All Reviews

Every guide we've published, newest first.

How to Choose a Wood Burning Fire Pit: Steel, Smoke, and Setup

2026-09-29

A practical guide to buying a wood burning fire pit and setting up the space around it, from steel thickness and spark screens to the path and cabinet that make the whole corner work.

Gas, Wood, or Smokeless: How to Choose a Fire Pit for Your Yard

2026-09-29

This fire pit buying guide compares four wood burning, propane, and smokeless options by fuel type, size, and how you actually plan to use the thing.

Fire Pit Setup: What You Actually Need Before the First Burn

2026-09-29

A fire pit setup is more than the pit itself. Here is how a round bowl pit, a propane table, a surface mat, and yard protection fit together before your first burn.

Building a Backyard Fire Pit Zone: Wood, Gas, and the Gear Around It

2026-09-29

A backyard fire pit setup comes down to three decisions: what you burn, what the pit sits on, and how people get to it safely. Here is how the pieces fit together.

Wood Fire Pit Buying Guide: Two Budget Picks Worth a Season

2026-09-19

A budget wood fire pit buying guide from a backyard builder: two wood burning pits worth the money, plus the storage gear that keeps the setup dry and ready to light.

Smokeless Fire Pits Compared: Breeo, Solo Stove, TIKI, and OutVue

2026-09-19

A backyard guide to the best smokeless fire pits, comparing the Breeo X Series 24, the Solo Stove Bonfire, the TIKI Patio, and the OutVue 42 inch grill pit.

How to Choose a Wood Burning Fire Pit That Lasts More Than a Season

2026-09-19

A wood burning fire pit guide from a landscape designer who has installed dozens: steel gauge, smoke behavior, spark screens, and the setup around the pit.

Fire Pit Buying Guide: What Actually Survives a Season

2026-09-19

A wood burning fire pit buying guide from a landscape designer who has installed them for 15 years: what the steel gauge, the spark screen, and the smoke tell you before you spend.

Choosing a Wood Burning Fire Pit: Steel, Smoke, and Setup

2026-09-19

A wood burning fire pit buying guide from a landscape designer who has watched cheap steel rust through in one season. Steel gauge, smoke behavior, spark screens, and the setup pieces nobody mentions.

Best Outdoor Fire Pits for Real Backyard Nights: Wood or Gas

2026-09-19

A landscape designer's guide to the best outdoor fire pits, covering two wood burners and two propane tables, and how to pick the one that fits your yard.

How to Set Up a Backyard Fire Pit That Doesn't Smoke You Out

2026-09-09

Backyard fire pit setup is mostly airflow, steel gauge, and where you put the thing. Here is the order of operations, from ground prep to the first burn and the last ash.

How to Set Up a 2-in-1 Fire Pit and Grill in a Small Backyard

2026-09-09

How to set up a 2-in-1 fire pit and grill in a small backyard, from site prep and airflow to ash cleanup and the mat that keeps grease off the patio.

How To Build A Diy Fire Pit

2026-09-04

How to build a diy fire pit, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Fire Pit Gas Vs Wood Cost

2026-09-01

Fire pit gas vs wood cost, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

The 7 Best Fire Pits of 2026, Burned a Season With

2026-08-29

What is the breeo x series 24 best for Let me start with the problem: this thing weighs 68 pounds. My lower back still remembers the day I carried it from the truck to the patio, and I'm not a small guy.

Best Fire Pit Covers: The Rain Reality

2026-08-28

The rain came down sideways last Tuesday, the kind of storm that makes you check the gutters and curse the forecast.

Best Fire Pits for Camping: Packable and Legal

2026-08-27

What is the biolite firepit+ best for The BioLite FirePit+ is the one I almost didn't buy. The fan seemed like a gimmick. A battery-powered fire pit? Come on. What is the uco flatpack best for The UCO Flatpack is the one I bring when I'm hiking in.

Best Fire Pits for Decks: The Heat Shield Question

2026-08-26

What is the best fire pits for decks: the heat shield question best for **The Solo Stove Yukon is advertised as the ultimate deck-friendly smokeless pit, but is it really?

Best Fire Pits for Patios: The Space Reality

2026-08-25

What is the best fire pits for patios: the space reality best for **Best Fire Pit for Patio**, that's what everyone types into Google, but here's the thing nobody tells you: your patio has a size. Your patio has a material.

