Burning logs on a fire pit is cool and all, but it’s a lot of work gathering all that wood during the day, so you can enjoy a toasty fire when it gets cold. If you like to minimize the drudgery when you’re slumming it in the wild, it’s probably best to just bring along a propane fire pit instead. The Howl R1 promises to be “the most portable, packable propane fire pit” in the market.
Designed to collapse to around the size of a shoebox, the portable fire pit can easily squeeze in the boot of most any vehicle and strap down to the pack of someone in your group, allowing you to easily take it to your camping adventures. No need to chop logs, gather kindle, or do any of laborious tasks that comes with enjoying a fire at camp – just hook up a propane tank to this thing and you’re good to go. Sure, it’s not going to be as toasty as your typical log-fueled fire pit, but it still delivers plenty of light and warmth that everyone can appreciate at camp.
The Howl R1 is a portable fire pit measuring just 13.3 x 8.4 x 6.1 inches (width x depth x height) with the legs folded, all while topping the scales at 11 pounds. Granted, it’s not exactly the kind of ultra-lightweight gear you want to take for long backpacking treks, but it’s definitely a convenient way to bring a fire pit along if you’re going to have to your vehicle somewhere nearby. It makes an impressive fire, too, producing flames up to 32 inches tall, so you can get a big fire going from a pretty compact rig.
Unlike typical propane fire pits that keep the flame shielded inside its walls, this one has an open chassis that keeps the entire flame exposed. How does the flame not die from wind? Apparently, it’s the result of their A-Flame Burner that effectively creates a dome of heat around the flames by using 160 precision micro-emitters, while being shaped to quickly shed water, so you can keep the fire going even in the rain. According to the outfit, this allows it to create its tall flames while minimizing fuel use, since every bit of fuel you burn is used up right on the exposed surface.
The Howl R1 has a burn time of eight hours for a single 20-pound propane tank if you crank it to full blast, so you should get multiple nights’ use out of a single tank if you manage your fuel use to just what you need. It has a pressure-regulating dial built into the body, so you can easily adjust the flame height to your preferences, with gullwing legs that ensure it never tips over while you have it set on the ground.
Construction is 304 stainless steel, aircraft aluminum, and brass, so this should be durable enough to take whatever the outdoors can send its way. It’s USA-made, too, with all fabrication, cutting, and assembly done out in Colorado.
The Howl R1 is available now, priced at $349.
