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Camping is not just sleeping out in the open. It is the smell of the outdoors, feeling the dirt beneath your feet and the wind running through your hair. The smell of sausages sizzling on the hot barbecue, the stories told around the campfire. Snuggling up inside a sleeping bag listening to the wind and the rain against the tent canvas and smelling the intense natural perfume of the fresh pine forest in the morning.
Camping is an experience and having a campfire is an integral part of it. Without the campfire, have you ever been camping, or just sleeping outside? With that in mind, we have handy reviews of 5 portable propane fire pits:
Now you can enjoy that cozy, comforting fireside feeling regardless of where you camp.
How To Buy The Perfect Portable Propane Fire Pit
Choosing the perfect propane fire pit for your needs isn’t easy, but it does help ensure you spend your money on the right product so it is well worth that extra effort. Rush into a purchase and you could end up paying over the odds for a product that doesn’t work that well, that possibly doesn’t even suit your needs.
Research pays off with this kind of purchase because chosen well it could last you many years and camping adventures to come. Your future self is sitting around that toasty campfire now thanking you!
So, how do you buy the perfect portable propane fire pit?
Consider the following:
Style
Style does not come over substance with fire pits but, it does count for something. If you’re precious about your camping setup and the way it looks then you will want a fire pit that matches. Mostly they come in black or copper with a few lighter stainless steel models.
However the color doesn’t really matter once it is dark, so pay more attention to the cut-out pattern. There are pits with attractive cut-out designs that look beautiful when the fire is on at night. For the best look choose something that looks good in the day, but dazzling at night.
Weight & Size
If you buy a fire pit for at home you’re not really limited to weight, or even with size if you have a decent backyard. However, when it comes to camping, even an inch or an extra ounce can count, especially if you’re carrying items in a rucksack! With that in mind, think about where the product will sit when transported.
You should then consider how many people you are trying to keep warm. Smaller 18-inch fire pits work for small families or friendship groups, but you will need something more substantial for more people.
Cost
Most decent propane fire pits for camping sit under $200 dollars with some good but basic models sitting under $100 dollars. Anything customized will add to the cost, as will special additions like multi-layered features.
Consider your budget and think practically about what you need, then about what you want. This will ensure you’re keeping practicalities in mind first, stopping you getting seduced by snazzy sales wording and extra features.
Safety
The product should be safe above everything else. It is not worth risking anybody’s safety for the sake of a fire pit. Look for features like a safety shut off valve, long hose and the base being made from anti-heat material so you can move it without burning your fingers.
Features
Some features are really useful with propane fire pits and if you can get them without paying any extra, then you’re on to a good thing. For example a zipper bag makes for clean and easy transportation. Plenty of lava rocks makes for better aesthetics and extra material to radiate heat. Look for extra features that make your use of the fire pit easier.
The Advantages Of Portable Propane Fire Pits
Portable propane fire pits are advantageous for many reasons. Of course, they provide a quick and easy way to enjoy the warmth and an extra cooking facility when camping, which all adds to the outdoor experience. They also have lots of additional benefits too such as the fact that they don’t produce any smoke or odor so you don’t smell like the fire the next day. They are also cheaper to run than wood fires.
One of the main advantages of propane fires though is that you can still use them in areas with a fire ban. According to statistics, up to 90 percent of wildfires are caused by humans and within this last year there were over 50,000 wildfires in the US burning over 8.8 million acres of land. Fire bans are justified and should be respected.
Each state has its own laws on campfires and different national parks have their own rules as well, and so in areas where you want the natural beauty of the outdoors but you can’t have a crackling wood fire, instead you can enjoy the flickering flames of a portable propane fire pit so you don’t have to miss out.
Qualities To Look Out For
When choosing your fire pit try and forget about price as a leading factor. Look at pits within your price range of course, but try not to nitpick over $10 dollars when it comes to buying a quality product.
Instead of focusing on the design, the size and safety features, read the reviews and look for consistent complaints about certain features. If the product seems to have an issue with a feature that is important to you, move on and look elsewhere. There are plenty of portable propane firepits to choose from so, you can choose to be picky about where you invest your money.
A Cheaper Alternative
If you really want to save that money, why not consider building your own fire pit? There’s so many to DIY your own portable propane fire pit, but this video caught our attention. You can build a fire pit out of a flower pot!
The Best Way To Use A Portable Propane Fire Pit
You can use portable propane fire pits in lots of different ways. You can have it on your back porch to use as a nighttime heater for when you sit outdoors. You can have it in the back of your truck as a source of heat for cooking if you’re a drive out and catch a sunset kind of family. You can also take it camping and enjoy it as a source of light, heat and as an extra cooking element. For the best enjoyment when camping follows these guidelines:
- Place the fire pit a few yards from your RV or Tent if you plan to place it in the center of your chairs throughout the trip
- Have a dry place ready to store the pit should it rain
- Disconnect the hose between uses unless you have a safe path to place the hose
- Stock up on plenty of propane for the fire pit before the trip so you never have to go without fire
- Sit around the pit in the evening with the rest of the lights shut off and toast a few marshmallows over it for extra coziness
Are Propane Fire Pits Better Than Wood Fires?
For the camping experience, probably not. Let’s be honest, there isn’t anything better than chopping your own wood and lighting your own fire. Sitting and enjoying it, tending to it and teaching your kids how to light it is all some of life’s basic memorable experiences. However, sometimes there isn’t time to do that.