Best Fire Pits for Small Yards: The 5-Foot Rule

2026-08-24

What is the solo stove yukon best for The version I own is the Yukon, and I’ve had it for two winters. The biggest issue is the stand. It’s sold separately, which is criminal for a ~$380 pit.

Best Fire Pit Under $200: What the Budget Buys

2026-08-23

What is the our pick: tiki fire pit best for ~$179. That's the price of one good dinner out, and this pit will outlive the restaurant. The Tiki is a 28-inch fire bowl made from heavy-gauge steel that feels like it was welded by someone who cared.

Best Portable Fire Pits: Camping and Tailgating

2026-08-22

What is the our pick: solo stove ranger best for The Portable Fire Pit is the one I grab when I'm heading to a tailgate or a campsite and I don't want to spend the next morning with smoky eyes and a jacket that smells like a bonfire.

Best Propane Fire Pits: Ambiance Without the Smoke

2026-08-21

Should you buy the Outland Living Firebowl (Model Varies) Yes, and it's not close. At ~$279, it's the best propane fire pit I've tested, and the cost-per-day math works out to about ~$0.19 a day over a four-year lifespan.

Best Smokeless Fire Pits: The Double-Wall Truth

2026-08-20

I’ve spent more nights staring into fire bowls than I have watching TV, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that “smokeless” is the most abused.

Fire Pit Buying Mistakes

2026-08-19

Fire pit buying mistakes, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Fire Pit Placement Rules

2026-08-18

Fire pit placement rules, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Fire Pit Safety: The Spark Screen Isn't Optional

2026-08-17

The first thing people ask me isn't about BTUs or steel gauge. It’s about the spark screen.

Smokeless vs Traditional Fire Pits: The Smoke Test

2026-08-16

What is the smokeless vs traditional fire pits: the smoke test best for I've spent fifteen years installing fire pits in client backyards, and in that time I've watched the smokeless category go from a gimmick to something that genuinely works.

Fire Pit Steel Gauge Explained: The Decade Test

2026-08-15

The this fire pit is the best fire pit steel gauge value I've tested, because it pairs 304 stainless steel with a design that actually survives the.

Fire Pit vs Chiminea: The Backyard Comparison

2026-08-14

Is the chiminea actually the better choice for a small patio, or is it just a prettier way to smoke out your neighbors? I've owned both for years now, and.

Fire Pit Vs Fire Table

2026-08-13

Fire pit vs fire table, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How to Build a Fire Pit: The DIY Reality Check

2026-08-12

I've built fire pits from scratch. Block, gravel, steel, the whole deal. I've also bought the ~$50 chiminea that cracked before the first season was over.

How to Choose a Fire Pit: 5 Questions From a Guide

2026-08-11

I've dragged a rusted-out ~$395 bowl to the curb in September, and I've watched a ~$400 Breeo shrug off a full Michigan winter like it was nothing.

How to Clean a Fire Pit: Ash, Rust, and the Season-End Routine

2026-08-10

I’ve pulled rusted fire bowls out of the snow in April, scraped ash out of pits that sat wet for three months, and watched a ~$25 cover trap moisture and.

How To Cook Over A Fire Pit

2026-08-09

How to cook over a fire pit, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How To Protect Deck Under Fire Pit

2026-08-08

How to protect deck under fire pit, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How To Put Out A Fire Pit Safely

2026-08-07

How To Put Out A Fire Pit Safely And after fifteen years of running outdoor fires, I'll tell you this: the difference between a safe shutdown and a.

How to Start a Fire in a Fire Pit: The Pyramid Method

2026-08-06

The Best Way to Start a Fire in a Fire Pit Is the Pyramid Method, and It Works on Every Pit I Own

How To Start A Fire Pit

2026-08-05

How to start a fire pit, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How To Store A Fire Pit

2026-08-04

How to store a fire pit, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Propane Vs Wood Fire Pit

2026-08-03

Propane vs wood fire pit, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Smokeless Fire Pit How It Works

2026-08-02

Smokeless fire pit how it works, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Wood vs Gas Fire Pits: The Experience vs Convenience Trade

2026-08-01

I’ve burned through a ~$90 stamped-steel bowl that rusted out by September, a mid-tier gas unit whose igniter died after two weeks, and I’m currently.