Why I'll Never Leave Home Without My HOWL R1
Fire is in my blood — and that's exactly why I take it seriously.
I got an email this week from HOWL Campfires that stopped me mid-scroll. The subject line read: How bad is this fire season going to be? The short answer from their team was sobering; snowpack at record lows across the entire West, drought building fast, and an early, aggressive fire season already taking shape. California is sitting at just 18% of its average snowpack. Utah's is the lowest on record. We don’t even need to talk about Colorado.
Most people read something like that and think: bummer, hope it doesn't affect my camping trip. I read it and thought about my dad and extended family. I come from a family of firefighters. Fire isn't an abstract risk to me. It's something that shaped how I grew up, how I think about the outdoors, and honestly, how I approach every single trip I take in the Tacoma.
"Fire isn't a campfire problem. It's a land stewardship problem. And as someone who spends every free weekend in the backcountry, that's personal."
So when I tell you that the HOWL R1 is one of the most important pieces of kit in my overland setup, I want you to understand that it's not a sales pitch. It's a value I carry from the people who raised me.
What the R1 actually does
The HOWL R1 is a portable propane campfire — one designed specifically for places where open flames are restricted or just flat-out irresponsible. It puts out real warmth and real ambiance without a single ember, without leaving a fire ring, and without the kind of ground-level heat that scorches fragile desert soil. For anyone overlanding through the Eastern Sierra, the Alabama Hills, or deep into BLM country, that matters enormously.
On a practical level: you get the fire. The crackle is missing but the glow, the gathering point, the reason to sit outside after a long day of shooting and driving — all of it is there. And it packs into the back of the Tacoma without taking up the space or weight of a traditional fire setup.
A season that demands better habits
HOWL's team laid out the numbers clearly. Snowpack in the Upper Colorado at 24% of median. The Rio Grande basin at just 8%. NOAA forecasting drought expansion through April, May, and June with high confidence. The National Interagency Fire Center already flagging above-normal fire potential across the interior West by summer.
This isn't the year to wing it. Fire marshals are requiring defensible space clearance. HOAs are cracking down. Insurance companies are pulling coverage from properties that haven't been maintained. The culture around fire in the backcountry is shifting and honestly, it should have shifted sooner.
"The guys in my family who fought fires didn't do it so people like me could be careless with one on a dry ridge in June."
The R1 is my answer to all of that. I don't have to stress about fire bans. I don't have to scrounge for wood in an already-stripped campsite. I don't have to wonder if the ring I used last night left a scar. I just crack the propane, light it up, and sit by the fire the same way I would anywhere else, except responsibly.
The part nobody talks about
There's something else I want to name here, because it doesn't come up enough in gear reviews. Overlanding, at its best, is about accessing wild places with intention. The Tacoma build, the recovery gear, the long-range fuel setup, all of it is in service of getting further out and staying longer. But none of that means anything if we burn those places down.
My family put their lives on the line to protect land, homes, and communities from wildfire. The least I can do is make smart choices about how I camp. The R1 makes that easy. It removes the temptation to build a quick fire "just this once" in a high-risk zone. It's the kind of gear that aligns how you want to travel with how you actually should.
If you're heading out this season and you should, check your restrictions before you go. Assume some of your favorite spots may be sensitive earlier than usual, and consider making the R1 a permanent part of your kit. Not because HOWL told you to. Because the season demands it, and because the land deserves it.
Keep your eyes on the forecast. Travel smart. And carry the fire responsibly.
— Zeke