Sometimes there isn’t enough wood on hand, or perhaps the weather is bad and you need to be able to have the fire under a porch. Sometimes it’s nice just to have an instant fire to enjoy without smelling of it the next day. This is where portable propane fire pits excel. They don’t make you smell, they require no wood or tending, and they will work wherever you want them for as long as they have fuel.
Outland Firebowl 870 Premium Portable Propane Fire Pit
- Ease of Use: 4.0 / 5
- Portability: 4.0 / 5
- Value: 4.0 / 5
- Safety: 5.0 / 5
- Extras: 5.0 / 5
The Outland Premium Firepit has a whole host of features that put it up there with the higher quality portable firepits. It has CSA approval, auto-ignition, it is lightweight and comes with a whole host of useful extras. It is a higher budget option, but if you’re looking for a firepit that lasts this could be the right choice for you.
And if you need a larger base, you can go for the Outland Firebowl 883 Mega Outdoor Propane Gas Fire Pit where it is 5 inch larger in diameter.
- Auto-ignition
- Looks modern
- Lots of extras such as carry case, 10ft hose, propane tank stabilizer ring and decorative rock set
- CSA approved
- Lightweight
- No need for wood
- No smoke
- Suitable for use in most fire-ban areas
- Comes in black and attractive dark copper color
- Some users felt the decorative rock set was difficult to set-up
- The flames produced are not as large as some comparable products
- Inexperienced propane firepit users may struggle with the ignition process initially
- Some people felt they would prefer a decorative wood set rather than decorative rock set
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Bond Mfg 66603 Aurora Portable Gas Steel Fire Bowl
- Ease of Use: 3.0 / 5
- Portability: 5.0 / 5
- Value: 3.5 / 5
- Safety: 4.0 / 5
- Extras: 2.5 / 5
This 18.5-inch fire bowl comes with a handy lid, stones, and 10-foot gas hose. Designed to be practical and extremely portable, this durable fire pit is perfect for campers who love to stay cozy and social around the fire in fire-ban areas.
- At 18.5 inches it is extremely compact and highly portable
- The lid helps with transporting the entire product easily
- Simple and attractive design
- Easy flame adjustment
- No smoke or smell
- Suitable for fire-ban areas
- Ideal for campers who prefer a smaller fire pit
- The size suggests it wouldn’t necessarily be suitable for large groups of campers
- The pumice stones aren’t the top choice for some people who would prefer logs
- Certain user experiences suggest that the fuel is used quickly when the product is burning at a high setting
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Endless Summer Steel Portable Propane Outdoor Fireplace
- Ease of Use: 2.0 / 5
- Portability: 3.0 / 5
- Value: 3.0 / 5
- Safety: 3.5 / 5
- Extras: 3.0 / 5
Finished in an attractive antique copper style with a stylish lattice design, the Endless Summer portable fire pit is large enough at 21 inches to provide a cozy outdoor fire experience but small enough to be easily transported on any camping trip.
- Attractive antique copper finish with lattice design base
- Good medium size at 21 inches provides a bigger base than the smallest models, but isn’t too big to present an issue with portability
- Easily transported with screw on lid
- Attractive pumice stones which retain heat
- Suitable for most fire-ban areas
- No smell, no smoke
- Some people feel there could be more lava rocks to completely fill the space
- The sound of the fuel can be quite loud during use
- Some user experiences suggest automatic ignition is not as effective as comparable products
- Some user experiences suggest the flames are sitting to one side rather than filling the full bowl
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Camp Chef Redwood Portable Pro Fire Pit
- Ease of Use: 3.0 / 5
- Portability: 4.0 / 5
- Value: 3.5 / 5
- Safety: 4.0 / 5
- Extras: 5.0 / 5
With 4 handy roasting sticks included, this compact 19-inch black fire pit will keep you warm, and with a constant supply of heat to toast your marshmallows on! Complete with attractive lava rocks to radiate the heat and a handy zipper bag this mid-range product is perfect for fire-ban camping areas where you want to enjoy the ambiance and warmth of a campfire.
- Suitable for most fire-ban areas
- No smoke or scent
- Simple black design with attractive tree detail
- 4 roasting sticks included for toasting marshmallows and sausages
- Comes with a zipper bag to help with portability
- Compact 19 inch size for easy transportation
- Attractive lava rocks for heat radiation
- Flame control dial enabling you to control the size of the flames
- Some of the lava rocks have to be ‘cured’ (you have to bake the rocks on a high heat for ten minutes) before they will be lifetime durable which some people may find inconvenient
- The size may not provide enough heat for a large group of people
- Some people may prefer logs over the lava rocks
- The product sits quite low to the ground which may not suit all styles of seating or socializing
Buy Now at Amazon
Enjoy The Perfect Portable Propane Fire Pit Next Time You Camp
Out of our 5 reviewed fire pits we felt the Outland Firebowl 870 Premium Portable Propane Fire Pit stood out as the best. It is slightly more pricey than similar products, but Outland know their portable fire pits. The safety is excellent as it is CSA approved, it looks really nice in the dark copper color, the carry case is really useful for portability and the auto-ignition makes it extra convenient.
It also produces an excellent amount of heat for its compact size, and most experiences of it are extremely positive which speaks volumes because you want to know that real-life Americans have bought the product and enjoyed using it.
The Outland fire pit is just one of many portable propane fire pits you can enjoy in a fire-ban area with any need for wood or fire tending. With an innovative and practical product like this, you can enjoy that cozy, authentic campfire experience wherever your next adventure takes you.