Travel Products Activity + Adventure We Tested the Best Portable Fire Pits for Every Outdoor Occasion Satisfy that s'mores craving wherever you go with these compact and portable fire pits. By Anna Popp Anna Popp Anna Popp is a Commerce Writer at Travel + Leisure where she tests, researches, and writes about travel products. Since living overseas in 2018, Anna has been a travel writer and began reviewing products in 2021. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 1, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Our top picks Reviews Others We Liked Our Testing Process Tips for Buying FAQ Why Trust T+L We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Travel & Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Portable fire pits bring the ambiance of a cozy blaze to your backyard and let you leave no trace while camping. Whether you’re planning to grill burgers, roast marshmallows, or simply sit around the campfire, there are plenty of design options to choose from. To help you find the best portable fire pits on the market, we tested 26 options from popular brands like Solo Stove, Breeo, and Tiki. Our team of expert product testers used the portable fire pits in their backyards, at the beach, and on camping trips to evaluate their performances. We found great smokeless, collapsible, and budget options that will keep you plenty warm on the go. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Solo Stove Ranger with Stand Portable Outdoor Fire Pit at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Grilling: Snow Peak Takibi Fire and Grill at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Backpacking: Solo Stove Lite Gear Kit at Solostove.com Jump to Review Most Portable: Bond Manufacturing Aurora Portable Steel Propane Gas Fire Pit at Amazon Jump to Review Best Propane: Heininger Portable Propane Gas Fire Pit at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: UCO Flatpack Portable Stainless Steel Grill and Fire Pit at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Camping: Inno Stage Portable Smokeless Fire Pit at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Backyards: KingSo Outdoor Fire Pit at Walmart Jump to Review Best Collapsible: Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit at Amazon Jump to Review Best Overall Solo Stove Ranger with Stand Portable Outdoor Fire Pit 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Solostove.com View On Wayfair Our Ratings Assembly 5/5 Portability 4/5 Heating Performance 5/5 Design 4.5/5 Value 4/5 Why We Love It The minimalist cylinder design makes it easy to move around and produces ample heat. What to Consider It produces some smoke. Solo Stove makes a slew of sturdy portable fire pits, and while we tested several models, the Solo Stove Ranger topped all the competition. Made of sleek stainless steel, the cylinder-shaped pit comes nearly ready to use with a base and removable ash plate. You’ll need to supply your own wood, but once you get a fire going, the pit keeps the flames protected and contained so you can easily add more logs as you enjoy the warmth projected from its top, bottom, and sides. It provides an abundance of heat, but the fire pit is small and light enough to move around whether you’re in a backyard or at the beach. We did notice some smoke coming from the flames, finding that the fire pit isn’t 100 percent smokeless but rather low smoke. The two pieces of the fire pit fit into an included carrying bag, and we especially liked that there aren’t multiple parts to keep track of. And when you’re done relaxing by the fire, the bottom ash plate can be dumped with minimal effort, and the exterior doesn’t get too hot, so you’ll be able to transport it home after it cools for a bit. For a well-built, functional, and minimalistic fire pit, you can’t go wrong with the Solo Stove Ranger. Price at time of publish: $249 The Details: 15 x 16 x 17 inches | 16.1 pounds | Wood Travel + Leisure / Jodi Espinosa Best for Grilling Snow Peak Takibi Fire and Grill 4.7 Back Country View On Amazon View On REI View On Snowpeak.com Our Ratings Assembly 5/5 Portability 4.5/5 Heating Performance 5/5 Design 5/5 Value 4/5 Why We Love It The grill topper has three height settings so you can easily put more wood in the pit or adjust the level of heat for cooking. What to Consider It’s on the heavier side, weighing upwards of 30 pounds. We loved the Snow Peak Takibi Fire & Grill after cooking five meals on it in their backyard. From veggies and turkey burgers to fish and sausages, this fire pit heats and cooks food evenly, making prepping on a fire a breeze. Plus, you can adjust the grill's height to control the heat and easily add wood to the fire when needed. The design continued to impress us with the inclusion of a base plate to place under the fire pit to prevent ash and embers from hitting the ground whether you’re on your patio or in the woods. The fire pit is incredibly intuitive to set up and it's simple to flatten it into the compact carrying case. The only negative is that the fire pit weighs 30 pounds, making it one of our list's heavier portable fire pits. However, if you’re looking for a space-saving grill that makes an excellent fire pit too, this Snow Peak option is a must-have. Price at time of publish: $350 The Details: 21.42 x 21.61 x 5.24 inches | 30 pounds | Wood Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen The Best Camping Chairs of 2023, Tested by Outdoor Experts Best for Backpacking Solo Stove Lite Gear Kit 4.3 Solo Stove View On Solostove.com Our Ratings Assembly 5/5 Portability 5/5 Heating Performance 3/5 Design 4/5 Value 4.5/5 Why We Love It It comes fully assembled, so you don't have to waste too much time setting up. What to Consider It's small, so it doesn't produce a lot of heat. Super lightweight and portable, this stove kit is sure to become a permanent addition to your backpacking setup. It comes with everything you need, from windscreen to cooking pot, to quickly create a fire to keep a small group warm or to heat a meal. It also comes with kindling, a fire striker, and alcohol burner to help you build that fire as quickly as possible. It all packs down into three small containers for easy portability and set-up, although the gear collects into three separate carrying cases instead of one larger one. On the other hand, we liked that the smaller bags allowed us to separate the pieces for more flexible and creative ways of packing. For frequent campers and backpackers, this portable fire bit is much better for the planet, produces less waste, and is a more sustainable approach to cooking in the wilderness. Price at time of publish: $210 The Details: 4.25 x 5.7 inches | 0.56 pounds | Wood Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Most Portable Bond Manufacturing Aurora Portable Steel Propane Gas Fire Pit 4.9 Amazon View On Amazon View On Home Depot View On Lampsplus.com Our Ratings Assembly 5/5 Portability 5/5 Heating Performance 4.5/5 Design 5/5 Value 5/5 Why We Love It It comes with a lid that locks to carry the fire pit and contain the lava rocks. What to Consider It’s smaller than other fire pits we tested. The Bond Manufacturing Aurora Portable Steel Propane Gas Fire Pit comes with a matching stainless steel lid with a handle that locks into place, making it easy to carry the fire pit long distances. Plus, the locking lid will keep the included lava rocks in the base of the pit during transport so you won’t lose any. Weighing 18 pounds, this isn’t the lightest fire pit we tested, but its compact design is ideal for garage storage or placing it in a packed car for camping or picnics. The fire pit easily turns on with the switch of the gas knob and a lighter, and it produces an abundance of hot flames quickly despite its smaller size. The 10-foot gas hose is long enough to keep the propane tanks a safe distance away and the hose easily wraps around the base of the fire pit. It doesn’t come with a carrying case like other fire pits we tested, but we like that this one has an all-in-one portable design so you won’t need to keep track of an extra accessory. Price at time of publish: $111 The Details: 18.5 x 18.5 x 14.65 inches | 18 pounds | Propane Travel + Leisure / Tammy Gardini Travel + Leisure / Tammy Gardini Travel + Leisure / Tammy Gardini Travel + Leisure / Tammy Gardini Travel + Leisure / Tammy Gardini Best Propane Heininger Portable Propane Gas Fire Pit 4.7 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Home Depot Our Ratings Assembly 5/5 Portability 5/5 Heating Performance 4.5/5 Design 4.5/5 Value 4.5/5 Why We Love It The gas gauge is placed in an easily accessible spot, and the propane hose is long so you can keep the tank far away for safety. What to Consider The heat primarily goes upward instead of outward, and the fire pit takes about an hour to cool down. We love that the Heininger Portable Propane Gas Fire Pit takes less than five minutes to set up. It comes with a bag of lava rocks that can be poured into the bowl of the fire pit, and they add to the sleek, modern look. Although it doesn’t come with a bag, the pit is lightweight enough to carry (even with the lava rocks in it) from a backyard to a car without any trouble. Turning it on is intuitive and easy if you have a long-stem lighter or match, and we like how the gas gauge is located on the side of the base away from any flames. The propane hose is 10 feet long so you can keep the tank a safe distance from the flames. We found that the heat from the fire flows upward instead of out, so you may need to get closer to the fire pit on cold nights. One thing to note is it took nearly an hour for the fire pit to cool down enough to comfortably move it. However, you won’t need to worry about your clothes smelling smokey at the end of the night thanks to the completely smokeless flames from the propane fuel. Price at time of publish: $100 The Details: 19.25 x 19.25 x 11.5 inches | 22 pounds | Propane Travel + Leisure / David Engler Travel + Leisure / David Engler Travel + Leisure / David Engler Travel + Leisure / David Engler Travel + Leisure / David Engler Travel + Leisure / David Engler Travel + Leisure / David Engler The 7 Best Camping Coffee Makers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed Best Budget UCO Flatpack Portable Stainless Steel Grill and Fire Pit 5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Backcountrygear.com Our Ratings Assembly 5/5 Portability 5/5 Heating Performance 5/5 Design 5/5 Value 5/5 Why We Love It It’s lightweight and folds down to flatten for easy storage and superior portability. What to Consider The grill top makes it slightly difficult to add more wood. Weighing just over 3 pounds, the Uco Flatpack Portable Stainless