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There’s nothing quite like gathering around a campfire. You can get back to nature, have a cozy little get together, and make some really nice memories. Using a portable fire pit opens up so many possibilities.
Portable fire pits are easier to light and can be freely moved around at whim. You can even opt for a fire pit grill! You don’t have to find a constant supply of firewood, there are no ground scorching flames and no messy ash to clear up afterward.
Moreover, because they are smokeless, which is good in itself, they can often be used in campsites where wood burning is banned. Nothing is better than to pull up a fire pit chair around one of these bad boys.
We’ve found some really great portable propane fire pits, and we’ve handpicked our top favorites to show you. We’ve got some super informative reviews on those coming up very shortly.
After that, we’ve also got a handy buying guide for you that goes through everything you might want to think about before you buy.
Then we’re going to top that off with another handy section – we’re going to be looking at the answers to some of your most frequently asked questions.
Best Portable Propane Fire Pits – Our Picks
Heininger 5995 Portable Propane Outdoor Fire Pit
This one is a little more expensive than the various Outland Firebowls but comes highly recommended, with a 5 out of 5 star rating on Amazon.
It’s easy to use, all you have to do is attach the included 10-foot hose to your propane tank and light the included natural lava rock. and you’ll soon have a gorgeous ambiance for your gathering. Perfect whether you’re on the patio or the beach.
It’s a nice size with a diameter of 19 inches. And it will throw out 58,000 BTU of heat every time, thanks to all the air holes getting more oxygen into the fire. It’s also very lightweight, but unfortunately doesn’t come with a carry kit.
It’s made right here in the good old USA, and it’s also CSA approved, so you may even be able to use it during most campfire bans, but we always recommend that you check with the current fire restrictions in your area before lighting up.
Pros:
- Highly rated
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Manual ignition
- No carry kit included
- Premium product at a premium price
Outland Firebowl 893 Deluxe
This is one of Outland Firebowl’s most popular portable propane fire pits – and we can see why.
It’s very portable, with compact measurements of just 19 inches diameter combined with 11 inches height, and weighs just 23 pounds. Perfect for taking camping.
But its small appearance does nothing to diminish its effect. With all the air holes around the sides and bottom, and the 4.4 pounds of natural lava rock included in the price, you get a gorgeous fire going. But it doesn’t just look good, it’s really warm too, throwing out an impressive 58,000 BTU of heat.
It’s in no way complicated to use, you just plug in the propane and turn the chrome dial to adjust the flame height.
The components are all top quality, it has a durable steel construction design, and to give it real longevity, it has a protective powder coating and enamel finish. The burner itself features superior stainless steel.
If you click through to the Amazon page, you will see that you can order the fire pit with a cover and carry kit included in the price, which we strongly recommend getting. To be honest we wouldn’t have included any fire pit that didn’t come with a lid, it’s an important safety measure.
But the carry kit is super handy too, the straps hold the lid in place, and there’s a handle conveniently located on the strap.
There are other accessories you can get for it, but they’re sold separately, like a natural gas conversion kit, a carry bag, or a cover for your propane tank.
The hose is nice and long, coming in at 10 feet, which is convenient and it comes pre-attached. Being able to have the propane tank cylinder a little further away from the fire pit is a nice safety measure.
We love that it’s CSA approved. That means you can use it during most campfire bans. To be on the safe side you should always check the current fire restrictions in your particular area.
Pros:
- Top brand
- CSA approved
- Carry kit included
Cons:
- Manual ignition
Outland Firebowl 883 Mega Outdoor Propane Fire Pit
This is one of Outland Living’s other best sellers and is considerably bigger than the Outland Firebowl 893 Deluxe, coming in at 24 inches in diameter. This makes it a great choice for when you want to have a few more people around the fire.
It’s not much heavier though, weighing just 34 pounds, so it’s still very much lightweight and portable.
Other than that, it has a lot in common with the Outland Firebowl 893 Deluxe, like the already attached 10-foot-long hose to keep the propane tank out of sight, and it throws out just as much heat, coming in at 58,000 BTU.
