I used a Kick Ash Basket in my Egg, not sure how much it really helps, but I like the easy for cleaning the ash out of the lump.
On one long cook I once had my fire go out, but still had lotsa lump left. The fire basically burned right down the center, leaving a hole through the pile of lump. I revised how I build the fire, and no issues since. Here's what I do:
Fill up the Egg/KJ about 3/4 of the way with lump. Distribute wood chunks however you like. Use a chimney starter, fill it about half full, and get all of that lump lit. Dump the chimney into the grill on top of the 3/4 full un-lit lump, and spread the lit pieces out as much as possible. Add more wood if you want. Fill the smoker the rest of way with un-lit lump. Set the vents where they need to be, wait for it to come up to temp.
What that does is start you off with a will-spread fire, and with the fire both below and above un-lit lump, there's a lot less chance it won't spread as the coals burn down. And even if one piece doesn't spread, the others will.