Portable Fire Pits are a hot commodity for RVs and tent campers. And, now that camping season is in full swing, this is one camping gear item you don’t want to leave out. But, did you know that each fire pit has different features and how they are fueled? Let’s see which one will fit your RV or camping style.
Let’s admit, the biggest draw to camping is the campfire. The ambiance of the flames and glowing coals is so relaxing. The campfire is the ultimate gathering place for evening chats, a little imbibing and a little guitar strumming songs. And yes, those toasty marshmallows being smooshed between chocolate bars and graham crackers.
But, in some regions of the Country, fire bans disallow wood fires. So, what fire pit is out there that still allows you enjoy those warm dancing flames?
Let’s see what portable fire pit will suit your camping style whether take it in your RV or in the truck of your car to go camping!
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Top 10 Best Portable Fire Pits for RVs and Camping
We’ve divided these portable fire pits into sections; Wood Burning Fire Pits, Propane Fire Pits and Other Propellent Fire Pits to make it easy to distinguish between the three. We’ll also show you the cool features with what’s hot and what’s not about each portable fire pit. Let’s get fired up!
WOOD BURNING PORTABLE FIRE PITS
🔥Solo Stove Portable Fire Pits🔥
🔥Cool Features:
- Engineered to eliminate excess smoke.
- Stainless steel construction
- Minimalist outdoor design
- Complete with separate ash pan
- Comes in four different sizes
🔥What’s Hot:
- Practically Smokeless
- Bigger flames
- Greater air flow
🔥What’s Not:
- Quite expensive
- Pricy accessories
🔥Solo Stove Models and Sizes:
🔥YAHEETECH Portable Fire Pit🔥
🔥Cool Features:
- Heavy-duty, stable and durable
- 22″ fire pit makes it portable
- Comes with screen lid and fire poker
🔥What’s Hot:
- Very inexpensive
- Great for longer-term camping in one location
- Legs are tall and may tip over if not on solid ground.
🔥What’s Not:
- Steel bowl may rust if left out
- Heavy
- Legs make it cumbersome to pack into RV basement storage
- Must buy cooking grate separately
- Must assemble
🔥PHI VILLA Outdoor Steel Wood Burning Portable Fire Pit🔥
🔥Cool Features:
- Attractive 26“ Fire Pit
- Steel Bowl Depth: 11″
- 21 pounds
🔥What’s Hot:
- Perfect size for RV camping
- Comes with spark guard screen and fire poker
- Beautiful antique bronze finish
- Deep large metal bowl to fit more wood
- Comes assembled
🔥What’s Not:
- Must wait to cool before emptying ashes and packing in RV
- Not see-through bottom – fire only seen from the top
🔥Phi Villa Fire Pit Models and Sizes:
Phi Villa 26″ Round Fire Pit Bowl with Poker & Spark Screen – Bronze Finish
Phi Villa 32″ Steel Patio Fireplace Cutouts Pattern with Poker & Spark Screen
🔥Y-ME Wood Burning Fire Pit🔥
🔥Cool Features:
- Attractive 24″ in diameter; 12.5″ deep
- Aesthetic design star and moon decorative cutouts
- Complete with mesh spark screen, rain cover, fire poker and grate.
🔥What’s Hot:
- Easily affordable and great value
- Equipped with two handles and dual use grate
- Using the grate on the bottom, it becomes a log grate; creating space to allow more airflow
- Using the grate on the top, it becomes an outdoor cooking grate.
