Portable Outdoor Fire Pit

One of the best parts of camping, at least for me, is being able to sit around an open fire in the evening. The warmth, the light from the logs and the slower pace of it all add a lot to the experience.

The downside is space. A proper fire pit can take up valuable room in the car, van or campervan, especially when you are already carrying camping gear, cooking kit, chairs, bedding and everything else that comes with a trip away.

After looking at a few possible options on Amazon, I came across a Portable Outdoor Fire Pit. It looked almost too good to be true. It was compact, lightweight and seemed to tick the boxes for camping without taking up much storage space. I was not fully convinced, but at just over £20 I thought it was worth trying.

First impressions

The fire pit arrived on 5th November, which turned out to be a good evening to test it properly. On the way home from work I picked up some firewood so I could give it a real go rather than just setting it up in the garden and calling that a test.

When I opened the package, the first thing I noticed was just how small and light it was. It came with its own carry case and a set of instructions, which is useful if you are packing it away with the rest of your camping gear and want to keep everything together.

For car campers, van travellers and anyone short on storage space, that compact size is probably the main appeal. It is not the sort of fire pit that takes over the boot or needs its own dedicated corner of the van.

Setting it up

In theory, the fire pit should be quick and simple to put together. You attach the leg extensions and then clip the steel sheet into the ends.

I did struggle slightly with getting the legs oriented correctly the first time. It only confused me for a few minutes, and after a few practice runs I managed to get the setup time down to around a minute.

Once it was up, the fire pit felt sturdy on the ground. It was also larger than I expected for something that packs down so small, with enough room for around four large logs at the same time.

Using the fire pit

The fire pit was quick to light. Because air can get underneath the mesh, the fire got going with very little kindling. That airflow made it easy to use, especially on a cold November evening when I wanted heat quickly rather than a long struggle to get the logs burning.

There was a trade-off, though. The same airflow that helped the fire burn well also meant it went through wood faster than I expected. A bag of logs that would normally last me a full evening was gone in about three hours during this test.

The heat output was very good. It gave off enough warmth to keep me comfortable on a very cold November night, which is exactly what I wanted from it.

Cleaning and packing away

The next day I cleaned everything down and packed it away ready for the next camping trip. While doing that, I checked the mesh for any signs of damage.

Apart from the expected discolouration, the fire pit had stood up well. The small holes in the mesh also meant that the ground underneath was undamaged, with very little ash falling through.

That is a useful point if you are camping somewhere where you need to be careful about leaving no mess behind. It still needs sensible use and proper clean-up, but the design did help keep most of the ash contained.

Final thoughts

After testing it, I would recommend the Portable Outdoor Fire Pit. It packs down small, is light to carry, sets up quickly once you know how the legs fit, and gives off a good amount of heat.

The main downside is that it burns through logs quite quickly, so it is worth taking that into account when planning how much firewood to bring.

For camping, car trips, van travel and campervan use, it is a practical option if you want the feel of an open fire without carrying a bulky fire pit. The Portable Outdoor Fire Pit is available to buy now on Amazon.