It also has the same high-quality components, including the stainless-steel burner, the Chrome valve knob, and the protective coatings, ensuring real longevity and durability for the product.
It does however differ in the amount of natural lava rocks that come with it which comes in at 6.6 pounds, seeing as it’s a larger fire pit.
It doesn’t come with a carry kit but instead, it comes with a very durable UV and weather resistant cover to protect it from the sun and rain.
There’s no assembly to worry about and you can set it up in minutes with no tools required. And it’s also CSA approved.
Pros:
- Top brand
- CSA approved
- Weather resistant cover
- Large size – 24-inch diameter
Cons:
- Manual ignition
- No carry kit included
- Premium product at a premium price
Outland Firebowl 870 Premium Outdoor Portable Propane Fire Pit
The Outland Firebowl 870 Premium has a lot in common with the Outland Firebowl 893 Deluxe we showed you earlier, in that it looks pretty similar, is the same diameter at 19 inches, same height at 11 inches.
It also has the same amount of natural lava rock, to get that lovely flickering effect, and it throws out the same amount of heat at 58,000 BTU.
There is a striking difference though (pun intended) and that’s that the 870 Premium has auto-ignition. This is great, you haven’t got to remember to pack matches, and you get a fast and simple start-up.
The 870 Premium is a little heavier than the 893 Deluxe but is still very lightweight at 25 pounds. And it does cost a little bit extra money.
It has all the other features in common with the other two Outland Firebowls, like the already attached 10-foot-long hose to keep the propane tank out of sight, and it throws out just as much heat, coming in at 58,000 BTU.
It also has the same high-quality components, including the stainless-steel burner, the Chrome valve knob, and the protective coatings, ensuring real longevity and durability for the product.
We also love that it comes with a cover and carry kit. The cover is a crucial safety measure, and the carry straps can be used to hold the lid in place. Plus, there’s a handle conveniently located on the strap.
There’s no assembly to worry about and you can set it up in minutes with no tools required. And it’s also CSA approved.
Pros:
- Top brand
- Auto-ignition
- CSA approved
- Carry kit included
Cons:
- Premium product at a premium price
Bond Manufacturing Portable Propane Fire Pit
Here’s another great portable propane fire pit, with some great features, and it comes at a very reasonable price.
It’s available in a black finish or a metal one, and you can choose from steel or bronze. Whichever you go for, you get a lovely decorative edge, which has plenty of air holes to get all the oxygen in for your campfire.
It’s a nice size at 18.5 inches in diameter and has a nice height of 14.7 inches, which is a little higher than the ones we’ve shown you so far.
We love that it features auto-ignition. So handy if somebody forgets to bring matches. You can also adjust the height of the flames using the integrated dial, and it will throw out 54,000 BTU of heat.
We were pleased to hear that it’s safe for use on wooden decking, which means you can use it at home as well as on camping trips.
It comes complete with a 10-foot hose for the propane tank, a lid that locks securely into place, and a handle on top for easy carrying and storage. Really convenient.
There’s also a Bag of Pumice Stone Fire Filler included in the price.
Pros:
- Auto-ignition
- Secure lid
- Great price
- Safe for wood decks
Cons:
- A lesser known brand
Best Portable Propane Fire Pit – Buying Guide
As promised, here’s a walk-through of everything you might want to think about before you buy your portable propane fire pit.
Size
19 inches diameter seems to be the standard size for most portable propane fire pits, and it’s a good size.
But if you plan on having a lot of people gathered around your campfire, then you might be interested in something a little bigger, like our number 2 pick, the Outland Firebowl 883 Mega Outdoor Propane Fire Pit, which has a diameter of 24 inches.
Anything much bigger than that will make it much less portable, less lightweight, and harder to carry around.
Heat Output
The heat of a portable propane fire pit is measured in BTU, which stands for British Thermal Unit. The higher the BTU the more heat is thrown out from the fire pit. 50,000 BTU should serve you just fine.
