We got a two week test run with the BioLite FirePit, and it landed smack dab in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis. Luckily we are still allowed into our back yard, and we are allowed to have firepits here. I just wanted to cook a marshmallow, grill a steak and sit around the firepit with a cold beverage, and I was able to accomplish all of that over a single day.
In many places where ground fires are no longer allowed, this portable unit is a serious option because you can get the heat up off the ground. The unit weighs less than 20 lbs. and comes with a carry cover.
The BioLite FirePit works as a backyard fire pit, a travelling fire pit and a hibachi grill. The FirePit is a portable mesh box with foldup legs, hibachi style grill and a full scale ah bin. It has a 10,400 mAh battery and fan that powers 51 air jets for up to 24 hours on low. The unit is Bluetooth-capable so you can control the airflow directly from your phone without having to get out of your camp chair. While you can also use the unit to charge your phone in a real pinch, the unit does not generate any electricity from the heat it generates.
We started our fire with charcoal and once we got a little bit of heat in our charcoal, we turned on the fans. The coals quickly got white hot, and we got a great quick sear on our steak. Grilling a ribeye, we had a little bit of fat land on the coals which smoked, but overall the smoke level on the FirePit is incredibly minimal. It will sometimes smoke but nowhere near what you would get with a regular fire.
Once I finished cooking my steak, I used the grill as a fire pit by lowering the grill plate to the bottom and dropping in a few logs. You can heat up and adjust the power jets with the BioLite app and quickly tune the fire to the level of heat you want. Once the fire was out, I was blown away with how easy it was to clean out. I used a simple paint brush to move the ashes and was surprised with how quickly the unit cooled off once the fire was out.
Overall, if you are in the market for a hibachi style grill to bring along with you on your trips, this is a great unit, especially as it doubles as a fire pit. What is nice about this unit is that if you are in a campground that does not allow open flame fires, this is basically a barbeque. But once the grilling is done, it provides a nice fire to sit around, roast a few marshmallows and drink a couple of cool or warm beverages which is pretty darn nice.
