Keeping warm outside is tricky business. It’s not like you can heat the great outdoors like you would a room in your home, which is why you need a wood-burning fire pit or other source of radiant heat.
In my post about Indoor/Outdoor Radiant Heaters, I explain how radiant heat works by transferring thermal energy directly to objects, including people, warming them in the process. Unlike convection heaters, which draw in cool air that is warmed by a heating element & then dispersed via a fan. In an outdoor space, a heater cannot heat & recirculate all the air around you to make the area warm, like it would in an enclosed space, this is why you need radiant heat.
Fire is a form of radiant heat & works by warming you via thermal radiation in the form of infrared waves & visible light. This is why the side of you facing the fire will be warm but your backside, facing away from the fire, is literally in shadow & doesn’t receive the thermal radiation so it stays cold.
Just FYI…
- You get more heat from wood because wood burns hotter than propane or natural gas.
- The lower to the ground the fire or fire pit, the more of your body it will keep warm.
- If you’re a bit of a pyro (who isn’t), keep in mind that you want a deep fire pit/bowl because the deeper the pit/bowl, the bigger the fire. And a bigger fire will keep you warmer.
Wood-burning heating options to keep you warm outside…
Who doesn’t love a good fire pit? There’s nothing nicer than sitting around a roaring fire, having a drink & roasting marshmallows. If you’ve got a nice open space in your backyard, you can hire someone to build an in-ground fire pit, build one yourself (if you’re the handy sort), or you can buy a freestanding fire pit that’s portable when cool.
Whichever wood-burning fire pit you choose, be sure to use a log grate to arrange your logs on when you build your fire (fires need air) & get some fire tools (see Accessories below), like a poker, so you can fondle your fire…they like that.
In Ground Fire Pit
I love our au-naturel fire pit (pictured above). It’s rustic & reminds me of sleepaway camp. If you’re handy, you can find a ton of how-to videos online & then buy all the supplies you need. My brother-in-law built our fire pit, which makes it extra special to us. If you prefer a ready-made kit you put together on your own, there are lots of those available, see below.
Above Ground Fire Pits
These fire pits are made of stone or concrete and are too heavy to move once assembled. So pick a safe spot on your patio away from your house or on your lawn away from trees. There are a lot of kits available at your local hardware & big box stores that you can put together yourself or pay someone to assemble. They’re available in a variety of materials, colors, shapes, sizes, & prices to accommodate your space, style & budget. There are far too many for me to offer up a sampling of here (I would get lost for days down that rabbit hole).
Freestanding / Portable Fire Pits
We had a portable wood-burning fire pit before we built our in-ground one. These are widely available in countless sizes, shapes, styles, & prices. Most aren’t particularly heavy so they can be moved or stored when cool & not in use.
Before moving forward, I need to share my personal opinion on the design of certain freestanding fire pits. I recommend looking for a portable fire pit with legs that go straight down or, better yet, one that has no legs at all, just a base. Many fire pits have legs that angle out from the base, like this one to the right, which I think presents a tripping hazard. People falling near fire is never a good idea.
Portable Round Fire Pits
Bonfire Fire Pit
Round Fire Pit
The popular portable fire pit of the 2020-2021 winter season is the Solo Stove. And with good reason, it’s virtually smokeless & burns HOT, so it gives off a lot of heat. The Solo Stove uses a unique airflow design with bottom vent holes that allow oxygen to feed the fire from below while simultaneously bringing warm oxygen up between the walls of the stove & back to the fire.
The Solo Stove is available in several sizes & varies in functionality (fire pits, grills & camp stoves). It can be purchased in bundles or you can buy the accessories you want separately. But this great technology comes at a price & gets increasingly expensive as you add accessories. Their smallest fire pit, the Ranger, is 15″ wide & starts at $270. The mid-sized, 19.5″ Bonfire, pictured above left, is currently on sale for $300. And the largest at 27″, the Yukon, starts at $500.
If you’re looking for something a little more tame & inexpensive, I really like the round fire pit by Sunnydaze, pictured above. I like the simple transitional style & the fact that it’s round so there are no corners to bang my shins on. Another thing I like about a round fire pit is I think it’s easier to sit more people around than a square one (I find corners restrict seating arrangements; no one wants to sit at the point, but maybe that’s just me). And of course, I like that this fire pit has a base & no legs for anyone to trip on.
Better still, this 30″ wide round fire pit by Sunnydaze has a 9″ deep bowl & is 15″ high including the base, 24″ with the spark screen on…this will make a NICE fire (big & low). Furthermore, it comes with a log grate, fire poker, spark screen, & free shipping for $175.
The only thing missing is a cover – but I got you. I found a waterproof cover for $27 that will fit over the round Sunnydaze fire pit with the spark screen on.
