8 Best Fire Pits of 2022

Once you start using a fire pit, it becomes the kind of element you’ll want to bring to any gathering—like a killer wireless speaker or a sixer of a favorite craft brew. The Solo Stove Bonfire’s 14 x 19 ½-inch size means you can toss it into a trunk or backseat to bring the heat to a buddy’s house, the beach, campsite, or on an RV trip. The 304 stainless steel build is maintenance-free—unlike flimsy painted metal versions—with a crisp, modern design. But there’s a reason the Bonfire was in the Men’s Health Outdoor Awards: it punches above its scan 20 pounds weight with a smart design that burns 17-inch long logs more completely, efficiently, and with less smoke.

We love fire pit tables since they offer plenty of surface area for our drinks and plates. This one from AAPI-owned furniture brand Outer is ultra luxe, with a propane-powered pit that’s topped with ceramic balls for a mid century modern vibe.

The knock against wood fires is they can—for anyone sitting downwind—be too smokey for comfort. The hack? Smart engineering. The BioLite FirePit has a fan that pulls air in, forcing it through 51 jets, in the shape of a burner, into the burn chamber. That helps the logs burn better and give off less smoke so there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The 10,400 mAh pack that powers the fan is rechargeable via USB (or a solar panel) and has enough juice to keep a fire going for 24 hours. While the BioLite burns wood, you can control it like a gas-powered flame: The companion app controls the fan’s intensity. Turn it up for max flame or way down to maximize burn time. The mesh front gives you a front-row seat to the fire and a grate on top works like a hibachi grill that can also accommodate coals—meaning you can go way beyond s’mores here.

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The smaller version of this pit weighs less than 14 pounds, though it will burn sizable logs at camp. The simple folding design sets up faster than any pit you could build in the wild, and at 15 inches tall, it feels intimate. The ashtray makes it easy to dispose of remnants when you’re done, so you leave less of a footprint. The mesh top adds the ability to cook burgers or heat a pot of water for pour-over coffee, but Primus also offers a large steel pan that can turn the fire into a giant skillet.

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Blurring the lines between a tiki torch and wood burning pits are gel fuel fire pits that burn alcohol-based gels. It’s a similar technology to the cans caterers use to keep food warm. The fuel comes in canisters that you nestle inside a decorative pit, then light. The Southampton Teak torch blends sleek, polished stainless steel with warm teak in a modern shape that feels right at home on outdoor furniture, from a coffee to end tables. At 14-inches tall the design ensures the flames are at eye level, and while the heat from the canister (which lasts about 2 ½ hours) won’t generate a lot of heat, it also burns clean with no smoke and no odor so you can sit closer to them.

Polywood makes some of the best Adirondack chairs in the game. Coupled with this sleek fire pit table, this top selling set is the ultimate backyard lounge setup.

If you want serious bragging rights, roll up your sleeves and build your fire pit—no masonry skill required. This Pavestone kit comes with 72 concrete pavers you assemble like a giant puzzle, holding it all together with construction adhesive from a caulk gun. The kit’s 10 1/2-inch high sidewalls keep fires manageable and contained while the nearly 4-foot diameter leaves plenty of ledges space to rest drinks, plates, and feet. The tumbled concrete pavers have a weathered stone vibe that’ll fit in just about any yard’s style and the stainless-steel insert gives the pit a finished look that’ll hide the charred sidewalls.

Gathering around a fire is great—better still if there’s a convenient spot to set down a drink or prop your feet. Fire pit tables, like the Forest Ridge, run on propane, like your grill, or borrow natural gas from your house, so they’re set it and forget it easy to use. The best fire pit tables, like this one, comes with an electric start that’s even easier to use. The 42×42-inch top includes a wide ledge around the fire to set down a beer or tray of soon-to-be roasted marshmallows. The weathered barn wood shell is concrete and steel, so it needs almost no maintenance, and a door in one of the sides is removable to conceal the standard 20-pound propane tank.