Steel Grill and Fire Pit is the most lightweight fire pit we tested. The fire pit is intuitive to set up, and folds up and down with ease. We love how it has a 10-inch width when it’s folded out, but when you unlock the sides to flatten the base, it compacts down to a mere 1.5 inches wide. Besides its incredible portability, the fire pit is made of rust-resistant stainless steel that can withstand high heat from wood or charcoal briquettes as fuel. The grill was used to cook burgers in testing, and there was no issues getting the heat up to a high temperature. If you’re planning on grilling, you’ll want to note that you must remove the grill top to add more wood, which could be difficult to do if there is food on the grill or if the exterior gets too hot. For a budget-friendly price, we still think this compact fire pit is worth it for leaving no trace on camping trips, picnics, and road trips. Price at time of publish: $39 (small) The Details: 7.5 x 16 x 7.48 inches | 3.3 pounds | Wood or charcoal briquettes Best for Camping Inno Stage Portable Smokeless Fire Pit 5 Amazon View On Amazon Our Ratings Assembly 5/5 Portability 5/5 Heating Performance 5/5 Design 5/5 Value 5/5 Why We Love It In addition to not producing any smoke at all, it doesn’t emit any sparks or ash. What to Consider The brand recommends using wood pellets that are slightly difficult to light. Some fire pits we tested claimed to be smokeless and didn’t live up to their name, but not the Inno Stage Smokeless Portable Fire Pit. This medium-sized fire pit didn’t emit any smoke, leaving us satisfied and smelling smoke-free. On top of that, there weren't any sparks or ash coming from the flames, which is especially ideal if you have kids or pets around. It comes in two easy-to-assemble pieces that stack on top of each other and can be packed into a storage bag for safekeeping. The only downside is that the fire pit requires wood pellets or small pieces of wood, and we found that the pellets can sometimes be difficult to light. We ended up using a fire starter to get flames going. But once it was lit, the fire pit did an excellent job of keeping the flames contained and controlled. We particularly like the sleek circular design of the fire pit that makes it a luxurious-looking buy without compromising your wallet. Price at time of publish: $80 (medium) The Details: 12.2 x 12.2 x 8.7 inches | 16 pounds | Wood pellets Best for Backyards KingSo 22-Inch Outdoor Fire Pit 4.9 Walmart View On Walmart Our Ratings Assembly 5/5 Portability 5/5 Design 4.5/5 Value 5/5 Why We Love It The circular design is perfect for sitting around the fire pit and roasting marshmallows. What to Consider Setting up the fire pit requires a screwdriver. If you’re looking for a traditional fire pit, the KingSo Outdoor Fire Pit is perfect for a backyard or patio. Its circular shape makes it easy for friends or family to sit around the pit to chat or roast marshmallows. We appreciate that it comes with a mesh dome cover that helps with managing some of the smoke that comes from a wood-fueled fire. Assembling the base of the pit does require a screwdriver, and it took about 20 minutes to put it together, but it wasn’t a difficult task. Although this is one of the bigger portable fire pits we tested, it still weighs just 6.3 pounds. We think it would make an excellent addition to any backyard, but if you wanted to bring it to the beach or camping, it wouldn’t be a problem to transport it either. Price at time of publish: $56 The Details: 26 x 18.5 inches | 6.3 pounds | Wood The 10 Best Camping Stoves of 2023 Best Collapsible Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On REI Why We Love It It’s lightweight but sturdy and projects heat from all angles. What to Consider It was slightly difficult to put together at first. While we tested several collapsible fire pits, the Fireside Outdoor Pop-up Fire Pit has standout features in addition to its ability to completely break down and fit into a compact rectangular bag. We were thoroughly impressed with the lightweight stainless steel material that has a sturdy base when it’s put together. Although it was slightly difficult to pop the steel mesh cover into the legs while assembling the fire pit, we still think it’s amazing how the legs, sides, and mesh cover come apart for stellar portability. When the fire pit is assembled, it boasts an incredibly sturdy design that can hold the weight of several burning logs. The fire pit does an excellent job of emitting heat from the top, bottom, and sides to keep your feet and body plenty warm. We also found that when you take apart the fire pit, there will be ash and soot on the base, so you should be prepared for some messiness on your hands. However, once the parts go into the carrying bag, you won’t have to worry about ash getting everywhere. Price at time of publish: $100 The Details: 24 x 24 x 15 inches | 8 pounds | Wood Other Portable Fire Pits We Liked We found that the six portable fire pits listed below had good performances overall, but they had minor inconveniences or weaknesses that prevented us from choosing them for our list of top picks. Blue Sky Outdoor Living Steel Peak Patio Smokeless Fire Pit: This fire pit was effortless to set up and use, but the octagonal shape is awkward to carry, and it weighs too much to be super portable. Tiki Low-smoke Portable Fire Pit: It took less than five minutes to setup the fire pit, and we love the unique design of the base with raised hairpin legs, but it's heavy enough that it requires two people to carry. Breeo X Series 19: This fire pit comes ready to be used without any setup required, but it weighs 47 pounds and isn’t the most portable option. Breeo Y Series: This Breeo model has standout features like grilling capabilities, a built-in bottle opener, and adjustable legs, but it’s heavy and awkward to carry. Solo Stove Smokeless Bonfire Fire Pit: It’s nearly identical to our top pick, the Solo Stove Ranger 2.0, but we didn’t love that this model is advertised as smokeless and still produces low smoke. The Ranger 2.0 has low smoke, too, but it’s not advertised as smokeless. Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0: We had high hopes for this Solo Stove model, but it’s heavier than we expected, and there are better models for the same or less cost. Our Testing Process Travel + Leisure / Alyssa Kingham We sent our expert testers 26 portable fire pits to evaluate in a real-world setting. After using the fire pits in backyards, at the beach, on camping trips, and for picnics, we rated each fire pit on a scale of one to five based on assembly, portability, heating, and design. We had our testers follow the same steps to thoroughly and consistently test the portable fire pits. First, we judged the assembly process by unboxing the fire pits and combing through the instructions and list of parts to ensure everything was included and not damaged. The easiest fire pits to setup had clear instructions and took a reasonable amount of time based on the size or tools required. To test portability, our testing team lifted and moved the fire pits around for at least five minutes to evaluate the weight and how comfortable it was to transport. Fire pits scoring a five for portability were extremely lightweight and could be carried around easily and comfortably. Next, we turned on the fire pits or started a fire for wood-fueled pits to see how easy it was to use the fire pit. The best fire pits for heating and functionality provided consistent flames with the ability to adjust the intensity. Travel + Leisure / Nathaniel Allen Portable fire pits that scored a five for design had our testing team raving about the ease of use when setting up the fire pit and taking it apart for storage. Our testers had no previous knowledge of the cost of each fire pit and were made aware of the price after testing was complete. The highest scoring fire pits for value had performances that met or exceeded our expectations and had standout qualities making them well worth the cost. Tips for Buying a Portable Fire Pit Consider the intended use Outdoor enthusiasts like campers or backpackers should consider highly portable fire pits like collapsible options made of lightweight stainless steel that uses wood as fuel for cooking. If you’re planning on using a portable fire pit for mostly cooking, consider buying one with a grill attachment. For shoppers in need of a backyard fire pit, the weight might be less important than someone looking to bring a portable fire pit to the beach or for a picnic. Ease of use and setup are key The best portable fire pits will be simple and quick to setup, especially since you’ll likely be taking it apart and putting it together often. Some fire pits come with a carrying bag so you’ll want to consider one that has a case, handle, or is lightweight enough to carry easily. Propane fire pits are generally hassle-free to light since you don’t need to get fuel like wood to burn manually. However, some fire pits have specific size requirements for propane tanks, so you will need to stock up if you’re planning to use yours often. Wood might be easier to come by if you're outdoors, but sometimes lighting wood can take some time. Frequently Asked Questions Can I put a portable fire pit on grass? Generally, you should refrain from placing a fire pit in grass. Depending on the type of fire pit, if there are flames or heat near the grass, it can ruin the grass. Or even worse, since grass is flammable, it could pose a potential fire hazard risk. Is it safe to roast marshmallows on a propane portable fire pit? Propane fire pits are not designed for cooking, but you can still roast a marshmallow or hotdog without any issues. However, if you’re planning on cooking with your portable fire pit, there are great options that are designed for grilling and cooking which could be easier than using a propane fire pit. Why Trust Travel + Leisure Anna Popp is a commerce writer at T+L, where she writes and reviews travel products. She has been travel writing since 2018 and product testing since 2021. Anna worked with travel editors to determine the results for the best portable fire pits based on a series of tests completed by our testers in a real-world setting. The Best Portable Induction Cooktops for Easy Travel Meals Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we'll send you our favorite travel products each week. Updated by Taylor Fox Taylor Fox Taylor Fox is a Commerce Updates Writer at Travel + Leisure where she tests, researches, and writes about travel products. Taylor holds a Master’s in Geography and has been a writer and editor for over seven years. learn more Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit