There’s nothing quite like sitting around a portable fire pit on a cold (or even a warm) evening on a camping trip with friends.
We can’t get enough of an open, roaring fire in the UK. Our pubs advertise them, our staycations revolve around them and our gardens absolutely must have one.
Undoubtedly, the best time for controlled fire is when camping in the great outdoors. A group of friends, a couple of drinks and a roaring fire to keep us warm is one the best simple pleasures in life. But not all campsites, especially wild ones, offer a firepit as part of the furniture.
Thankfully, there is a huge number of top-quality portable firepits on the market that solve the age-old problem – how on earth do we take a firepit on holiday? But with so many different examples on the market, it can be tricky to decide on just one to take with you on an outdoor trip.
We’ve done the hard work for you, testing the best portable firepits on the UK market so you don’t have to. With everything from the best value all-rounders to our upgrade and budget picks – below you’ll find the perfect fire pit for your next adventure.
The Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe travel fire pit has been featured previously on Adventure Pending and is a product that we really love.
Simple in its design, the Wolf and Grizzly camping fire pit boasts a collapsible frame and included carry case for simplistic, slim packing. A foldable insert forms the base of the fire pit and can be removed for easy cleaning – avoiding the dreaded morning clean-up after a fire pit evening.
Campers are able to use multiple fuel options with this portable outdoor fire pit with options for both charcoal and wood. The Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe may not be the largest portable fire pit available, but it is absolutely one of the best buys available in the UK today.
The Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe portable fire pit is one of the top options for campers looking for portable campfires in the UK. A collapsible stainless steel design with low weight makes this fire pit ideal for camping and backpacking.
The FENNEK Hexagon is one of the most interesting portable fire pits that we’ve found on the UK market.
Weighing in at around 4kg and featuring a fully collapsible design, the camping fire pit is targeted at traditional campers, caravanners, motorhome lovers and van-lifers. The fire pit, unlike the Wolf and Grizzly option, can only be used to burn wood, although this is typically the best option when using a fire pit on the road.
The camping fire pit is large enough to create a comfortable, warm camping environment, but small enough to pack up and take with you wherever you decide to go. As with most of our picks, we would recommend taking natural firelighters when using this fire pit.
The FENNEK Hexagon features a unique, fully collapsible design that users “stick together” when assembling. A large hexagonal shape and sensible price point make this fire pit our top value option.
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If you’re searching for a camping fire pit that will be the envy of all at the campsite, it’s the Solo Stove that’s the perfect fire pit for you.
Solo Stove has been cleaning up awards – and for good reason. The patent-pending design features a double-walled fire pit that minimises smoke generated. It’s not a marketing gimmick – it really works!
The Solo Stove range is large and it’s always expanding. But it’s the Mesa and Mesa XL that we’d recommend for lightweight adventures. Sold as “table top firepits”, the firepits may be compact but boast fantastic heating.
The Solo Stove team were kind enough to send us a Mesa XL to review and we were blown away with the quality. It’s perfect for our favourite firepit-friendly campsites.
The highest quality smokeless portable fire pit. The Solo Stove Mesa is, without a doubt, the best portable marshmallow toaster available today in the UK.
Campers, backpackers and van-lifers looking for a budget portable fire pit can’t get much better than one of these strange little tripod devices.
At under 600g, these funky-looking fire pits are perfect for backpacking trips where weight (and space) comes at a true premium. Our top pick offers a barebones fire pit, but one that comes with a handy carry bag and a pair of heat-resistant gloves to keep all of your digits away from the flames.
Compared to the top-end fire pits (such as our all-time favourite Solo Stove) there are some durability concerns. However, it’s hard to argue with such a low pricepoint. If you’re looking for a simple, uber lightweight fire pit that gets the job done, it doesn’t get much better than the basic tripod fire pit.
This basic Portable Fire Pit for camping is our top pick for budget campers searching for a quality fire pit. The stainless steel construction offers strength and durability alongside a fully collapsible design.
Finding the best possible portable fire pits on the market is no easy task.
With so many different examples offered on the web, it can be difficult to narrow down the top selections to just a handful. To make the process just that little bit easier, we have created and used a small criterium to identify the best camping fire pits for UK campers.
With everything from a lightweight and compact design to the type of fuel that the fire pits can use – below, you’ll find exactly what we look for in the best portable fire pits.
When looking for a camping fire pit, the size of the equipment is one of the important considerations.
To minimise both the space taken and the weight of the gear, all camping equipment should be lightweight and compact. The same can be said for portable fire pits and those that make an effort to be lightweight and take as little room as possible when packed away are among the top examples.
The lightweight and compact designs do often come with the caveat that they are more expensive – but it’s often a small price to pay for the best fire pits.
One of the top ways in which a camping fire pit differs from a normal home fire pit is in the way that it is able to collapse.
Portable fire pits are great at featuring collapsible features, allowing a fold-flat design that can be packed and transported easily. There are bonus points for those camping fire pits that also come with handy carry cases.
The clean-up in the morning after using a fire pit can be a particularly unpleasant experience – especially in those examples where cleaning is an afterthought.
An easy-clean solution does not have to be a complicated one. The best fire pits come with a carefully planned clean-up operation, which can be as simple as an insert in the base, for a top clean-up plan.
If a deep-clean is needed (we recommend that these are done every couple of months), stove and grate polish is a fantastic investment.
The bulk of portable fire pits are typically used with wood as their main fuel source, but this isn’t always the case.
Some fire pits, such as our Wolf and Grizzly example highlighted above, allow for multiple options when building a fire. Depending on personal preference, some fire pit fans will opt for charcoal or gas rather than wood.
It’s always best to check the supported fuel types before purchasing. We would, however, always recommend a wood-burning fire pit in the interest of keeping things as simple as possible!
The worst part of any fire pit experience is the amount of smoke that they produce, regardless of the fuel chosen.
It can be difficult to combat, but not impossible. Some portable fire pits, such as the Solve Stove Ranger, have managed to prevent the issues of smoke targetting guests surrounding a fire. Naturally, these camping fire pits are the top picks, despite the higher price point.
You really can’t put a price on comfort – and by comfort, we mean not having a face full of smoke for hours at a time!
Have a question about some of the best camping fire pits in the UK? Check out the frequently asked questions below and we’ll (hopefully) be able to help out!
Our top pick for the overall best portable fire pit is the Solo Stove Ranger.
This camping fire pit may be our overall favourite, but it is one of the most expensive options, too. For a more affordable option, we would recommend the Wolf and Grizzly Fire Safe for an example of a top-quality camping fire pit.
To set up a portable fire pit, campers should check out the instructions received when purchasing the equipment.
Each travel fire pit is different and utilises different design features to collapse and assemble the equipment.
Different types of fire pits do allow for different fuel sources. It is important to check this information before starting a fire with any portable camping fire pit.
Typically, once a fire pit has been assembled, we would recommend natural firelighters alongside dried hardwood for the best performance.
If you are still having problems with deciding on the best portable fire pit for you, don’t hesitate to reach out! We’re always more than happy to help with personal recommendations on the best outdoor gear for UK customers.
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