One of our pet peeves when camping is the high price of so-called "camp wood." You know, those bundles of wood neatly bound with a few strings. We've even bought wood wrapped in plastic netting. Sometimes the bunched-up netting seemed to have more volume than the firewood!

As a general rule, this wood sells for $5 to $6 per bundle. One bundle really isn't enough to stoke a decent campfire for the night, so you have to buy two or three bundles. Over a couple of nights, you can easily spend close to $40 on firewood!

Smart campers bring their own wood if they have room. But those of us who are cramped for space must throw ourselves on the mercy of the firewood dealers.One cord of wood, broken down and sold to campers, could net hundreds of dollars more than if sold as a single cord of firewood.

That's the price of convenience. If you want a better deal, keep an eye out for roadside sales of "Camp Wood" on the roads leading to popular campgrounds. You'll usually pay a buck or so less for a more generous bundle.

Another better-priced alternative we've come across would be the higher-end artificial logs. Duraflame logs are a familiar brand. They start easily (just put a match of the "clicker" to the paper edge) in wind or damp weather. The better brands actually look and smell fine, but the cheaper artificial logs can have a smell that is best described as being akin to burning tires. Good logs also have some pyrotechnics built in, such as flames that flicker in tones of blue and green, almost like a driftwood fire (in the case of driftwood, the brilliant color show is caused by the salt and minerals absorbed by the wood).

We understand that one of the best parts of camping out is gathering around the campfire. With a little planning and some bargain hunting, the price of firewood doesn't have to leave campers feeling burned.