Portable, self-contained heating apparatus

A portable, self-contained heating apparatus comprising:

• a container having an open upper end defining an exhaust opening, a closed lower end, a longitudinal axis and
• a first plurality of vent openings formed through the container wall at a location closer to the lower end than to the upper end;
• a plurality of elongated wood sticks disposed in a vertical orientation in the cavity for burning and producing heat, the elongated wood sticks substantially filling the cavity and being generally compacted together, the plurality of elongated wood sticks including
• (i) a number of wood sticks contacting adjacent sticks defining adjacent contacting sticks, and
• (ii) a number of wood sticks spaced apart from adjacent sticks defining spaced-apart sticks;
• the plurality of wood sticks having:
• (i) unexposed lateral surfaces abutting adjacent contacting sticks, and
• (ii) exposed lateral surfaces facing opposing spaced-apart sticks;
• the plurality of elongated sticks defining a plurality of vertical passages therebetween, the passages extending along the length of the elongated sticks for providing flow of air;
• the plurality of elongated sticks and the container wall defining another plurality of vertical passages between the sticks and the wall and extending between the vent openings and the exhaust opening for providing flow of air;
• and
• a wax material coating at least a portion of a substantial number of the exposed surfaces of the plurality of elongated wood sticks without totally filling all of the vertical passages or the cavity;
• the plurality of wood sticks and wax in the cavity of the container defining:
• (i) a center zone about the longitudinal axis in which the wax material coats a substantial portion of substantially all the exposed surfaces of the elongated wood sticks in the center zone, and fills at least some of the vertical passages in the center zone;
• and
• (ii) a perimeter zone between the center zone and the container wall in which the wax material coats a smaller portion of some of the elongated wood sticks in the perimeter zone.

A portable, self-contained heating apparatus, comprising:

• a container having a cavity;
• a plurality of elongated, solid, combustible objects, disposed in a vertical orientation in the cavity of the container to substantially fill the cavity, having abutting surfaces abutting adjacent elongated, solid, combustible objects, and exposed surfaces creating vertical passages therebetween;
• and
• a wax material coating at least a portion of the exposed surfaces of the elongated, solid, combustible objects without totally filling all of the vertical passages or the cavity.