- Comes with cover and fire poker
- Easy to assemble
🔥What’s Not:
- Spark screen may warp from excessive heat
- Grate may allow some smaller food to go through
🔥Pop-Up Portable Fire Pit🔥
🔥Cool Features:
- Measures 24″ x 24″ x 15″ when deployed
- Weighs 7-8 pounds
- First truly portable wood or charcoal burning fire pit
- Burns on a fire-rated Stainless Steel Mesh means perfect airflow
- Fire Mesh holds up to 125 pounds of weight and
- Ash stays only on the mesh
- 576 square inches of burn area with elevated base and 3.5″ sides
- Fire Mesh comes with 50 fire or 1 year minimum guarantee
🔥What’s Hot:
- Exceeds BLM and Forest Service Regulations for fire pans
- Sets up in just under 60 seconds
- Super compact when not in use
- No tools needed
- Never rusts
🔥What’s Not:
- A bit pricy for it’s construction
- Claims of mesh changing colors after first use
🔥Pop-Up Fire Pit Accessories:
🔥SuchDeco Camping Fire Pit🔥
🔥Cool Features:
- 16.5 Inch Foldable Camping Portable Fire Pit
- Package size is 9.4″ x 4″ x 4″
- 4.4 pounds
- Four steel detachable feet for better stability
- Compact carrying case
🔥What’s Hot:
- Great for vans, truck campers or tiny RVs
- Eco friendly and environmentally safe
- Super easy to assemble
- Reusable
- Easy to clean
🔥What’s Not:
- Cannot use in case of burn bans
- Fire is very small
🔥SuchDeco Models and Sizes
Med SuchDeco – 16.5″ Stainless Mesh Fire Pit
Large SuchDeco – 22″ Stainless Mesh Fire Pit
Large SuchDeco – 28″ Stainless Mesh Fire Pit
PROPANE PORTABLE FIRE PITS
🔥Little Red Campfire🔥
🔥Cool Features:
- 11.25″ fire tray diameter with maximum BTU output of 65,000 BTU/HR
- Realistic log piece and 9.5-inch diameter ring burner provide natural ambiance and heat output
- Includes 8-foot propane hose to standard LP gas cylinder
- Comes with adjustable regulator maintains input of gas pressure for maximum safety and flame control
🔥What’s Hot:
- Compact setup
- Easily transportable – sturdy latching lid makes for safe and easy transport and storage
- Cools quickly
- Gas efficient
- Uses a smaller 1 gallon propane tank
- Makes a great gift for RVer or camper
🔥What’s Not:
- Not very attractive
- Pricy for size and configuration
- Sometimes will emit a hissing sound
🔥Red Campfire Models and Sizes:
- CAMCO Little Red Campfire – 11.25″
- CAMCO Big Red Campfire – 13.25″
🔥Red Campfire Accessories:
🔥Outland Firebowl🔥
🔥Cool Features:
- Measures L 19” x W 19” x H 11” with total output of 58,000 BTU/HR.
- Includes fire bowl cover and carry kit
- Comes with a propane tank stabilizer ring and pre-attached 10′ hose that attaches to a standard 20-Lb propane tank cylinder (not included) safely out of sight.
- Fully adjustable regulator with chrome valve knob for varying flame height
- 4.4 pound natural lava rock set designed to enhance flickering effect.
🔥What’s Hot:
- Lightweight and travel size propane
- Easy to set up in minutes with no tools required
- Matchless auto-ignition ensures simple start-up
- Burns clean and smokeless
- Warm with nice campfire ambiance
- Makes a great gift for RVer or camper
🔥What’s Not:
- A bit cumbersome to relocate quickly
- Takes a larger propane tank which adds more weight
- Sometimes will emit a hissing sound
🔥Outland Firebowl Accessories:
🔥Outland Firebowl Models and Sizes:
Outland Living Firebowl 823 – 19″ Outdoor Portable Propane Gas Fire Pit (no accessories)
Outland Firebowl 870 – 19″ Premium Outdoor Portable Propane Gas Fire Pit with Cover & Carry Kit
Outland Firebowl 863 – 21″ Cypress Outdoor Portable Propane Gas Fire Pit with Cover & Carry Kit
Outland Firebowl Tip: 1 gallon of propane has the energy capacity of 91,000 BTUs. A standard 20 lbs. propane tank can hold about 4 gallons of propane. 91000 * 4 = 364,000 BTUs per tank. At max settings, this firepit will use 58,000 BTUs per hour so divide 364,000 by 58,000 and you get just over 6 hours of continuous use just as Airin4 said Turning down the heat will net you a longer run time.
