Camping and camp fires go together like fish and chips, especially during colder weather. The only catch is you need plenty of wood even for just a couple of nights. You can be kind of stuck if you happen upon a crowded camp site and the wood has already been scavenged by early arrivals. Fortunately you have a backup solution if you take a portable propane fire pit along with you on every trip. Some campers are traditionalists and might be disappointed with a propane fire pit but with the rising popularity of camping leading to scarcity of fire wood and increasing wood fire bans at many camp sites they can be an acceptable compromise.

A good quality propane fire pit actually has many advantages over the wood camp fire. You will no longer have to rely on finding a source of fire wood as propane fire pits obviously don't require any. With a good sized propane tank you will get many hours of use out of a single refill. Propane tanks are also much easier to transport than fire wood.

Propane fire pits also don't produce any sparks so there is less chance of causing a fire. Sore eyes from smoke will also be a thing of the past. Of course without the smoke you also miss out on the ashes so you won't have any clean up to do at the end of the night. Just pack it up and put it back in the car. Clean, simple and convenient. Without all the smoke propane fire pits are also excellent for using in the back yard. Neighbors won't have to complain about the smoke that the average fire produces.

You will need to be aware of a few things when choosing your model. Some models don't come with hoses or fittings. If you are buying online make sure you know what's in the box. If you need to buy fittings separately make sure you note the size your model needs. You also need to keep your tank a little away from the flames so get a hose of sufficient length. It's also out of the way of getting knocked over from people standing around the fire.

All fire pits are not equal so check the heat output rating as well. You want to be able to get a decent amount of warmth on those cooler nights. A fire pit that can produce heat in the range of 60,000 BTUs should be adequate. Also make sure you get the most efficient model you can afford. Propane is cheaper than fire wood but you still don't want to use any more than you need to.