Opinions about Propane fire pits

[S-n-L]

Hello everyone,

I am in the market for a portable fire pit (campfire). There are a few that look good and would like to get some feedback on anyone's opinion on these.

I want something that is compact and easy to pack away but gives good heat to stay warm on cool evening as we sit outside.

Here are the ones that look good to me in no particular order, let me know the good, the bad and the ugly on these. Some have lava rocks which seem they could get messy but spread the heat more evenly, and others have fake logs:

1. Camco 58041 Portable Propane Campfire

2. Camp chef fire pit

3. Big red campfire

4. Little red campfire

5. Campfire in a Can

Thanks for your input,

Stuart

[Nunyadamn]

I have the Camp Chef - bought on sale at Big 5 Sporting Goods for $79 last year. It is great. Really puts out some heat when you want, or just a little if you prefer. I like how small it gets to store in the small bag. Really can't go wrong with it.

[4x4van]

I have the Camp Chef; Love it (the Camco & the Camp Chef look nearly identical, including the storage bag, although the Camco claims a bit higher BTUs - 65,00 vs 55,000). The flame is adjustable from next to nothing up to quite large, and once the lava rocks heat up it actually puts out a surprising amount of heat. The short legs (about 6") along with the air holes in the bottom of the fire bowl allowed the ground underneath to get hot, so I bought some 1/4" rod (the same material as the stock legs) and made some longer ones. They still fold up just like the originals but lift the pit about 12" off the ground. Much better.

My brother has the Little Red Campfire; it's nice but a bit smaller diameter. The fake logs also don't radiate as much heat; he chucked them and uses lava rock instead,which helped. On the plus side, it has no openings underneath the fire bowl, so the ground doesn't get hot. It also has a nice solid lid for storage (instead of the nylon bag of the Camp Chef or the Camco).

The Big Red Campfire is a bigger version, but still a tad smaller than the Camp Chef, and of course it still has the fake logs. Again on the plus side, it has the solid lid and the solid bottom.

The Campfire in a Can, IMO, is just way over-priced compared to all of the others, although it does seem to have a larger flame than the others (in videos).

While I still prefer a wood fire, my propane Camp Chef is great for those times when you can't burn wood. Currently just $65 on Amazon.

[pugslyyy]

Another vote for the Little Red - hard to go wrong at $99. So many places have burn bans these days, it's nice to be able to pull it out and use it.

[rjf7g]

I have a Little Red Campfire - the fake logs cracked and Camco sent me a new set at no charge.

[S-n-L]

Thank you all for the input. I will take a trip to Lowes and check out the fire pit that they have.

Stuart

[ScottG]

We've dropped some marshmallow in ours and it just burns off - no harm done.

[old_guy]

my son bought one and we take it camping with us at parks and /or that time of year where not camp fires are allowed. we go through a 5 lb tank over one week end and we don't care if the grand kids make smores over the flames or not. it is a family get together thing and if it goes bad we will get another one. they are cheap so why not. I always enjoy watching my kids and now the grand kids having fun while camping. same reason I bought a swimming pool for home. I knew where my kids were having fun and they were not on the streets doing drugs. I feel I raised them right and am proud of them.

[Puttin]

We have the Camp Chef...it was about $120.00 from Amazon I think. It came with 4 very good quality bbq forks that you can use for sausages, small ka-bobs, etc. Because I have trouble lifting heavy stuff these days I bought a 2 1/2 gal. propane bottle with it, instead of the normal 5 gallon one. I still get about 3 hours out of it when set to between low and med.

[JiminDenver]

We have the $99 one from Lowes and it's great. We drop into the stone fire pit and from even a few feet you can't tell it's not wood. The heat isn't like a real fire but once the stones get glowing red hot it radiates more.

[tvman44]

We and several friends have the $99.00 ones from Lowe's with the lava rocks and it does a nice job. 🙂

[Pangaea_Ron]

Make sure that whichever one you get has a modulated flame. WA State Parks will allow those, but not those without one during burn bans.

[Dog_Folks]

Ours was Little Red Campfire. Stores easily, has a the same fire effects as natural wood, adjustable flame, fake logs and stores easily.

The only thing you don't get is the smell of a natural wood fire.

[cmarq]

I had a fire dancer with fake log , it was ok but small we were afraid to let grandkids do marshmallows if the drip on log. Won a large camp chef with lava rock, takes more storage room but a larger flame and we do hot dogs and marshmallows, lava rock is easy to get and replace. None are as nice as a wood fire.

[ScottG]

We bought one at Costco though I don't remember the brand. Buying it there was a few dollars cheaper and it came with a cover that is held on by a carrying strap. Some of the fire pits I looked at were small, 10" dia and some had a fake looking fire. This one is a bit larger and has a realistic fire that uses lightweight rocks rather than logs.
In this pic it is adjusted to a lower output. I don't know how ling it will run, we used it all summer on the same tank.
I "think" it was $70 or $80.



Brownie points for anyone who knows what CG this is!