The Best Portable Propane Fire Pits
A certified gas bowl is the pit you can take to a campground during fire season. Ranked on burner rating, certification and what actually comes in the box.
DisclosureWe earn a commission when you buy through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices come from Amazon and change without notice. How this site is funded.
A portable propane fire pit is a certified gas bowl on a 20 lb cylinder, producing no embers and no ash. It is the pit most likely to be permitted at a campground during fire restrictions, because most restrictions target solid fuel. Expect 58,000 BTU/hr and about 7.4 hours per tank.
| # | Product | Best for | Key spec | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outland LivingPhoto via Amazon Outland Living Firebowl 893 Deluxe58,000 BTU, CSA-certified, and the pit most often accepted where wood fires are not. The cover and carry kit are in the box, which is why this is the one to buy over the bare 823. | Burn bans and travel | 58,000 BTU/hr | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Outland LivingPhoto via Amazon Outland Living Firebowl 870 PremiumThe 19 in Outland with auto-ignition instead of a match. Worth it if you light the pit often, irrelevant if you do not. | Push-button starts | 58,000 BTU/hr | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Outland LivingPhoto via Amazon Outland Living Firebowl 883 MegaThe 893's burner in a 24 in bowl. The same 58,000 BTU spread over more area, which buys presence rather than heat. | A bigger gas flame | 58,000 BTU/hr | Check price on Amazon |
Prices are pulled live from Amazon. Where no live price is showing, the button reads “check price” rather than a number we cannot stand behind.
Outland Living Firebowl 893 Deluxe
Outland Living58,000 BTU, CSA-certified, and the pit most often accepted where wood fires are not. The cover and carry kit are in the box, which is why this is the one to buy over the bare 823.
58,000 BTU, CSA-certified, and the pit most often accepted where wood fires are not. The cover and carry kit are in the box, which is why this is the one to buy over the bare 823.
- CSA certification is the thing an HOA or a campground manager actually asks to see
- No embers, so it is the defensible choice under a covered patio and during most burn bans
- Shuts off instantly, which removes the entire put-it-out problem
- A 1-year warranty is the shortest in this whole registry
- A 20 lb tank has to live somewhere, and the hose length dictates where the pit can sit
- 58,000 BTU is a burner rating, not a measure of how warm you will feel
Anyone in a burn-ban county, on a covered patio, in an HOA, or towing it to a campsite.
You want the smell and the sound of a wood fire. A gas flame is not a substitute, and pretending otherwise wastes your money.
We have not burned this unit. These are the things a specification sheet cannot answer, listed rather than glossed over.
- Real-world runtime, which depends on how low you run the burner. Our figure is arithmetic at full output
- Long-run corrosion on the powder-coated bowl in coastal air
#ad how we are funded · no live price right now
Outland Living Firebowl 870 Premium
Outland LivingThe 19 in Outland with auto-ignition instead of a match. Worth it if you light the pit often, irrelevant if you do not.
The 19 in Outland with auto-ignition instead of a match. Worth it if you light the pit often, irrelevant if you do not.
- No lighter, and no reaching over a burner
- The same certified burner as the rest of the range
- Cover and carry kit included
- An igniter is one more thing that can fail, and it is not separately warranted
- Costs more than the 893 for a convenience feature
Households that light the pit weekly rather than monthly.
You are fine with a long lighter. The 893 is the same fire for less.
We have not burned this unit. These are the things a specification sheet cannot answer, listed rather than glossed over.
- Igniter reliability over several seasons
#ad how we are funded · no live price right now
Outland Living Firebowl 883 Mega
Outland LivingThe 893's burner in a 24 in bowl. The same 58,000 BTU spread over more area, which buys presence rather than heat.
The 893's burner in a 24 in bowl. The same 58,000 BTU spread over more area, which buys presence rather than heat.
- A wider flame pattern reads much better as a backyard centerpiece
- Identical burner rating to the 19 in model, so running cost is unchanged
- Cover included
- The same BTU over more area means lower flame height, not more heat
- A larger footprint eats into patio clearance
- Heavier and more awkward to move than the 893
A fixed patio spot where the pit is the visual centerpiece.
You are buying for heat. The number that matters did not change.
We have not burned this unit. These are the things a specification sheet cannot answer, listed rather than glossed over.
- Whether the wider bowl changes perceived warmth at seated distance. Nobody publishes that
#ad how we are funded · no live price right now
Certification is the whole point
People buy portable gas pits for one reason: they want a fire somewhere that has told them they cannot have one. Campgrounds, state parks, RV sites and beaches routinely restrict solid-fuel fires during dry conditions while continuing to permit self-contained gas appliances with a shut-off valve. The mechanism of that permission is almost always the certification mark.
That is why every pick here states its certification and why the specification sits above the burner rating in our ranking. A CSA-listed appliance is a thing you can point at. A listing that says 'safe during fire bans' with no mark behind it is a marketing sentence, and it will not help you at a check-in desk. Verify the current restrictions at your destination before you travel — they change weekly in fire season. How burn bans work.
What separates the Outlands
| Model | Bowl | Rating | Ignition | In the box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 893 Deluxe | 19 in | 58,000 BTU/hr | Match lit | Cover, carry kit, lava rock |
| 870 Premium | 19 in | 58,000 BTU/hr | Auto-ignition | Cover, carry kit |
| 883 Mega | 24 in | 58,000 BTU/hr | Match lit | Cover |
All three share the same burner rating, so runtime is identical at about 7.4 hours per 20 lb tank. What you are choosing between is bowl size, ignition and accessories.
Note what that table shows: the burner is the same across the range. The Mega is not a hotter fire, it is the same fire spread across a wider bowl, which reads better and feels the same. The Premium is the same fire with a button instead of a lighter. If you are choosing on heat, they are identical and you should buy on price and what is included.
Packing and using one
- 1Carry the cylinder upright and secured. This is a transport requirement, not a preference, and it applies in a vehicle as much as anywhere.
- 2The hose length dictates the layout. Plan where the cylinder sits before you site the pit — you cannot extend it arbitrarily.
- 3Level ground matters more than with a wood pit, because the burner and media are designed to sit flat.
- 4Check the destination's current restrictions, not last year's. Fire restrictions change with conditions.
- 5Shut the cylinder valve, not just the burner knob, when you finish. It is the difference between off and mostly off.
- Uncertified portable gas pits
The certification mark is the object a campground host or a ranger asks about. Without it you own a pit you may not be permitted to use where you are going.
- Buying the bare model to save money
The cover and carry kit that the bare Outland 823 omits cost more separately than the price difference. Buy the version with them.
- Certification first. CSA or equivalent, stated on the listing. This is the specification that decides whether the pit is usable where you are taking it.
- Burner rating second, then runtime computed from the DOE energy content.
- What ships in the box — a cover and carry kit are real money on a pit that travels.
- What we did not do: take any of them anywhere.
We have not burned any of these units, and we do not claim to have. The full method, including what it cannot tell you.
If you are traveling with a pit for the fire itself rather than because of a restriction, a packable wood pit is a different and cheaper answer — the mesh-floor camping pits weigh a fraction of a gas bowl plus its cylinder, and they keep the fire off the ground, which is what most elevated-fire rules ask for.