🔥Limor Propane Gas Fire Bowl🔥
🔥Cool Features:
- Measures 24 inch diameter x 24″ tall
- 33 pounds (without propane tank)
- Comes with matching rain cover and lava rocks
- Integrated push-button ignition starts and adjusts flame height easily
- Heat output is 40,000 BTU
🔥What’s Hot:
- light and easy to transport
- Smokeless and odorless
- Attractive and contemporary vibe
- Great for long-term campsite patio
🔥What’s Not:
- More expensive
- Less heat output
- Hose is stored separately
- Ackward to lift and store
🔥LIMOR Fire Bowl Accessories:
- Various Color Glass Chips (replaces lava stone)
- 20 pound propane tank
🔥Fire Sense Sporty Campfire🔥
Photo courtesy of FIRE SENSE – For more info, click HERE
🔥Cool Features:
- Manufactured of heat resistant painted steel.
- Uses standard 20 pound propane cylinder
- Comes with lid, a propane tank stand, hose and regulator
- Lava rocks included
- Foldable legs for easy portability
🔥What’s Hot:
- Super portable
- Whopping 60,000 BTU output
- Affordable for value
- Runs about 8 hours on 20 pound propane cylinder
- Great gift for RVer or camper
🔥What’s Not:
- May need more lava rock
- Regulator hose is short
- Reviews of 52,000 BTU output at most
🔥Fire Sense Sporty Campfire Accessories
- 20 pound propane tank
- 12′ Quick Disconnect Hose to RV propane tank
PORTABLE FIRE PIT ACCESSORIES
🔥Wood Burning Portable Fire Pit Accessories
🔥Propane Portable Fire Pit Accessories
🔥Fun Campfire Stuff
Final Thoughts on Portable Fire Pits
As you see, you have plenty of options to choose from when selecting a fire pit for your RV or tent camping experience.
Before I close, before lighting your campfire, it’s important to respect fire. Therefore, follow the campfire safety rules, not just for safety but for simple camping etiquette.
Read more: 10 Campfire Safety Tips
For wood burning fire pits, don’t allow your campfire to smolder. And never burn anything that is highly combustable and gives off toxic fumes. Stick to plain paper and wood.
But most of all, enjoy your fire pit; whether it’s a wood burning fire pit or a propane fire bowl. The dancing flames and glow of the coals are just the ticket to great camping memories.
Now, go make S’more!!
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Wow. This is helpful. I looked at portable fire pits on Amazon recently and was overwhelmed by the number of options. What criteria did you use to winnow those down to this list? Thanks.
Hi Adam, I’m glad you read our article. I based them on experience and research. We’ve gone through several throughout our RV lifestyle. From wood burning to now propane. We also network with others who gave us their reviews. So, this was involved collaborative research. For the propane, we’ve had the Outland Firebowl and LOVED it. Now we have the Litter Red Campfire because of our smaller RV size. What in particular are you looking for? Maybe we can help.
Thank you for your response and offer of assistance. In the end, I ordered an Outland fire bowl. But then, ta da, we had to cancel the trip for which we bought the Outland. I’m glad to see that your personal experience with items as part of your criteria.
Hi Adam, even though you canceled your trip, that Outland Fire Bowl is awesome just to have in your backyard. In fact, we bought that particular one for our son’s family who’s in an urban neighborhood in Charleston where they are not permitted wood fires. They use it every weekend. We hope you can schedule another trip. Please be well and safe travels.
Great article! We love having a wood fire at the campsite
Hi Christina, thank you for reading our article. We too love wood fires too. But that darn smoke smell. And the fire bans don’t allow them, so we have to rely on propane at times. Be safe out there and enjoy camping!
We love the smell of a wood burning fire!! Have the small solo stove and love it.
Hi Megan, thank you for taking the time to read it. Our friends have a solo stove and they rave about it too. It’s awesome that there’s four different sizes.
This is such a great list, thank you!
Thank you Janae, hope it was helpful in deciding which portable fire pit will fit your needs. With so many out there, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Our breakdown should help. Safe travels!
Thanks for such a helpful Comparison! You have resparked the debate in our household of what we ‘NEED’ !
Hi Sarah, thanks for taking the time to read our article. It was quite a research project but we’re glad we could bring those 10 up front with those comparisons to make it easier to decide. We hope you found the perfect fire pit for your RV. Safe travels!