admin While the Solo Stove had a good showing of newly released accessories, the Breeo’s grilling system (sold separately) was our preferred choice during testing. The outpost grill system allows you to swing a grill grate over the fire for hamburgers or hotdogs, and the searplate griddle, for the serious cooks, attaches to the pit’s rim for searing steaks and charring veggies. Combined, the Breeo can serve as a fairly practical backyard grill and reminded us of a luxury glamping experience. The Breeo X Series can also be installed into any stone surround, making it extremely handy for those who have hardscaping in their backyards.
The Best Portable Fire Pit: Solo Stove Mesa
Not quite a candle, not quite a fire pit, the Mesa is Solo Stove’s take on tabletop firemaking. Designed as a dinner, picnic, or poolside companion, the stoves are available in five ceramic-coated colors, in addition to classic stainless steel, making this the most aesthetic-driven fire pit on the market.
Despite looking a bit like a novelty you’d see in SkyMall or Sharper Image, the versatile Mesa is a surprisingly useful stove. It’s perfect for evenings when we didn’t want to commit to a large fire, instead opting for a quick meal outdoors (s’mores, anyone?) with a little added heat and ambiance. Burning your choice of traditional mini firewood or wood pellets, the flame gets big enough to toast marshmallows, but we loved it more for its ability to convert any outdoor table into a comfy spot for playing cards, cracking beers, or sharing plates. Plus, with football season in full swing, it’s an excellent tailgating accessory. The Mesa even comes with a helpful carrying bag so you can tote the little thing wherever you need. Note: For people without yards, you’ll need to keep a collection of small sticks nearby, or simply order Solo Stove’s “mini” oak firewood.
The Best Fire Pit for Easy Lighting: Tiki Smokeless Patio Fire Pit
Known for its bamboo torch, Tiki debuted its fire pit on Kickstarter in 2019. Compared to Solo Stove and Breeo, the offerings are fairly basic: two fire pits (one regular, one portable) with the only attachments being a pit screen and fire poker. But for those who just want an occasional fire, with no intention to cook and no desire to fuss, the Tiki is a one-size-fits all model that we love.
The pit’s matte black conical shape, lifted off the ground on three sturdy but thin legs, was our favorite design right out of the box. And if we’re being practical, using wood packs to get the fire started was the simplest method in our testing—though not the most budget conscious at $36 per four-pack. Combined with the pull out ashtray for easy cleanup, this was the lowest effort per fire of all the pits, and those time-saving elements are a huge boon for entertaining guests.
The Best Fire Pit for Camping: BioLite FirePit+
We’ve been following BioLite ever since they introduced the original CampStove, a small camp stove designed to use the heat from a small fire to charge your phone. Their take on the smokeless fire pit is equally unique. The FirePit+ uses an attached fan, which runs off of a charged battery pack, to circulate air through perforated tubes at the top and bottom of the fire pit. The fan can be set to three speeds (controllable manually or via app), which controls the burn rate. When paired with the removable Grill Grate, this allows for some temperature control while cooking.
