I’m someone who loves burning wood for a campfire, whether it’s for camping or in our backyard, but a lot of people use propane fire pits for both reasons.
Is it better or worse?
I swallowed my biases and looked into the pros and cons of propane fire pits to help you decide if it’s worth getting.
Propane fire pits are a great option for those who don’t want to mess around with gathering wood, starting fires, and cleaning up the mess. However, they are a bit inconvenient when it comes to refilling propane and their lack of heat.
Look ahead for our side-by-side comparison chart and details into specific pros and cons.
Table of Contents
Pros And Cons Of Gas Fire Pit Table
For a quick side-by-side view of the pros and cons, use this table to help you out.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to use | Propane needs refilling |
| Affordable | Less heat than wood |
| Portable | Not for cooking full meals |
| No ashes | No campfire smell |
| No wood collecting | |
| Safe |
This article covers both stable gas fire pits, like the big ones you’d put on your deck, and portable propane fire pits for camping and other small uses.
Click the link above to see our picks for the best for different situations.
Pros For Propane Fire Pits
There’s a surprising amount of to get one of these, as this section will show.
There’s also a growing trend to have both a wood fire pit and a gas one.
This way, you get the best of both worlds.
Easy To Use
It doesn’t get much easier for setup and use than a propane fire pit.
All you need to do is attach the propane tank and light the pilot.
Sometimes this will take a second as you fill the system with propane, but you’ll still have a full fire within minutes.
Often, the dials are easy to use and even offer some control over how to let the fire be.
Affordable
Compared to a wood fire pit, you’ll be spending more, but it’s still quite affordable.
Another option is to get a permanent natural gas fire pit attached to your heating system.
These are quite expensive and require special installation.
Portable gas fire pits generally run anywhere from $100 to $500, depending on the size and design.
Portable
Woodfire pits are movable, but it’s not safe to move them while there’s a fire and it’s hot.
Propane fire pits are the most portable ones out there.
All you have to do is turn it off and then move it.
Some come in small sizes for maximum portability.
We keep one for when we’re camping, just in case it’s too rainy to start a wood fire quickly.
The one at my mom’s house for her deck gets moved all the time depending on the weather and which direction the wind’s coming from.
We couldn’t do that at all if it was a natural gas pit or even a wood one.
No Ashes
I don’t worry about ashes too much when it comes to fire pits. I like to use them as part of composting and gardening (they have high levels of potassium), but I understand how they’re messy and inconvenient to a lot of folks.
With a propane campfire, nothing burns down, so there’s never anything left over.
It’s easy to move and use with nothing left to clean.
No Wood Collecting
One of my least favorite parts of campfires is the wood-gathering process.
I don’t mind starting fires or cleaning up after it, but it’s the long looking and cutting that annoys me.
(Fortunately, my kids are of the age where they still think it’s fun!)
Propane fires don’t need wood at all. The LP gas is what provides the fuel for the energy.
Safe
Propane fire pits are contained and safe.
It’s OK to burn with this even during a burn ban because it’s a fire completely under control and relying on the propane in the tank.
Check out more details on our article regarding the safety of propane fire pits.
Cons For Gas Fire Pits
It’s not all sunshine and roses, though. There are some downsides to getting propane tanks, as we’ll talk about in the next section.
Propane Needs Refilling
The worst part to me is how gas fire pits always need refilling.
We tend to have long fires at night, so it doesn’t last forever.
Learn more about how to guess how long the fire pit will last in our article on how much gas a fire pit needs.
We tend to keep several 20-pound tanks around for various uses, including grilling, heating, and fire pits, so it’s not a huge deal for us.
But if you don’t want to keep a bunch around and constantly be refilling them, maybe pick something else.
Then again, if you don’t have fires a lot or for long periods, it could last months for you.
Less Heat Than Wood
Overall, a fire pit will produce less heat (measured in BTUs) than a wood fire pit.
Gas fire pits are limited by their design; they can’t go over.
Woodfire pits will go as hot as possible depending on the type of wood you use and how much you put on.
For some context, 40,000 BTU is a standard output on a fire pit for gas. This is enough to warm a small group of people in mild weather.
A wood campfire can reach numbers of 100,000 BTU or higher.
Not For Cooking Full Meals
A propane fire pit is good for cooking small things, like marshmallows and hot dogs, but you’ll want to save the real cooking for grills or wood fire pits.
For one, the heat is higher, so it does a better and safer job cooking the meat.
For another, the grease and drippings can block the burners, preventing the gas fire pits from working correctly.
The exception here is when a gas fire is designed for use with a pot or pan put on top of it.
No Campfire Smell
Burning wood in a campfire produces a smell most campers love.
It’s not necessarily that the smell is amazing on its own, but it’s a great signal to summer, nature, and relaxing fun.
My wife melts every time she smells a campfire, but propane fire pits don’t have a smell—a big downside in our book (but maybe not in yours).