All of the portable propane fire pits in our top 5 picks throw out at least 50,000 BTU of heat if not more. It’s the 3 Outland Firebowls that throw out the most heat at 58,000 BTU.
Ignition Type
Lighting a portable propane fire pit is usually pretty easy if you remember to bring matches.
If, however, you’d prefer one with a matchless auto-ignition, then we can recommend our number 3 pick, the Outland Firebowl 870 Premium Outdoor Portable Propane Fire Pit.
Portability
If you’re searching for a portable propane fire pit to take on vacation with you alongside your portable grill, then the more portable it is, the better.
This doesn’t just mean that it should be small and easy to stow away, and lightweight, but ideally, it should have handles to make it easy to carry around.
Our number 1 pick, the Outland Firebowl 893 Deluxe and our number 3 pick, the Outland Firebowl 870 Premium Outdoor Portable Propane Fire Pit both come complete with a specially made carry kit.
And our number 5 pick, the Bond Manufacturing 67836 Portable Propane Fire Pit, comes with a lockable lid that features a convenient carry handle on top.
Hose Length
While a portable propane fire pit is very aesthetically pleasing and can create a beautiful ambience to your evening, the propane tank you need is less so, and many people like to keep the propane tank out of sight, with the help of a long hose.
All of the portable propane fire pits in our top 5 picks come with a 10-foot long hose (and they can all be used with a 20-pound propane tank).
Lava Rocks
Lava rocks are great for use in fire pits. They are great for distributing the fire in the fire pit, thanks to their small size and their ability to create air channels for gas to seep around.
Lava rock is maintenance free but we do recommend the rock is removed from your firepit once a year and rinsed off with clean water.
Brand
In terms of competing brands in portable propane fire pits, there is one clear winner, and that’s the Outland Living Firebowls. Not only do they sell in much greater numbers, but the customer feedback is phenomenal.
Outland Living consistently delivers high quality products, and they’ve really set the benchmark in outdoor goods. And their after sales service is impeccable.
3 out of our 5 top picks are Outlands Firebowls, and it was almost 4 out of 5. If you decide you want to go for an Outlands Firebowl but you’re struggling to decide which one, if you head over to the Amazon page for one of them, you should find a super handy comparison chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Cook Over A Propane Fire Pit?
It’s perfectly safe to cook food over a propane fire pit. Almost any fire pit can be turned into a barbecue pit, allowing you to cook some great food over either a wood fire or charcoal. All you need is a grill grate, or a rotisserie.
Just to give you the heads up on that though, you may have quite a mess to clean up after the food is done.
Also, many people decide against cooking over a propane fire pit in order to keep the contents free of food drippings and grit, because this helps to help maintain a clean flame that is free of smoke.
The good news though, is that you shouldn’t need to worry about this when it comes to roasting marshmallows over a propane fire pit. Mmmm.
What’s the Best Portable Propane Fire Pit?
In case you missed it earlier, we made the Outland Firebowl 893 Deluxe. This was due to it being the perfect combination of coming from a great, well established brand, receiving a lot of really great customer feedback, and also being available at a very good and reasonable price.
The remaining products in our top 5 picks are also very good choices, depending on what particular features you’re looking for in your portable propane fire pit.
What Do You Put Under A Portable Fire Pit?
Portable propane fire fits are safe to use on grass because there’s no smoke to scorch the grass.
You can even use them on wooden decks too, because they aren’t prone to the sparking, which you might get with a wood burning fire pit.
Are Propane Fire Pits Worth It?
If you’re going to use your portable propane fire pit on a regular basis, and there’s no reason why you can’t, then a portable propane fire pit, while it may cost a big chunk of money, then it’s worth it.
They have a lot of advantages over other types of fire pits. They are safer, smokeless, produce less mess, and can create an amazing atmosphere with very little effort.
Sure if you’re camping in the woods, you could put together a wood fire instead, but this is not an option if there’s a campfire ban in place, in that instance you would need a CSA approved burner instead, like the Outland Firebowls we showed you earlier.