Portable Square Fire Pits
Maybe a square fire pit is more your vibe. After doing a lot of research, the one I like best is this 34″ steel fire pit with an 8″ deep bowl.
Other great features are the triangular risers at the bottom of the fire pit bowl in lieu of a log grate & it has adjustable feet to stabilize the fire pit on an un-level patio or yard.
On sale as of this writing for $170 (normally $230) on Wayfair, this fire pit is a great deal. In addition to its great features, it includes a spark screen, fire poker, grill grate (to BBQ on) & a vinyl cover! But there are two disadvantages to this fire pit, it can not be used on a wood deck & it weighs 43 lbs so you might need two people to move it. Otherwise, I think it’s a terrific option.
Square Fire Pit Tables
Lastly, square fire pits that double as a cocktail table. I must confess, I really got lost down this research rabbit hole because there are not a lot of good options in the wood burning category, like there are with the propane fire pit tables. If you really love the idea, get a propane-burning fire pit table. You can find more about them in my post on the subject: Best Outdoor Heaters – Propane Burning.
But if you’re hot to have a wood-burning version, I get it. I do love the idea of having a surrounding ledge to rest your feet & drink on. Plus, the ledge itself provides a built-in safety feature by not letting anyone get too close to the flames, especially important if you have young kids or pets.
So I narrowed it down to two options. The first, by Christopher Knight, is pictured below, far left. It is 28.5″ square, 16.75″ high & the bowl is 7″ deep by 17″ square (deeper than most) for $272.
Fire Pit
The second is a well-reviewed, inexpensive, coated metal fire pit table by ZENY, pictured above, center & right. As of this writing, it’s on sale on Amazon for only $80. A lot people love it &, as you can see, it’s extremely functional because it doubles as an ice bucket in the summer & it comes with everything you need. No joke…this 32″ square fire pit table comes with a log grate, BBQ grate, spark screen, poker & cover. Mind you, the fire pit bowl does not look very deep & the dimensions are not noted in the description but all of the similarly styled fire pit tables have a max bowl size of 6″ or less.
Just keep in mind that while you can get a great deal on these lightweight, metal coated fire pit tables, there are a lot of complaints about cheap materials, parts arriving damaged & rusting over time. Basically, you get what you pay for. If you’re content knowing you’ll only get one or two season out of it, maybe more if you keep it covered when not in use & take good care of it, then go for it.
While reading reviews & comments, I saw one person who bought the ZENY fire pit table just to put her Bonfire Solo Stove in the center, instead of the fire pit bowl. This way she’d have a place for her drink & create a safety border (as I noted above, the Solo Stoves get VERY hot). I love it! I hope she doesn’t mind that I “borrowed” her pic. You can find her review on Amazon. This is totally something I would do.
Fire Pit Tools & Accessories
- Log Grate – Use a log grate at the bottom of your fire pit to allow air to flow under the wood. It will get your fire burning more quickly, give the ashes somewhere to go & not smother your fire, & maintain constant airflow for a longer burning fire.
- Sand &/or Lava Rocks – Add a layer of sand &/or lava rocks to the bottom of your metal fire pit bowl (under the log grate) to protect it from getting too hot or burning through a metal bowl. It is recommended you do the same with a stationary above or in-ground fire pit.
- Fire Starters – Always start with dry wood & kindling of some sort, such as twigs &/or newspaper balls, to get your fire started. Try not to use leaves or grass that will get blown around with the embers & risk catching something or someone on fire.
- Spark Screen – I highly recommend using a spark screen (a metal screen mesh cover) to keep fire embers from blowing onto people, pets & property.
- Waterproof Cover – You definitely need a cover so your portable fire pit doesn’t fill with water or snow because, as you know, wet wood won’t burn. You also want to cover (or store inside) your portable fire pit to protect it from the elements when not in use.
- Tools – Keep a set of fire pit tools nearby. At the very least, you’ll need a poker, tongs or heat resistant gloves (see images below).
- Firewood Rack – If you have a wood burning fire pit, you better keep plenty of wood on hand, so you’re going to need someplace to store it off the ground to prevent rot & aid in drying. These racks are available in lots of sizes & designs, I’ve posted some samples below with links. Before you buy, consider how much wood you plan to buy (or chop yourself) & measure where you want to put the rack.
Propane Heaters & Fire Pits
Looking for info on propane-burning heaters, fire pits & fireplaces? Please read my post on Best Outdoor Heaters – Propane Burning.
Radiant Heaters
Get this far just to decide fire is not for you? Learn more about portable radiant heaters on my Indoor/Outdoor Radiant Heaters post.
Note
No matter where you live, please check the local regulations…there may be limitations on what type of heating devices you can have, how big & how far from your home it needs to be.
Please let me know if you’ve bought any of these outdoor wood-burning heaters & accessories or others you’ve really liked.
All items are in stock at time of publication.
