We reckon that one of the best bits of camping gear you can take out camping with you is a portable firepit for camping! We’re massive fans of carrying a portable firepit in with the rest of your camping gear because they allow you to control the heat from the fire, get better airflow than ground-based campfires, and limit the amount of smoke you have to deal with. Here’s five essential camping firepit tips and tricks that everyone should know!

1. HEATBEADS AND BBQ CHARCOAL ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND FOR COOKING!

If you’re cooking over the top of your portable camping firepit, then make use of heatbeads or BBQ charcoal. This will give you a much more even heat, as opposed to only using wood and timber which will change temperature as it burns and flares up. Controlled heat is one of the best reasons to use a portable firepit for camp cooking!

2. DON’T OVERLOAD YOUR PORTABLE CAMPING FIREPIT

Don’t be too keen and over-stack your portable camping firepit with firewood. All this does is limit the amount of oxygen that can circulate through the portable steel firepit, which in turn will limit how good of a burn you get from your firewood. Instead, use small pieces of split firewood to start your campfire in your camping firepit, and gradually build up the fire until you have it burning nice enough to put a solid log or two on.

3. FIRELIGHTERS ARE GOOD – FIRELIGHTING FLUID NOT SO MUCH

We’ve found that firelighting fluid isn’t always the best thing for your portable camping firepit, particularly if it’s a steel firepit. It tends to drip and run down in between the firewood or the heat beads, and won’t as easily ignite the wood as traditional firelighters. Use normal firelighters when getting your portable camping firepit up and running instead for a simple start to your campfire!

4. USING YOUR PORTABLE FIREPIT AT HOME? MAKE SURE YOU’RE COOKING OVER IT

One of the truly great things about a portable camping firepit is you can use it at home in the backyard, because it’s so easy to transport! But you should know that most councils have banned open wood fires in backyards because of air pollution, and also only allow a portable firepit for backyard use if you’re cooking over it. And before you ask – marshmellows are a bit of a grey area, so throw the bbq plate over the top of it and cook some snags on your camping firepit to say on the right side of legal, and remember to use heat beads and not wood when you’re at home!

5. EXTINGUISH YOUR FIREPIT FULLY BEFORE YOU GO TO BED

And one important reminder – always fully extinguish the campfire in your portable steel firepit before you go to bed. It’s the right thing to do, because a couple of stray embers can easily float away and start a fire on the ground or in the bush when you’re not looking. The best way to do it is to just let the fire die right down in your portable camping firepit, and then use water to fully extinguish the last of the coals. That way you know your portable camping firepit is safe while you sleep!