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Biolite’s head engineer explains the wizardry behind its smokeless fire pit

BioLite's FirePit gives you a smokeless campfire, and it's available now

There is nothing quite like gathering around a bonfire with friends and family. Whether you’re at a campsite or just hanging out in the backyard, the warmth and light generated by a fire can be incredibly relaxing. The downside of course is having to deal with the smoke, which can get into your eyes, permeate your hair and clothes, and even choke your lungs. At times, it can be enough to ruin the entire experience. But BioLite has come up with a brilliant new product that promises to eliminate these problems altogether.

The company’s new FirePit is available now on BioLite’s website, following a massively successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2017. The FirePit incorporates innovative design elements meant to drastically improve the humble campfire. The designers at BioLite know that most of the smoke generated from such fires is due to how inefficiently wood tends to burn. To change that, the FirePit features a built-in fan that can push air through 51 individual jets, providing more oxygen directly to the flames. This helps the wood to burn more efficiently, resulting in less smoke and a warmer fire, all while using less fuel.

The FirePit’s integrated fan is powered by a rechargeable battery pack and features four settings. For a fire that burns a bit less hot, set the fan on low. But on those colder nights where more warmth is needed, you can crank it up to “Max” to create more heat across a wider area. The fan can be adjusted from the FirePit itself, or remotely by using the free BioLite Energy app (iOS/Android), which connects via Bluetooth.

BioLite’s designers used what they call X-Ray Mesh to create the body of the FirePit. Essentially, this is a lightweight metal that allows those sitting around the campfire to enjoy a 360-degree view of the flames at all times. Most other fire pits feature solid metal walls, or are often made from bricks, which typically obscure the view.

BioLite FirePit - Spark-To-Smokless

Other nice features include folding legs that make the FirePit easier to transport and a removable grill that can be used to cook dinner. There is even an optional cover that comes with an integrated solar panel to keep the battery pack charged at all times.

Kraig Becker
Kraig Becker is a freelance outdoor writer who loves to hike, camp, mountain bike, trail run, paddle, or just about any other…
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