon,pa area