01422 396 769 
quoteFancy a fire pit? They’re brilliant if you’re determined to stay outdoors for as long as possible right into the depths of colder weather and want a more natural way of keeping warm.
You might also want to use your fire pit for cooking food to eat outdoors in your caravan or motorhome – anything from toasting marshmallows through to barbecuing meat, fish and more.
Keep the campfires burning
Do check with any campsite whether it allows the use of fire pits. Plenty don’t and for valid reasons. Others do, and will most likely also be able to offer suitable dried wood for burning as well as bricks or similar for placing your firepit on, as needed (which will save you the hassle of carrying something similar on your travels).
If you are using a firepit for camping in the late evenings, just remember noise travels a lot further then – what to you might be a cosy campfire gathering might sound like a full-blown party to others, even if they’re at the opposite end of a camping area!
Top tips for using a fire pit for camping
- Consider your caravan, campervan and motorhome neighbours, especially if your firepit creates smoke
- Make sure any firepit is used off the ground so it won’t burn grass etc. If it doesn’t have legs, use stones, bricks or similar
- A fire extinguisher and/or fire blanket kept nearby is always a good idea. As is keeping a close eye on your firepit all the time it’s in use
- Like any product that’s going to generate heat, it’s best placed a safe distance from your leisure vehicle(s), awnings, windbreaks etc
- Don’t be tempted to use a firepit in your leisure vehicle or any awning
- You might also want to invest in a pair of fire gloves for handling a hot firepit
- Be wary of small children and pets, especially, getting too close to a hot firepit or one that is cooling down
- Similarly, don’t wear flammable or loose clothing when you’re near a firepit
- Make sure your firepit is suitably cooled and completely dry before stowing. That’s also the best time to clean it
- Consider weight and bulkiness when taking a firepit on your caravan, campervan or motorhome holidays
Star Player #1
Outwell Cazal Fire Pit
Sister model to the more expensive Camon, the Cazal Fire Pit is smaller and lighter, also coming with a lid as well as a long tool for removing and placing it – so you shouldn’t get your fingers burnt! You can use the Cazal with wood or charcoal.
Complete with a cooking grate this fire pit can also be used for barbecuing food too.
Three legs bring stability, then tuck up underneath when packing away for storage – 44.5cm diameter and 18cm deep. It’s 38cm high when ready for use.
It’s very lightweight, too, coming in at just 3kg.
Key features Steel/iron/chrome plate construction, cooking grate included, two-year warranty
Expect to pay £61
Star Player #2
Merlin 400 Smokeless Fire Pit
Going smoke-free might just endear you all the more to your immediate camping neighbours, of course. Supplier Quest Leisure talks about the Merlin’s “clean-burn technology” – a secondary combustion action that injects warmed air through vents to create a vortex effect that, in turn, minimises smoke and enhances overall efficiency for a unit that’s designed to burn logs or charcoal.
Key features Stainless steel including 1mm thick 316L marine grade combustion chamber, UK made, 40cm diameter fire pit, one-year warranty (extendable to two)
Expect to pay £249.99
www.questleisure.com and www.merlinfirepits.co.uk
Star Player #3
BioLite FirePit+
If you want to go all high-tech with your firepit, here’s the answer. An internal battery and patented airflow technology are just two of the secrets behind this charcoal and/or woodburning firepit that’s designed to replicate the all-round heat emitted by a traditional campfire.
Add the grill grate and you can use the FirePit+ for cooking. It can all be operated manually or you can download an app to control the fan and airflow settings remotely, as well as get instant feedback on battery life.
Set it to “low” and you can have up to 30 hours of heat, including flames.
It’s 68.6cm x 33cm x 40.1cm high, and 26.5cm high with its legs folded for transportation. Weight is just under 9kg.
Also available are plenty of accessories, ranging from a poker to griddle, grill lid and more.
Key features 12,800mAh rechargeable power pack, folding legs, removable grill grate, Bluetooth connectivity, USB-A output and micro USB input (cable supplied), enamel coating, folding legs, removable grill
Expect to pay £299.99
Star Player #4
FirepitsUK Flat Pack Fire Pit
The name says it all. This packs right down to 51cm x 32cm x 6cm, opening up to 51cm x 42cm x 32cm.
It comes from a UK company that specialises in firepits and related products – offering some 50-plus designs all handmade at its own workshops, using premium grade British steel.
It also comes with a grill for barbecuing, with charcoal as the recommended fuel.
Dimensions when packed are very handy if space is at a premium. It weighs 12kg.
Key features 2mm flat steel construction, removable grill, huge range of accessories
Expect to pay £151
Star Player #5
Easy Camp Camp Fire Tripod Deluxe
More than just a firepit, this is a whole campfire kit that also comes at a very keen price. The main items – tripod and pit – have a black paint finish, plus there’s a chromed grill piece that can be adjusted for height and has a 50cm diameter.
The tripod gives stability as well as protecting the fire pit from accidental contact.
Total weight is 5.4kg and maximum height is 1.5m
Key features Steel with heat-resistant paint finish, chrome-plated grill, easy construction, two-year warranty
Expect to pay £67.99
Star Player #6
Robens Wayne grill
If space is at a premium, how about something like this? It’s the Wayne from Robens and it’s a fully folding firepit that comes with its own zip-up carrybag.
In all-stainless steel, the base folds out for stability, and there’s a removable grill if you want to cook on it. Recommended fuel is dry, hard wood. Indeed, Robens warns against using charcoal, driftwood, waste, cardboard, painted or treated wood and softwoods such as pine or cedar.
Like all such products, you’ll need to find a suitable surface (hard, stable, heat-resistant) on which to place this unit as it will, for instance, burn grass.
It all packs down to a very convenient 34.5cm x 19cm x 6cm and, at just 2.7kg, it’s incredibly light.
Key features Stainless steel construction, fully folding, very light, two-year warranty
Expect to pay £48.99
Star Player #7
Fennek Hexagon fire pit
From Germany, this is the smallest in a portfolio of folding firepits made from stainless steel with a brushed finish and a promise of 100% temperature resistance. It’s also the lightest, at just 2.7kg (there is a 3.9kg alternative).
From a packed 22cm x 22cm x 2.6cm it opens out to a pit size of 54cm x 46cm x 16cm using Fennek’s unique “stick-together” system. It has its own base, too, but you’ll nevertheless want to place it on something solid and heat-resistant for use.
Key features Stainless steel construction, flat packs for true portability, burns wood only, premium quality
Expect to pay £66
Star Player #8
Firepit with guard
A handy sized firepit – it’s some 55cm in diameter and 15cm high – that’s also pretty light (at 5kg), especially considering it includes a stand, a log grate, grill for cooking and a poker.
Folding legs make it practical for stowing as well as keeping the main fire pit section off the ground when it’s hot, while the loose mesh lid will keep the bugs away when you’re using this item for cooking.
Key features All-steel construction with black paint finish, folding legs
Expect to pay £32
Over to you…
Got any advice on firepits you’d like to pass on to fellow Caravan Guard blog readers? Please feel free to add a comment below.
Fire pits are dangerous and always attract drunken morons.I have holes in my awning from flying sparks. Campsites should ban them because of the safety issues.
We have a gas fire pit and it is exalant and as it is gas it can be used on any camp site as it does not burn wood it gives off a lot of heat when on hi but it is all so good on low setting highly recomend it.