If the phrase “the comforts of home” doesn’t mean all that much to you, if you’d rather spend a night under the stars or around a bonfire than in a luxury hotel, you know what you need to do: Get yourself a portable fire pit. That’s a little later in the process, but it’s no less essential. There are definitely other steps that come first, like selecting a perfectly remote destination (or else, deciding who’s going to host your next backyard hang).
The world is your oyster, but you need to gear up accordingly with a packing and gear list that can pass muster, with the kind of essentials that are designed to go anywhere with style, functionality and dependable appeal in mind. Now, we know your packing list includes one of the best flannel jackets and ideally, some of the best leather work boots, too, but we’re here today to talk about a must-have when the sun goes down: The all-important fire pit.
Heck, you need the right checklist (remember, portable fire pit included) even if you’re just schlepping your gear out to a friend’s country retreat. And if your seasonal adventures are you taking you even farther away from the so-called comforts of home, well, the proper gear list is all the more critical. This isn’t any old grocery list, but rather, a guide to the gear that’s going to make or break your weekend. After all, no one likes to be caught off guard in the great outdoors (or even, caught off-guard in yourown backyard). Don’t leave anything to chance, folks.
Sound daunting? Start with what you can control, and look not towards the future, but the past. Think way, way back: Explorers, prospectors, cowboys, loggers…. they all had one thing in common. A nightly fire was practically an essential for survival, used to keep predators at boy, prepare hard-fought meals and offer warmth (although we’d wager that a flask of whiskey would also do a good job with that last goal). The point is, we use fire in much the same way today — if ever you’ve struggled to start a fire in the wilderness, a portable fire pit could just be the answer to your prayers.
Portable fire pits are nothing to be trifled with. The best portable fire pits run the gamut, but most are options that fold up in your car or stow away in your off-road vehicle with ease. Heck, a few of our favorite portable fire pits even clock in at under 10 pounds as far as carrying capacity is concerned. Granted, some are better suited for use in your backyard — or at your friend’s cabin — but there are other options that are made to handle anything the great outdoors can dream up.
When you feel like blending rustic and modern, when you feel like showing off your hard-earned knowledge of man’s greatest discovery, and when you feel like adding a little modern flair to your next outdoor excursion, you’ve got to have a fire pit handy. But you can’t simply dash out and buy any fire pit at all. Here are a few pointers when buying your next fire pit.
What to Look for in A Portable Fire Pit
- Ease of transportation: Some of our picks for fire pits are designed to pack away at a moment’s notice, like the easy-to-carry Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit (that’s the fire pit that weighs in at under 10 pounds that we mentioned). Others are a bit more burly and are designed to fold up into your trunk, so figure out which one is right for you.
- Utility: Do you intend to use your fire pit to warm up after days on the trail, back at the campsite? Or are you more inclined to set it up on the fly in your buddy’s backyard, Bluetooth speaker crackling and a cooler of cold beer within arm’s reach? Granted, we’d wager you’ll be doing engaged in both of those pursuits anyways, even if you are camping a little ways off the grid, but some fire pits are designed for grilling, some are designed for warmth, and some can do both. Oh, and grab us another beer while you’re over there, will ya?
- Materials: Your portable fire pit has to be sturdy and hard-wearing above all else. It’s got to co-exist with the elements in which it sits, after all. Solo Stove fire pits, for example, feature tough, sleek stainless steel. Others feature details like mesh and other outdoor-friendly materials, but we’ll get to all of that in good time – trust us.
With those considerations in mind and with your credit card at the ready, it’s time to invest in one of the best portable fire pits, all the better to take your next backyard evening or off-grid trek from good to great (and from cold to blazing, too).
Our Favorite Portable Fire Pits to Buy Now
Burly Scout Firepit
Leave it to the good folks at Huckberry, a company designed with the spirit of adventure in mind, to offer up a durable and aptly named firepit with all the rugged construction you need for backyard hangs. The heavy-gauge stainless steel and deep design make it ideal for wood-burning for hours on end, and the fact that it breaks down into two parts makes it easier to clean, move and store. It’s also made in the US of A, something we can appreciate the heck out of, and it uses some of the sturdiest materials on the market. Just get a load of the dehydrated ash wood handles and that sleek black, stainless steel build. The best part might be the fact that you can stock up on everything from provisions to outdoor gear, flannel shirting and boots while you shop for one of the best portable fire pits at Huckberry.
Cowboy Cauldron Fire Pit
If you fancy yourself a master of cooking in the great outdoors, or if you just appreciate some darn fine craftsmanship, then Cowboy Cauldron’s Fire Pit is the proper one to buy now. A tough suspended solid steel cauldron hangs from an overbuilt chain for maximum durability — think of it like an upgraded and modern version of something used in the Wild West. The cauldron itself is 35 pounds, but the legs disassemble and the entire kit is designed to break down and fit in a standard passenger car trunk. But back to the specs. This is the kind of fire pit you can put to the test for campfires or cooking over an open flame, but you’ll have to source your “cooking” beverage of choice separately.
Solo Stove Bonfire Fire Pit
Solo Stove’s Bonfire Fire Pit is much-loved for a reason, primarily because you wouldn’t be too far off the mark if you called it the gold standard for portable fire pits these days. Made from a single stainless steel fire ring that’s precision-tooled and also hand-polished for a sleek and surprisingly refined finish, it’s as cool-looking of a fire pit as you’re apt to find on the market, but it really does get better from there. It uses a precision base plate to help kindling and wood burn faster and hotter by keeping oxygen moving freely. The Solo Stove Bonfire Pit also comes complete with a hard-wearing zip case, all the better to start up a fire on the go with ease.
BioLite Fire Pit
This BioLite fire pit has all the bells and whistles you could ever ask for in a portable fire pit, and considering the quality of some of the other options on this list, that’s really saying quite a lot. This fire pit blends the best of modern technology to keep your fire fueled (and the party going) for hours on end. It uses 51 air jets to inject the fire with oxygen at critical points along the pit, with a battery that lasts for up to 30 hours and recharges easily via USB. And it gets even better if you’re a fan of BioLite, because you can snag a BioLite Fire Pit Carry Bag to make it even easier to haul your new fire pit to tailgates and BBQs aplenty. The mesh design also allows you to see each part of the fire in all its glory.
Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit
Let’s keep it rolling the right way as you search for the portable fire pit to complete your outdoor gear checklist heading into summer. And if you can find afire pit that looks cool-as-heck in the process, you might as well go for it. Enter the Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit, one of the coolest fire pits — with portability in mind — out there. The Fire Mesh technology combined with the aluminum and stainless-steel construction is one-of-a-kind, drastically cutting down on smoke. This pop-up fire pit also burns multiple types of fire fuel, from wood to wax logs. And when the time comes to hit the road, you can transport this fire pit in a rugged, weather-resistant carrying bag. Talk about a perfecet portable fire pit for outdoor adventures weekend after weekend.
